Arizona's children

For years, the state's Child Protective Services has been an easy whipping post for the media. It's gub'ment, after all, which every right-thinking person should oppose, and gub'ment "never does anything right." It's safer to go after CPS than, say, the environmental depredations and political influence/corruption of the Real Estate Industrial Complex. CPS = bad is such a backbeat that one is tempted to not even pay attention.

Still, I saw a story on the agency's most recent report — more reports of child abuse and neglect than ever, but an increase after three years in foster homes — and became curious. The first thing to seem odd is that the Kooks have buried CPS in the Department of Economic Security. Yeah, the unemployment agency. Washington state's child-welfare agency is part of a cabinet-level Department of Social and Health Services. In Colorado, it's in the Department of Human Services. But I suppose this is the "streamlining" of government by the Kooks. Yet the obvious implication is that child welfare is not that important; the agency head is conveniently removed from the governor — unless something goes wrong.

CPS has been more than buried. It has endured years of budget cuts even as population grew and, after the housing depression, the need for social services to working-poor families increased. Some $300 million was cut from these programs over four years by a Legislature not just facing revenue shortfalls, but ideologically opposed to government assistance to the needy. Not surprisingly, children needing foster care rose dramatically. Huge new cuts were being readied last month.

The flinty cruelty of the Kookocracy, combined with an economy of low-pay, part-time jobs and families on the borderline, placed Arizona at 46th among the states in the latest Kid's Count report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Only Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico and Mississippi did worse by their children. This authoritative report looks at such indicators as economic well-being, health, education, and family and community. "A state-level examination of the data reveals a hard truth: A child’s chances of thriving depend not just on individual, familial and community characteristics but also on the state in which she is born and raised."

In the latest Census, 24 percent of Arizona's children lived in poverty. That's 392,000 souls, each one precious to God for those of you who claim to vote on your evangelical values. Thirty-five percent lived in families where their parents lacked secure employment. Ain't "right to work" great? Forty-three percent were in families facing a high housing-cost burden. That's seven-hundred-thousand young souls, each one individually precious to God, who lie awake at night wondering if their mothers can make the rent payments, or maybe lying in a cheap motel, or in the car.

The problems are complex and holistic. Yes, some people are bad parents. Children shouldn't have children (the same Kooks cutting CPS funding would eliminate or severely limit access to contraception). A few parents are downright evil. I went on more horrific child-abuse calls than I care to recall; it was in the hundreds, and only the imperative of treating the often dreadfully injured child — sometimes just a baby — kept me from inflicting far worse on the parent/suspect. We need more personal responsibility in our society (one thinks especially of investment bankers, fossil fuel executives and Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne — in the latter case, I always assumed, obviously wrongly, that the "e" on the end of his last name was silent). Our society should speak seriously of the young, call them "children" and not "kids," which are baby goats.

But more than 30 years of policy gamed to hurt the middle class and cut off upward mobility has badly damaged families, too. Things are even worse for the working poor, who have much less chance than before to work their way up in American society. Many must work at least two jobs just to stay ahead. Savage cuts have been made to public education, especially in poor areas, especially in Arizona. The state also created a low-wage economy, especially dependent on easily exploited low-skill immigrants, driven into the shadows and even more exploitable by SB 1070. As I've written before, the wasted human capital alone is one of the factors holding back the entire state. But these pressures on families are also disproportionate breeding grounds for child abuse, neglect and abandonment,

Meanwhile, the agency that should be a backstop to help children in need is just a perpetual punching bag. Move along. Nothing to see here. Pay no attention to the funding cuts, abysmal salaries, impossible caseloads and working conditions for caseworkers, and lack of constructive attention from the governor or Legislature. And done so not out of mere Anglo- and class-supremacy blindness but out of fealty to "conservative" dogma.

To reverse Talleyrand, it is worse than a blunder, it is a crime.

 

Comments

[cal Lash]

Excellent Jon. Its great when you sound mad! And we should be. But the group in power does not use CPS.
They bury their problems.

[AZREBEL]

Laurie Roberts has fought this battle for so long that I am amazed that she is still able to carry on the fight.

IMHO, one of the most disturbing traits of modern society is the hypocracy that exists concerning children.

We've all heard the usual lines, "they are our future", "they are the most important part of our lives".

In reality, they have no value to our society. They can be easily replaced. Twenty of them have less value to our country than a 30 round rifle magazine.

And don't even get me started about religions, Catholic and Mormom, and their use for children.

There is no way on earth that CPS can hope to fix the world our children are now being born into.

Hey, maybe the NRA can finance a bio-project where the babies come into the world packing heat. At least that would give them a fighting chance.

[cal Lash]

Now U went and got the REB mad.

[Petro]

Apparently the food assistance program (SNAP) has been folded into DES as well. I think this is a recent development, because I was for the first time put through the we're-going-to-assist-you-in-finding-employment-by-policing-your-own-efforts wringer just this last week.

To my knowledge, this only used to be inflicted if you were collecting unemployment.

The outcome of this unhappy experience is one that I am too weary to share here. In any case, the children are more important than old goats like myself. Thanks for talking about this.

[morecleanair]

Thus far, Dr. John Kavanagh has managed to avoid being singled out for criticism in his powerful role as Chair of House Appropriations. To me, he is one of the most accountable for squeezing the life out of attempts to improve childrens' funding. He's too smart and wily for the Kook label, but he has huge influence on how the legislature's financial hocus-pocus underfunds childrens needs.

One thing that makes it difficult to put names and faces with this travesty is that usually Gov. Brewer is the only one whose photo appears. Kavanagh only pops up when he chooses to flog his cause du jour . . . which now happens to be an effort to deep six the marijuana legislation.

[Suzanne]

fealty to "conservative" dogma I see clearly when Arizona’s ‘conservative’ legislature allows themselves an open checkbook to prosecute the Independent Redistricting Committee. Which, so far, has cost the state $1.4 million.

[morecleanair]

Suzanne: $1.4 million is a pittance compared to what AZ has paid to Snell & Wilmer and to John Bouma, its 76 year old managing partner. By all accounts, he's a fine gent but he has a history of defending our state when it oversteps its legal boundaries. Made a Supreme Court appearance as I recall. Been riding something of a gravy train, from all outward appearances.

[Suzanne]

morecleanair, I don’t doubt what you say.

[Emil Pulsifer]

After all of the recent scandals and news coverage involving child abuse and deaths and the inadequacy of the CPS budget to cover their overwhelming case loads (even the Arizona Republic editorial board has finally admitted that it IS about money), you would think that even Arizona's conservative Republican legislature would see a budget increase for CPS as both a no-brainer and an easy political slam-dunk.

But you'd be wrong. The word obdurate comes to mind: 1. unmoved by persuasion, pity, or tender feelings; stubborn; unyielding. 2. stubbornly resistant to moral influence; persistently impenitent: an obdurate sinner.

The Arizona Republic recently ran a story titled "Chasm divides budget proposals", comparing spending differences between Governor Brewer's budget and that of the legislature. The hard-copy edition contained a box detailing individual spending proposals in major categories, which (as usual) was omitted at the newspaper's website.

Brewer: $87 million increase for the Department of Economic Security, of which $68 million is for Child Protective Services.
Legislature: $17 million

CPS' own director, named by Brewer, had recently mentioned a figure of $50 million.

And as Mr. Talton shockingly documents, that's only a small fraction of the cuts made to CPS in recent years.

Here's another issue:

"Across Arizona, scores of school districts are using money they had set aside for textbooks to fix air-conditioners and leaky roofs, laying off maintenance workers and having teachers sweep their own classrooms, putting off repairs and hoping nothing major breaks down.

"Malaj and his counterparts around the state are wrestling with the fact that, for the fourth year in a row, the Arizona Legislature has siphoned almost every penny from the state's school-repairs fund to help plug the budget deficit.

"The near-elimination of the state's building-renewal fund for schools is part of a broader set of cuts to K-12 education spending, which makes it harder for districts to shift funds from somewhere else without affecting classrooms."

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/20110522arizona-schools-building-repairs.html

The budget problems haven't been fixed since that 2011 article was published.

Brewer proposed $51 million for school construction and repair for the new budget. The legislature proposed $5 million.
Universities? Brewer, $59 million; legislature, $0.

The excuse the legislature hides behind is "fiscal responsibility". The state doesn't have the money, they say.

To which I respond: billion-dollar tax cuts.

In 2012 and 2011 the Arizona legislature passed two gigantic tax cuts, both of which benefit corporations and the wealthy.

One of them cuts the state's individual income tax rate on long-term capital gains by 25 percent, as well as giving businesses that lose money the ability to use the losses to offset future profits (and taxes) for 20 years (previously this was 5 years). Is this what "survival of the fittest" looks like in capitalism?

The cost of that set of tax cuts from FY 2014 through 2019, according to the state Joint Legislative Budget Committee, is $440 million.

The other set of tax cuts, which cut corporate income taxes by nearly 30 percent and business property taxes by 10 percent, will cost $538 million from FY 2013 through 2018.

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/brewer-signs-package-to-slash-biz-taxes/article_f4531c48-a114-5126-87b2-296e70319796.html

Add them together and the lost state revenue totals $978 million. And that's according to the Arizona JLBC, not a liberal think-tank.

Cities like San Francisco and San Jose, both in "high-tax" California, have added FAR more tech jobs since the recession, whether measured in absolute numbers or in percentages, than Phoenix.

This refutes two commonly held dogmas at the Arizona legislature: (1) that taxes drive away businesses or prevent them from starting up or expanding; (2) that capital flight from California is bankrupting the state and that Arizona is poised to pluck this low-hanging fruit, provided it just keeps lowering its taxes.

Both of these myths have persisted for DECADES, yet California is still the tech king and habitually at or near the top of the list for high paying job creation, whereas Phoenix is still...well, Phoenix.

[terese dudas]

When you cite redistricting, you get my attention.

The redistricting of my area, C - 1, has resulted in non-representation for the next 10-yrs, or until the next census. AZ Cong 1's rep has missed the last 15-votes, and she's ( Ann Kirkpatrick) only been in office a few weeks! Together with my previous Congressional representation by a non-functioning Representative - Giffords - I have been disenfrancised for good. What's a TeaPartier to do? Drink hemlock?

[Emil Pulsifer]

Sorry about the double-spacing. I couldn't get the original to post and had to use the back-door, which inadvertently changed the paragraph formatting.

[Donna Gratehouse]

But, but, Arizona is Number 1 in the nation for "business competitiveness"!

[Donna Gratehouse]

"This refutes two commonly held dogmas at the Arizona legislature: (1) that taxes drive away businesses or prevent them from starting up or expanding; (2) that capital flight from California is bankrupting the state and that Arizona is poised to pluck this low-hanging fruit, provided it just keeps lowering its taxes."

They keep repeating that idiotic mantra as if the repetition makes it true. Yeah, a few thousand people move here from CA every year and maybe for some of them, mostly retirees, the low taxes are a factor. Big whoop. California has a population of 37.5 million compared to AZ's 6.5 million. The likelihood of a truly mass exodus from there to here is highly doubtful, considering our lack of many of the things that make people live in CA, i.e, a diverse array of industries that produce good jobs, a quality university system, etc.

[Petro]

(2) that capital flight from California is bankrupting the state and that Arizona is poised to pluck this low-hanging fruit

Yes! Just wait 'til Mickelson gets here. (That's 2 links).

[Diane D'Angelo]

I am also concerned about the demonization of low-paid, over-worked CPS employees who limp along with a lack of foster care placements or shelter spots for these kids. Yes, Laurie Roberts has focused on CPS for quite some time, but she tends to blame the agency and its workers for failures. It's akin to blaming a 10-foot dam for failing to stop the Colorado River.

[francine hardaway (@hardaway)]

I was a foster parent fifteen years ago, and I've seen all this up close and personal,. because my foster kids, now adults are still part of my family. I had caseworkers who had not the wherewithal to cope, but would visit and sit in my Biltmore living room enjoying their diet Cokes and the respite from the worst part of their jobs. Everyone at CPS burns out. It's just so awful.

[mike doughty]

First AZ, elected a car salesman with a bad hair piece,and I thought it was just a phase we were going through.After all,we survived ol' Uncle Ronny.

Then we elected a dirt developer who preached OPM and I thought the adults would surely stand up.

Then we became the Western Mississippi,lost a super bowl,watched Charley and the Driggs bros. help bring down the S&Ls,and I thought that the Suits would finally clean things up.

And then along came St. Jan and now there's nobody left to do anything.Never underestimate large groups of people proud of being dumb.

Az of 66,it was nice knowin' u.

[Suzanne]

terese dudas, I think Ms. Kirkpatrick was here in Arizona trying to educate herself on local mining issues.
However, she did cosponsor the reintroduction of the Violence Against Women Act. I think we can say that is good for all women, across the US and in Arizona.

[Rocky]

I am a CPS Ongoing Supervisor.
I have been with CPS for over 14 years.
I have 130 sick days accrued that I don't use because I have too much work to do to call in sick; I lose 14 days of annual leave because I have too much work to do. I usually work 7 days a week including at home on my 'days off' because I have too much work to do. I have carried a case load of 45 children as a Supervisor because my case managers have too many children some as high as 67 children. The average case load should ideally be 25 children. The Juvenile Court doesn't care the legislature doesn't care and, as a result, case managers continue to quit in droves. We have a supervision problem as we can't find and keep good supervisors either.

[cal Lash]

Sounds like the Rocky Horror show.
But in my 62 years in Arizona its always been bad at CPS but it just keeps getting worse. And now that the state can fire at will its going to get even worse as competent employees are forced out and replaced with incompetent folks for political favors.

[cal Lash]

Terese dudas, Up until now I thought you seemed to think and post some stuff for thought. And U have a point about Kirkpatrick. But your offering to off yourself with Hemlock sounds like typical tea party trash talk. A mob is a mob.

[cal Lash]

Terese dudas, I forgot to mention suicide is a crime, so if U do it you are going to get arrested along with the dude that gave U the drugs.

[bearsense]

Perhaps the Hohokam ate their seed corn too.

[AZREBEL]

Rocky, a question for you.

Do you see any difference concerning "child" issues in areas that are within closed societies: Mormon communities, Hispanic communities, white suburbs. Looking from the outside, it would seem that the model of a closed community like the Mormon areas would be more protective of the children. (I know there are other issues concerning this particular community) But, in general, do you see any differences?

I would appreciate your thoughts.

[terese dudas]

Oh Cal, you're a worse stick in the mud than I thought. Can't you take a joke?

[Rocky]

This is my answer to the question above from AZREBEL

We have a lot of Mormon children in CPS care. Mormon parents have drug issues too. Doesn't seem to matter what belief system one belongs to. Many children are also abused by religious parents. The one difference tends to be income levels. Children who are removed by CPS tend to be from low income parents/neighborhoods. So not too many children from north Scottsdale or Paradise Valley, if any at all.

[cal Lash]

terese dudas, good to hear U dint off your sel, how about a green chili burger and a beer at Shut Up Franks?

[Petro]

Regarding tea & hemlock: I was going to make a joke about Kool-Aid and the Reverend Jones but that would have been, er, impolite.

Badum... bump?

[cal lash]

Saint Terese dudas regardless of you opine, color or gender I think you should join our next face off over coffee and beer, no Kool-Aid. And we can do a Petro led "in the moment" even though its hard to get AZREB and I out of the past.
one foot in the past one barley in the future. After a reflective meeting I had over a cup of Starbucks coffee today, we might institute a new club rule, "no goals"!

It would be our first rule.

[cal lash]

So will Brewer get what she ask for at CPS or was it a PR political ploy?

[terese dudas]

Note to Cal - Dudas is a proper noun and takes capitalization. Just because you like to play at eecummings, doesn't mean that the rest of society has to relax standards.

[Petro]

Um, terese (sorry - "Terese")... your signature/handle is lower-cased. Just a heads up.

[cal Lash]

Sorry Terese DUDAS, wont let that happen agin. Offer still stands, I'll buy.
And whats wrong with ee cummings and "Relaxed Standards"?

on a more serious side, I am disappointed in the amount of serious comment that Children and MLK garnered.
Nite life and other such city scape issues draw much heavier comment.
I am not, but you know, "I am just saying"?

[AZREBEL]

Cal, that is because in our society, children don't matter.

You can see proof of that every day in the news.

[eclecticdog]

Children only matter when they are useful as a propaganda tool.

[cal Lash]

A place you can take kids.
Cactus Land. Home of the Sajuaro

I am in route to meet an actor and a stage hand from NY for lunch to the Botanical Gardens at Papago Park.
They have built a new restaurant at the outer edge and you can go and not have to be a member.