With a budget higher than the National Defense budget, Tax payers footing the bill for public defenders, District Attorney salaries, judges salaries, police investigations and jury pay; the Child abuse Protection Act is not an easily affordable way to deal with the problem of child abuse in this country.
These are not the only costs involved either. Each family falsely accused of child abuse continues to run up the cost. For families who can not afford an attorney, the taxpayers foot the bill. For those families who hire their own attorney to defend them the cost can run 100,000.00 or more.
Just recently a case in point was in the news. You probably heard of the case of Peggy McMartin Buckey And her son Ray Buckey who in 1983 became the focus of emotions run wild by the public and law enforcement communities. They were charged with over 100 cases of horrible child torture and abuse. The Authorities as well as the public became so engrossed in the high emotion of the allegations that the defendants were guilty even before going to court, where they were finally acquitted. They along with thousands of other innocent people needlessly spent years in torment for lies told against them.
This case alone cost the taxpayers, that's you and me folks, 13 MILLION Dollars.
These defendants were eventually released from the horrors of our judicial system and eventually awarded 1million dollars in a suit against a parent who was co-responsible for the many years of system and public outcry induced hell. The system, other parents, the investigators and the public share responsibility in this. We stood by and did nothing while innocent people suffered and tax payers footed the bill.
This isn't the only cost of Child Abuse and Protection laws either.
Yearly each state in this country battles innocent families for more children to kidnap and place into the "system" so that grant money from the Federal Government can make it's way into the hands of the State. These children are ripped from loving families; mothers and fathers, grandparents, siblings, neighbors, schoolmates, teachers, and placed with strangers. Often these children are removed in the middle of the night, with their private homes being illegally raided much as the Gestapo did many years ago.
Children torn from their families, homes, friends, rooms and playthings are then more often abused in the foster care system than the number of children abused in homes by parents. This abuse takes the form of separation anxiety disorder, trauma similar to what veterans of war experience, along with physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
Children in foster care are from between 4 and 10 times more likely to suffer abuse than children in their own homes.
Why then are these children removed and placed in state care? The answer is one we are not very comfortable withÂ… MONEY!
The states do not receive grants from the Federal Government for children living at home with families. They do however receive lots of grant money for children placed in the State Child Protective System, foster care and state run facilities. Even more grant money is given to the states when the parental rights are terminated after 15 months in the system and the children are adopted out.
While the children are suffering by being away from families the price continues to climb. The grant money paid to the states comes from taxpayers. Often innocent parents can not afford an attorney to defend their rights to raise their children as guaranteed by the Constitution.. that dusty document no one bothers to read or abide by any longer.
These parents must depend on a court appointed attorney to try to defend themselves against ridiculous charges and senseless allegations.
Often these parents are forced into "treatment" in order to regain their children. Guess who pays for this? You got it, taxpayers, with the parents also being billed in many cases.
While the parents fight to prove that they are fit to raise their children they must do battle with a government agency which has no other agency making sure they are following the law. Child Protective Services hide the truth, tell outright lies and refuse to release information to the parents which is guaranteed by law that the parents have access to.
If these parents are not charged with a criminal offense they will be eaten alive by a greed driven system which will place them on the Central Registry for Child abuse and refuse a hearing on the grounds that the parents are not licensed by the State to care for children. It appears that the only rights offered in this country any longer to defend yourself against allegations of child abuse are provided only for those people whom the government has deemed "qualified" to care for children.
In the end, we all loose. The children loose the trust in the Government, the faith that they are safe and protected in their homes. The families loose their rights guaranteed under the law of this nation, seeing the many "firsts" that only a loving parent cherishes forever, and the taxpayers loose millions of dollars that could be spent repairing our school systems, providing decent homes and day care centers.
. Peggy McMartin Buckey recently left this world, but her life still shows that you can be decent, honest and caring and end up being accused of horrible things. You can have your friends, neighbors and the legal system turn on you, as they are so engrossed with the fear and horror of lies told against you.
All it takes is one phone call, one lie, one viscous person willing to make horrible accusations and you could be next. Your family could suffer the ultimate loss, not being together.
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