It is absolutely incredible, that so many of those who
claim they love the unborn do so much damage to those who are already born. In
fact, the following atrocities seem like they have an outright war against
children who are already out of the birth canal. They seem to have no clue what
family values are all about.
1. Health Care: When
the Affordable Care Act, aka Obama Care, which created coverage for 20
million people, including protection for 100 million others who had
pre-existing issues, was passed, 49 Republicans voted against it. Later, they
voted nearly 70 times to defund it. They also opposed expanding Medicaid
to help ensure poorer families receive necessary medical care, leading to
better health while preventing long-term issues. The only states that have not
expanded Medicaid, are some red states that voted for Trump.
2. Expanded Child Care Tax
Credit: Expansions, such as those in the American Rescue Plan,
have been credited with reducing child poverty by almost half. Due to the 60 filibuster
rule, the Republicans were able to block its renewal. Not one single Republican
voted to renew it.
3. Universal Pre-K
Education: Pre-kindergarten education aims to give all children a
strong start in their educational journey, improving long-term academic and
social outcomes. President Biden’s “Build Back Better” bill
would have accomplished this, but had the support of only one Republican and
could not pass.
4. Paid Family Leave: Policies
that provide paid leave for parents after the birth or adoption of a child
support early child development and family bonding. Despite many attempts by
the Democrats, we remain the only developed country without this very important
right.
5. School Lunch Programs: Initiatives
to expand free or reduced-price school meals to ensure that children receive
nutritious food, have been a struggle to reach the remaining millions of needed
children. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this was expanded, but Republicans
refused to make it permanent. Their “logic” was cost and “federal overreach”, which they deem more important than children. This program is crucial for children’s
growth and learning and has nothing to do with a lack of desire or will power.
You try doing an important mental task while starving.
6. Gun Control Measures:
Policies aimed at reducing gun violence, such as universal background checks
and restrictions on certain firearms, will create a safer environment for
children. Even though over 80% of the public favor common-sense gun control,
the vast majority of Republicans dare not buck the NRA’s money.
7. Climate Change
Legislation: Efforts to combat climate change address
environmental issues that disproportionately affect children, such as air and
water quality, have been declared a hoax, despite the fact that 99% of climate
scientists have proven otherwise.
8. Affordable Housing
Initiatives: Programs that increase access to affordable
housing help ensure that children have stable living environments, which is
critical for their development and well-being. Again, the “federal overreach” argument
trumps (pun intended) the need of millions of children for this vital need.
9. Affordable Universal
Child Care: Subsidizing child care costs helps working
parents afford quality child care, ensuring that children receive proper care
and early education, which is crucial for their development. Increased funding
for programs like Head Start, that support early education and
development for children from low-income families, always receive stiff
oppositions from the group that only care about children that have not yet been
born.
10. Higher
Minimum Wage: Raising the minimum wage increases the income of low-wage
workers, many of whom are parents, thereby obviously reducing child poverty and
improving children’s living conditions. Despite numerous attempts by Democrats,
the Republicans continue to keep the federal minimum wage at $7.25 an hour, the
same rate it has been since 2009. Please read that again. Fifteen years without
an increase.
11. Terrible Role Model: If setting a good example for your
children to follow is something good parents and grandparents should do, is it
not a sign of insanity to support a confirmed pathological liar, a person who
brags about his adulterous affairs, and one who has been convicted of 34
felonies with many more charges still pending? That question is NOT a
rhetorical one! What are they to think? And, what will you think when they follow your example?
12. Anti-Discrimination
Protections: Legislation to protect children from
discrimination based on race, gender, or sexual orientation aims to create
inclusive and supportive environments for all children. Yet those fighting for
these protections and rights find stiff opposition every step of the way.
13. After-School Programs: Funding
for after-school programs offers safe and constructive environments for
children outside of school hours, promoting academic achievement and reducing
juvenile delinquency. In addition, it is a great help to working parents,
providing their children with adult supervision. Trump attempted to eliminate the
21st Century Community Learning Centers program that provide federal grants, but by a very thin margin, it
survived. It will for sure be back on the chopping block if he is reelected.
14. Nutrition Assistance
Programs: Expanding programs like Women, Infants, and Children
(WIC) provides nutritional support to low-income pregnant women, new mothers,
and young children, promoting healthy development. Republican lawmakers have
often sought to scale these back, including SNAP benefits, by imposing work
requirements for recipients, or reducing the overall budget of the program.
15. Comprehensive Sex
Education: Most Republicans in Congress resist any policies that promote
comprehensive sex education in schools that aim to provide children and
teenagers with accurate information about sexual health, helping to reduce
rates of teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Add in free contraceptives,
and many ruined lives will be saved. Studies have found that adolescents who
receive comprehensive sex education are more likely to delay the initiation of
sexual activity compared to those who receive no sex education or
abstinence-only education.
16. Parental Leave for
Foster and Adoptive Parents: Extending paid parental
leave to foster and adoptive parents supports family bonding and stability,
crucial for the well-being of children in foster care or newly adopted. Democrats
have to fight like hell to even fund Family Planning Services that supports
family planning services and education that helps parents plan and space
pregnancies, leading to better health outcomes for both mothers and children,
with many fewer abortions.
17. Public Transportation
Funding: Increased funding for public transportation makes it
easier for families to access jobs, schools, and healthcare, improving overall
quality of life for children and their families. Most families cannot afford
Ubers or taxis and many not even cars, especially with the high insurance rates
in poorer zip codes.
18. Mental Health Services
in Schools: Increasing funding for mental health
services in schools provides children with access to counselors and
psychologists, addressing mental health issues early and supporting emotional
and psychological well-being. Even though there is a direct correlation that
the more stress and anxiety a person has, the more mental health problems occur, these
facts are almost meaningless in the far right circle of politicians.
19. Clean Water and Air
Regulations: Strengthening environmental regulations to
reduce pollution ensures cleaner air and water, which is essential for
children’s health and prevents conditions like asthma and lead poisoning. Yet,
the necessary cost and “federal overreach” to businesses through common-sense
regulations is often the tipping point.
20. Increase Funding for
Public Schools: Enhancing funding for public schools,
particularly in underfunded districts, improves educational resources,
infrastructure, and opportunities for children, leading to better educational
outcomes. Incredibly,
many Republicans advocate the elimination of the Department of Education. In fact, when Trump was president, he
appointed Betsy DeVos, who did not even believe in public schools, as
its Secretary. Much of its budget went to private schools, many operated by
churches that allow many unscientific things to be taught as fact (indoctrination),
often with substandard requirements for their teachers.
21. Student Loan
Forgiveness: Programs to forgive student loan debt or
make higher education more affordable can relieve financial burdens on
families, allowing them to invest more in their children’s futures. Many of
these loans were made to students by fraudulent schools with little or no
regulations to prevent them.
22. Workforce Development
Programs: Investing in workforce development and job training
programs helps parents secure stable, well-paying jobs, reducing economic
stress on families and improving children’s living conditions. These also
benefit many children entering the workforce, who do not attend college.
23. Foreign Aid, including
Ukraine: America is a very rich country. We have a duty to do our
fair share of assisting the less fortunate. Yet, the vast majority of Republicans
fight against doing more, while tens of millions of children suffer. Obviously,
we cannot help them all, but we sure can help a lot more. Worse yet, Trump is even
an advocate of Putin’s invasion, that has killed, maimed, and orphaned many children
in Ukraine. You will recall that their president refused Trump’s demand to
falsely accuse Biden of wrong doing during the last campaign.
24. The Dreamers: Yes,
even children who were brought into this country at an early age, many who can
only speak English, having been here for 20 years or more, find themselves at
risk by the cold-hearted Republicans. Mass deportation is a key platform of
Trump.
25. Unions provide great protection to
families: They ensure higher wages, better benefits, often
including funded retirement accounts, paid family sick leave, paid sick days, and
among other things, a safer work place and job security.
These policies, if implemented and/or expanded, could
provide a broad range of benefits for children’s health, education, and overall
well-being, supporting their development into healthy, well-adjusted adults.
The reason children from rich families statistically do so much better is that
they have almost all of the above benefits as a matter of course. All other
developed countries do better than the United States, and their positive results
are proof that they work. Yet, Trump and most Republicans do not
fight for any of the above children friendly items, except on a few isolated occasions.
Most of the time, they do not show an ounce
of compassion to living children. It is not the words they say, but their
actions by almost always voting no. THEY MAY CALL THEMSELVES PRO-LIFE, BUT THEY
CERTAINLY ARE NOT PRO-LIVING.