I just shake my head at stuff like this; from the Daily Caller:
“Diaper Need Awareness Day” comes on the heels of Connecticut Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro’s introduction of the “Diaper Investment and Aid to Promote Economic Recovery Act (DIAPER) Act,” which would provide diapers and supplies to low income families via child care providers by amending Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990.
Best headline when I googled the story was from Irish Central: No Behind Left Behind (heh!)
Right – so my head scratching moment is this: how is giving diapers to family is going to promote economic recovery? Yes, I know what disposable diapers cost me as I waited for each son to become potty-trained; yet, that is part of the cost of having a child. But now, with Rep. DeLauro’s (CT-D) proposal, is this just further evidence that Progressives / Liberals believe that there is NOTHING that Government shouldn’t do for us?
“It will relieve financial pressure to those hardest hit in these tough economic times,” she added. “The need is clear: if you cannot afford an adequate supply of diapers, which can average $1,200 a year, your child is at risk for infection and you cannot send them to daycare. If you cannot send your child to daycare, you cannot work or attend school.”
Does she really think that giving out free diapers is a pillar of economic recovery? Obviously so:
According to DeLauro, it costs families about $4 a day, or $100 a month, to keep a child in diapers.
The underlying assumptions are that the Nanny State is your Nanny, that daycare is the norm rather than with their parents, and that working instead of caring for your child is also a norm. And it my duty to pay for it (like it or not).
Rather, I think the question should be: what Government SHOULDN’T be doing? At this point, given that we are $15 Trillion in the hole, shouldn’t Progressives start realizing that continuing to spend without end is going to have ALL programs stop? Or is it all programs to "progress forward" to some undefined endpoint?
But let’s bring this back to NH. As we all know, former State Senator Maggie Hassan has thrown her hat into the ring thinking that she can be the next NH Governor. It jogged my memory of a post from way back in 2007 that dealt with Maggie the Marxist and her association with "Diapers over Education" (emphasis mine):
"Despite the spending reductions, the committee found $2 million at the last minute to pay for incontinence supplies for about 1,000 poor adults. The state already pays for the supplies for children ages 2-21, but stops after that unless they are in a nursing home.
I don’t mean to be indelicate, but did someone shove a $2 million appropriation for adult diapers into the state budget? Yep:
Sen. Maggie Hassan, who has a disabled child, urged her colleagues to find the money to cover the costs and support a bill to require coverage. The state will save money over time by helping prevent skin ulcers and other costly medical issues caused by incontinence, she said.
How much you wanna bet we don’t “save money over time” on this? Curiously, the money for the adult diapers appears to have come out of spending commitments for higher education:
The Senate plan also rolled a number of agency budgets back to the lower levels recommended by the Lynch — notably the community technical colleges and university system. … That was a reduction of $2 million and $3 million respectively.
So, more on diapers and less for education? Let’s be candid – since this was done back in 2007 did the State actually save money? She spent it – can she account for the savings? Or was this just another "feel good moment" for a Progressive that can’t help herself when it comes to other peoples’ money?
Extreme? Yeah, using other peoples’ money to service your favorite identity group is extreme to hard working New Hampshireites. Did you even THINK of creating a charitable group to take this on privately first? Or was Govt your first and only thought?
The last thing we need, as we continue to dig out of the financial hole that Maggie Hassan and her fellow Democrats dug by spending money we didn’t have, is to have her as Governor and turn that spigot back on.
