Palin Slashed Special Needs Education by 62%

[Contrary1]

Found this gem on an Alaskan blog. Irony, much?

"For those of you who seem so enamored with Gov. Sarah Palin, it might be worth noting that she oversees the budget for the Department of Education and Early Development Special Schools in Alaska.
These funds provide supplementary educational services to students with severe disabling conditions and the Alaska Challenge Youth Academy. The resident school where the child would normally be placed does not have the resources to provide an adequate educational program. Without the supplementary services the child’s needs would not be met by the local school district in most cases.

The following programs are included within this component:
Special Education Service Agency (SESA)

The Annual budget for 2007, which preceded Gov. Palin was $8,265,300.

http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/07_OMB/budget/EED/comp2735.pdf

The Annual budget for 2008, enacted by Gov. Palin is $3,156,000.

http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/08_OMB/budget/EED/comp2735.pdf

The Annual budget for 2009, enacted by Gov. Palin is $3,156,000.

http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/09_omb/budget/EED/comp2735.pdf

This is a cut in special needs services to children in Alaska of 5,109,300 , or 62%."

[liberalmuse]

1. She's definitely anti-Education.

Well, unless it's agricultural education.

[HopeHoops]

67. No, no - all children over the age of three should know how to load and fire a shotgun!

[EFerrari]

2. Well done. We can use this. n/t

[PA Democrat]

3. K & R. For everyone to see what a cold-hearted, hypocritical monster Palin is.

[wtmusic]

4. Her grandso-er, son might have been able to use some of those funds nt

[dysfunctional press]

42. except that he probably won't be in the public special needs education...

that's for the kids of the serfs.

[Bucky]

5. Ugh. No way; no how; no Palin.

[flying_wahini]

6. I'd say this was bad karma for her considering

her new baby will probably need the special services, eh?

[earth mom]

21. Yep it sounds like Karma kicked Palin in her rethug a$$!

For this alone I can't her. :grr:

[rfranklin]

64. God has punished her for her lack of empathy....

Which She should do to most Republicans.

P.S.--Don't get down on me,I am only channeling Reverend Hagee.

[Epiphany4z]

7. see now

not good....make a someone like facing a birth liker her baby..downs ..have the baby but..screw em if they want the baby educated or anything....nice.

[Divernan]

8. Reflects a callous "survival of the fittest" mentality doesn't it?

As does Palin's refusal to take the standard precautions during the pregnancy and birth of her Down's Syndrome child.

[jillan]

9. How could people like that call themselves pro-life when they don't

give a shit about taking care of people after they are born?????

What I wouldn't give is for some media person throw this in her face the next time she tries to win points for having a child with Down's Syndrome. I know --- keep dreaming....

[goclark]

10. Now that seals it for me!

:mad:

[Karenina]

13. As if what has been revealed so far

weren't ENUF AWREADY. Bitte. :rofl:

[RayOfHope]

11. I teach special ed and I am sending this to all of my sp. ed colleagues right now n/t

[RayOfHope]

12. Also, this is doubly devastating with the federal govts medicaid cuts

which pays for a portion of special ed services.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

14. Fuck those "special needs" kids.

We can't use them for cannon fodder in Iraq. They won't breed new Christian warriors. They'll never be a CEO. I mean, just what the fuck good are they for??? CUT! :sarcasm:

[Contrary1]

15. Campaign photos, evidently. n/t

[cliffordu]

16. Red Meat indeed. Disgusting..... K&R!!

[depakid]

17. I've come to the conclusion this woman is a sociopath

The pattern fits.

[eShirl]

39. these days that's a republican prerequisite for being qualified for president

[Contrary1]

18. Kick

[Third Doctor]

20. typical

I'm sure her own child will have the best of care, it's the average person's kid that will suffer.

[Divernan]

24. She didn't take standard medical/health precautions when she was pregnant

or in planning for the delivery of her Down's Syndrome child. There's no way to tell how whatever degree of Down's syndrome this child has was exacerbated and worsened by the 26 hour delay between when her water started leaking and when he was born.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

32. Getting pregnant at age 43 or 44 was the big risk factor.

Older women have a higher risk of having a Down's syndrome baby.

That said, the delay in labor sounds like it could not have helped.

Why do these doctors let women stay in labor for far longer than they need to? A C-section could have solved the failure to progress problem, if that was present.

[riverdeep]

38. This is true.

The rich don't feel the impact of their own policies to the extent that more typical households feel.

[Mnemosyne]

19. No words. knr n/t

[Ilsa]

22. She cut the ACYA completely, and decreased the amounts

going to other programs,or kept them the same, no increase for inflation, all AT A TIME WHEN THE STATE TREASURY WAS GROWING FROM OIL REVENUES.

Are we sure the ACYA isn't under another budget?

Her budget priorities are insulting and not pro-child. As the mother of a special needs child, she makes me angry and ill.

[southernleftylady]

23. How dare she! I have a special needs son who needs ...

all the help he has gotten in the school system!! He is getting great help!How dare she.. how dare she

[hfojvt]

25. numbers to contradict her statement

that mothers of special needs children would have an advocate in her.

[bettyellen]

26. wasnt she sued by a special needs parnet over this?

[NM Independent]

27. Wow!

So, as long as you have a good job and healthcare, fuck everybody else. I have that about right, right?

Cut help for teen Moms and education for special needs. Typical pug BS!

[AzDar]

28. She just touted her commitment to special needs in her fucking speech!

WTF?
Is she INSANE?

[Just-plain-Kathy]

34. I'm was thinking the same thing. She lies through her teeth. ...n/t

[orleans]

29. i saw this on kos. i'm k&ring this. and bookmarking.

everyone needs to pass this out to their friends & family

[orleans]

30. how bizarre. she cuts funding for pregnant teens and then her

teenage daughter is pregnant. she cuts education funding for special needs kids and then she has a special needs kid.

[tammywammy]

31. Recommended!

[Miss Chybil]

33. This goes with her line item veto of funding for homeless, teen mothers. nt

[deacon]

35. It's surreal. The Mccain/Palin ticket is one big dupe. A shameless disgraceful publicity stunt.

[ClayZ]

36. K and R

[PatSeg]

37. Isn't it nice to know

that "special needs" children will have an advocate in the White House?

[LeftishBrit]

40. That is just so sick and disgusting

[Sunnyshine]

41. Why am I not surprised? McPalin plans on taxing our medical costs on top of these types of cuts.

GOP hates everyone with needs- other than those who are wealthy enough to need special subsidies and tax free incomes. :mad:

[malaise]

43. Please send this to all media

Apparently they need this information

[halobeam]

44. k and r

plain disgusting.

[pleah]

45. K&R

[Blue Belle]

46. I can't wait till the media does something with this...

If they do something with this... :SIGH:

[4lbs]

47. The multiple hypocrisy of Palin abounds

First, she cut funding of a program that helped teenage mothers, and now she'll be the mother of a teenage mother herself.

Second, she cut funding of special needs education by more than half, and has a special needs child herself.

I guess her "beliefs" are that YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN if you are a teenage mother or have a special needs child, unless you happen to be a rich Republican.

That doesn't even include her approval of abstinence-only education and disdain for birth control, seeing as how these came back on her because her daughter didn't abstain from having sex until she was married.

[Roland99]

48. Weekly Standard rebuttal says she actually increased it by 175% (shifting of funds)

http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/09/newest_palin_smear_she_cut_spe.asp

[4lbs]

49. Unfortunately the Weekly Standard didn't fully analyze this..

The care of special needs CHILDREN was indeed cut 62%

Palin addressed special needs STUDENTS.

Special needs students don't always equal special needs children.

For example, the first 4 or 5 years of a child's life that was born with a disability, is when they and their families tend to need help the most. Yet Palin's plan doesn't help them in those years.

If she would have just put all that money back into helping ALL special needs children, regardless of student status, then this would be a non-issue.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

51. Seems Palin family doesn't need the cash. What are their finances like? . . . nt

[dccrossman]

50. K & R

Thanks for digging this up.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

52. Typical Republican: It's not an important need unless SHE needs it

I bet she'll be acting like the Queen of Special Education now that little Trig will be needing it.

[melissinha]

58. whats kind of sad is..

I am not trying to put blame on her for having a special needs child, but as you get older, the chances of having a child with down syndrome increases…. As a 44 year old woman it stands to reason that by conceiving a child that late she would be responsible. But yes… it is very interesting that she really slashed special needs care and now she is a parent of a special needs child.

[Bluenorthwest]

53. You see, her family is off limits

And yet all other families are not. Other families are targets.

[earth mom]

56. Sarahs family is off limits, but other families are targets. You nailed it!

:thumbsup:

[MannyGoldstein]

54. Just Like Romney, That Scum

First thing he did when he became my Governor was to eliminate funding for homes for people with severe psychological issues (schizophrenia, etc). This being Mass, the outcry was so loud that he had to restore it in a day or two.

Really, really evil people, many of these Rethugs.

[librechik]

55. and re-decorated her office twice. In 20 months. n/t

[Joe Chi Minh]

57. Anti-single mother economic support and anti-funding for special-

needs children. Truly, God is not mocked.

[Dystopian]

59. K&R...truth comes out, it's the * plan continued.

I work in the trenches...preschool teacher seeing $$$$$ pulled from programs for years, so was quite shocked to see her being an advocate for any type of service for any child. Our children are not getting the services available to them years ago, no longer able to afford teacher aides for sped children, busing has been cut....oh bull shit...they're praising her on MSNBC right now for that very issue.....
The fed government has slashed all the states, and she's a part of it....
Sped children have lost the most through the years...no quality ed for lack of funds.
I'm so pissed I'm not making sense....these children are my life.
I'm done.:mad:

peace~

[AzDar]

60. Kick (again)

:kick:

[ProgressiveEconomist]

61. CNN just asked Republican adviser Leslie Sanchez about this hypocrisy!

In the 1pm (Eastern) hour on Thursday, Soledad O'Brien interviewed Leslie Sanchez, head of a political consulting firm and former Bush WH adviser on education issues, about the hypocrisy of Palin's "friend in the WH" comments to special needs parents, in light of her 62 percent cut for Alaska special needs education funds.

Please keep digging up these kinds of facts--they MAY make it into the MSM

[liberalaska]

62. I work in the DD field in Alaska...

I work with people with Developmental Disablilities in Alaska, and have for the past 5 years. Since I started working the amount of money coming in from the State and Feds has continued to shrink. Palin hasn't done anything about it (but Palin really hasn't done anything about anything since taking office), and hasn't proposed anything be done about it since Trig was born. It shouldn't take having a kid with Down's Syndrome to fully fund these programs though, especially when she has a 13 year old nephew with special needs.

[K8-EEE]

63. Here in CA it's always the GOP that don't want to invest A DIME in special ed

They're all for waiving "luxury taxes" for yachts and that kind of thing....they don't mind if that costs money, disabled people, they could give a shit about them.

[nam78_two]

65. This..person..is insufferable

She makes McCain look good :puke:...
McCain has finally found the one person who actually makes him look less toxic by comparison.

[faulknercindy]

66. This story needs to be pushed as hard as possible....

People we are looking for a way to uncover her sleaziness this is it. Lots of people will not like this. I am telling you. As a teacher (where I am not telling) there are folks out there that do not like it one bit when special needs kids are messed with.

[wizstars]

68. Doesn't "Palin" kinda rhyme with "Stalin"? n/t

[happygoluckytoyou]

69. ALREADY SENT TO SON WITH "autism grandson"..... PASS THIS TO THE COMMUNITIES....THEY WILL SPREAD IT!

the communities NEED THIS QUICKLY.... they chat all the time.... stuff like this will get around faster than the bush twins at a beer bust

[Alexander]

70. Special needs? Ironic considering she has a child with DOWN'S SYNDROME

How do these people live with themselves?

:puke: