Facts of Life for Arkansas Children

I do not care for statistics much more than the rest of us do, but sometimes they can be helpful in painting a picture of how things really are. Near the opening of the Session, a coalition of non-profits against poverty made a presentation to the legislature. I believe, in hopes of inspiring them to do more for the Arkansas poor. To date, little has been done this legislative session.

Here are our Facts of Life.

Arkansas ranked 48th. in median household income ($34,246). The per capita income of $18,566 was 80% of the national average.

51% of Arkansas households earned lass than $35,000 and 218,184 households lives on less than $15,000 in income and benefits.

More than 89,000 families lived in poverty. 78% of them had children under 18 years old.

12% of our children live in extreme poverty meaning less than 50% of the poverty level.

Families with women as head of household lived below the poverty level and of those, 90% had children under 18 years old.

Despite high poverty levels – only 2% receive public cash assistance. Less than 5% receive Supplemental Security Income and only 10% receive Food Stamp Benefits.

The family income standard shows that families must earn at least 167% of the federal poverty level to meet all their basic needs without government or charitable assistance.

So far our legislature has assured themselves a pay raise, begun the process of again raising taxes, debating how much and where to spend the new bond monies for new and improved highways and spent weeks debating the definition of marriage to be used in our school text books.

Come on ladies and gentlemen of the legislature, you’ve all seen the proposed federal budget with the most massive cuts in domestic programs in history. Do something for our children and families. If you fail to act this session where are these numbers going to be two years from now when you meet again?

Just a few weeks ago, a Mother with three small children called me using a phone from a neighboring business. She had no money. Her infant was sick and she had run out of diapers the night before. All she asked for was a package of size two diapers. After a quick trip to Wal-Mart I delivered the diapers only to find out her gas had been shut off and she had an eviction notice served on her three days before. It was 36 degrees outside. This, my elected friends, is life.

How can you spend time even thinking about bigger buildings at our universities, personal pay increases and new highways knowing there are children going to bed tonight… HUNGRY… right here in our state.

The above are based on census statistics. Arkansas had a total population of about 2.5 million at the time of this report.

A Victory for Children

During the Legislative Session in 2003 our radar screen caught a bill introduced by Representative Mary Beth Green of Conway. It hit the screen because it was very good for children who were subject to custody hearings. With little support the bill passed the House and committee of the Senate and was sent to the Senate floor for vote. Unfortunately, the Regular Session came to an abrupt close with a big battle over the General Improvement Fund, a fund we refer to as the “Arkansas Pork Barrel” and the court mandated school funding issue. Rather than work it out they decided to quit and settle matters later in special sessions. Everything in process including Representatives Green’s Bill died on the spot.

To further trouble the matter, Rep. Green was term limited and the special sessions, which were to follow, were limited to school issues only. The long wait began for those children needing this bill. It would be two more years before it could be brought up again.

Brought up again it was. This time it was house bill number HB1029 and by none other than Representative Rick Green, the freshman, husband of Mary Beth. The bill easily passed the House and with the exception of a little concern in Senate committee was recommended with a “Do Pass” and sent off to the Senate. With no “Nay” votes it passed, was signed by the Governor and is now Act 80 of 2005.

What makes this so special? Let me give you the title; “An Act to allow the court to consider the preferences of the child when awarding child custody or visitation privileges in a divorce or other proceeding”. Consider this for a minute. Until now, while most children in such circumstances are appointed an attorney to represent their best interest it was all adults making a determination on custody and visitation issues. The child had no say regardless of age or competence. Can you imagine, being in sound mind and body having two or three attorneys and a Judge deciding your fate in any matter and not be allowed speak up for yourself. Prior to this bill that is exactly what was happening even to 16 and 17 year old adolescents. Now the Judge, if he or she decides the child is competent, regardless of age, can take testimony from the child and consider that testimony in making a decision.

Now for the great part of this story. This victory for children came about after a case in NW Arkansas where there was a good Dad, a good Mom and a very competent adolescent. The problem was that even though the child wanted to be with the Mom, a previous court had awarded custody to the Dad, based mainly on the fact that the Mom lived out of the jurisdiction of the court. In a subsequent hearing for change of custody, the attorney for the child stated it was in the child’s best interest to be with the Mom, the Dad was doing a good job, the child was good at school and in general there was nothing wrong. The Judge could not cite any evidence to change the prior courts ruling. Where everything is equal and the child is competent the Judge could have changed custody based on the child’s testimony had this law been in effect. So how did this all happen? Mom took up the fight and got the first bill introduced and fought for its passage for the two plus years never quitting. She contacted everyone including us.

As for our part, we were glad to help where we could, as it is what we do. Our soon to be shredded files include notes from slightly over 390 emails, phone calls and meetings on this bill over the past 25 months. Not just for this family and not just for this child, but because it was the right thing to do. With all that, I doubt it would ever have been done without the love and compassion of a Mother who never gave up. Working together for children is what it is all about.

Bad News

I was all set to spin this weeks five hundred words or so on the President’s new budget and how disappointed I was to see the imbalance between helping the government and helping the people. Then, during Friday evening and seemingly all night, the news wires picked up on a story out of New York.

The Bloomberg headline read: “ NYC Health Officials Find New, Virulent HIV Strain”

Reading on it seems that a 40-year-old man has been found with a new strain of HIV virus that is resistant to all but one of the current drugs. Whew, I thought, then they went on to say that this one drug doesn’t seem to be very effective without the other two in a “Cocktail”. Add an additional piece of devastating information for effect. This HIV can become full blown AIDS in three months or less not the average seven years of the previous version.

Many of those living in the “Red” states may yawn since the news is from a predominately “Blue” city and state, but it doesn’t take a super-computer to realize that this could be the biggest enemy the American people will face in the next ten years. This disease in non-political, I assure you.

The latest report, 2003, shows there was 88,479 people living in New York City diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Nationwide the numbers would scare any sane person to death. Couple this with the fact that this lethal disease is now thought to be growing in the heterosexual community as fast as or faster than in the predominately Gay community and the concern increases rapidly. Every state in the nation has an HIV/AIDS program. No one is exempt from this threat.

Maybe this is where we might tie this to the new budget. Cuts in health care for the poor, which includes working poor families, cuts in drug programs. Keep in mind dirty needles and the spread of HIV/AIDS does have a correlation. By the way, did I mention that our man in New York was also a heavy Crystal Methamphetamine user? Both he and his “numerous” partners all were. Gosh, drug reduction and treatment programs were cut in this budget also.

More troubling news from our perspective. In the Bloomberg article they devoted two paragraphs to the wonderful boost to the stock of Trimeris, Inc. of Durham N.C. and it’s parent Roche Holding, AG of Switzerland, makers of the one drug Fuzeon, which may hold promise to help. It is the drug when mixed with the other two that was of value in treatment of the previous cases of the old HIV.

I believe there is something very wrong here. We have discovered what may be the next major medical crisis to face our Country; we are proposing to cut the programs that treat and prevent the spread of this disease and in the same article advise investors of the best stock play to take advantage of the situation.

May God help those who don’t have their stockbroker on speed-dial when our country is in crisis.

I personally and the our Foundation believe in the words… “As ye do unto the least of my children, so ye” … you know the rest don’t you? All of us need to do more walking the talk and perhaps less talking the talk for the benefit of everyone.

Legislators and Laptops

The big flap this week, or I should say, one of the big flaps this week in the Arkansas Legislature has been over laptop computers being used while the House and Senate is in session.

The State, via the will of the legislature and our tax dollars has made available to every member of the House and Senate a pricey little laptop computer. At an estimated $1,800 each, per my handy little solar powered calculator is about $243,000. Also each "station", that is my term for their assigned seating, in the Chamber has been wired for power and internet. Just guessing, the cost of installation or ongoing service for this one has to be, remember this is under government contract not what you or I would pay, $1,200 per. That makes the “system” cost to tax payers about $405,000

Now the rub. The leaders of the Legislature want the internet to each legislator “shut-off” during sessions. So far it is uncertain if and at what cost that would be to reprogram the State’s computer system to get this selective switch installed and operational. The reason for this is the fear that lobbyist, special interest groups et. al. seem to be sending their legislator messages about Bills and discussions during the session. As has been rightly pointed out the time to peddle influence, Mr. And Ms. Lobbyist is before and during Committee Hearings. Not during the voting and discussion process of the “in-session” periods. By the way, no-one has mentioned the fact that the legislators themselves are reading and in some cases answering these e-mails.

Having been in almost every Committee Room at the Capitol for one reason or another, I can tell you that most, if not all, have a sign on the door. “Turn off all cell phones and pagers before entering” or “Cell phones and Pagers are Prohibited”. Also, to my knowledge everyone seems to be able to read and turns off their communication devices before entering the rooms. The cost of 30, eight and a half by eleven sheets of paper, a little inkjet printer ink and some tape to stick the little signs up can not be more than $50.00 by anybody’s estimate.

My question to our leadership and our elected officials is perhaps a little simple, but give me a break, I spend my own money or funds entrusted to me to help others wisely not tax dollars “donated” by laws you enacted, so I have to watch this stuff. Why not print up two more eight and a half by eleven little signs… post them on the entry to each chamber that says. “Use of Laptop Computers when the House/Senate is in session is prohibited”. This of course makes the assumption that the Members would follow the rules and that each of the pricey little State issued Laptops has an on/off switch.

Last question, is this by chance, an attempt to keep the ink media busy with this trivia while you increase your retirements, raise your pay, build more highways and increase the debt of our State while cutting services to our poor, our women, our children and families?