I’m absolutely hopping livid this morning folks.
The Washington Post reported (at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15188209/) about a kid who is being “unadopted”. It’s a tear-jerking story of heartache, which I’m sure is why the Post picked it up.
But here’s the rub – if you read the story, you find that the Department of Family Services people who were involved failed to disclose to the potential adoptive parents the problems that this kid had. What’s worse is that they acknowledge the widespread practice of screwing foster and adoptive parents like this; to wit:
“In some reports, details such as his psychiatric hospitalizations and sexual abuse are left out.”
“But sometimes, because of the high turnover of case workers, information gets lost, assumptions get made, mistakes happen -- especially if the child is older. Especially if they've bounced around foster care for years. And especially, Schagrin said, if their sad and broken histories might scare away potential foster or adoptive families.”
Never mind the clear money-grubbing character of the Department. Some comments:
“At least, if his parents win the lottery and die, he will inherit," one wrote in an e-mail.”
“That pressure has intensified since 1997 because of a federal law that rewards states as much as $6,000 for every foster child adopted.”
There is absolutely no excuse for this.
ZERO.
Folks, this is part of what I have ranted about for years.
The government has every incentive to destroy families and they even PAY the states when they manage to do so! For every kid in foster care who gets placed in an adoptive home, they get a “bounty” of $6,000! What’s wrong with this picture? How about “where are the original parents?”
This sort of nonsense permeates the entire system. Its all about the money. Its NEVER about the kids. And the States grant near-complete immunity to these workers, who cannot be sued or prosecuted for their actions and decisions. This is wrong and must stop. Our children are not $6,000 bargaining chips!
I feel terrible for the kid involved. But these people in the State Departments of Family Services need to be locked up on felony child abuse and fraud charges.
This has gone on long enough folks. When are we going to wake up and stop giving the government power to destroy families and children? Will it be before or after they come for YOUR kids and snatch them for their $6,000 bounty?
Three years ago I penned a series of changes to Florida’s Legal Code to address some of these issues. Sadly, it seems that I missed some details of the law as it pertains to situations like these. Of course the State didn’t like my changes and they were not introduced nor passed in the Legislature – folks, until we stand up and make changes such as this a requirement of our State Governments, kids are going to continue to be abused – not just by their guardians and others, but by the state as well.
