Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

Matt Bartle losing his supporters

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
Home » Discuss » Places » Missouri Donate to DU
 
proud2BlibKansan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-14-05 12:16 AM
Original message
Matt Bartle losing his supporters
Playing Defense
Matt Bartle was such a good soccer dad, some parents had no idea he’d betray them so callously.

But this past March, Bartle co-sponsored Missouri Governor Matt Blunt's Medicaid bill, which makes significant cuts to the state budget's largest single line item, tightening eligibility requirements and eliminating 89,000 Missourians from the state's welfare roles. (It jettisons reimbursements for podiatry, dental work and some home care for the disabled and installs a premium for children receiving discounted health care through another state program, pricing out an estimated 23,000 kids.) The bill also contains an adoption-subsidies clause stipulating that families must earn less than 200 percent of the poverty level to continue receiving state aid for their "special needs" children. Some special-needs kids are victims of sexual or physical abuse; others are deemed hard to place because of their race or ethnic heritage. Most such children come with extra costs associated with special education, care for chronic medical conditions or long-term counseling. In May 2003, the North American Council on Adoptable Children ranked Missouri as the second-lowest adoption-subsidy provider in the nation. (State subsidies in 2003 generally ranged from $200 to $300 per child per month. )

An estimated 4,621 families were in a similar situation, according to the child-welfare watchdog group Citizens for Missouri's Children.
The cuts threatened to cripple child-placement efforts within the Missouri Department of Social Services, which has been struggling for years to find homes for its charges. In February, 1,925 children were awaiting adoption. Though a few hundred children find new homes each year, a few hundred more enter the system. In Jackson County in February, 24 kids in foster care found permanent homes; 22 more entered or were returned to state custody.

Another Blue Springs couple, Michelle and Stephen Ehrnman, have adopted six foster children since 1997. (They also have two biological children.) She works part time in a school cafeteria in Blue Springs, and he works as a technical analyst for Sprint. In the past, Michelle Ehrnman says, the family used the MFCAA food pantry and accepted donated clothing to stay solvent.

"We're a Christian family, and at this point right now ... I feel kind of betrayed," she says. "I'm a bit embarrassed to admit I voted for them now, which is sad. There's a definite chance that, at least in those two slots, we would go Democrat if it meant getting them out of office."

http://www.pitch.com/issues/2005-04-14/news/stline.html
Refresh | 0 Recommendations Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
autorank Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-14-05 12:26 AM
Response to Original message
1. Excellent post. What's with the people in last para.
"We're a Christian family, and at this point right now ... I feel kind of betrayed," she says. "I'm a bit embarrassed to admit I voted for them now, which is sad. There's a definite chance that, at least in those two slots, we would go Democrat if it meant getting them out of office."

Wow! She's really got her thinking cap on! There's a "chance" "at least" we would "go Democrat" "if." These people have just been screwed out of life saving benefits through support of someone they trusted. What's their response? Well, duh, we're maybe, kinda, probably gonna hold our noses and vote for a Democrat.

What pissed me off about this is their opening "We're a Christian family..." with the implication being later on, "and Christian families don't vote Democratic lessin they have to."

These people are a strong testament to a doctrine I despise, Social Darwinism. I have no more patience. We need to get a portion of this group but the majority are simply brain washed by their own notions of exclusive virtue and piety.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
proud2BlibKansan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-14-05 12:31 AM
Response to Reply #1
2. Read the whole article
These people were taken in my Bartle in a big way. I feel kind of sorry for them. He tells one of them that God will take care of her adopted kids.

He is a slime. My new favorite target. He is responsible for the Medicaid cuts AND he proposed a bill that would have destroyed the scientific research industry in KC.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
autorank Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-14-05 12:59 AM
Response to Reply #2
3. I am totally with you. I just read the whole article.
I'm just blown away when people get royally *#$%ed by the Right and then equivocate about voting for a Democrat. Every election cycle, I pray for the Missoiuri Democratic Party. It's tough out there and I have total respect for all active DEMS. You have some very bright and nasty characters in the other camp...but my Lord, it's as though people like these think that being a Democrat is being unChristian.

Good luck and thank you for all the hard work in Missouri, birthplace of one of my favorite President's, Harry Truman.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
proud2BlibKansan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-14-05 01:09 AM
Response to Reply #3
4. What's The Matter with Kansas?
When I first heard of that book and what it is about, I thought it fit Missouri better.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
autorank Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-14-05 01:16 AM
Response to Reply #4
5. It's amazing. We've gotten the biggest screw job ever. My God,
we're heathen, secular, devil worshiping (never mind the contradiction) free-love intellectuals who spend their spare time conversing in French and watching black and white porn. How the eff did this happen out there? or here either? I do have to read that book.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
DU AdBot (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view 
this author's profile Click to add 
this author to your buddy list Click to add 
this author to your Ignore list Mon Jan 20th 2025, 06:54 AM
Response to Original message
Advertisements [?]
 Top

Home » Discuss » Places » Missouri Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC