Poverty and Child Abuse
Texas is concerned about a marked increase in child deaths due to abuse or neglect. 280 children died in this manner last year. As expected, the state is expressing concern, but here’s the rub. Everyone pretty much recognizes that one of the main causes is the increasing number of children living in families that have been pushed into poverty by the current economic policies.
Director of the Center for Public Policy Priorities’ Scott McCowen says the deaths are the result of high child poverty and a high teen birth rate. “When you have children born to young mothers, many of whom are living in poverty, you’re going to see more child deaths from abuse and neglect,” McCowen explained.
The largest increase in child abuse-neglect fatalities last year was in Harris County. That county also has the highest number of Texans living in poverty.
I’ll make a prediction that we’ll see one or two more news articles come across the Internet of politicians going on about how terrible this is, and then it will all go unheard again for another year until the numbers come out for 2010. Actually doing something about it, actually helping the families flies too much in the face of the limited government, social Darwinist ideals that have become the values of America.
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