Just saw this on the news last night. Apparently in the Healthcare bill there is a provision for Home Visitation Programs for expectant families or families with young children. As part of the definitions included: "The State shall identify and prioritize serving communities that are in high need of such services, especially communities with a high proportion of low-income families or a high incidence of child maltreatment" I can see where the good intentions come from, but I have to wonder what happens after "child maltreatment" has been identified. Glenn Beck was talking about how obesity might easily be catagorized under maltreatment. I have to wonder about how homeschooling might fit into this.
I hadn't even thought about the homeschool issue. I find it interesting that its a 1000 pages long and nobody wants to read it. Have you seen anything thing on tv or online that simplifies the detail of this 1000 page document? I heard they will ration care. I wonder if that rationed care will be the burden of the middle class who get hit the hardest in taxes. Redistribute our so-called wealth and then reditribute our health care to whom they feel is more deserving. I worry about the govt. getting involved in health care and think perhaps it is going to cost me more than what I am already paying for health ins. and end up with less. Just rambling thoughts.....................Havent drawn any conclusions, just concerns.
And these home visitations are REQUIRED? What if you respectfully tell them that you do NOT want a visit? Do they have the authority to come in anyway (without any kind of search warrant)? So poor people will be targeted, rather than those in suburbia, because the poor neighborhoods would more likely be "high incidence". Sounds like a racist program to me!
It states that it is "voluntary" but I'm in the "you give a governmental mouse a cookie and he's going to whack you over the head and snitch your milk" camp myself. And how well, exactly, will it work to target those in the inner city? I can just see that coming back as "racial profiling", since the majority of inner city residents are minorities. To balance it, they are going to have to pursue people outside of the inner city, and homeschoolers seem like the most likely target. After all, we're the morons who think we actually know how to raise our children. The govt already doesn't like us and wants to change our thinking.
There is a really great book called "Government Nannies" that outlines a lot of these issues - and it was written in the mid 90s! there is a lot in there that elaborates on what the gov't will try to do with a bill like this. As for the miserable healthcare - look to Canada. Even if you are willing to pay for it, you can't get it if the gov't doesn't deem it necessary. Canadians are sneaking in the US to pay US prices on major surgery, because they are NOT ALLOWED to get it in Canada. Where will we all go if this bill passes - Mexico? They will have a HUGE economic boom, I'm sure!
I don't think thats racist. There are poor white people too. Every place has their share of poor people.
I believe it is just another way for the gov. to come in a try to take complete control over our families. Candna and England have gov. health care and look how it does not work for them!
I see no good intentions in that program. I see only the lessening of rights all around. It starts out with those who cannot fight for themselves but will quickly move right on up to us. NO WAY. I am NOT for anything that allows the state to come into any home and dictate parenting...even for health...even for the prevention of child abuse...whatever guise they try to use I do not fall for it. yes, I am anti-state to the max. In another time and place, I would gladly sit on my porch with a shotgun and tell any member of the gvt to get off my property. LOL..okay..I am joking about that.
Hey! Speaking of Government "intervention", check this out that a friend sent me.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQx33Xo5QiI
They can by declaring you a terrorist. Under the DHS lexicon they define you as one using diverse criteria. Once they do they can pretty much do to you as they please.
Ava, I can see good intentions because there really are people who just don't know how to take care of their kids. The hospital I delivered my fourth baby in is in a very poor city, and when I went to the pediatrician, the doc asked me if I was breast or bottle feeding. I told him I was breastfeeding, and he prescribed extra vitamins for the baby that she would need if I breastfed. I was *extremely angry* for about a month, and then I realized that most of the people he dealt with probably did *not* have the best diet. Statistically, the poor have less health diets - I've heard of moms who thought ice cream was healthy because it was in the dairy group, or who thought fruit rolls ups were a serving of fruit - and are less educated, and so may actually not know about changing diapers or dealing with diaper rash. When I was pregnant, I picked up "What to Expect When You're Expecting" but you can't do that if you can't read. You can't ask your dad how to be a dad if you didn't have a dad growing up. I can see the "educational" argument. I can see good intentions by some. But I think the control exhibited is more applicable to most politicians, and far more frightening. I'm glad you liked my cookie reference!
I'm not in favor of this healthcare bill, but wanted to share my experience with a 'home visitation" program. In Hawaii, where I had DS and DD, the Navy would send a Home Health Nurse to your house instead of you dragging the new baby back to the hospital for the 2-week well baby check. When I first heard of this, I thought it was a sneaky way to check out the house for safety and whatever, but then with a c-section for first baby, I was in total favor of it. She came, checked the baby, and left, no big deal, no interrogation, and I promise, I do not, and definitely did not 2 weeks after a c/s have a clean house. it's not disgusting, but, it's not a showroom either. So, anyway, home visitation is probably intended to be nice and helpful like that out there in Hawaii, but I definitely see the sketchy side of anything Obama tries. So, I"m with you on the paranoia!!
My home visitation nurse asked me all kinds of intrusive questions. First, Phillip was sent home before his PKU or something (don't remember what!), and they were going to send the nurse for THAT reason. But when she got here, she was asking about things like where we kept poisons, how much food was stored up in the house (LOTS, since it was the end of 1999, and we were stocked up because of Y2K!), did I have neighbors who could help, transportation, etc. Things that had NOTHING to do with her stated reason for coming.
