Simple Sarah Palin was just on television giving a "policy" speech which was nothing more than a calculated attempt to exploit special needs families. The Low Blow Express marches on.
Simple Sarah Palin is on the television babbling in her normal incoherent way this time on Special Education. Oh, spare me. Giving a speech on how much we should all love and cherish special needs kids is like saying we should condemn all who kick puppies or pull kitten's tails. Who would disagree? But she offered nothing new. Rather, all we heard were tired platitudes on how parents need more school choices, how the McCain tax policy will help families take better care of their special needs kids and how there needs to be more private and public partnerships and better networking. Wow, really Simple Sarah? She mentioned the "good heart" of the American people, how special needs kids need to thrive and how every child should be loved and cherished. The crowd responded with enthusiastic applause. It is like she came out in favor of gravity. The government is supposed to help those on the path to getting services for special needs children not be a hindrance she tried to say.
Hey, Sarah would that be the same government with Republicans mostly in charge over the last 30 years that have fought smaller class sizes, mocked increased overall funding for schools, and demonized public school teachers? Would that be the same government who will not fully fund special education but mandate more requirements for local districts with no way to pay for them? Would that include John McCain who got a F grade on educational issues by the National Education Association in 2007?
Don't you lecture me, you fool, on Special Education kids. I have been one of those miserable public school teachers that you and your party mock as ineffective and imply as being lazy. I have been on the front lines dealing with these issues since the early 1970's. I have watched as our school system has gone from hiding all the special education kids in a room in the basement by the furnace to mainstreaming them into regular classrooms for at least part of the day to make them feel a part of the school community. I have watched as our public system has evolved into a more caring place for special needs kids where they are no longer mocked, teased or ridiculed like they were in the past. I have taught eighteen Down Syndrome kids, five blind kids, many wheelchair bound kids, and cerebral palsy kids. I have listened to the parents concerns about not only educational needs but medical needs as nearly all of these kids have severe medical problems and are in the hospital or doctor's offices frequently.
I have seen Special Education kids with mental illness and emotional problems and tried to help them maintain at school. Behavior problems, mental illness, emotional problems, ADHD, aren't as heart wrenching as kids in wheelchairs or retarded children but are the biggest part of Special Education. John McCain's record on these issues is terrible. He has been in the pocket of the insurance companies since 1996 and fought EVERY effort by mental health advocates to getting mental health parity passed. He is way worse than Bush on this issue who actually ended up supporting mental health parity and created a gold starred commission in 2002 dealing with the issue.
The NAMI organization (National Alliance on Mental Illness)on January 28th 2000 released a statement entitled" What Does Every Presidential Candidate Except John McCain Know About Mental Illness? Perhaps It’s That Treatment Works-If You Can Get It." " Mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bi-polar(manic depression) are severe biological brain disorders, then NAMI executive director Laurie Flynn noted in the release. In essence, that means they are physical illnesses. They are not merely mental health problems from living daily life. I wonder whether Senator McCain has read the Surgeon General’s report and is aware of the distinction and whether he has looked closely at the pattern of recent state legislation. The fundamental is unfair discrimination and the debate today is less about cost than scope of coverage."
This component of mental illness and behavioral and emotional problems is a huge part of Special Education and McCain has been one of the most active in denying mental health parity and thus help to families dealing with these issues.
The Republican party has consistently proposed negative solutions to solving the schools problems like the voucher system that has been fought about since the early 1800's in education and would have an extreme negative impact on Special Education. Palin repeated these today. These Republicans who believe in vouchers and private schools never deal with Special Education. In fact, they propose that private schools not be required to provide Special Education services. In essence, if the Republicans had their way in education two tiers would evolve. The private schools would pull off the top students and be released from providing for special needs kids. That would leave the public schools with the less capable and with all the special needs kids. Having Republicans lecture us on Special Education is like having Mike Tyson give us all a seminar on social etiquette and the use of clean language.
This "policy" speech was simply a tactic. It appears that these people are going to exploit the fact that Palin chose to have a Down kid and that somehow makes it okay to advertise how Barack's policies will make it harder for families with special needs kids. They provide no evidence and just make the claim that they are in favor of special needs kids, and I guess apple pie. The implication is that Barack is against Special Education. A University of Idaho Journalism graduate attacking a Harvard Law school graduate on education is just ridiculous. I didn't think McCain could get any lower after his attack on Barack for supposedly supporting teaching the Kama Sutra sexual positions to kindergarten kids when in reality he was simply in support of teaching about Good and Bad Touches a proven program authored by a sexual abuse survivor designed to protect kids. If that wasn't low enough then add this exploitation of special needs kids in and Bingo! we have a winner in the Low Blow Express game. Hey Palin, you need some education on Down Syndrome kids. Let me help you.
First, is it irresponsible to have a child at age 44? The answer is maybe. This is not a moral judgment but one simply based on stats. At age 30 the chances of having a Down Syndrome baby is 1-900; by age 35 ,1-350; by age 40 the odds become more likely and are reduced to 1-100. Hence, having a child at 44 take the odds from extreme to 9X more likely. Irresponsible may not be the proper word on second thought, perhaps risky is a better term. Now, is terminating the baby proper? Wow, I can't really answer that. What kind of life will one be condoning? It is unsettling on many levels.
I was trained as a Special Ed teacher so I know Down kids. I have worked with and loved 18 of these extraordinary kids in my life. In many ways they have inherent traits that most of us only dream of obtaining. For instance, they are so caring, loving, forgiving, appreciative of little things, and non-judgmental. One of the highlights of my life involved a Down boy who at a Special Olympics event swished a deep three-pointer and the gym full of spectators went absolutely crazy. It makes me tear up right now remembering it. Down Syndrome kids have been a colorful part of my tapestry of life. However, there is another side of their existence that is not seen.
These kids suffer. Half will end up with heart defects, or pulmonary hypertension, a serious lung condition. Many will develop serious hearing or vision problems especially while young which can lead to language delays which leads to communication problems which then leads to social isolation. Adult Down kids live lonely, limited lives and even though most have limited intelligence capabilities, they do become aware of their own limitations. They see others getting their own homes and apartments, having children, or driving cars. They are teased or shunned by others. True, some do live independently but the norm is that they stay dependent on their parents for their entire life. They spend a lot of time in the doctor's office or hospital.
I am very critical of you and your husband,Sarah, for taking Trig around on airplanes. This in itself is abusive. Why? Half of these kids have a lot of hearing and inner ear problems, especially while young. You are flying this baby around on airplanes which is tough on regular ears. You are putting this baby's hearing at risk. If this little baby loses some hearing this early, then he won't be able to hear words and his language development will be delayed. This will make it hard for him to work or play with other children and ultimately lower his IQ which will already be in the 60-80 range anyway. The early years are especially important for these kid especially 0-3 years of age. Much can be done with early intervention, playing with water tables, working on language, teaching social skills, getting out into the community for experiences etc. Where does this poor kid spend his days? He should already be involved in an early training program headed by a professional. The earlier the training, the more dramatic the gains. This kid should be home not on display to get sympathy votes. Nobody, not even you, Sarah Palin has the right to exploit this little person. It is debatable to call you irresponsible for having the baby at an advanced age but there is no debate that traveling around with this Down baby is.
Barack Obama supports early childhood education and the McCain/Palin ticket doesn't. Early intervention is especially important for special needs kids. Barack's health care plan would help families with special needs kids. McCain/Palin's health care proposal is a laugh and would deny special needs families health care and add stress to their daily lives. We all love special needs children Palin, you can't corner the market on this concern. However, all of us bleeding heart liberals actually do something rather than just talk. Buy a one-way Greyhound ticket back to Alaska and spare us your sick exploitation of your son and special needs families.