National CPS News Archive

Language Delays Seen in Kids in Institutions Beyond Age 2 - US News and World Report

by HealthDay

Foster care boosts language development in young children who lived in institutions, new study findings show.

Researchers looked at more than 100 children who had lived in institutions in Romania. About half of the children were placed in foster homes when they were about 22 months old, while the other half continued living in institutions. These two groups were compared to about 60 young children who lived in the same community with their biological parents.

health.usnews.com

June 17, 2011

Foster parents still not fully vetted, says watchdog

by Eilish O'Regan Health Correspondent

Many children in care are continuing to be put at risk because of failure to get garda clearance for all foster parents, a safety watchdog report warned yesterday.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) said foster parents were still not being adequately assessed, vetted and approved by the HSE. The earlier report which looked at services for 5,000 children who are fostered with family and strangers highlighted how in parts of Dublin some children were in "unsafe" placements for years although concerns were highlighted.

independent.ie

June 11, 2011

Abuse Allegations Continue Despite Lack of Clear Welfare Fraud Statistics

Claims of widespread welfare fraud are once again demonizing the poor, unemployed and disabled, despite a severe lack of evidence in the form of welfare fraud statistics, as to how much money or how many people are actually bilking the system.

During his 1976 presidential campaign, Ronald Reagan introduced what would prove to be a persisting urban legend: the Cadillac-driving welfare queen. More recently, the Los Angeles Times ran a report showing $69 million in California welfare money was being drawn out-of-state. However, it isn't illegal for a welfare recipient to use money out of state, as long as they get clearance from a case worker. Indeed, fraud was an issue with the case, as $11 million of that money was actually used at casinos in Las Vegas.

topsecretwriters.com

June 4, 2011

Drugging the Vulnerable: Atypical Antipsychotics in Children and the Elderly

by Maia Szalavitz

Pharmaceutical companies have recently paid out the largest legal settlements in U.S. history - including the largest criminal fines ever imposed on corporations - for illegally marketing antipsychotic drugs. The payouts totaled more than $5 billion.

But the worst costs of the drugs are being borne by the most vulnerable patients: children and teens in psychiatric hospitals, foster care and juvenile prisons, as well as elderly people in nursing homes. They are medicated for conditions for which the drugs haven't been proven safe or effective - in some cases, with death as a known possible outcome.

healthland.time.com

May 26, 2011

Foster carer shortages versus extreme beliefs

Fostering children is often described as a selfless act. But while foster carers typically place the interests of children in their care above their own, this doesn't mean they similarly sideline their beliefs and practices.

Foster carers' beliefs and lifestyles, such as a very strict religion or vegetarianism, can cause social workers to question their suitability to look after specific children. But with the UK-wide shortage of foster carers estimated at 10,000, and a 7% increase in the number of children in foster placements in England over the past year, fostering providers and social workers are also having to guard against being too quick to discount carers who do not conform to their ideal of a foster family.

communitycare.co.uk

May 20, 2011

Review & Outlook: The Coming Postal Bailout

One thing we'll say about federal bailouts-if you pay attention, you can usually see them coming a mile away. It was true of Fannie Mae and General Motors, and it's increasingly clear that the next candidate will be the U.S. Postal Service.

This giveaway would be especially infuriating because postal workers already enjoy a 30% to 40% edge in pay and benefits over comparably skilled private workers, according to the Postal Service's own economic analysis. Bureau of Labor Statistics data indicate the average hourly compensation for postal union members is $41 versus $28 for private industry. Postal workers also contribute far less than private workers and even less than other federal workers to cover health-care costs.

online.wsj.com

May 17, 2011

Obama Admits Sneak Attack on Gun Owners - Media Could Care Less

by Jeff Knox

Manassas, VA -- "I just want you to know that we are working on it," Barack Obama told Sarah Brady regarding gun control. "We have to go through a few processes, but under the radar," Obama said according to Brady.

This interesting bit of news was reported in an April 11 Washington Post Lifestyle section story about Obama's gun control and regulatory policy wonk Steve Croley. Toward the end of the article the writer, Jason Horowitz, mentioned a March 30 meeting between Jim and Sarah Brady and White House Press Secretary Jay Carney during which the President "dropped in." He then quotes Sarah Brady relating how President Obama gave his personal assurance that he and his administration were working hard on a gun control agenda. Brady reported that Obama then told them about advancing the agenda "under the radar."

What is truly startling about this story is the way it has been totally ignored by the rest of the media.

ammoland.com

April 30, 2011

Mexico to file lawsuit against U.S. gun industry

by Jim Kouri

In what's being characterized as Mexico's latest attempt to squeeze the United States for more cash, the officials of that corrupt and impoverished country have hired a United States law firm in order to sue the U.S. gun industry.

With the Mexican officials admitting that 35,000 people have been killed in Mexico since Calderon became President of Mexico in 2006 at which time he declared all-out war on the drug cartels and their associates, observers believe these officials are seeking to put the blame for the death and violence on their northern neighbor.

"Calderon blames the U.S. for his crime, his poverty, his corruption and President Obama stands there as if giving his silent consent. Billions of American dollars pour into Mexico and these corrupt politicians still bellyache," said former New York narcotics enforcement officer Tom Carbonara.

examiner.com

April 26, 2011

FBI's eGuardian System

by Steve Mallard

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has created a computer system that allows suspected terrorist to be put in a computer program that allows a dot-collecting and dot-connecting.

This program will be available at every level of government across the United States. The system works by reporting suspicious activities and can be submitted to the Joint Terrorism Task Forces if necessary. The information is entered and prioritized. The system will be available to Law Enforcement at www.leo.gov (Law Enforcement Online). This gives access to more than 18,000 agencies.

brighthub.com

April 19, 2011

Abducted homeschooler's case finally advances

by Bob Unruh

It's been months since family advocates pleaded with the European Court of Human Rights to look into the case of a Swedish child taken by police and isolated with government-sponsored foster parents because he was being homeschooled.

The case developed in mid-2009 when social services and police forcibly took custody of Domenic, then 7, because they worried he was homeschooled. The local courts later denied the parents the legal representation they sought, demanding instead they be represented by a government-approved attorney. The courts ultimately ruled the state must keep custody of Domenic.

wnd.com

April 17, 2011

Court permits Swedish couple to adopt girl

Today, they credit child protective services with intervening in the abuse, which occurred while the girls were staying with relatives in Washtenaw County, and counseling them to deal with their ordeal. Neighbors were suspected of the abuse.

Today, they credit child protective services with intervening in the abuse, which occurred while the girls were staying with relatives in Washtenaw County, and counseling them to deal with their ordeal. Neighbors were suspected of the abuse.

hindustantimes.com

April 12, 2011

John Thune: Fighting for 'America's Future'

by David Brody

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, one of Washington's brightest stars, recently decided against running for president he says in order to make a greater impact in the U.S. Senate.

"There is a battle to be waged over what kind of country we are going to leave our children and grandchildren and that battle is happening now in Washington, not two years from now," Thune has what a lot of people want in a presidential candidate. But his sights aren't on the White House - at least for now.

cbn.com

April 11, 2011

Medicare Lawsuit Update

A federal District Court judge [Rosemary Collyer] has dismissed a two-and-a-half year lawsuit charging the SSA and HHS with adopting policies that deny otherwise eligible retirees their rightful Social Security benefits.

The lawsuit, known as Hall v. Sebelius, was originally filed October 9, 2008. In their complaints, the plaintiffs alleged that 1993 and 2002 rules added by the Social Security Administration to its "Program Operations Manual" are illegal. Those rules state, in effect, that any retiree who elects to opt out of Medicare Part A will automatically lose his or her Social Security retirement benefits and will be forced to repay any Social Security benefits received prior to opting out of Medicare Part A.

thefundforpersonalliberty.org

April 8, 2011