Conservatives Promote American Version of Infant Abandonment System

[Fuzzy Bear]

Every community in the country should have this. It’s sad but a parent realizing they can’t raise a child is better then them abusing and resenting them

Or killing them or leaving them in dumpsters to die.

These things happened.  Preventing them was the goal of these drop-off stations.

[Fuzzy Bear]

There is nothing to stop whoever operates these drop boxes from refusing to report an abandoned baby to social services unlike hospitals and fires stations would do. This is an open door for traffickers to get ahold of babies to sell and there are plenty of wealthy people with no scruples who will purchase babies. Not to mention no one knows what kind of people are behind these drop boxes to begin with.

The whole purpose of these programs is to allow a mother to abandon a baby consequence-free, as opposed to putting it in a dumpster.

Even if I accept the premise of your last two (2) sentences, is this not better than kids being left in dumpsters?

In Florida, babies 3 days old or younger can be left at Fire Stations. 

This measure is better than not having this measure.

[Fuzzy Bear]

There is nothing to stop whoever operates these drop boxes from refusing to report an abandoned baby to social services unlike hospitals and fires stations would do. This is an open door for traffickers to get ahold of babies to sell and there are plenty of wealthy people with no scruples who will purchase babies. Not to mention no one knows what kind of people are behind these drop boxes to begin with.

The whole purpose of these programs is to allow a mother to abandon a baby consequence-free, as opposed to putting it in a dumpster.

Even if I accept the premise of your last two (2) sentences, is this not better than kids being left in dumpsters?

In Florida, babies 3 days old or younger can be left at Fire Stations. 

This measure is better than not having this measure.

In Texas, there have been a scandalous number of deaths of children in our underfunded state foster care system which Republicans refuse to fund adequately.

Are you willing to pay more tax to ensure an adequate number of facilities and caregivers for children who are wards of the state? Are you willing to foster or adopt unwanted children?

Of course you're not. You just want to force women to give birth to them. Once that's been accomplished, you could care less about what happens for the rest of their lives.

My 17 year old son is my adopted step-grandson, adopted through the Foster Care system.  He was adopted at age 5, when my wife and I were in our 50s.  We had cared for him since he was 1 1/2 and he was living with us full-time since he was 2 1/2.  

The last time I spoke at a public political event was a candidates forum in 2003.  My question was why none of the candidates were even addressing the issue of the shameful condition of Florida's Foster Care system, and that no candidates were even making it a priority.  And, yes, I have indeed advocated for greater funding and still do, as the need in this area continues to rise.

You taking a swipe at me having the facts at your disposal but not doing your research is par for the course.  That's pretty low, but it's par for the course from you.

[Fuzzy Bear]

There is nothing to stop whoever operates these drop boxes from refusing to report an abandoned baby to social services unlike hospitals and fires stations would do. This is an open door for traffickers to get ahold of babies to sell and there are plenty of wealthy people with no scruples who will purchase babies. Not to mention no one knows what kind of people are behind these drop boxes to begin with.

The whole purpose of these programs is to allow a mother to abandon a baby consequence-free, as opposed to putting it in a dumpster.

Even if I accept the premise of your last two (2) sentences, is this not better than kids being left in dumpsters?

In Florida, babies 3 days old or younger can be left at Fire Stations. 

This measure is better than not having this measure.

In Texas, there have been a scandalous number of deaths of children in our underfunded state foster care system which Republicans refuse to fund adequately.

Are you willing to pay more tax to ensure an adequate number of facilities and caregivers for children who are wards of the state? Are you willing to foster or adopt unwanted children?

Of course you're not. You just want to force women to give birth to them. Once that's been accomplished, you could care less about what happens for the rest of their lives.

My 17 year old son is my adopted step-grandson, adopted through the Foster Care system.  He was adopted at age 5, when my wife and I were in our 50s.  We had cared for him since he was 1 1/2 and he was living with us full-time since he was 2 1/2.  

The last time I spoke at a public political event was a candidates forum in 2003.  My question was why none of the candidates were even addressing the issue of the shameful condition of Florida's Foster Care system, and that no candidates were even making it a priority.  And, yes, I have indeed advocated for greater funding and still do, as the need in this area continues to rise.

You taking a swipe at me having the facts at your disposal but not doing your research is par for the course.  That's pretty low, but it's par for the course from you.

And while we're at it, what of any of this do YOU do?

Posting on Atlas is cheap.  What have YOU done for any of this that has cost you in any kind of commitment?

[Fuzzy Bear]

Interesting as it is for one of Fuzzy's red-avatar interlocutors to derail the thread rather than Fuzzy himself, I'm not convinced we as a forum will benefit from having this particular argument yet again.

I note that his personal attack on me and my wife is allowed to stand.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Interesting as it is for one of Fuzzy's red-avatar interlocutors to derail the thread rather than Fuzzy himself, I'm not convinced we as a forum will benefit from having this particular argument yet again.

I note that his personal attack on me and my wife is allowed to stand.

Get over yourself, Some of us can't be around 24/7 to cater to you.

I'd have just reported it if it were me.  The personal attack extended to my wife and family and that is not OK any day of the week.  Quite frankly, if someone attacked YOUR family in such a manner, you'd be seeking a mute at a minimum.  (And rightfully so; attacking families of posters who are private citizens and who are not members of this Forum is beyond the normal range of personal attacks here.)

[Fuzzy Bear]

Interesting as it is for one of Fuzzy's red-avatar interlocutors to derail the thread rather than Fuzzy himself, I'm not convinced we as a forum will benefit from having this particular argument yet again.

I note that his personal attack on me and my wife is allowed to stand.

Get over yourself, Some of us can't be around 24/7 to cater to you.

I'd have just reported it if it were me.  The personal attack extended to my wife and family and that is not OK any day of the week.  Quite frankly, if someone attacked YOUR family in such a manner, you'd be seeking a mute at a minimum.  (And rightfully so; attacking families of posters who are private citizens and who are not members of this Forum is beyond the normal range of personal attacks here.)

One can tell a lot about a person by how they treat service workers. While not a traditional service worker role…I do think unpaid moderators with lives of their own as well do qualify.

The test of this is when you go to a restaurant.  What kind of a tipper are you?

[Fuzzy Bear]

Interesting as it is for one of Fuzzy's red-avatar interlocutors to derail the thread rather than Fuzzy himself, I'm not convinced we as a forum will benefit from having this particular argument yet again.

I note that his personal attack on me and my wife is allowed to stand.

Get over yourself, Some of us can't be around 24/7 to cater to you.

I'd have just reported it if it were me.  The personal attack extended to my wife and family and that is not OK any day of the week.  Quite frankly, if someone attacked YOUR family in such a manner, you'd be seeking a mute at a minimum.  (And rightfully so; attacking families of posters who are private citizens and who are not members of this Forum is beyond the normal range of personal attacks here.)

One can tell a lot about a person by how they treat service workers. While not a traditional service worker role…I do think unpaid moderators with lives of their own as well do qualify.

The test of this is when you go to a restaurant.  What kind of a tipper are you?

Tipping is the bare minimum. How you treat those doing a service for you is just as telling.

I come from a family full of restaurant employees.  I had a part time job for extra money working at a Carrabbas a few years ago, so I don't need your lectures.  It's pretty condescending, even for you.

This is a discussion forum.  Moderators aren't service employees and there's an expectation that they'll be fair and impartial, regardless of ideological leanings.  

[Fuzzy Bear]

Interesting as it is for one of Fuzzy's red-avatar interlocutors to derail the thread rather than Fuzzy himself, I'm not convinced we as a forum will benefit from having this particular argument yet again.

I note that his personal attack on me and my wife is allowed to stand.

Get over yourself, Some of us can't be around 24/7 to cater to you.

I'd have just reported it if it were me.  The personal attack extended to my wife and family and that is not OK any day of the week.  Quite frankly, if someone attacked YOUR family in such a manner, you'd be seeking a mute at a minimum.  (And rightfully so; attacking families of posters who are private citizens and who are not members of this Forum is beyond the normal range of personal attacks here.)

You insist that Democrats are evil libertines and icky LGBTQs who are destroying traditional American family values.

In that context, I'd say it's a perfectly legitimate point.

Why are you taking care of your step-grandchild? Why does (s)he not live with their mother and father (i.e. your or your wife's child)? That is what traditional families do. Why aren't you practicing what you preach?

I've shared that story years ago:

Until anyone has a good, thoughtful, legitimate ing reason to be against justice for people of colour, fairness for women, acceptance of queerfolk, and kindness to people with different religious beliefs, this whole damn thing is a sick joke. Truly.

I mean, "anti-progressive?" WTF is that? You feel insecure that you're asked to have an iota of consideration for people who are different? You're uncomfortable accepting that some people are born into circumstances that force them to confront bigger barriers than you, just because you're afraid of the possibility that maybe you didn't "earn" everything you have with "hard work" alone?

JFC

Condescending individuals like you, young, inexperienced, and having paid no dues to life, don't get it.  What has been discounted, disrespected, and disregarded is WORK and WORKING Americans.  Folks like you, who haven't worked much, haven't sacrificed for others (I mean REAL sacrifice, not just an afternoon as a counter-demonstrator.), and haven't pulled their weight.

I'll tell you what my morning was like.  After working 40 hours on my regular job that requires a college degree, on which I haven't gotten much in the way of raises over the last decade (except for when I was promoted), I took my 61 year old butt to a local restaurant, where I have a part time job cleaning the place up, and getting it ready for opening, cleaning floors and bathrooms.  As an extra duty, I cleaned nasty, greasy garbage cans and pipes on a hard tile floor despite some aches and pains that are, likely, undiagnosed osteoarthritis.  I do this so my 12 year old son can have some extras (namely,, particiation in speed roller skating).  

I'm not asking for sympathy, and I'll own my mistakes and choices, but if you want to talk about confronting bigger barriers, how about my 12 year old son, who is my adopted step-grandson.  My wife and I adopted him due to the out-of-control substance abuse of my oldest son and his birth mother.  He's been diagnosed with ADHD, and I'm not going to vouch for the pre-natal care he received,  I'm not asking for folks to applaud my wife and myself, but I want you to consider how much difficulty he's had at school, and how much ignorance I've put up with by folks from all sorts of sources who seem to believe that if I only spanked him more, he'd learn and pay attention.  

Now I realize that other folks have endured prejudices and barriers, but I also realize that the rate at which Americans commit crimes is not uniform across all demographics.  Yes the wrongs of discrimination need to end, but the disadvantages of many who claim "discrimination" are, in fact, the disadvantages that come from poor life choices, including the decision to commit crimes.  I'm not for discrimination (especially discrimination in employment) and while I don't sign off on sexual sin, I'm not for Scarlet Letters or Government Jackboots kicking down doors for activities between consenting adults.  But you'll forgive me if I express the concept that the FIRST consideration of any government ought to be the concerns of the folks who do the work of society and pay the taxes.  

"You at home listening tonight, you are the people who pay the taxes and obey the laws. You are the people who make our system work. You are the people who make America what it is. It is from your ranks that I come and on your side that I stand."  President Gerald Ford, accepting the Republican nomination for President, 1976

The Obama years were not some sort of American Nightmare.  I voted for Obama in 2012 and I generally thought he was OK as President.  But the Obama years were years where those who didn't pay taxes, broke laws, and did little to contribute to the work of society had their grievances given top priority.  Rioters were referred to as demonstrators, illegal immigrants were presented at a political convention as "countrymen" and folks who actively resisted lawful arrests were made martyrs, while folks who cheered this on viewed coal miners as the real enemy, for their "attack" on "the environment" and cheered the loss of mining jobs.  And, yes, the media and many institutions overrun by liberal bias have more sympathy for select groups of "victims" than for folks who have followed the rules and find themselves out of jobs.  There was an "Enough is enough!" consensus on the issue of penalizing folks who took responsibility for their own lives and followed the rules and laws of society.

Decades of working, of supporting a family, of taking responsibility for both my life and the lives of my wife and children (especially minor children) has given me a worldview that only doing that can bring.  When you're adult enough to take on such responsibilities, and demonstrate enough grit to persevere in fulfilling them when the going gets tough, you'll have something with depth and weight to say.  Right now, you're merely pompous and inexperienced, and probably not up to what millions of folks do every day.  In my youth, I was a snotty know-it-all like you are now.  I now understand why folks blew me off.  Perhaps the maturing process will afford you the same experience.

And, perhaps, this is silly of me.  But your signature of Hillary and her mother (I think that's her.) laughing on a park bench.  It's easy for me to visualize her either laughing at the plight of ordinary, hardworking, culturally conservative law-abiding Americans when she's not lecturing them as Deplorable.  People like me OUGHT to be voting Democratic.  It's the attitudes of Democrats toward people such as myself that make it tough.  Trump, with all his imperfections, is willing to give at least lip service to honoring those who work and play by rules, as opposed to those who don't.  Yes, I get it' they're not actually doing that in the photo, but the imagery is easy to conjure up, and Hillary brought that on herself.

This wasn't the first time, but it is the earliest I can think of.

If you had any shame you'd leave the Forum and never come back, but you won't.  You're not decent enough to apologize.  Indeed, you're not decent at all.  The mods can infract me if they wish and I won't complain.  But you rephrased a deleted personal attack on me AND on my family.  That speaks volumes about you.  Perhaps, for once, some of the people here will give you the grief people give me.