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Waging War for Our Children
Op-Ed By Shay Bilchik
11/26/01
"War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing." So goes the popular
antiwar song from the early-1970s. But that is not the mood of the
country today. We are now at war on multiple fronts and winning it is
essential to our future. It is, however, a different type of war than we
have fought before, in both the front lines of battle and in the tools
being used. And one of those fronts, not getting the attention it
deserves, is a war we need to fight on behalf of our children and in
defense of their future.
We are waging war oversees against terrorist networks in Afghanistan,
with our military efforts being conducted largely from the air using
Precision Guided Munitions (PGM) that allow the military to hit discrete
targets while minimizing injury to our soldiers -- perhaps setting the
stage for a more intensive ground war. Within our borders, we are waging
war against both a bio-terrorism threat that grows more frightening by
the day and a slowing economy that threatens the health of businesses
and communities nationwide.
The current demands on federal funding are immense, and as the Bush
administration and Congress work to provide support for defense,
antiterrorism measures, disaster relief, and economic stimulus, they are
attempting to be precision guided in their actions and understandably
focused on immediate targets. But unlike the military's PGMs, their
intense focus in this case has the potential to cause significant damage
in the areas they leave untouched. We cannot let this happen, as the
damage about to be caused is to our children.
As we wage this multi-front war, too many leaders in Washington are
losing focus on our other domestic issues and the desperate need for a
continued federal investment in families and children. Unfortunately,
bills introduced this year that would have provided needed services,
including substance abuse treatment and youth development, are no longer
considered priorities and will not likely be considered this session.
Perhaps of most immediate importance, Congress is now considering
funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program, a vital
source of federal funds that helps states provide supports for families
in crisis. These funds help to better protect abused and neglected
children by creating greater safety and stability in their lives and
when needed, adoption services. President Bush requested an additional
$200 million for the program in his FY 2002 budget, recognizing it as "a
valuable safety net program, designed to strengthen families at risk and
ensure the safety and permanency of placements of vulnerable children."
This important funding increase is now at risk. I understand that we
are living in a new world - and with unexpected expenditures for defense
and disaster relief, it is understandable that funding proposed before
the events of recent months will be reconsidered. But so completely
shortchanging children and families in a time when economic downturns
have put more children in need and have compromised the ability of
nonprofit organizations to provide services, is simply shortsighted.
As the Congress weighs tax cuts and measures to stimulate the economy
and bolster ailing industries, they cannot ignore the importance of
strong, self-supporting families to our nation's economic health.
Additional funding for the Promoting the Safe and Stable Families
program and others will create new jobs within the social services
industry, while the supports they provide will lessen the future
dependence of many Americans on federal assistance. It is the economic
stimulus version of the PGM and when combined with other methods of
stimulating the economy it can work.
This smart investment is especially important now, because despite the
outpouring of support for the victims of the September 11 attack, most
charitable organizations that serve children and families are facing
serious downturns in donations and shrinking endowments due to the
economic decline. The combination of more children in need and fewer
agencies to serve them could be catastrophic.
So as we are waging wars to make our country safe, our economy strong
and to preserve both our future as a democracy and our way of life,
let's not hesitate to also serve the immediate needs of our youngest and
most vulnerable - our children. This is a just war. Few are protesting
our actions, through song or otherwise. It should be understood that we
must win it on all fronts -- our future depends on it.
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