Friday, May 23rd, 2008...6:56 am
Eh, Why Expect Some Sort of Consistency?
Anyone remember all that hoohah a few months back about CPS? If you remember, we had Republican legislators complaining about the size of case loads and trying to mandate expensive drug testing. Although there were folks who were advocating for more money being spent on recruiting more caseworkers and retaining the ones that are there (Pete Hershberger and even Jonathan Paton to some extent), I wondered how serious some of them were about making sure that the agency could do its job.
Well, as it turns out, the some of the same people that complained all those months ago are looking at cutting CPS’s parent department, DES. The number I’ve heard is that they are looking at cutting the department’s budget by $12.6 million. I’ve been unable to confirm this, even the Republican members I talked to don’t know what is being discussed by the Star Chamber that is working out a budget deal. Capitol observers I talked to said that the number sounds plausible given how much money they feel the need to cut.
So, my question is, when CPS cuts caseworkers to make up the budget shortfall (and cuts are made in other DES functions like child support enforcement and unemployment benefits), will the Republicans hold more hearings to express their shock at how these guys can’t do their jobs?
4 Comments
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:19 am
Tedski: why do you hate Arizona and America so much?
Don’t you know that DES is giving our tax dollars away to illegals and anchor babies?
Sure, it’s one thing to protect the chillun of G*d-fearing ‘mericuns, but when it comes to them brown people, why we need someone like Sheriff Joe to pull some Deputies off silly stuff like enforcing felony arrest warrants, and have them drive down there to Tucson and set up some roadblocks in South Tucson - right outside your school! Make sure your kids have their papers in order.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:13 am
YOU ASK: So, my question is, when CPS cuts caseworkers to make up the budget shortfall (and cuts are made in other DES functions like child support enforcement and unemployment benefits), will the Republicans hold more hearings to express their shock at how these guys can’t do their jobs?
Of course they will. They will argue something stupid like privatizing it and will then somehow increase the funding so that their corporate buddies running CPS will profit. Take a look at “private” prisons. They will also find some moronic way of calling it competition when the only competition is which company will get our tax dollars. After that, it is just govt. program provided by a private corporation, which only competitive interest is running the show as cheaply as possible so that they can keep more of our tax dollars.
Think about it.
By the way, state funding for our universities continues to shrink and many depts might be facing 5% in cuts. This is a major crisis folks. If any of you are alums of our state universities or parents of future students, you should be paying attention.
This state is going into the toilet. I can’t pull punches or say it any differently. The legislature does not wish to pay for the necessary infrastructure to make this state competitive. And we sit by and idly watch…and Democrats here seem to not want to talk taxes and spending much either.
Im telling you…bad bad bad days are coming for our state unless things change. It isn’t the economic downturn. The downturn only exposes the fundamental flaw of the governing scheme in this state.
We need some leaders who will say this…bluntly…and offer solutions. Maybe I am not listening hard enough…but I am just not hearing it.
May 23rd, 2008 at 1:52 pm
What consistently amazes me about the CPS drama is the myopia of those involved. As a former child/youth therapist, I know that these kids have no real safe alternatives. Remove them from the home and put them……where, exactly? Over-crowded group homes, a long waiting list for a foster home (only to be rejected by many families who can’t handle the kids’ normal reactions to being abused)?
Moreover, abuse — especially sexual abuse — is often near impossible to prove. During my career, I made numerous reports to CPS because I knew there was abuse occurring, but there was nothing CPS could do because I couldn’t prove it. Make too strang a case and abusive parents frequently take it out on the kid….did I mention I’m glad I changed careers?
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Peace And Bee need the money for thier “ELL” programs ($42,000,000) and Border Enforcement (est. 36,000,000) Crap. $110,00 for Declaration of Independence copies that look like OSHA requirements and $80,000 for flags in every classroom. What would happen if my daughter didn’t have those in her music room?!? Anarchy, I say. She might even forget to wear her flag pin.
GOP-”The ‘Why don’t those people just get jobs’ party”
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