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I am an independent and vote Democratic or 3rd party, I am deeply pessimistic about the state of our state and country.  After 20 years of voting I have come to the conclusion that our government is irreparably flawed to the point that positive and meaningful change is impossible (gridlock and corruption) and our citizenry is fickle to the point that we are dangerous to ourselves and our country.

posted 2 years, 5 months ago
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Sorry if I sound biased... I guess I am when it comes to kids getting what they need.   I think any of us would say that these are hard issues to deal with.  The reality is that any system has corruption, waste and problems.   There are different perceptions of what the monthly rates are, some think of them as paychecks, some think just room and board.  Just depends I guess.  I have always felt that the basic rates were WAY too low, and have been amazed and awed that the folks receiving those are good and kind enough to do the job regardless.  The problem with the prior system was the unevenness that was mentioned.  There really were a few blatant examples of abuses that made everyone else look bad.  My guess would be that the new system will have to be ironed out so that people who really need more funding will have it. 

posted 3 years, 6 months ago
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Just a reminder that foster care payments are tax free.

posted 3 years, 6 months ago
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I am a DHS caseworker and have worked for the agency for 7 years.  I have seen a lot of abuse of the system, with some foster providers pushing for higher and higher rates, getting thousands of dollars monthly in some cases. I have directly observed that some of the folks receiving the high rates were not doing a lot to actually help the child.  Essentially the money was more a fee for dealing with inconvenient and difficult kids.  A very big problem with the old way is that many children ended up being tagged with diagnoses and on medications that will effect them their whole lives.  That being said I see a lot of really good foster providers and I personally am glad that the regular rates have gone higher.  Now perhaps foster parents can buy kids winter coats and get them involved more with extracurricular activities.  

posted 3 years, 6 months ago
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