Family Policy: 2007

Friday, December 7, 2007

Making Divorce Easier for the Little Ones

I was reading an article about celebrity couples and messy divorces and how they set an example for parents not in the limelight not to have such chaotic separations in the presence of their children. Divorces that involve children are already complicated without the bitterness and competition in children's faces. These nasty disputes are raising awareness that children should be protected from these things.
About 50 percent of the counties in the U.S. have developed programs that are for parents that are divorcing to complete so that they can learn how to deal with the pressures of divorce without involving the children. Many of these are mandatory, as in the state of Florida. These programs are designed to remind parents of their children's needs and how to address them in going through this major transformation. Parents are constantly reminded not to put children in the middle of their altercations and keep the conflict to a minimum.
Research has proven that these classes has improved communication between parents.

Increase in Teenage Births

In the Article, "Teen Birth Rate Increase Demonstrates Need for Authentic Abstinence Education," http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR07L02 teenage births have increased significantly that the Family Research Council, deemed it necessary to intervene and prevent teenage girls from getting pregnant. Their idea is to implement a contraceptive focused sex education course that would promote risk avoidance. It will build character, and help these individuals make wiser decisions. This issue, such as other family issues, are going to affect each and everyone of us. First of all, if these teenage girls are getting pregnant early, the likelihood of them getting pregnant again and again is high. Not only that, but what if the fathers are not taking care of these out of wedlock children, then our government has to provide assistance. I think the Family Research Council has a valid point, and apparently the Life Management Skills (LMS) is not as effective to school age children as educators may have assumed. I think that if researchers, especially family researchers think that it is important to implement such programs than they should, but some state governments, are opposing.

Marriage and Its Benefits

I wonder how many individuals have taken the time to gather the pros and cons of marriage, and how beneficial it is to everyone including, families and our society. In the article, " Benefits of Marriage," http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=IS05B01 it lists the benefits, which seems to be a lot, of people who decided to get married. According to the article, marriages were at an all time low in 2002, but with that said, there was an increase in the number of cohabitating couples and children born out of wedlock. These statistics do not seem to be such a surpise, but it indicates that many Americans do not consider the traditional ways of marriage or prefer "testing the waters" before they make such a major decision. Since cohabititation is so common in today's society, it is no longer a taboo like it was 30 years or so ago. This article does a superb job listing and explaining briefly how the benefits of marriage affects every person in the family by reducing less risky behaviors, complementary parental roles, template for future marriage, economically and academically inclined, and it forms a better parent/child relationship. Furthermore, it marriage and how it impacts society as well.

Cause of Poverty in Single Parent Families

In class, we have discused the negative consequences of single parent families, especially families where fathers are not present, and how they contribute to a lot of problems. In my student-led discussion, I discussed some of the problems such as poverty in relation to non-residential fathers. In article, " The Marriage Gap: The Root Cause of Poverty," http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=CU06B01 statistics indicated that 36 % of female-headed families are below the poverty line in relation to 6% of married couples families in poverty. It also broke down women into two different groups. It indicated that one group was educated women and the other single-parent mothers. Researchers stated that single parent mothers who viewed marriage before children as an option lost all of the qualities of a two parent family. For example, a second source of income, babysitter, and a father figure in the midst of their children. This option contridicted a lot of the traditional roles and these "traditional arrangements" are maps that guide and mold their children as they go through out life and have their own children, too.
I think this is a very encouraging article, that should promote the awareness of premarital sex and the hardship of raising children in a single parent home, especially without a residential father.

Correlation Between Child Abuse and Homosexuality

I was reading a news article online from the Family Research Council website "The Connection between Homosexuality and Child Sexual Abuse,"
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WA03I35#WA03I35 and I have read some interesting findings, that I think everybody should be aware of. So, I thought that I would share it with our class. In a specific case regarding a boy's scout leader molesting boys, scholars identified these repressed, unnatural desires performed by pedophiles may have been abused and acted these behaviors on young boys. Studies also indicate that most men are pedophiles and more than likely are homosexual individuals who prefer males as young as fifteen years old.

After reading this article, the findings has opened my eyes and has definitely pesuaded me that these things are prone to happen. If this is a true, as researchers and scholars describe in this article, then should homosexuals (males) have the right to adopt children ? Furthermore, is this issue and research publically known and presented to policy makers? I think further investigation should be made and children should protected.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Teen Birth Rate Rises for First Time Since 1991

The birth rate for teens who are age 15 to 19 just increased 3 percent for the first time since 1991. The Bush administration is enraged since they have spent approximately $176 million on the abstinence only sex education programs. Recent studies have shown that sex-ed programs that try to decrease pregnancy rates actually spark curiousity and increase the rates.
Most of the women in the study who became pregnant claimed to have had educational programs taught about contraceptives and decided they wanted to take on the responsibility of having a child.
In the 1990's, pregnancy rates dropped while condom sales skyrocketed because of the fear of AIDS. Abortion rates have held steady, while the "morning-after pill" is becoming more and more popular.

Media and the effect in teens and children

Television is one of the most popular media sources for children. It is estimated that children under the age of 15 watch approximately 6-8 hours of television each day. A recent study done by Rand Publications showed a strong correlation between the amount of television watched by a teen, and premature sexual activity committed by a teen.
Most shows on MTV have drugs, sex, alcohol, drug use, and other things that are highly inappropriate for any child, especially one that is under the age of 15. When kids watch sexual content on television, they soak in the “facts” and begin to think and treat sexual intercourse the same way they view it on TV, casual and without consequences. The media represents a powerful source of information for teens, and when there is no counter-balance of information provided by parents or educators, consequences increase.
The media make sexual intercourse seem like normal, common behavior even for teens. The message that "Everyone does it" is relayed through television and in the movies. The need for birth control, the risks of pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections, or the need for responsibility are rarely discussed. Because of this, the media functions as a "super peer," putting additional pressure on teens to have sex at a young age. In a 2004 survey of 2100 teenage girls, only 11-year-olds said that they do not feel pressure from the media to have sex.

Boy Scouts try to stray from moral values

This article is about the Boy Scouts in the city of Philadelphia who are requesting a change in the policy that forbids gay leaders from joining the program. Now, the debate has been taken up to the next level by threats that if the policy does not change, the free rent that is being provided will be taken away.
For the past few years, the debate between the Boy Scouts and the city has boiled. Public officials said the clash started from a duty to defend civil rights and “an obligation to abide by a local law that bars taxpayer support for any group that discriminates”. The goal of Boy Scouts is to preserve and embrace the culture that surrounds them. The argument boils down to protecting the right of organizations to remain exclusive and defend year-long traditions like requiring members to swear an oath of duty to God and prohibiting membership by anyone who is openly homosexual.
This past week, Scout leaders rallied to change the rule, but once again they lost. A majority of Scout leaders stand by the values and morals that they pledge in their oath to God, which obviously does not include the acceptance of homosexuality. Also, the Scouts are protected by the First Amendment saying that it is the right of a private organization to set its own rules.

Giuliani: Kids of Illegal Immigrants OK

http://www.topix.net/content/ap/2007/11/giuliani-kids-of-illegal-immigrants-ok

Republican White House hopeful Rudy Giuliani said Friday he wouldn't try to change laws that make citizens of children born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants, noting that it's a matter determined by the Constitution. While New York has never used the designation of a "sanctuary to immigrants" it offers protections - allowing illegal immigrants to report crimes, send kids to school or seek medical treatment without fear of being reported - similar to those in cities that label themselves sanctuary cities.

I think this is an excellent stance that Giuliani has taken. The first basic requirement to be a U.S. citizen is that you are born here. To want to change the law to exclude a particular group of people is going against the current trend of inclusion. Not that I think the law would seriously change regardless, it shows the political nature behind the immigration issue to want to discriminate against otherwise legal American citizens simply based on how their parents entered the country. If a law like this were to be passed, would it include all babies born after the ratification? Or would it include adults who were born here, but whose parents are illegal? This law would eventually prove to be unfair to children who have grown accustom to American culture, as many illegal immigrants can go for years in this country without being discovered by the authorities.

Congressman Backs Bills to Curb Crimes Against Children

This week Texas Rep. Nick Lampson hopes to secure House approval of two bills aimed at curbing crimes against children by authorizing a $30 million increase in the budget for the
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and toughening sanctions against Internet service providers that fail to report users possibly committing crimes against children through
cyberspace. Lampson hopes one of his bills will make a dent in Internet solicitations, raising fines on Internet service providers who fail to report child exploitation via the Internet. First time offenses would triple to $150,000 per incident, per day and second offenses would double to $300,000 per incident, per day.

The internet is quickly becoming the foremost avenue is which children are victimized. This includes cyberbullying, being solicited for sex in chat rooms, or even being bombarded with explicitly sexual images when they open their email. While the duty lies with the parents to monitor their child’s use of the internet, it is unreasonable to expect a parent to be aware of internet use 24 hours a day. This is why it is important for the government to step in to help pick up the slack when parents fail to protect their children in this setting. The next bill should make stiffer penalties for individual offenders.

OUTRAGED...

So as most of you know I work at a Behavioral Hospital, well we have a child's unit that i work on. I have just become so disgusted by the amount of kids who have come through here who just need some parental guidance or dicipline. We have several kids whose parents treat the hospital as if it is a daycare. What has the world come to where we Baker Act, or Voluntarily put a minor in a psychiatric hospital because we are too busy to deal with them ourselves. I know that the government is pushing this issue of building marriages and strong families. I think we should focus on good parenting. Like the other day a kid shot eight people in Omaha where were his parents. Or the kindergartner who gave a bomb threat to the school. Or how about for the first time in 15 years the teen pregnancy rate has increased. It seems like we should focus on our nations youth since they are our tomorrow. No one will be getting married and building strong families if our parents can't help their children. I strongly believe that their should be stronger policies in place for good parenting/rearing of children.

Is your kid safe from cyber bullies?

http://www.pretorianews.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=nw20071202101730178C232203

US researchers warn that bullies are taking their hurtful ways from real-world schoolyards to the "cyber" world by targeting teens with nasty email, text messaging, and online chat. The number of children ages 10 to 17 that say they were abused by "cyber bullies" climbed 50 percent, from six percent in 2000 to nine percent in 2005, according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Instant messaging, including text messages sent to mobile telephones, is the most common way to send taunts, teases, threats, insults or other bullying messages, according to report co-author Marci Hertz.

A 13-year-old Missouri girl hanged herself with a belt in November after exchanging insults via her profile page at MySpace.com with a person she was tricked into thinking was a 16-year-old boy named "Josh". The final message sent by Josh, who flirted with the girl for weeks online, was reportedly: "The world would be a better place without you." It turned out Josh was an online persona created by the mother of a former friend of the girl. The woman told investigators she played the charade to find out what the girl really thought of her daughter, who was the jilted friend. After finding out the mother's behavior didn't break the law, local politicians made it illegal to harass people on the Internet.

I wish they could retroactively convict this woman of child endangerment and assisted suicide; to think that an adult, a mother at that, would taunt a young teenager to make her feel bad about herself. I don’t think that she expected the girl to kill herself, but that the thing about the internet, and text messaging: you often don’t know how your message is being perceived on the receiving end. Every city and state should have a anti bullying law with the sanctions increasing in severity depending on the age of the offender. Bullies just create a cycle of victimization in which those who were previously victimize lash out on others weaker than themselves, or even harm themselves. As far as cyber bullying, those laws should be on the federal level, as often times people engage in conversations with others from different states.

MD County Votes to Allow Coed Locker Rooms; Pro-Family Groups Outraged

Coed locker rooms could be a reality now that a new statute to allow people to “choose a gender” has been approved in Maryland. But the measure, given the green light by elected officials in Montgomery County, will soon be the subject of a court challenge, according to a non-profit public-interest law firm.

“The definition for ‘gender identity’ is so vague that no individual of ordinary intelligence can possibly know when they are violating Chapter 27,” Robert Tyler, general counsel for the Advocates for Faith & Freedom, told county officials in a letter. “Pursuant to the definition of ‘gender identity,’ an individual can choose a gender without limitation whatsoever,” he said. Tyler’s comments referred to the newly approved county law 27-03, which creates a protected class of citizenry for those individuals who claim a “gender identity” issue.

These were my exact sentiments to a previous blog that explained that California’s new policy in schools were to include allowing those who perceive their gender to decide which restroom to use accordingly. While I do think it’s important to protect our minority citizens and more specifically are children from undue physical, emotional, and psychological harm based on race, gender, and sexual orientation, these laws have the potential to do more damage that good. No one should be forced to undress in front of a person of opposite sex, regardless of what that person says or believes their gender is. And when people are give examples of others abusing the law, supporters say that the opponents are listing extreme examples. But who is really going to be able to stop the adolescent young man who claims that he identifies with females and wants to use the girls locker and restroom? Or even worse, if this moves into the general public realm, those sexually deviant individuals that already violate women by taking clandestine up skirt camera shots? While I don’t agree with the notion of separate but equal for most situations, this is one of those that I have to support it. The reality is that people (intersexual individuals excluded) are born either male or female; this is a fact that SEPARATES us. Instead of taking away the rights of the majority, there needs to be more accommodations made for the minority. There should be a third room in which those that may identify with a gender or sex opposite of that, which they were born as, can safely use. If not, who’s to say that it will just stop at locker rooms? Why not include co-ed dorm rooms?

School Calendar Drops ‘History’ Months After ‘Gay’ Flap

A controversy stemming from the inclusion of “Gay and Lesbian History Month” in last year’s calendar has prompted the Philadelphia School District to release a 2007-08 schedule that omits any tributes to the history of any groups of people.

Cecilia Cummings, the school district’s senior vice president for communications and community relations, told Cybercast News Service that until six years ago, the calendar, which is mailed to 200,000 parents and district officials each August, contained only academic dates and a list of public holidays on which the schools would be closed.

When approaching the 2006-07 academic year, the district decided to expand the calendar format using the theme of “diversity,” she said. For that edition, months honoring the contributions of African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asian-Pacific Americans were included, as well as the International Day of Disabled Persons.

Nevertheless, the designation of October as Gay and Lesbian History Month drew the most attention — and complaints, Cummings indicated. The backlash continued throughout the school year, as people criticized district officials at public meetings, Cummings said.

Diane Gramley, president of the American Family Association of Pennsylvania, thanked the district for making what she called “an excellent choice” and “listening to the parents.” “The approximately 200,000 students that are a part of the Philadelphia School District will not be given the false message that homosexuals played a significant role in American or world history,” Gramley stated in a news release.

I don’t know if homosexuals have played a significant role in American and world history, but I do know that they play a significant role in today’s current events. It’s been said that there are many famous poets and philosophers and other historical figures that have been homosexual, but many were not “out” so I feel that those that support the idea are merely speculating. However, I do feel that today, many gays and lesbians are working to make the world a more tolerant place. Often times people are not appreciated during their own lifetime. Maybe 50 years from now LGBT individuals will be recognized for their contributions to the society of the late 20^th century and early 21^st century. After all, Black History Month, started out as one week in 1924, was not officially recognized until the mid 1970s, and today still receives a lot of criticism.

Ohio Pushes Added Leave For Maternity

The Ohio Civil Rights Commission is pushing for an expansion of the benefits offered under the current paid maternity leave. Right now, Ohio just allows the minimum benefits offered by the Family and Medical Leave Act. These benefits offer workers at businesses with 50 or more employees 12 weeks of unpaid leave for infant care. The expectant mothers must have worked for the business for at least a year, or equivalent to 1,250 hours to be eligible.
Ohio is trying to expand these benefits which would allow that businesses with four or more employees to take 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave. It would also not matter how long the pregnant mother have worked for the company. Workers who are not eligible under the FMLA would need a doctor’s orders to qualify.
Some businesses are complaining that the expansion of the federal law could hurt businesses, especially those of smaller size. The revisions are going to take place next month. The leader of the Ohio Commission said that women need to be protected in the labor force, and should not have to suffer for wanting to reproduce.
Some other options to the leave would be decreasing the amount of paid leave to allow flexibility among businesses.

Ohio Pushes Added Leave For Maternity

The Prime Minister's Labor Pains

This article from The New York Times focuses on maternity leave, but one for fathers as well. Prime Minister Tony Blair talks about how he is expecting his fourth child, and how he feels there should be support offered to fathers for a paternity leave.
Under the new rules in the European Union, both parents are entitled to 13 weeks of unpaid time off during the first five years of a child's life.
Usually, the mother of the child takes the leave, but many working fathers who have resisted taking parental time off are changing their minds. Fathers usually find that they are too busy or they worry that if they wanted to take time off it may put their job in jeopardy. Tony Blair is getting criticized that it took him being a busy father to enforce the rule, but others are happy that the fact fathers are important is finally being recognized.
The rules under the European leave law reflects the same as the one mandated for women. Company size, amount of years worked, and job security are some of the factors still being worked on. Tony Blair estimates that the law will be in full effect sometime in the middle of 2008.

The Prime Minister's Labor Pains

Man Sheds Weight, Tries Again At Adoption

This article is about a man, Gary Stocklaufer who previously weighed about 550 pounds and lost 200 pounds within 4 months in order to be allowed to adopt a child. Stocklaufer underwent gastric bypass surgery, after he felt that he and his wife were discriminated against in the adoption case because he was obese. The Stocklaufers' case is considered by adoption experts to be one of the first cases where someone seeking to adopt has resorted to surgery after being rejected because he or she is obese. The baby, who is related to Stocklaufer, was removed from the home in July at 4 months old, after having lived there since birth. I understand that the adoption agency is trying to place children in households in which the parents can parent in a healthy way, but this is blatant discrimination. There are currently no written policies in which obese people are excluded from adopting children. If that is the case, smokers and the like shouldn’t be allowed to adopt. In addition this man is married and his wife would be the co-parent, so at the very least this could be considered a single-parent adoption.

http://www.kctv5.com/news/14734484/detail.html

Jacksonville Father Released on $753 Bail

This article was about the father in Jackonville accused of shaking his infant to death. He spent nine months in prison and was released on a $753 bail. Wow what is wrong with our family policies when someone can face aggravated child abuse charges and 2nd degree homicide. And recieve a low bail like this. I have seen higher bails set for people with minor charges. Yes he claims that he didn't shake her that hard but the child's autopsy report showed the medical examiner ruled her cause of death a homicide after blunt trauma to her head, with bleeding in areas including her spinal cord and contusions to her brain. Now who did all that if he was the only one home. This type of leniency doesn't send a good message to our community. Even the father was shocked to here what is bail was set to! Wow even he though it was ridiculous imagine that! I don't know much about legal preceedings but I do know that no one should be able to bail themselves our for this type of crime that cheaply. Whats to keep him from running to some other country? What message are we sending child abusers, that it is ok to abuse children because you can just bail yourself out and run!! Brittany

Non-residential parents who Slip thru the Cracks!

Child support enforcement is an issue that has been on the forefront for a while. An issue that I seem to have a problem with is the fact that when the "non-residential" parent cannot be found there is nothing else to be done about it. I feel that if there is no way that the other parent can get in contact or find the lost parent, it is unfair that they aren't offered any assistance. What I mean is assistance in trying to locate these people. At least there can be tips offered in trying to locate them, how do they find criminals or track deviants of the law? I think there should be a program to help mothers and fathers find these who slip through the cracks in trying to avoid child support. It seems like something horrible to be done, but trust it does happen. What do you think should be done about this?

Not All Are Pleased at Plan to Offer Birth Control At Maine Middle School

Plans to open a clinic in a Maine middle school has parents and students fuming. Although there are some that support the service, most and enraged at the fact that condoms, STD tests, and pregnancy tests are going to be offered within a school. Two days after the committee voted in favor of the clinic, a second vote was taken and the vote was 7 to 2 in favor of offering oral contraceptives.
Most parents take on the clinic is that is spreads the message that it is okay to be sexually active. Students will be able to see how easy it is to get protection and could get carried away without thinking of the consequences of having premature sex. The main reason the clinic was being considered in the first place was the fact that 17 girls became pregnant in the past four years, 7 of them becoming pregnant within the last year.
The program is designed to teach kids responsibility. If they are going to have sex, most likely nothing is going to get in the way of stopping them. Having a clinic available for them to at least protect themselves will not only cut down on teen pregnancy, but it could also put a stop in the amount of STD's that occur every year within the school.

Playing Dual Roles in the Household: the importance of the father

One thing that I think is important to mention is that parents now-a-days are taking on more of a dual role within the household. Mothers are contributing to the family finances by working, and fathers are contributing to the home life by helping out around the house and with the children. I think that this is a wonderful practice, because it gives them a chance to learn about a duty they may have never done before. This way if God forbid, something happens to the other person, they wouldn't be left completely clueless. They would still be able to take care of home. If couples become too dependent on each other for one thing or another, then, if or when, they split up they will be left in the cold. For example, if a husband was completely responsible for the finances, and them him and his wife split up, she will have no idea on how to handle money. Or if the mother is the only one who washes clothes or changes diapers, if the mother had to go off for a couple of months, the father would be clueless on how to wash clothes or even change a diaper. So I think that having dual roles within the households is a good thing. It creates a team effort, a sense of working together. To go along with this, when you share in the roles you also learn how to communicate effectively with each other, which is extremely important. Communication is often the key. It has been suggested that couples meet once a week to discuss family matters, such as finances. To me, this is a great idea. It keeps both people on the same page. Last but not least, I wanted to briefly mention that is is important that fathers get involved in their child's life. Fathers being involved in their child's life creates great outcomes for the children. They will be better of economically as well as academically. Just having a father there helps to improve the life of a child. So if you are a mother and you refuse to let the father see his child, for foolish reasons, they you are doing a disservice to your child.

A Home for Abused and Neglected Children

In class the other day I mentioned that I hope to one day create a home for abused and neglected children. This is a hope of mine, I hope on day will be fulfilled. Many children have been left behind by their parents. Either that, or they have been mistreated by their parents. They are then shipped off from one home, then to another, and then to another. The cycle rarely ever stops. They live in one home, get comfortable, and then are sent to another home. They are never stable. This creates stress on these children. They have to learn to get used to many different people, and have to learn to adapt to many different surroundings. Many at a young age blame themselves for what is going on, and then also be become depressed, on top of every thing that is happening to them. This is why I want to create a home or community for them. A small community of homes could provide these children with a normal lifestyle. They can go to school like regular children, and come to a home like regular children. The people set in place to work at these homes will be live in employees, who plan to work year round, and provide these children with a happy and stable home. Employees will be able to change shifts, but it will be the same person there for the morning shift and another person there for the night shift. This way the children can get used to, and become close to a few number of people. So the people at these homes will be there family. There also will be several children in each home, so that they will have kids they can call their brothers and sisters. If they already have brothers and sisters, they will be placed in a home together. Many chidren who are taken from their parents have brothers and sisiter, and they are seperated from them. I definitely do not want tha happening, that is why they will be placed in a home together. The people who are employed there will be evaluated to see if they really are there for the right reasons. I want people who are passionate about children to work there. I don't want people who are just in it for the money to work there. Employees will also be given the option to be permanent "live ins", meaning they live there with the children around the clock. People who are willing to do this will be employed before those who only want to work in shifts. Because the more family like environment we can create the better. The children will also do things outside of the home just like other children, they will go to birthday parties, out to eat, skate station, and etc.. We want to be able to show them the best life possible, and make them feel like they are just another kid, and not an outsider. I know all of this sounds like big hopes and dreams, but with the right mindset and the right group of people I hope to one day make it reality.

Parent Involvement in Education

Parent involvement in education is such an important topic, but it is not emphasized enough. I wrote my letter concerning this issue, because I feel that it is an issue that needs to be addressed. If you look at Gainesville, in particular, we have many schools that are failing. Does that mean teachers are not doing their job, or does that mean that the parents aren't getting involved? The truth is that parents are not as involved in their child's education as they should be. Many feel that their child's homework should be done in Afterschool, and others do not care if it's done at all. Some parents do not expect their children to do their homework. They often say that they are too busy and do not have the time to sit down with their child and help them with their homework. Other parents say it is not their responsibility to do their child's homework. Yes that is true, it is not their responsibility to do their child's homework, but it is their responsibility to make sure it's done and done correctly. That's another issue. Many parents will just ask their child if their homework is done, or just look at. They will not actually take the time to sit down and check to see that it's being done correctly. So here lyes a major problem. Some children might be doing their work but they are doing it incorrectly. Therefore, they are not learning anything, but how to do it incorrectly. Teachers within the education system can only do so much. They can't be around their students 24/7 making sure they are learning. They only have them for 8 hours of the day. Therefore, it's the parents responsibility to make sure they are learning outside of school. It has been proven through research, that those students whose parents are involved in their education do better in school. I think that parents need to step up to the plate and really become an active participant in their child's education.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Cohabitation

Cohabitation, it's all about keeping an open mind and being able to see things from another perspectives. When I think of the word cohabitation of think of myself. I currently live with my significant other and actually enjoy it. It's good for us as well as our child. We get to be with each other as well as raise our child together. Many think that cohabitation is bad, that it ruins the excitement before marriage. Some say that people use cohabitation as an excuse not to get married. They figure hey, we can live together without being married so why marry. Some others may condemn it because they feel it goes against societies traditions, and so in order to avoid getting ridiculed by society they choose not to participate in cohabitation. Some believe that if they live with someone before they get married then they will have nothing to get excited about when they get married. In my opinion, living together before you get married actually is a type of preparation for marriage. You get to learn what the other person is really like. You can really find out if you want to spend the rest of your life with them. You and your partner can also learn how to deal with your finances together. You can learn how to communicate effectively with your partner, because most of the time communication is the key. Basically it boils down to the idea that cohabitation gives you the idea of what life would be like with that person. It may also give you a deeper connection with your partner. I think people should be open minded towards cohabitation and not be so quick to reject it. I think if people learn to see it's effectiveness is relationships and it's lessons they may consider cohabitation as an acceptable practice. Instead of rejecting ideas people should learn about them.

The Push Towards Marriage

Why is there such a push towards marriage? I often ask myself this question. Today there seems to be such a push toward marriage and not enough towards marriage preparation and education. Marrying people without preparing them does not solve problems it creates them. Some are pressured into marrying and some choose to marry without even thinking about their actions. In my opinion, these people are marrying for the wrong reasons. If no thought process goes into their marriage then their marriage is s doomed to fail. Forcing people to marry to try to get them of welfare, or make them go along with tradition, is only going to make divorce rates increase. We need to teach people how to recognize problems as well as solve them. Some may begin to recognize problems before they get married and decide that marrying is not the best idea. We need to give them the skills they need in order to succeed. Because these skills are not always innate, sometimes they have to be taught. If we can work towards preparing people for marriage and improving marriages then I think the divorce rates will decrease and people will be much happier in there marriage. When you put someone else before you you often forget about you own happiness. Sometimes you have to learn how to maintain your own happiness.

Defining Families

Just thinking about all that I have learned this semester about family policy. It is clear to me how important it is and how it not only affects our society, but it directly affects me and my family. Because of this class, I pay more attention to family policy and even keeping up with the statuses of some of these policies. In thinking about all the policies we have covered in class, they all seem to have a problem with defining what a family is. I think that there should be a national definition of a family to avoid biases among other states. I also think that encouraging for more family policy is very difficult without a thorough definition of family itself. I think that the definition of families should include all types of family structures both future and present. Families have evolved so much within the last few decades. It seems like with every major social movement that we go through seems to develop a new idea of family. I don’t think the definition of family should be limited to certain types that we have come across, but also types that will evolve in the future. With a national definition of families it could help to avoid problems with certain family policies. I think that a lot of development is needed in the field of family policy. I also feel that there needs to be an elimination of all discriminatory laws within all states, for example Florida’s gay ban of adoption. Family policy seems like it could be a great field of work, but I feel that until all discriminatory acts are repealed it would not be an interest of mine as a career. I feel that I will follow family policy for the purpose of its affects on my family. Defining the word family I feel is crucial in the development in the field of family policy. -Jennifer

Former teacher who had sex with student back in trouble

Check this one out...http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/12/04/teacher.sex/index.html

I am all for this woman being punished for her past charges in sleeping with a 14-year old, I mean damn.I think people like that are desperate when they have to go out and get somebody that's young, gullible, and not really at a maturation level to make wise decisions for themselves.However, it talks about in the article how her attorney says she's been doing good for the past two years.When the young girl was interviewed at her work place, she let them know that it was a workplace friendship.Our law expects so much out of people,but they put them in situations that can keep them in trouble with the law.She shouldn't have been working in an environment like that where she had access to someone underage anyway.But she was.Its believed that a parent is responsible for their children pretty much until they turn 18.These minors going out having sex with these older people;Where are the parents?This lady has again gotten herself in trouble,innocent trouble.I think some things can be bent a little bit.But hey,law is law.I just think that she shouldn't have been subjected to that type of environment from the beginning and this wouldn't have happened. Sucks for this lady.

Event on National Mall Highlights Cost of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

Here is the link to the article. Check it out.http://www.hrc.org/8379.htm

This article is basically talking about those people serving our country that are gay, lesbian, and bisexual. Anytime you are in a branch serving the United States and it is found that you are a gay, lesbian, or bisexual you are kicked out. What does lifestyle choice have to do with these individuals wanting to serve our country. If 50% of those that fight our wars and go to battle live this lifestyle, are you going to kick them out? These persons are qualified, but aren't being treated fairly. So many times, if a person is gay, lesbian, or bisexual, they keep their lifestyle hidden because they know it is forbidden when serving our country. What do you think? Should these individuals be discharged from their service because of their lifestyle choice? What is this saying for our country? There's so much need for good, dedicated people that are willing to risk their lives for the red,white,and blue. Why kick them out?

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Tobacco Industry sued over ads

This is an article from the Gainesville Sun. In Harrisburg, Pa. an illustrated advertising section in Rolling Stone magazine violates the tobacco industry's nine-year-old promise not to use cartoons to sell cigarettes.

Attorney general's offices in at least eight states planned to file lawsuits starting Tuesday about the advertising for Camel cigarettes in the November edition of Rolling Stone, officials said. The section combines pages of Camel cigarette ads with pages of magazine-produced illustrations on the theme of independent rock music. "Their latest nine-page advertising spread in Rolling Stone, filled with cartoons, flies in the face of their pledge to halt all tobacco marketing to children," Pennsylvania's Attorney General Tom Corbett said in a statement released Tuesday.
Pennsylvania, California, Illinois, New York, Ohio and Washington state are filing lawsuits Tuesday, Corbett's office said. Attorneys general offices in two other states, Maryland and Connecticut, also said they were taking part.David Howard, a spokesman for R.J. Reynolds in Winston-Salem, N.C., did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He told The New York Times last month that there was a clear difference between the Camel ads on the outside pages of the section and the illustrations in the magazine-produced inside fold-out. The landmark 1998 settlement between 46 states and the tobacco industry reimburses states for smoking-related health care costs. In an effort to prevent the industry from pitching to minors, the agreement includes a provision against using cartoons in advertisements. The cigarette ads in Rolling Stone tout "free range rock" and support for independent record labels while using photographic images of people in 1950s dress, farm animals, an old-fashioned tractor and furnishings like a phonograph against a farm backdrop. Those pages fold out to reveal a four-page illustrated spread of an "Indie Rock Universe" with animals, imaginary figures and other drawings. But Corbett's office said the states are seeking fines of $100 per magazine distributed within their borders, as well as $100 per hit on the related R.J. Reynolds Web site, www.thefarmrocks.com. Ray Chelstowski, publisher of Rolling Stone, said R.J. Reynolds had no idea that the magazine's pages would be illustrated, as opposed to an article in independent music, and said the Camel ads tout the music Web site, not cigarettes. Other states are reviewing the matter and could join the effort. If every state involved in the 1998 settlement files suit, the fines could exceed $100 million. The lawsuits also ask for the removal of the images from all Web sites and promotions and a payment by R.J. Reynolds equal to the cost of the Rolling Stone advertisement to be used for anti-smoking ads.

Mentally Ill Florida Veteran being treated by unlicensed psychologists

In Tampa Florida mentally ill military veterans at the nation's busiest VA hospital are being treated by inexperienced and unlicensed psychologists, according to complaint filed by a staff member. The staff member said that she believed the patients well-being was being jeopardy.

The most troubled and vulnerable veterans at Tampa's James A. Haley VA Medical Center are often treated by the least-experienced professionals. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs officials denied that patient care is impacted and said the nine unlicensed psychologists on the hospital's staff of 34 get ample supervision and are on track to receive their licenses in the future. Florida and federal law allows unlicensed psychologists to work as long as they receive constant supervision, the VA and the state said."The majority of mental health services provided to our newest generation of veterans is being provided by our least-experienced staff." Some veteran advocates questioned the practice of relying heavily on unlicensed psychologists at a time when the numbers of veterans requiring mental health treatment is increasing due to the war in Iraq.

watch out cheaters!!!

This article made me laugh and at the same time think about how crazy our society has gotten.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/15/business/15divorce.html?pagewanted=2

All of us love our computers, phones, and other messaging devices that are ohhhh so convenient. This love for technology however comes with a huge downfall. More than ever lawyers are being presented with phone lists, emails, photos online, as well as chats from couples filing for divorce. This might sound a little crazy but for some it is well worth the snooping. After all, is it snooping if you find anything? That's a whole different debate. So, for about $45 dollars you can install a program on your computer that takes 15 second snap shots of your computer screen. By doing this you can gain access to passwords and emails being sent, as well as pictures. Some might call this crazy as I do not think this is the way to deal with a possible cheater, but in the age of technology we live in this is the way it is. With all of the things that are involved in divorce now (money, houses, etc.) technology sure has found its way onto the scene. So everyone (not that you all are cheating) beware.
marvin

Gay pastor could lose collar

This article was something else: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/nyregion/25pastor.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/H/Homosexuality

Here we have a pastor of a church in the Bronx who has been with her congregation for years and even lives in the same neighborhood as much of the people in her congregation. Much of the congregation is of Caribbean decent and all have close ties to her. When her partner became pregnant she decided it was time to let them all know about her secret. Much of the congregation did not mind, as some went as far to throw a party for the child to come. This is all great until the church states that it allows gay pastors but forbids them from being in open homosexual relationships. Are you kidding me? This makes no sense to accept it but deny them from going any further. It is obvious that the great majority of her congregation loves her so why bring anything else into it. If the people of the church don't mind why should the 'higher ups' get involved?
marvin

San Fran offers free health care

In reading the following article: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/14/us/14health.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

I was very happy to see a community doing something for those citizens that cannot afford proper health care. Working in a local pharmacy here in Gainesville this is a problem I see all of the time. You often see people trying to treat major illnesses with cheap over the counter medications because the cannot get a visit to the doctor. The amount of money to see a doctor is insane to start with and for people on a tight income this doesn't make it any better. San Francisco just started a program that is paying for health care for people that are at or below the poverty level. Because of its initial success it is going to spread to other areas as well as immigrants regardless of status as well as people that have not had active coverage for the precious 90 days. There are a lot of issues with this, because you will have people paying for coverage and others that will not. The catch with this program is in order to be covered you must stay in San Francisco, when you leave you are no longer covered. This keeps people from abusing the system. I think its a strong move by the city, and in my opinion taking care of your citizens health should be of highest priority.
marvin

Foster Care Requirements for Grandparents????

In reading the article by Copen entitled “Welfare reform: Challenges for grandparents raising grandchildren”, I was really shocked to see that there are some states that actually force grandparents to meet the same requirements as foster parents. Does it make sense? I could understand both sides of the argument though. While one side may argue that relatives of a child should automatically have custody without any requirements because it is best for the child. The child will still be a part of the entire family just living under a different roof. The child will still be a part of the lives of their own blood relatives; giving the child some sort of rooted connection to the people he/she is among. The other side however may argue that grandparents are simply not capable of giving the child what they need for many reasons. They might argue that since grandparents are much older they may not be able to handle the stress of caring for grandchildren. It could be that they are not physically and/or mentally capable of those responsibilities because of their age. Another argument would be that grandparents already messed up in taking care of their own children so they should not be fit to take care of their children’s children. I believe that the children should automatically be placed under the care of a family member first before being placed in some strangers home. Although the articles talk about grandparents specifically, I believe the child should be placed in the home of a family member most capable of taking care of the child. If the grandparent is the only relative of the child then I feel the child should be placed under their care. Obviously if the grandparent is incapacitated where they cannot even take care of themselves then the child should be placed in a foster home; otherwise they should be placed in their care. I think that the child will be better off with people they can relate to. I think it gives the child a sense of rooted belonging when they are placed with a family member versus a complete stranger. -Jennifer

Monday, December 3, 2007

Clinton to Offer an AIDS Policy, Joining Her Main Rivals

Senator Hillary Clinton has proposed to spend at least $50 billion by 2013, where the Bush Administration has budgeted only $30 billion. She joins Barack Obama and John Edwards who have a similar plan in terms of spending, goals and differences with President Bush's AIDS policy. She plans to double the money for HIV/AIDS research at The National Institute of Health to $5.2 billion annually. The trio will not limit preventive strategies to abstinence-only sex education (which is what Bush has focused on). In the United States, 40,000 people are affected with HIV annually.

Dialogue urged at race gap meeting

I just thought this blog was different and it effects children and in the long run maybe their family outcomes. This meeting was to address the issues that exist with a lack of quality education for predominantly black schools. I think it is good that they are discussing these issues.

lending plan

http://www.gainesvillesun.com/article/20071202/NEWS/71202012

This article relates to family although you wouldn't think it did. Bush is backing this new lending plan in hopes to avoid escalation of foreclosures and defaults on home loans. Naomi did a paper in Dr. Brenan's class showing that one of the causes of homelessness can be lack of affordable housing. For some, rates on loans are going up by 30% causing them to have a mortgage they can't afford. I am wondering how many families will be homeless this Christmas? After all, families and children are the new growing face of homelessness (Naomi told me this based on her research).

Daycares

http://www.gainesvillesun.com/article/20071201/NEWS/712010328

I read this article and though about families. If daycares are not being held to a higher standard then this is going to put a load on families. As a parent you need to feel like your child(ren) are safe. This article talks about several daycares in violation of all kinds of rules. In the county 200 daycare had some violation. Parents almost always have to work, they cannot be burdened with third rate daycare.

Sometimes Public Assistance can really help

Its always been my personal opinion that people on public assistance really find no means to an end to their situation. The measily cash assistance and food stamps they recieve barely cover the basics to live. Especially in the case of grandparents who are caring for their grandchildren. Some are too elderly to get full time jobs, and therefore must rely on the small amounts of support that the government provides. This was not the Case for Rosa.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/nyregion/03neediest.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Rosa didn't take life's setbacks as a reason to sit around and do nothing. With public assistance she was able to go back to school and further her education, to make a better life for her and her grandchildren. With help from the neediest cases fund, Rosa was able to continue to take care of her grandchildren, and provide them with school clothes, and the financial backing for her to start a new job, hopefully to bring them out of poverty.
I admire her actions, because most people take advantage of the system, and the short time they are allowed to remain on it. Rosa did what should be done with public assistance.... she found a way to survive.

In the New York Times, I was reading an article about the effort to limit the amount of junk food in schools. I think we the growing amount of children that are obese that we should limit the amount of junk that is eaten. Especially since we learn our eating habits when we are young, if the school starts educating about what to eat and in what portion then maybe we could lower the adult obesity level. According to the article, the nutrition standards would allow only plain bottled water and eight-ounce servings of fruit juice or plain or flavored low-fat milk with up to 170 calories to be sold in elementary and middle schools. High school students could also buy diet soda or, in places like school gyms, sports drinks. Other drinks with as many as 66 calories per eight ounces could be sold in high schools, but that threshold would drop to 25 calories per eight-ounce serving in five years. Food for sale would have to be limited in saturated and trans fat and have less than 35 percent sugar. Sodium would be limited, and snacks must have no more than 180 calories per serving for middle and elementary schools and 200 calories for high schools.
Of course they will still have access to other foods outside of school. But at least for those hours spent in school they will have healthier options. I don't see how this could hurt but their are always people against it. Even though I don't really understand why anyone would be. We should want our children to be healthier. Also I feel that parents should be the one to give these children the "bad" or unhealthy snacks, not a school where its not monitored. Their is no way for a mother to know that her child already had two sodas and three packs of candy at school, so when he asks for them at home is seems harmless because its only one. When in reality its is third or fourth pack. Brittany

McCain Doesn't Require Health Care

So I was reviewing the political campaigns and read an article today on McCain who is the republican hopeful. All around I am for universal health care! After reading this article though I kind of understood where he was coming from. In the article he stated that he would not force people to have insurance, just like he wouldn't force owning a house, or getting an education. He instead would just make it more affordable for people who want it to get it. You know I never though that someone wouldn't want health care but apparently their are people out their who don't. My boss for examples feel it is a frivolous waste of money she rarely gets sick and when she does she rather just pay the bill, and she would hate having to pay higher taxes and be forced to have it. Which was McCain's point he thought it would be not in the best light to raise taxes in order to mandate health insurance. He also stated that he would like doctors to get paid by how much time they spend to treat patients rather than how many tests they order! You know after reading his view and ideas it made me wonder a little bit. I am still all for universal health care but I also think cheaper health care and not raising taxes sounds beneficial also!! I wonder how others feel about this area? Brittany

To Foster or Not

I recently completed a paper on foster families and the issues they go through when they are adjusting. Everything from relationships between foster parents and children to sibling rivalries that vie for attention in blended families and funding for these types of families. It is often said how parents that take on the responsibility to foster children don't receive enough funding to do it. Therefore, there has been a shortage of fostering families because money is tight. One of the lowest states is Nevada, providing only $200.00 a month for a two year old. I don't have children, but that seems a bit low to take care of a two year old with.
The government is shouting that they need help but they don't provide the funds to do so. I pose this question to you. Do you believe that the amount of money matters? Should parents put the amount behind them and do the best they can with what they have or do you think that money does matter and people should not foster until there is a better system of funding set up. Basically, what really matters in this situation?

Caregiver Burden

We have talked so much in class about the stress of taking care of a loved one who is sick and it made me think of my grandfather and how he took care of my grandmother before she passed away. He had to make sure that she got to and from the doctor, took the right medications, bathed her, did her laundry and just any other duties that comes with caring for a loved one. As her health started to deterioate, the stress from it increased. Back and forth in the hospital, trying to maintain his household and bills as well as find time for him to do the things he needed to do to keep himself up such as eat and bathe. I know it was hard for him because he always would look stressed out and too he was starting to lose weight. He did not want anyones help so the load fell on him. There were times when I would stay at home with my grandmother and I too would become a little overwhelmed. I did not have any problems caregiving but just the thought of knowing someone who could once do for themselves was at the time solely dependent on everyone else hurt because she would express it in words and in actions. Do you know anyone currenltly caring for a loved one? Do they feel weighed down at times? What would you do if you were in this situation?

Senior Transportation a Growing Concern

Many children today are showing a increase in concern for their aging parents as the holidays rapidly approach. The USA Today today tells readers they are worried on how their parents will get around. A group is making transportation for the elderly the focus of attention of its annual "Home for the Holiday" campaign. According to the article, more than 600,000 people age 70 and older stop driving each year. There is this program called Eldercare Locator that encourages adult children visiting their aging parents to make sure that they have means of transportation to and from the doctor, grocery store or anywhere else they might need to go. Also, there are transportation services provided to the elderly in certain cities. All a family member has to do is request a brochure from the Elder Locator. The transportation services are very popular among the elderly because they often times do not like to ask other for rides because they might feel embarrassed and needy. I see this as positive because some aging adults need there licenses taken away in my opinion. There shoud be more information available in cities they currently live in. I also too think the state should make them take a driver's test to test their skills to make sure they are capable of driving. What are your thoughts? Do you think the elderly should be tested at a certain age? Have you ever been concerned for one of your loved ones and how they were going to get around?

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Whats going to happen to the children?

I was reading an article on SCHIP the other day stating that Bush has once again vetoed the policy. I think it is horrible that he is continuing to deny the American people of the necessary help of healthcare. With the increasing costs in healthcare there has been a decline in those receiving healthcare or that are insured. Children need healthcare because I feel it is necessary for their survival. We want our children to grow strong and healthy but we refuse to provide them with the necessary help that they need. Bush stated that he doesn’t want healthcare to fall under the responsibility of the government. I feel that we are not as advanced as we thought we are as a country. There are smaller and less privileged countries out there that provide free healthcare to all residents. Why can’t we be the same and provide free healthcare to all Americans? We should not be fighting for the president to continue a program that helps parents who are not poor but cannot provide healthcare to their children, we should be fighting for the president to provide free healthcare to all. The U.S. is far behind when it comes to family policy. We need to take care of the people in this country first before we can help rebuild other countries. I think that’s what most countries like England have done; and that’s what makes them successful. I think we are only successful because of force and not because we deserve it. The SCHIP program is very important to providing healthcare especially to those children who are in the midst of chemotherapy and other life threatening diseases. Once all the funding for this program has depleted all those children will be dropped entirely from the program and will be left to fend for themselves. These children and all children need healthcare because without it, it seems like they are doomed. Bush has continuously vetoed this program with no remorse for the lives of those children who depend on SCHIP. -Jennifer

Cohabitaion

I was thinking about cohabitation between couples and I am somewhat surprised of the low success rates of couples who live together. I actually am in a cohabitation relationship and have been now for about 3 years. I hope that the fate of my relationship will not end just as statistics have stated. Is my relationship doomed? If I were to believe that I feel that I would already be giving up on my relationship so I honestly refuse to believe that. I actually think that living together with my boyfriend has actually made our relationship stronger. We know each other in ways now that we would never have gotten to know if didn’t live together. I can deal with all his bad habits and he could deal with mine. Sometimes when couples marry and they have never lived together, small things like that can tear them apart. Our relationship is very strong and we have gone through a lot together that have tested our bond to each other and has only made it stronger. At this point in our relationship I feel like we are married, we just don’t have the paper stating so. We do get the pressure to get married from all angles by our families but we refuse to do so under that pressure. My boyfriend’s father is a pastor and he doesn’t agree with our cohabitation decision. He is always pressuring us to just get married so that we could be ‘out of sin’. With the whole marriage movement video we watched in class I feel, now more than ever to not get married. I feel like the pressure of the people around you should not control or dictate if you should get married or not. I feel that when it’s right, it’s right. I don’t think the government or anyone for that matter should get involved in the personal affairs of others especially when it comes to the decision of marriage. I am not against the Healthy Marriage Initiative, but I feel that the government is dancing on the line of private matters and public matters regarding relationships. There should be programs to council marriages, but I feel they are in no position to make you feel like you need to be together with someone else just for the sake of others, for example children. I don’t think statistics should encourage anyone who is considering cohabitation to not do so. It should solely be based solely on how you feel about the other person. If you feel you are ready to do so then go ahead, if not then don’t. Maybe these statistics are a plot by the government to discourage cohabitation and instead encourage marriage. Who knows? -Jennifer

Marriage movement

The marriage movement movie that we saw in class yesterday was somewhat unethical to me. It’s not that I am opposed to any religion or that I am atheist in any way because I am not, it is that I don’t feel anyone should be forced into something they feel may not be right. Just because you have a child out of wedlock doesn’t mean you have to go and race to marry the father or mother of the child. I feel that marriage should only come about if you truly love the person you are with till the point where you realize you don’t ever want to live without them. I also feel like sometimes we make mistakes and our minds can be clouded to the point where we think we are in love with that other person but we are truly not and we go ahead and marry that person. Just like the woman in the movie who had a few children and had been married a twice already. Sometime we make mistakes and we deal with them and hope that we have learned from them so that next time we are faced with similar situations we know what to avoid. That’s how I view marriage. I am not here to judge others and tell them what they are doing is wrong because it may be right for them. If a woman get married a hundred times and divorced 99 times, then so be it. As long as she is happy in the end that’s all that matters. I view marriage as just another piece of paper. It doesn’t dictate if you love someone or not. My parents were together for 27 years before they actually got married. It wasn’t till 3 years ago when they finally decided to go get “married”. If you ask me they were always married to one another; it’s the government however that didn’t recognize their marriage because of a piece of paper. I am a very very liberal person when it comes to politics, religion, etc. I feel that the clergy is in no way to encourage others to just get married but rather guide them to the best decision which may not always be marriage. I feel that the couple that was being forced to get married because everyone was pushing them since the girl was pregnant was completely wrong. The guy, although a marriage counselor himself, felt that he wasn’t ready to get married but his family basically forced him to practice what he preaches. I think that a marriage like this is what ends in divorce. Being forced into a marriage I think can mostly lead to an unhappy marriage that will end in divorce. Like I stated before, I believe that no matter the circumstance, you should only marry when you are truly and honestly in love with that other person. If you feel some sort or rather any sort of doubt you should most likely either wait or don’t do it at all.
-Jennifer

Feeling on gainesville homeless

When we were introduced with the homelessness issue Gainesville, I was just confused as to why they are forcing them out of the only place they know. I just am sad for the homeless because where were they going to go? What about the children? Are there going to be more deaths of the homeless because of this? There are just so many questions as to why this is happening and what is going to happen. The truth of the matter is that there is no clear cut answer. All that’s been said is that there is going to be facilities made to help these homeless get out of the situation that they are in. The homeless have also been given vouchers to stay at some available shelters, but this means families will be broken up because most shelters do not accept men and women together. I couldn’t even believe when Mrs. Smith stated that they will spend more money building up a fence around Tent City than they would in helping the homeless with shelter vouchers and assistance. The money for this project definitely needs to be revaluated and redirected. It does seem that the government has a strict goal to eliminate poverty within the next few years but the goal is based on numbers and not morality. It seems as if they are willing to do whatever is necessary to wipe out the homeless from this country even if it means families are being broken up and people dying along the way. As long as they reach their goal the government will feel as if something good was accomplished. I feel that no matter what protesters do, we won’t be able to get the government to revaluate the goal of ending poverty by any means necessary.

Things that Make you Go Hmm....

How do you view families? I remembered we discussed talking about the different camps that families fall into. I sat there thinking,"I wonder which camp that they really fall into"?I thought about it and thought about it, and I couldn't quite figure it out. Then bam...I think I know why! I didn't hear anyone think that they in some kind of way fell into all three camps, but me. My view is of pessism, optimism, and post modernization. Families aren't where they need to be, but they are not where they used to be in this day and age. I think it encompasses all of these because there are so many more young families these days jumping into marriage, which eventually leads to divorce due to wrong reasoning for putting themselves in the situation from jump. However, there are some mature families with close bonds that are only growing stronger each passing day. But because family stature is not where society feels it should be, society becomes impatient. But what are they doing to change it? Look at the media. You can't expect families to progress to much, because of what is offered by society. For example, video games have become essential in kids lives. This does not only benefit the children, but parents as well. Parents figure if so much focus is drawn to these games, that's less headache for them. Boom! There goes the lack of parenting. When kids come home, they don't look forward to spending time with mom and/or dad. They aren't thrilled at the fact that mom cooked a new entree for dinner that night. Kids love to be entertained, and even with all the violence in video games, intrigues them even more. Wham! There goes discipline issues. Kids like to imitate what they see. And where are the damn parents people?! There they are focused on work, at home. There goes a family bond down the drain. There needs to be a balance ya'll and more concentration on the needs of our families so our families can do nothing but grow stronger and stronger. That's where we need to be.

National Trauma Care Stabilization Act

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Murray a Democrat Washington introduced the National Trauma Care Stabilization Act which provides federal grants for trauma care centers across the nation that are struggling and often closing their doors because of the increased costs of providing health care and uncompensated charity care.
Trauma can happen at any time and to anyone, whether it's a family in a highway crash, a gunshot victim, or a construction worker in an accident – trauma centers must be available to provide immediate care," Senator Murray said at a press conference announcing the bill. “My bill will ensure that increased health care costs and charity care doesn’t block access to the trauma care Americans rely on. This bill also ensures that by opening the doors of trauma care to all we are not causing the doors of some facilities to close for good. Because accidents don't discriminate among rich and poor and neither should our trauma care centers." personnel think this is an awesome idea and I loved the quote the senator used accidents happen to all people. so all people should be able to be helped no matter there personal income. what is your opinion on the new act?

Saturday, December 1, 2007

'Mom' and 'Dad' banished by California

Mom and dad has officially been banned from California Schools. Back in October Governor Schwarzennegger signed a billed that not only bans students from using mom and dad but under the bill it bans anything in public schools that is negative toward homosexuality, bisexuality and other alternative lifestyles. Many feel that the governor has attacked traditional family values according to the World Daily Net article. The article also states gender will be defined as a persons's related appearance and behavior whether or not associated with the person's assigned sex a birth, mom and dad would have to be edited from all textbooks, cheerleeding and sports teams would have to be gender neutral, prom kings and queens would be banned or have to be gender neutral and there will be gender neutral bathrooms. Many feel this is a way of redefining and resonstructing the traditional family unit and it is also seen as redefining government schools as sexual indoctrination centers. I am lost for words when it comes to this bill. I truly support gay and lesbian marriages and adoption of children but all I can say is this came to quickly and the world needs time to accept everything else. What are your thoughts? Do you think California is moving too fast? Does this move away from traditional family values?

More Employers Face Caregiver Related Suits

Today, more employees are filing lawsuits against their employers because they feel they have been discriminated against for having to take care of a child, disabled spouse or elder adult. We talked about this when we discussed the FMLA and Caregiving, but I cannot understand why there are companies out their that are just coldhearted in my opinion. The article in the USA Today tells readers it has been dubbed, "family responsibilities discrimination." It goes on to say that men are shown favoritism over women because of becoming a new mother. The sandwich generation is also feeling the effect of caregiving.

Lawsuits occur for three reasons according to the article: 1.) Denied leave or retaliated against for taking off to handle caregiving of child, which is covered under the FMLA, 2.) Employees were denied accomodations to provide care allege that employees are violating the federal law and 3.) gender discrimination. Employees have even went to the extent to hide caregiving duties. A few months back, my nephew was diagnosed with an illness and my sister has been taking off a lot of days for him to have routine checkups, therapy and for the hospital to run more test. My parents were telling her that she needs to provide documention because she has the right to take off because of the time she had saved up. Somebody recently told her she was going to get written up for the time she took off. I do not know if they feel as if she is lying but I have seen my nephew and I know for exact he is in a lot of pain.

More employers need to put themselves in that employee's shoes and then they will see the toll it takes on that individual. I want to make sure that I can provide the best of care for my mother, father or children if anything was ever to happen to them. With the demands of the employers being more stressful than ever, in my opinion it can make or break who has an aging loved one, disabled family member or planning to start family. The government wants to be in everybody's business, well this is the perfect time for them to get involved. Does this make you reconsider having a family? What would you do if you were faced with this situation? Do you think the government needs to get more involved?

Who Cares

If you already have not read the article in the Gainesville Sun, "Who Cares," then maybe you should read this. Considering staying in Gainesville with the possibility of raising a family? You as future parents should think twice in my opinion! Dozen of complaints have been made and filed against daycare facilities in Alachua County due to abuse and lack of supervision over the past five years. In 1996, the article tells readers, a nine month old boy drowned because the babysitter ran to answer the phone and left the child unsupervised! She babysat at home and was registered with the state but did not obtain a license. Which all meant, her home was not subject to inspections except in response to certain complaints. In another incident, a child ran out of a day care across Tower Road to his apartments back in 2004. Makes you wonder would your kids be safe in a facilty. Many places here in Alachua County fail to provide enough workers, background screenings and display of licenses. Also, many employee licenses are expired and there are not enough certified in CPR training.Parents should make it first priority to do a thorough background check of the daycare they are sending their child to. Who has money to waste? As a facility, you charge an arm and a leg but you cannot provide supervision, screening, proof of license and many other things? They want to say that parents are at fault for some of this because they do not provide information needed so they have to go out and get it which leaves them in the office. No, you should have enough employees to operate that daycare.

Secondly, parents need to make sure they fill out an emergency form and provide medication that child might be taking, has taken or allergic to as well.I am sure this alreay exists already, but the state should require photos of all employees including licenses and certification, proof of training and any other legal documents needed. If I were a parent here in Alachua County, I would be terrified of leaving my child in a facility here knowing there is possibility they will be unsupervised, abused or neglected. Thats just the same as leaving the child at home alone but for free.

The best thing to do is to leave the child with a family member that you trust and pay him or her the same amount of money you would pay weekly to a facility. What is your opinion? Do you plan to send you child to daycare or have a family member watch the child?

Friday, November 30, 2007

Family Importance

So much responsibility is put on families to care for those member that are ill. It always seems to fall on the individual families that don't have much of a work life. To utilize services offered, it usually falls under that family that is most financially stable to pay for services that are rendered. It's a shame how families don't come together and help one another, even if its minimal. I think this will help foster family bonding and enhance communication. I believe that there are some services worth utilizing, but I know the best care for any individual is the love and support of family. Most times, those members that are sick are most comfortable around the people that they know and in an environment that they are familiar with. There's so much shifting of not only our sick family members, but our elderly as well. More focus needs to be on family. Society is so big on technological advances and implementing of new services based on this era, but this is affecting our families. We as a society need to go back to a place where we valued family a little bit more. But how?

The Best Solution for Elderly?

In thinking about care for our elders in society, a lot of new advances for compensation for our elderly has risen. Among services provided, I think nursing home care is still most prevalent to date. It seems to me that once older people go in to nursing homes, they become worse. My grandmother, for example went into a nursing home because my aunt, my moms oldest sister couldn't care for my grandmother like she needed to. A family decision was to place my grandmother in a nursing home. I would go and visit my grandmother and it seemed like every time I would go and visit her, another illness would happen or something was always wrong. I know her being around different elders, there are a lot of germs that can be contracted. But the illnesses my grandmother was getting wasn't contagious things. What took me for a loop was when my mother and I went to visit her and she had bruises on her. I had heard about workers at nursing home not really adequately caring for those that are admitted. I feel like families need to further with options because what may be the easiest solution doesn't mean it is the best solution. If more people were informed about the different ways or caring for our older people, the happier families will be. It may be good to give the individual options if they can competently make decisions for themselves. So much goes on behind closed doors, and families need to be more concerned about how their family members are being treated.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Ban Smoking in Car with kids

California, Arkansas and Louisiana have recently banned smoking in the car while the kids are present. Several other states are also considering making the same type of bans. I personal think this a good idea. Second hand smoke is dangerous to everyone but it is particularly dangerous to children due to their lack of development. Second hand smoke accounts for an increase in health risks. Secondhand smoke can cause children to suffer bronchitis, pneumonia, ear infections and more severe asthma attacks. I don't feel like this is hindering people from smoking, I think it just protects the children from the adverse affects of second hand smoke. Children don't choose to smoke so they shouldn't have to deal with consequences of their parents smoking. Its not a perfect solution but at least its one step closer. I know that a lot of smokers may feel as if this may hinder their rights as a smoker, but in reality I think it just further proves the dangers of second hand smoke. I completely support this concept their have been several studies that show that parents who don't smoke in their house or car children are generally healthier. Taking a family perspective on this view I can't help but see the positives that this ban could cause. Not only will it keep the children healthier it also allows parents to become more alert to smoking and its adverse affects on themselves and maybe others. What do you think? Do you think this is a good ban or is the government taking it to far? Brittany

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Abusive Boyfriend syndrome

Hey guys
This blog is interesting but portrays sad news. It’s all about “abusive boyfriends syndrome”. Ladies and gentlemen, in life whatever you do please make a good decision with your relationship or one that you will not regret. Among the findings in this article are as follows:
--Children living in households with unrelated adults are nearly 50 times as likely to die of inflicted injuries as children living with two biological parents,
Children living in stepfamilies or with single parents are at higher risk of physical or sexual assault than children living with two biological or adoptive parents
—Girls whose parents divorce are at significantly higher risk of sexual assault, whether they live with their mother or their father.
Guys listen this is not always the case but there are just a few unlovable partners who overshadow the good partners. Every case is different, every family is different. Some single mothers bring men into their lives who lovingly help raise children when the biological father is gone for good.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

DARE Program finshed in Suffolk County

Posted in the New York Times today, there was an article about the recent change to the DARE program in Suffolk County. The New York County has decided to get rid of the DARE program and replace it with a new program called Enhanced Health Smart Curriculum. This new curriculum will give students information about gangs, gambling, bullying, driving, dating violence, internet safety and identity theft. The new program will be offered to students ranging from Kindergarten to 12th grade as apposed to the DARE program which was only for 5th - 7th grade. The information will be taught be the school's teachers after they have had a 1/2 day of training. The DARE program that has been around for about 20 years, has always been conducted by police officers, which were thought to make a significant difference drug use. In a study conducted in 2002 however, the DARE program has showed to have no significant difference in the amount of drug use among students.

I think that the new program will be very beneficial and will help students understand multiple levels of problems. The one thing I think they should change is having other people come in to do the program instead of the teachers. I think students would respond better to outside people who have an impact on the community, such as police officers etc. Overall I think all counties should adopt a similar program such as this one.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Gay/Lesbian Campaign

As we all know, California is one of the popular states that has gained much attention on the hot topic of Same-sex marriages and families. In the article, "TV ad campaign attempts to sway the undecided on same-sex marriage," there was a commercial aired in an effort to attract and persuade the public that gay and lesbian couples should have the right to affirm their love, legally. The message was " what if you couldn't marry the person you love?" Polls taken indicated that the state was split on whether or not people agreed and disagreed about the same-sex issue. This campaign has received major funding from many important people and organizations. I know that people are eager and ready for the public to accept their lifestyle and their beliefs, and become socially accepted in our society, but is our government starting to "bend" the rules or are they "stead-fast" on their decision to not accept these individuals as one unit? Although there are laws implemented to nationally recognize a man and woman as a married couple, states are to their own discretion on this issue. I know that some of the comments that I am going to make are going to upset some people, but I really do not care. It is my opinion and my blog.

I really do not care one way or the other whether gay or lesbian individuals gain rights or not. Technically, it really doesn't affect me, so I have no emotion towards it, nor do i have family members (to my knowledge) who engage in this type of lifestyle. My motto has always been "do what ever floats your boat, and make sure whatever you do, you do 'it' well." From a legal standpoint, in class, people were talking about issues in regards to raising a family and how our government doesn't really caters to the needs of families. Honestly, if gay and lesbian gain rights they will want the full benefits of being married such as health care, social security benefits, and so on and so forth. Truthfully, our government just isn't ready for that change, especially when the decision and policy makers are older individuals with traditional values and morals. Don't get me wrong, our world is forever changing, and one day I do suspect that gay and lesbians will gain their rights, but for now... I think we should just stick to the logic of the situation.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Parents Who Spank Being Made Criminals

Can you believe one day if passed, that you as a parent might be labeled as a criminal for disciplining your children? Democrats in California are pushing for a law that would make a parent who spanks their child a criminal, place them on probation for four years, will be required to attend a nonviolent parental education class and be the subject of criminal court protective order "protecting the victim from further acts of violence." Many believe this is just outrageous and I agree. In my opinion, I believe the government is taking away any parental right that parent have for a misbehaving child. Basically, this gives the child control over the parent. I am sure this makes those considering a family think twice. If passed, the government will be faced with a lot of problems. What are your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree with the law?

fathers a detriment?

A new study of 6,000 families in Bristol found that stay-at-home fathers may be hindering their son's education as opposed to mothers. Family income did not seem to alter the results, and fathers were not seen as a detriment to their daughter's, only sons. I feel like this say a lot into how fathers and sons relate to each other and how they spend their time. When dealing with the sons, fathers may feel that they need to be more hands on and spend time doing more "manly" activities. This could be more of a nurture factor than nature in that fathers have been raised to be the breadwinners and that this new role men are playing is something they didn't train for. Maybe this, if a lasting trend, will level out over time as the next generation of boys is raised with the expectation that they may be the stay-at-home parent. Do you think that this is a healthy trend? Do you think that the family can thrive the same with swapped gender roles, as opposed to traditional ones?

Saturday, November 24, 2007

seatbelts on schoolbusses?

BRILLIANT!!! Why did every legislator and their mother overlook this harmful double standard? According to a column in the Washington Post, Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters has proposed a national initiative to mandate three-point harnesses in school busses. Sure it's going to be expensive, about $1,800 per bus, with <400,000 in the US, but habits need to be learned early. I feel like every one of us can relate to someone who was involved in an automobile accident, how many of those were wearing restraints? I witnessed a middle-aged man being ejected out of his Ford Explorer at 75mph and flying 60ft in the air as his car flipped and rolled. Luckily that man lived, but how many other lives could have been saved if they would have learned the habits of wearing a seatbelt? Starting young is the best course of action, and this initiative is the most logical step at reducing auto fatalities. Thoughts? Objections?

FYC 4905

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