DeLay Foster Home Project Opens in Texas

[truthpusher]

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/print?id=1020175

DeLay Foster Home Project Opens in Texas
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U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay's Foster Home Project Opens Outside Houston
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By MICHAEL GRACZYK
The Associated Press
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Aug. 8, 2005 - U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay formally opened Monday a privately financed project touted as an innovative way of giving children removed from abusive and neglected homes a stable and nurturing foster home environment.

"There is no other place in the entire country that does what we're trying to do," the Sugar Land Republican and House majority leader said of the development known as Rio Bend. "And we hope to take this as a model around the country because the foster care system in every state has problems that need to be dealt with."

The first phase of the project, costing about $8 million, consists of eight seven-bedroom homes, a gym and a chapel. Each of the houses will serve as a home for six foster children, plus their foster parents. A second phase will add 24 homes and boost the investment to $25 million, all from private sources, he said.

"It is a concept that answers flaws in the foster care system in the state of Texas," DeLay said.

(snip)

In addition, the Travis County prosecutor is investigating a political fundraising committee DeLay helped launch to assist Republican candidates in the 2002 Texas legislative elections. The GOP won control of the Texas House for the first time since Reconstruction, then later used its majority to redraw congressional districts and send more Republicans to Washington.

complete story: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/print?id=1020175

[cornermouse]

1. Its called gilding Newt's orphanages.

:grr:

[Lars39]

2. This is how they're going to divert money from DCS,

gutting it til the system totally collapses or is phased out. Thse foster homes are just another way for Bush's cronies to make a fortune.
Faith-based foster homes. :puke:

[LeftyMom]

3. Why do they need a chapel?

It's Texas, there should be a church around someplace for those that wish to can attend. If this is a faith-based thing (as I suspect, since they built the chapel before all the houses were done they must think it's pretty freakin' important.)

This is clearly an orphanage. I thought the whole point of fostering wass to integrate kids into normal families, possibly with other kids, and neighborhoods. The lack of space for kids of the "foster parents" (who appear to be orphan keepers) means they aren't going to be building permanent family units that take in foster children, they're building a orphanage they hope will be less sterile.

[PurityOfEssence]

12. for proper indoctrination

No god, no bed; got it?

[formercia]

29. a factory for fundie robots

indoctrinate them from a very young age. The nazis did this too in hopes of making a race of ubermenchen.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

4. sewing machines and bolts of cloth will be delivered tomorrow

[Judi Lynn]

5. Tom DeLay foster home project opens outside Houston

Tom DeLay foster home project opens outside Houston

By Michael Graczyk
ASSOCIATED PRESS

2:52 p.m. August 8, 2005

RICHMOND, Texas – House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on Monday opened a privately financed project touted as an innovative way of giving abused and neglected children a stable foster home environment.
"There is no other place in the entire country that does what we're trying to do," the Republican said of the project. "And we hope to take this as a model around the country because the foster care system in every state has problems that need to be dealt with."

The project also has drawn attention because the first phase includes homes constructed by Houston-based builder Perry Homes. The company is owned by Bob Perry, a Republican Party financial donor who gained notoriety last year as the chief financial backer of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, whose ads criticized the war record of John Kerry.

DeLay said the homes are being built by Perry Homes at cost, and he dismissed suggestions that his charitable activities provide a way for donors to gain political access.
(snip/...)

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20050808-1452-delay-fosterhomes.html

[rainman99]

6. It's probably a cover for an oil company.

[ewagner]

7. Please, Sir,

....may I have another bowl of gruel?

[Iowa]

11. Great one! I needed a laugh!

[stepnw1f]

8. Not Enough and Too Late...

nice try though you inbred alcoholic.

[Canuckistanian]

9. That's wonderful

Now all those illegal campaign donations, uh, I mean homeless children will have a place to go.

[sakabatou]

10. It is a concept that answers flaws in the foster care system in Texas...

by not giving love to the children, but hard working labor! Everyone loves weat shops!

:sarcasm:

[Demeter]

13. Put DeLay in a Home?

How about protective custody (prtecting ourselves, that is).

[Bluerthanblue]

14. he's a liar or a fool or both- ever heard of Hope Meadows???

here is a link-

this community has been around awhile-

and it didn't cost any 25 million-

http://www.generationsofhope.org/

And don't forget the Shaker Communities- They took in countless 'unwanted' 'throw-away' children, and nurtured and loved them as equal members of the community, at a time when 'orphan trains' were sending kids out to be little more than indentured servants- They ALSO gave them the encouragement at the age of maturity to go out into the 'world' and make their life completely 'free' of their 'religious' up-bringing.
There was a law passed which forbade 'religious' groups from taking in children, which is what ultimately spelled the 'end' of the Shaker way of life- they practiced celibecy-

Delay must be living under a rock somewhere-

[Miss Chybil]

15. So, they build new houses... get people who don't have their own homes

to live in them to take care of children that don't belong to them and this will fix everything? How is this different than what's being done now, other than the states currently use foster parents who have already established a stable environment for children? I know there are bad foster parents, but I'm sure they are the minority. There will be bad foster parents in this program, too. There is a percentage of bad people everywhere you go. I don't see how this is any change other than it's a private company ready to take the state's money on a much grander scale than individual private families do. Nobody gets rich being a foster parent, but I bet this company will have a lot of well-heeled investors looking for some hefty returns.

[countingbluecars]

16. It sounds like

a cult compound.

[Stil]

19. Thats what I thought

Or some kind of commune. When I saw the 6 families, 8 bedrooms. Just wondering who gets the 2 extra bedrooms?

[DawnneOBTS]

17. Where they will be forced to accept...

Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and become born-again like the Chimp or get out. Great idea. And I'm sure that taxpayer $ is funding this one way or the other.

[Ilsa]

21. Roloff Homes in CC is really the first thing to come to mind.

They beat those kids and forced them to worship their God. When the state tried to make them get licenses, they ended up shutting them down.

[Orsino]

18. I doubt *anyone* will want to adopt him now.

Tough luck, buddy.

[Ilsa]

20. I want to believe that something good can come of this.

But Tom DeLay has his hands on it, so like everything Bush touches, it will turn to shit, I bet.

[sandnsea]

22. Group Homes, Boys Ranches,Orphanages

They're not new, they shouldn't cost this much, and who runs them depends on whether they work or not. Somebody needed a big fat construction project, as far as I can see. Or maybe it's another one of Abramoff's charitable endeavors that fronts as a money laundering outfit. Kids could use this money TODAY. There doesn't need to be any new building project to throw $25 million dollars at.

[WhiteTara]

23. okay, there's 50 kids, now what do we do with

the other 500,000 or so around the country. Another boon doggle.

[Solly Mack]

24. OK. Now that's just scary. A "Tom Delay" foster home

there are so many things wrong with this idea.


A chapel? Why a chapel? that's just bullshit... No doubt the foster parents have to be Christian...

8 ,7 bedroom homes centered around a gym and a chapel? Sounds like a compound for foster kids....which isn't a home at all really...

As if the majority of foster parents even take in 7 kids .....many don't- it's just not workable for many people who want to be foster parents.

I could go on but I'm rather pissed by this idea.

[Skwmom]

25. No other place?

A similar set-up was highlighted a few years back on one of the talk shows. I believe it was in Florida.

[Bluerthanblue]

27. you might be thinking

of Hope Meadows-

it's in the mid-west, and multi-generational.
NOT 'religious'- and very sucessful-

I don't know where he get's off saying there is "no other place"-
there are plenty of foster community homes- The one i mentioned is
a personal favorite, as it is very well run, and addresses problems
not only of children, but of older folks who are as much in need of
'home' as many kids are.

[BootinUp]

26. For some reason

I am picturing Oliver Twist...asking for more cereal and getting smacked down to the floor.

[Judi Lynn]

28. He hauled his lame ass to Fox News to harvest a little free publicity.....

News Hounds
We watch FOX so you don't have to.

Tom DeLay, A Loveable Guy Who Cares. He Really, Really Cares.
Well, well, well. Guess who made a live appearance today (August 8, 2005) on Your World w/Neil Cavuto - Tom DeLay and his wife Christine! Yes siree, DeLay and his wife were on for eight minutes (a long interview in TVland) to talk about - adopting children!

The last time Cavuto made any major mention of Tom DeLay was on May 16, 2005, when he delivered a syrupy "Common Sense" segment (that almost brought tears to my eyes) about the benevolence of Mr. DeLay. Today, DeLay was there in person, seated next to his sweet wife, to be benevolent in the flesh.

Cavuto said "one of the things" DeLay and his wife "get no press about" is today's "grand opening" of "a new project of the DeLay Foundation for Foster Kids." DeLay said the project, (headquartered in Richmond, Texas), is a "community of foster homes for foster kids." Cavuto and the DeLays talked about the "project" for several minutes before the hard hitting Cavuto (just kidding) got to DeLay's ethics problems (in the Fox Newsie way, that is):

Cavuto: "One of the things that a lotta folks on the outside don't realize is that given all the issues you've been dealing with, Congressman, ah, most people weren't aware of what you're doing in this regard. Does it bother you that lately all the press that's been on you have been the ethical scandals and everything else, and that they cover that non-stop." (What? What a bunch of turd blossoms rising out of Texas steer manure. The press has barely touched it!) DeLay, of course, said: "No, it doesn't bother me. The Democrats have no agenda, no ideas and the only thing they know to do is the politics of personal destruction. That doesn't bother us. We stay focused. We haven't looked for press, really, on this foster care system."
(snip/...)

http://www.newshounds.us/2005/08/08/tom_delay_a_loveable_guy_who_cares_he_really_really_cares.php