(Note: Child in this article is a term meaning to range from kids to adults)
In 2007 state legislators voted to slice millions of dollars from FARC’s (Florida Association for Retarded Citizens) budget. The money that was given to FARC was distributed to families that had children with disabilities. The legislators devised a plan to divide the 31,000 people that are registered in FARC’s homes and community care programs into 4 groups (or tiers) and cap the amount of money that is given to them. The group that they are placed into is depending on the level of need they have and their previous payment records. As it stands right now the tiers are as follow. Tier 1: with no benefit limit has 3,261 people; tier 2: with a cap of $55,000 limit has 4,643 people; tier 3: with a cap of $35,000 has 7,053 people; and finally tier 4: with a cap of $35,000 has 14,460 people.
Before legislators decided to place them into groups, payments to families were based on what each mentally disabled child needed, as determined by medical assessments; there was no cap on the amount that was given to the families, it was all dependent on the child’s needs. Under the new system, only those with serious disabilities will continue to receive unlimited benefits. The others will be limited to between $15,000 and $55,000 per year. It depends on which group the child is put in.
One example of this is that according to the Tampa Tribune’s article on October 2, 2008, a family was receiving $60,000 a year to pay for services, medical, and other necessities that their daughter needed. However due to the new system, the amount of financial help that they were receiving is being cut in half.
Many parents can no longer support their child with disabilities. The article states that if a parent feels that they can no longer take care of their child then they can ask the state to put them in a group home. But when the state does that the taxpayers ultimately pay more. At home they were learning to live on their own through a program called “One step closer to Independence.” Through this program they were learning to do things on their own. Examples would be cooking, cleaning, and other necessities. One of the other programs that they can do is a day program through PARC (Pinellas association for retarded people) which shows people with mental disabilities how to work. They do jobs like putting together small boxes for medical companies. As a result of this program less money is needed to take care of them in the long run because they learn how to work and thrive on their own. This program is a tremendous success, however when they are placed in these group homes, the program is terminated for them and they become reliant on the people around them.
What are your thought on cutting funds from the Florida Association for Retarded Citizens budget?
129 comments:
Cutting funds from FARC budget would literally destroy the lives of who depends on this fund to give them the sense of belonging to society. Just because a child is retarded does not mean they can never be a part of society. I myself do not have a disability, but I do know others with a disability/ retarded siblings or children. Most families do not have the means to rise a retarded child without help from somewhere. The medical cost is more than most families make in a life time. Not to mention, the strain on the family to raise the child with the everyday needs that one requires. I wonder if our government system is as humane as they want the people to believe that they are. I find it interesting that government spending has a set of double standards. They can give themselves raises or justify the why birds fly north foundation while cutting funds to families who are struggling to make ends meet. It sounds as if the legislators do not put value on human live. I think it was Oprah Winfrey who stated that it takes a village to raise a child. I think the legislators should take a cut in their pay than to cut FARC budget. I wonder if they(legislators) have every considered becoming a big brother/sister and get firsthand experience of strain and the love it is to raise a retarded child .
I think it is ridiculous that legislators would even think about cutting the budget for the FARC.These families need the money they are recieving for their children because disabled children need more care with their health which in return costs alot more money. And the fact that legislators would ask parents to put their disabled child in a home if they can't take care of them is a slap in the face almost like they look at these children as animals. I'm just truly shocked that they would cut money from families that have no other way to care for their child then through this program and that they don't think about the long term affect this will have on the disabled child.I wish the legislators could live with the a disabled child for one day and see the extent of just how much care they need to help them understand that cutting a program like this is horrible.
There is no reason to cut funds from the budget! So many people depend on this money. Emphasis ought to shift from other useless areas to areas of need such as this. While I do not believe that anyone should be fully supported by the government, surely some exception can be made for those under special circumstances, involving special-needs individuals.
I don't understand why they are wanting to cut the funds. I always thought that the programs like one step closer were good programs that were effective. Why change a good thing? While I can see what they want to do with the tier system, I still don't think this is necessary, as it also can ruin families across the us.
I do not believe that FARC funds should be completly cut, however, maybe these funds should be regulated. As mentioned in the article, those with server disabilites would be taken care of reguardless under the new plan, however, some people may be limited to between $15,000 and $55,000 per year which may vary depending on which group the child ( or adult) is put in.15,000-55,000 dollars a year is a broad range of money.. I do not feel that I have enough information on what are the determining factors of the amount of money a child-adult would recieve. In DD population, developmentally disabled, there are various levels of functioning from mild retardation to servere retardation. The article also stated that Tier 1: with no benefit limit has 3,261 people; tier 2: $55,000 limit has 4,643 people; tier 3: $35,000 has 7,053 people; and tier 4: with a cap of $35,000 has 14,460 people. I think that that is alot of money so far, Im not sure we as students recieve that much in financial aide. I feel that with or with out the cut retarded citizens will be taken care of reguardless, it would be inhumane and in addition there are various laws and oraganizations such as the ARC of the United States, as well as the Association for Retarded Citizens in South Florida and the American Association on Mental Retardation to support them and protect people with mental retardation and diabilities, so I am pretty sure there lives will not be destroyed. Mentally retardard citizens have rights and protection under the laws just as citizens without disabilities, however, there will always be places for the mental retarded but not always for us.
This is a very diffcult subject. Cutting funds would dibilitate those in need of governmental compensation for their family member with the disabilty. Bringing up someone with retardation is difficult enough as it is, but worrying about money is something that one should not have to worry about. Also giving your child or sibling to a catagory home is a lose lose situaltion. On one hand the cost of the home is not cheap either. On the other they will be brought up differently without the love of a Mother or Father. Salary caps should not be placed on the FARC!
i think it is wrong to cut from the FARC budget, and worng also on a moral level too. i couldnt even imagin how hard it would be to raise a child or person with mental disablities, let alone having my budget cut for no reason. why dont we take money from prision system instead? the money were using to give them "privledges" could be used for familes in need. i think cutting the budget is a slap in the face of those who break their backs taking care of these special needs people. if we end up raising taxes in the future, some of it should definetley go to the special needs foundations.
I haven't ever heard of FARC. It seemed, and seems like a very good program, and I am glad that we have one.
As for the question: It depends on what the program does, besides just providing money. Do they also provide information for doctors and help with those bills via special insurance, do the families have to pay to enter the programs that help the children learn? Is the money just a way to pay so that one or both parents are always able to be home to stay with the child?
We would need more information before making this judgement, if the person who was getting $70,000 a pay period had a child who, really, didn't need it, while families getting $35,000 at the time when they needed more would be exactly the same. The tier system might provide them with places to get tools to provide for their children with that budget.
In which case, it is probably a good idea to maximize the amount of funds partitioned off to FARC.
As for why the budget is getting cut, we have to many useless programs, we have a dying economy and a huge housing issue, especially in Florida. We simply don't have the money thanks to spending $15,000 on toilet seats for the army, and super high contract pay for job creating programs. To much waste, means the programs like this and schools take the hit.
Ok, now this is a hard one- I have seen first hand that FARC is very important. I have a cousin that is down syndrome and the care, attention, and money that is needed to take care of that little boy is more than most can handle. Unfortunately, as a result of our failing economy, budgets are being snipped away faster than we can count. I do think that there are far more associations that could be dealt with first, but just like any other, budgets should be and are going to eventually be managed. It is just sad that the government actually expects families to put their child in a home if expenses are too high- of course they are going to be too high! For the most part, a retarted person goes through more medical treatment and surgeries in their first 5 years than an average person goes through in a lifetime! Medical expenses are out the door, and I just REALLY hope the government thinks these budget cuts through. It could ultimately destroy the lives of a lot of families, and that is scary. Even though FARC is an amazing association, it should be managed to some point, I just hope it is done properly and these families still receive adequate funding. $15,000 to $55,000 is a very broad range. My heart goes out to all of the families that will experience these cuts.
Ok, now this is a hard one- I have seen first hand that FARC is very important. I have a cousin that is down syndrome and the care, attention, and money that is needed to take care of that little boy is more than most can handle. Unfortunately, as a result of our failing economy, budgets are being snipped away faster than we can count. I do think that there are far more associations that could be dealt with first, but just like any other, budgets should be and are going to eventually be managed. It is just sad that the government actually expects families to put their child in a home if expenses are too high- of course they are going to be too high! For the most part, a retarted person goes through more medical treatment and surgeries in their first 5 years than an average person goes through in a lifetime! Medical expenses are out the door, and I just REALLY hope the government thinks these budget cuts through. It could ultimately destroy the lives of a lot of families, and that is scary. Even though FARC is an amazing association, it should be managed to some point, I just hope it is done properly and these families still receive adequate funding. $15,000 to $55,000 is a very broad range. My heart goes out to all of the families that will experience these cuts.
Dragonfly, I believe it was Hillary Clinton who wrote "it takes a village" and Oprah made the statement famous. What a good suggestion to have legislators spend time with disabled people. They can be some of the most loving, but needy people around. As lilbit said, it is a slap to parents, not to mention heartbreaking, to give up the daily care, no matter how difficult it is, of your precious child. Most parents would rather suffer financial crisis than the emotional breakdown that occurs when a parent has to seperate from their child.
I do not know if autism is covered by FARC.
At any rate, I just read the article Parents press states for autism insurance laws
It raises interesting points.
I think that cutting the funds of the FARC system is a horrible idea and should not even be thought about. How are you going to not help these parents of mentally callenged people out by helping them take care of theirown flesh and blood. These people have spent every waking moment to try to allow their children a liitle bit of a normal life like the rest of us. These people with the funding they recieve can contribute to society and that would be wrong to take that away from them. If they can learn to help themselves then they can thrive in society like others. Not allowing them to have that chance just to save a little money would ruin the lives of more then the person being funded but also their famlies.
We are paying taxes and the one thing that continues to increase is the income of the 'public servants'! Things are moving backwards to when special needs citizens are institutionalized, all under the guise to save money, yet it costs the tax payers more. The politicians will continue to prosper as the tax payers continue to struggle. These same politicians will fight over the life of an embryo yet they won't fight for the rights and quality of life of a living breathing human being! There are a series of programs that we could modify to save funds. There are many more that we could cut completely. If we would re-evaluate the whole budget maybe those who deserve the funding (educational institutions, teachers, Emergency Response Teams, Law Enforcement, FARC) wouldn't have to suffer. I recommend that we cut the salaries of the politicians by half and then set them on a 4 tier program based on satisfaction surveys from the constituents whom they represent. Or better yet, they should perform their duties for minimum wage.
I don't think cutting the funds from the FARC program is a good idea. These are the people who actually need the extra help. Moms usually can't work because they are home caring for their child. They are taking them to all types of Doctor Visits which can lead to enormous medical bills. I believe they genuinely need all the help they can get. They should cut other programs that don't work. Not the programs that are geared to help the needy. And I can’t imagine telling someone if you feel you can’t care for them just send them to a group home. That’s outrageous I don’t many mothers would agree to that.
I do not approve of the budget cut for the funding of the Florida Association for Retarded Citizens. Payments to families with disabilities should continue to be determined by each individual and their medical needs.Under the tier system,children that do not need quite as much money will probably get more than they need and the children that require the most money will get less.This system does not make sense.Each individual and their situation should be evaluated before money is distributed.The fact that the tier system puts financial stress on families to the point of incapability of caring for their children and forcing these children into homes seems absurd.Why spend more money on taking care of these same children in a community home rather than on their own home with loved ones that can help them live on their own in the long run.Government programs need to be reevaluated and add common sense into their discussions.
I blows my mind how the government can do this to these families. These families not only have to worry about everyday struggles, they have stress about the financial burden carrying for a disabled family member brings. Now what does the government? They cut their money in half?! Why does that not surprise me! Why is that the people that need the most help always get pushed to the side? Yet huge corporations always seem to have extra money to vacation with. I think that the government needs to get their priorities in check. They should be ashamed of themselves.
Well, first it is pretty sad seeing families in need get funds cut. However, I need more information on the placement of the disabled person in each tier. It seems pretty obvious that people with family members that need constant attention and care would be placed in tier 1, as that gets very expensive.
What I'm not sure of is how much need and care the other tiers need. When I look at it logically with out empathy I could see how limits could help. If there is no limit it could be easy to take advantage of the fact of unlimited funds. Tier 2 has a limit of $55,000, which is more than the average household income in America. When I look at it that way that extra 55k a year can be plenty of help. Again, that is with out knowing exactly how much need that patient needs.
So, since I don't know for sure exactly what qualifies someone for each tier I cant say whether or not that is fair. Just to note I do not condone this cut in funds. I'm just looking at it from both sides.
Now for my opinion, I think its horrible to cut the funds of families in need.
I think is a terrible decision to cut funds from the FARC budget for those handicapped individuals that can not support themselves or take care of themselves. Some handicapped individuals who are unable to work have to depend on their family remembers for care. Taking care of a handicapped person is a full time job, so whether the parents are the primary care giver, or if a nurse is hired, it is still very expensive to provide care. If the handicapped individuals are able to work and supplement their income, that is wonderful but I don’t think many handicapped people will be earning more than minimum wage and that alone is hard to support yourself on. Lowering the funds because a small percentage of the handicapped individuals can work at a lower end job is a really poor decision.
That is ridiculus, I somtimes wonder if legislation really thinks about how to save money. My best friend has a sister that is disable, and on top of that it is a single parent that relies on funding from FARC to help pay for the expenses of raising an disabled child. With one income, and law makers to cut the funding my heart goes out to his dad.
This is a terrible idea. Parents are working hard to take care of their children with disabilities, and depend on that money. Medical expenses are out the roof, and when you have a child with a disability, you need to do everything you can to make sure they are staying healthy, and getting the best of care. I noticed that the amounts were being cut in half, but where is that money going? There is enough money in this country to keep providing for the disabled children. We get taxed for EVERYTHING. I got taxed for parking yesterday at universal studios, and i was shocked. I totally disagree with this idea and think that the families should still get the money they need for the well being of their child.
I dont think you need to necesarily cut the budget for those who need it but there are alot of mild to low cases of mental retardation that wouldnt require any financial assistance at all, i know a kid that goes to my chuch he just goes crazy but he can function ok sometimes, but doesnt require any series medical help,and on the other hand there are some cases that are in need of medical assistance and would cost alot of money. I have seen personally both, my younger cousin sufferes from a type of retardation, he grew to fast and his brain wasnt able to develope so he cant walk, talk, eat, or function normally, he is being fed through a tube to his stomach, and all the equipment and food that he requires to survive cost money, so i am against cutting frunds from FARC that really need it, mabe there should be some sort of evaluation for the program...
This is a tragedy. I am 100% against taking money out of the FARC budget. Hasnt it been considered that without financial aid, these families are being forced to hand over their children to group homes? In the case of families supporting children with mental disabilities, it is 100% necessary to receive some sort of financial aid. After all, most mentally handicapped people cannot bring home any substantial amount of money, and must be taken care of financially for the duration of their life. There has to be a less crucial source for money to come from. Are we that desperate for money right now? That we are taking it away from families caring for people with mental handicaps? What is that money going to be used for once it is taken from those people? I probably dont want to know, it would just make the situation even more pathetic. There is no reason why this should be happening, in my opinion it is totally unacceptable and completely "over the line".
The fact that the state legislators are cutting the budget for FARC is a gross thing. Not only are they making it harder for the parents of mentally disabled children to care for them, but they are also stunting the handicapped people’s ability to excel in life on their own. I’m curious to know why they voted to cut funding of this program. They can’t possibly be so blind as to not understand the impact they’re making on thousands of lives. I don’t think there is a rational reason for decreasing the funding of this association. The funding should be cut from other less important things before it is cut from this.
I do recognize the fact that the tier system would closer evaluate and classify each situation, which is good, but this does not lessen the intensity of the matter that the legislators are addressing. I think that their decision should be very carefully reconsidered.
I personally think that cutting the funding to FARC would be one of the stupidest things our state can do. Mentally Disabled people for the most part are not able to bring in an income, there are programs like PARC that help these citizens to eventually be able to get and hold jobs to bring in an income but untill they do that they are entirely dependent on those they live with. Because of the high cost of medical care they need mainly familys cannot afford to get them that funding, so they need help from the state to give a bit to help. But if you cap what they can get many will not be able to support them and the disabled will end up in homes and just tax our economy more.
So your going to cut funding and let that happen and just screw us over in the long run haha good job.
I know that our economy is in bad shape right now, but there has to be other ways to save money. Cut funding to something else, like research programs that we dont need. Just don't make it to where familys have more pressure on them to provide for disabled family members
I think that if people put the funds in the FARC then the legislators shouldnt be able to take it out. i understand if they organize it to whee people who nee the money more get more then people who are better off. But yes, if you do cut funds then the people who really do need the money will suffer and thats somethig that shouldnt be done. That sounds like a horrible idea to me.
I think that the people who agreed to cut those funds must not understand or care that is cost so much money in doctor bills to take care of these kids. I think that they have special needs and anyone who has a special needs child will need help. Cutting fund will destroy a lot of lives. No parent is going to want to give up their child. I do not even think anyone would trust the home to take care of the child. I do think the programs offered are good for the kids. When I was in high school I was a teachers assistant for the handicapped children and when they learned new things in class you could see how good they felt. I think that the Budget cuts need to be changed! Taking away from those kids is not helping anyone.
This article literally makes me sad. I think that cutting funds from FARC would kill tons of parents and kids emotionally. These families desperatley need this money that the government is taking away from them. Has the governement even seen a medical bill? A 3 day stay in a hospital is let alone 300 dollars. Can you even imagine how much it would cost to have lifetime disability claims added to your bill? Sooo expensive. It's already hard to raise a disabled child, and now they have to worry about money sources? I don't understand why they have to cut the budget. These people clearly need help and taking away money that could be put to cut use should be a shot to their morals I think this is all wrong and in the end will create more of a problem than a solution.
I think this is a bad idea. It almost makes me feel wrong knowing that there are people out there that want to take away money from these poor people. I know some retarded people are independent, but those who aren't shouldn't have to suffer do to salary caps. As a tax payer, i have no problem paying a little more if i know that it is helping people and not going into the pockets of company owners or association's head president. I think that the families are entitled to some help and should not have to give their kids to homes, but should get financial help as needed.
I do not agree with the legislative
decision to cut funds for those families who depend upon the Florida Association for Rtarded Citizens funds to enrich the lives of their family members. By what moral right do some human beings set themselves up as judges to determine what is an appropriate value system for human life. I have seen too many instances where retarded citizens are not only contributors to society but also are capable of enriching, rededicating and refocusing our own personal moral compasses. Much of the FARC money paid to families covers medical care necessary for our retarded citizens, and since when is medical care provided or eliminated based on paraameters of mental or physical disability. If someday our state budget is so straightened that we begin to take citizens that are labelled
"defective" and put a bullet to their heads; or if someday we decide that the elderly who suffer from the diseases associated with old age should be "eliminated" is that morally acceptable. I believe that the funds for FARC should be protected and safeguarded from any budget cutting strategies proposed by the legislature now and forever.
wow this is something else. i had no idea about the farc budget being cut its so funny how many issues are really out there besides high gas prices and etc. But to continue on the subject i have one question..why are they cutting the budget to begin with? i mgiht have missed the answer if its in the article but like some have said, if we cut the farc buget it would just be a waste to all the progress some of the people in this society have worked for. Its not fair to limit someone to being depended their entire lives because of a budget cut when they are capable of so much more. the work program in this article sounded like a fantastic idea though no doubt. There is one thing though is that i agree with the fact that they asses some of the families needs and decide how much money is given because like some have said it does need to be regulated. cost for caring for a person with a disability is costly but unlimited funds shouldnt be given to just anyone. One thing though its crazy what people in our gov. are willing to cut in order to put a little more money back in their pockets ( which dont hold me to that because i dont know where the money acutally goes im just assuming). i say that because this is most likely a program where most of the money given is used to for the care and purpose for those with a disability and to cut this money would just be dooming some of these families and people to have no choice but to put their loved ones in homes with no bright futures.
Cutting funds from the FARC budget was a stupid move. Without that money many families can't support their children that are disabled and now that they can't take care of them anymore they have to give them away to a home. When there in a home these children no longer can learn from the PARC program, which shows them how to cook, clean, and do normal everyday things. Also since there are more people in these homes there are less room for other people and more money is needed to take care of them, while they can't even learn how to take care of themselves and they have live off other people taking care of them. I think cutting funds from the FARC budget was a very stupid move to make.
Seems odd to me that we shift money back and forth.
Any who, I agree will most of you, but for funzees, I'll try to take the other, "underrepresented" side.
A reason for the cut is probably the current condition of the country and the need to funnel money. The current state of the country means cut backs every where. A sad reason is these things are extraneous; cutting these kinds of programs will have the least effect and allow the state/country to run. It's like a plane cutting bad engines to stay flying. They are not needed, but would always be nice to have.
The other reason may be to funnel it to the right people. The point may be some families may not need as much. One family probably wont need $60,000 for a single child if they work. It will some become extraneous cash. The point may be to cut back by setting children into tiers. The low tiers don't need as much as the higher ones based on severeness of the disability. So, the family will still get the right amount they need for the child's disability.
Before reading this article I had never really heard in detail about Florida Association for Retarded Citizens. I know our state faces many heavy budget cuts today and it is hard to take from anywhere. I think FARC should be one of the last resorts for taking funds.
As the article states it does take a lot of money to take care of a person with disabilities. I know if I had an immediate family member with a disability my family would do everything to keep them in home with sufficient care. I think it is sad that families have to turn to putting their child or loved one in a group home because of money rather than being able to keep them at home with one on one care.
I have been around a family with a special needs child. It is a tremendous strain, both physically, mentally, and financially. It is hard enough coping with the challenges of basic everyday tasks. These people(parents) should not be burdened with stress of trying to make decisions based on what it cost and can they afford to care for their child. As a society, we are obligated to care for the sick and the elderly. It is debatable whether mental retardation is a sickness. I am not demonizing them, but they DO need to be taken care of. As for putting a child into a group home? That should be left to the parent, but not be based on a financial decision!
It does sound like the provisions are reasonable, but I do not live with a special needs child.
I'm not really sure how I feel about this budget cut. I was the equivalent to an assistant manager for the Department of Pediatrics in a Army hospital in Germany, and children with disabilities require a lot of resources and money. While all families in the military had 100% of their medical expenses covered by Uncle Sugar, the real strain on the family seemed to be psychological.
When I think of children with down syndrome, I think of this little blonde girl with pig tails and thick pink glasses that were strapped to her head. I can't get into names of specifics on any patients, but what stood out about this sweet little girl was that her mother went through horrible depression. The mother blamed herself for her daughter's condition. The mother needed extensive counselling for over a year in order to feel like a normal parent, and at times she considered giving up her child because of the huge burden that a extreme case special needs child can place on the family.
I wonder if FARC covers councelling for the parents, and I also wonder if the program includes home visits from EDIS or at least the social services. From dealing with parents of children with down syndrome, low functioning autism, def children, and the endless assortment of newly concocted learning disorders, I really feel for the parents. However, throwing money at a problem is most often not the solution. Spending money on resources, and then giving free access to those resources seems more efficient to me. Why not stop paying families a upper middle class annual salary for their disabled child, and begin using the bulk of that money for social services, EDIS, ongoing education and training for the families, and the handicapped person in question?
The disabled individual should recieve financial compensation, and health care through Social Security. I feel like social security for people with disabilities, plus some extra help and education should be sufficient. Really if that is not sufficient, then the families should consider group homes. FARC sounds like a wonderful program, but our government spends far too much money, and raises far too little in tax revenue to sustain its current lifestyle. I figure that we will all need to tighten up our belts and suck it up until we fall onto better times as a nation. Unfortunately this has to include the handicapped, and downtrodden.
A lot of programs out there overlap, and this allows for people to "double dip", in that they collect disability compensation from social security, and get money from someone like FARC, and state programs, and personal compensation because they have to tend to this special needs child instead of working. For these people I believe that the government is doing what it can. When you as anation must fight a war on 2 fronts, protect your aging citizens, reform access to healthcare, manage a overwhelming national deficit, do something to create balance in international trade, create jobs, keep people in homes that they can not afford, save the unemployed from real poverty, take care of the disabled, and maintain your status as a superpower, then things are going to get difficult, money will have to be raised, and A LOT of people are going to have to learn to do more with less. If I had a child with down syndrome, then I suppose that my view would be more emotionally charged, but to be clinical in looking at this, I think that a group home might be the best choice. If FARC could get each one of these individuals a job at McDonalds or Walmart, or Publix, then yes the disabled would still be paying taxes and earning money, but will it ever blance out against the FARC handouts of 50,000 a year? I feel guilty, and a little cold blooded for feeling this way, but that's how I see it. Times are tough, and programs that can't raise money will have to be cut back.
I think this is such a tough tough predicament. We atre in some very difficult economic times and funding is going to have to be cut in many places from many programs. However, with that being said, I do not think that what is being done in this case is right or cost-effective. I think cutting funding to this prgram would provide some temporary relief. and perhaps that is what the legislators are looking at, but as it clearly states in the article when people have access to programs they can learn to take care of themselve and end up costing the government less in the long run. I do think that funds need to be monitored... different handicapped people have different needs and don't all need the same amount of money. In a perfect world each person would be able to be evaluated and given the amount of money that they individually need. I think more funding needs to go to the programs that train people with disabilities to care for themselves (obviously only in cases where this is actually possible). My grandparents have been involved for over 40 years with the care of a mentally handicaped man. When they first became involved he was only a young child. He is a ward of the state and because of the finding there he has been trained to work and make money. He lives with a roommate in a little house near my grandparents. He has a caretaker that comes to the house everyday and helps teach and manage money and the house. I think the programs like this that are geared at training and helping the handicapped become self sufficient are some of the most important programs we have... and they need all the finding they can get.
I must admit i did not know much about FARC. I do not have a sufficient background on such a sensitive issue. However, common sense would deffinately suggest that the weakest links in socieites require and deserve help the most. Any funding cuts would have severe effects precautions on children with dissabilities. that must not be allowed to happen. i do understand the neccessity of deviding them into teirs according to thier needs and severeity of thier conditions. that would help funnel the fundings to those that need it the most.
madeline
I also have seen teenagers with down syndrome working in Publix after having been trained. They help with shelving mainly but they are productive and they feel great about themselves.
I talked to one cashier once who was handicapped as a child but through continuous training she became independent, got a driver's licence and a job as well.
Da Chris
As you said when we are faced with "budget cutting times" the knife goes through social services as well.
Maybe a more fair way would be to eliminate services that we can live without (funds associated with public celebrations for example) and thus be able to impose minimal cuts on needed services.
Also for those of you who may have questions about FARC here is the site.
I was thinking about taking a different approach and saying that I understand why the budget cut is coming around. But Honestly, I thought about it and I don't, I beleive cutting budgets from the FARC is a not such a good idea. I thought that maybe a reason would be to let them get a feel apart of the real world instead of holding their hand but because I have had friends with disability's I know that this is a big mistake.This is an important factor in their lives and there are many, many, unimportant things that we could be taking cuts from and this should not one of them.
I actually work with a man at my restuarant who is handicap and his parents come in every week to see him in action. I was suprised to see that they hired him, but immediatley I felt a sense of pride and honor that I am working for a place that does not discriminate, but gives each individual the oppurtunity to live life the same.
Yeah, there are programs that help out them but them living at home, rather than in a home would benefit them best because they would be able to experience life. Just because they are "retarded" does not mean that they should be placed in a different sector of society.
It's ridiculous how legislature want to spend their money, and deciding to cut what the disable are receiving and saying that if families cannot afford to take care of them should just put them in a home is, inconsiderate.
Its bad enough that the cost of living for people without a disability is horrible. It'll just be putting them through Hell!
However, my question is where is the other half of the money going? I mean what is the real purpose behind cutting the budget? [Guess I'll go check this website out, Thanks]
gatorgal5I believe that cutting funds for the FARC would ruin lots of lives. A lot of people depend on these funds while others need it to feel wanted. I feel that just because someone has any type of diasbility doesn't mean they should be shunned or not feel wanted in society. I don't understand why they want to cut funds! Things like this really help people out. A lot of families with children who are disabled can't afford all the things the child may need to survive. So why cut funds on something that will help families and help lives?
I disagree that the government should cut any funds going to those or the families of those with mental disabilities because their lives are hard enough. By cutting their fundings, it puts even more pressure on them and their families to provide proper care and thus making their lives become even more difficult. If anything, their funds should be increased because I know of a close family friend raising a child who has Muscular Dystrophy (also known as M.D.) and he will not live to his 20's. Every year, it gets harder and harder, just this year he was forced into an automated wheelchair and those can cost around 3,000. Not only does she have to somehow come up with this obscene amount of money but she must cart around a portable ramp to visit friends' houses so that he can go onto the porch. Also, the medicines, the nanny time, and the extra time she must spend everyday to give him the attention he needs to, go about ordinary life operations that many of us take for granted in being able to accomplish on our own. It is completely exhausting for her and I know that the last thing they need is more stress.
hey Jason Raimondo, as far as the question on what FARC covers I believe it covers everything you mentioned. That is a good question that you brought up.One more thing, you asked if FARC produced a program that gave work to the mentally handy capped, well that is what the program "one step closer to independance" is all about. It teaches them how to work and provided somewhat for them selves and then setts them up with a job at Mcdonalds, or publics, or places like that.
Some of you have asked how it was decided before the bugets cut on how much money they recieved and the answer is, it was based on what they need as stated by a docter, and what they said they need to some extent.
I am intrested in this becuase I used to watch 2 kids that were mentally challenged. However the mom never left me home alone with them because on top of being mentally challenged they were foster children. I saw first hand what it was like for them having to live under a strick budget and altimatly they had to cut me from there budget because they could no longer afford to have some one help around the house. It is a sad thing when the government wants to take money from FARC!
,I think cutting funds from FARC budget is unfair, and even sending some that the parents can not care for to group homes is unreasonable.Been retarded in itself is enough trouble,for the family and the caregiver. The help that they received from the government has really help the family and the giver a great deal.Considering the cost of medical equipment like special beds, wheelchairs and medical services, like a visiting nurses for those with feeding tubes, those with tracheotomy and a host of others.These is a very difficult task for the parents to face alone or with little help from the government. But with the cut in funds, that means a lot of the service rendered to them would be reduced or completely removed from them.
Furthermore in a group home setting, these people do get good care like they get at home with the supervision of their parents or caregiver.Group homes have one staff to five clients,no way will they be cared for in a proper manner.
This funds cutting is so ridiculous,this retarded citizen needs help in everyway they could get it. I hope the lawmaker will reverse their decision and have mercy on the helpless.
I feel that cutting the funds for FARC would be disgusting. It is hard enough trying to raise a child with a disability, and most of the time the parents are already in a severe financial crisis and FARC is the only thing that is keeping them afloat. I think that if the FARC funds are cut, more and more handicapped children will end up in the foster system and we will be paying for them anyway. As a taxpayer I would much rather have my money go towards the family and help them better the childs life and make it everything it could be.
The FARC needs as much money as they can get to help these families who have a retarded child. I think they could find different ways to cut other money in other things rather than so much away from the FARC. I can't even believe that they would say well if you can take care of them put them in a group home. I mean how could a parent do that to their child of special needs? The people with disabilities need the most time spent with them to be taken care of, they could not give them that much care and attention in a group home.
The amount that the funds are being cut seems to be very drastic and sudden. I believe if they do believe they need to cut the funding they should do so in steps so the families can adjust easier. I have been to some of the group homes and there are some benefits to them. They are able to interact with other people and the caretakers are usually more medically qualified than some of the parents of the children. However, they are also severely underfunded. Hopefully, the families will be able to cope with whatever they may receive.
It is not right to cut the funds for retarded children because it will be extremely hard for families to support their disabled child. The medical cost for supporting a disabled child is physically impossible without government aid. Governments should realize that because a child is retarded for the most part is not the parents fault. SO when this child is brought into the world he is unfortunately retarded without anyone's fault. This doesn't mean that this child does not belong in our society. Therefore because the child is not as fortunate as being the same as everyone of us..... Governments should do all they can in helping these children out. Government should be cutting off money from, all these pro longing wars that wont end and put money into our nation and help our own nation.
I think cutting funds for FARC is a horrible idea. Children or adults that are mentally handicapped should have the same opportunities as anyone else to become independent. The program seems like it encourages the people to live on their own and helps them achieve success. They have every right to live a normal life as much as they can. Why in the world would people want to take that away from someone who already has suffered so much? The families that struggle to support their mentally challenged children have it hard enough. Why make it harder? I would rather see my tax money going to this than something useless.
I am so sick and tired of the government cutting the funds for everything
that is important. Are you kidding me? Obviously the FARC is a very
beneficial organization for the mentally disabled and their families so why
cut the budget? If the program is geared towards helping these people
become independent, functioning members of society then the legislator
should continue to assist them? It is already hard for most families to
raise their children and give them the best but more so when they have a
serious condition. Not everyone is rolling in the dough and no parent or
caregiver wants to just give their family member to a group home. There are
people that sit on their lazy behinds all day and collect welfare for no
reason while people that do work to maintain are struggling. The best thing
to do is make those lazy ones get jobs and let the taxpayers dollars go to
a worthy fund such as the FARC or education. It's like the government just
doesn't care about the really important issues. It's a crying shame.
i think that if they cut the funds from FARC that it would be a HUGE mistake. there is people depending on that. it seems that more and more all the government cares about is people who make money, or are wealthy. thats it. its really irritating. they just dont care anymore. they want to help themselves and noone else!!
I don't believe the funds should be completely cut because those families are financially burdened with healthcare, education, and modifications to their family lifestyle. However, I do think the funds should be regulated. There are plenty of people who deserve help as well, who aren't getting any. Those funds could help the struggling school system, other healthcare problems, or people in poverty. I think funds should be balanced throughout the state, and the state should also try and promote more volunteer programs for people with disabilities.
I think it is ridiculous that they would even think about cutting the funds for the FARC. Allot of these families depend on this money because their children need to be in good health. Most moms of mentally disabled children can’t work because they have to stay home to take care of them. If the families don’t get the money to help support their child they have to be sent to a home. When they get sent to a home they can no longer learn from the PARC program which is extremely good for them. I 100% disagree with cutting funds from the FARC budget.
The government should always be held accountable for providing mentally-handicapped children with funding for care, and resources to aid improvement. This burden should never overlap to fall on the family's shoulders. I am unsure as to what extend the FARC budget cut will effect each case, but I do believe that once basic programs become tougher to acquire, an ethical boundary is crossed. Since the state assures that mentally-stable children are put through grade school, and given loads of opportunities via extracurricular activities (sports, clubs, etc.) to gain the tools necessary for growing up to be a fully functional member of society, then it is only fair that children with a mental-handicap have their needs put on the same tab. A child with a mental disability is unable to operate, and mature in everyday life at an average rate, so they will inevitably be more dependent. Cutting funds will lead to a much higher rate of parents giving up, and institutionalizing their handicapped child after what became a lost cause due to lack of assistance, or simply because having the child at home was unaffordable, and as the article says, putting a child into an institution ends up costing even more taxpayer dollars! My number 1 criticism of the FARC cut; however, is NOT the actually budget cut itself, but the re-structuring of the system. Budgets get cut all the time! we'd be living in a fantasy world if we thought that money could just flow in an abundance to every government program. If dollars were to be shaved off the top of the FARC budget, then that's something that people would have no choice but to grit their teeth, and work hard to adapt. BUT when the whole formation of funding is changed from diagnosis on an individual level, to a "Tier" system in order to save millions, there is a fundamental flaw. Now only those with SEVERE medical needs have an unlimited budget, whereas before each child's specific needs were assessed and provided. This really puts a strain on the moderately retarded child who is in crucial need of that extra boost to fully achieve socialization. He or she with the slight disabilty now has a cap on their allotted funds that help improve skills, and gain independence, putting them in a position to digress rather than prosper. Since the system has a higher cap for those with higher disability, the only way for more cash is to be worse off!! Now I'm not saying that those with the worst disabilities don't deserve extra care, because they do, but shouldn't the system be encouraging, and rewarding progress instead of tightening funds for those who are closest to the primary objective of becoming independent citizens? Under the old system it seems like if someone showed improvement, and utilized programs, there would be an assessment, and implementation to cater toeach child's needs, but the new system doesn't care- if you reach the cap, then sorry... no more funding, regardless of what you need.
By cutting funds to the FARC,many parents, caretakers, or spouses would not be able to take care of their loved one any longer, and it could literally destroy their lives. I have many friends who have handicaps, such as retardation. Asking if they receive funds from FARC is a little rude, but if there health is at risk because of budget cuts. I don't know how i could handle it. I understand we are in an economic crisis, but to take the money that some parents absolutism rely on, i don't think is right. Its hard enough to raise a handicap child with financial support, with all the hospital bill and the other special amenities. It makes me think, how many people on the board of FARC have handicap children, or siblings, or even friends.
Ian
Interesting points you have raised. The vast majority feel negative towrads budget cuts on this program.
However, the vast majority of us feel negative towards paying more taxes as well.
We can't offer assistance to the retarded and the handicapped without a heavier tax burden.
Unless we re-allocate funds and eliminate certain programs alltogether.
I think that cutting funds to these families is horrible. The emotional and physical burdens families trying to care for disabled children bear is already overwhelming. To add on a financial burden by capping funds available to them would just be ridiculous. What’s the point of trying to “save” money if families have to put their children in a group home at the taxpayer’s expense? The budgets our state legislators pass is unbelievable. It seems legitimate programs and needs are often cut from budgets, while frivolous items remain. In my opinion, I think state representative’s salaries should be cut to make more funds available to schools, disabled citizens, etc.
This is a tough one... we don't know a few things.. such as... do they recieve donations or donation money? How much does their insurance cover? Do they have insurance? Do they have other family members helping? I've heard that some people were possibly abusing this program, those with not-so-bad conditions living off of this money, i.e. deafness. I completely agree that we should give aid to people with disabilities, but 60,000$ a year? Is this one parent or two that are devoting all their time to taking care of their child? Is one working? How much do they make? Over 50k a year? 30k a year? There are a lot of unknown factors here, and it is quite difficult to come to a decent decision.
I think that cutting the funds for FARC is very bad. Families that have kids with disabilities in their family is a very tough thing. They have to be watched all the time so nothing happens to them. Usually when these kids are watched that means that one of the parents usually works and the other watches the child the whole time. i would think that these families would need all the money they can for doctors visits and any medical procedures that the child needs. By cutting these funds that they are receiving in half is going to make it ten times harder for the families to take care of these children. I feel like in the world today though state legislators are trying to do everything they can to save taxpayers money but I think this move is a bad one. It's just going to cause more problems for these families.
This is a hard one...a child shouldnt have to be put in a home just because their family cant afford to care for them properly due to their medical conditions.Their should be something to help them the FARC should consider eliminating the cap and setting up payment plans for the family. Medical bills can be outrageous plus the care takers, this would bring an enormous bill. The family of a retarded child has more to bare and finances should be one of the last things they need to worry about. I agree that budgets should be cut from recreational activities put on by tax dollars and the priorities should be reasessed. People with special needs should be higher on the list.
I think that it is an absolutly horrible idea to cut the funds for the FARC.I dont think that it is fair to take away money from the families with disabilities when they already relie on it and it serves such good purpose.For instance what is that particular family from the article going to do when their childs care has been provided for and now that amount of money will be cut in half,can you imagine the distress? It will result in numerous families no longer being able to care for their child and having no other option but a group home. The worst part being that once put in a group home the most successful programs for the retarded will end, so now the activies that made them most close to living an average life will be terminated,I dont understand how people would decide to end these vital rehabilitation programs.
I think that this may be a good idea. People with disabilities get a lot of help, and people who are sick that AREN'T classified as disabled have to pay for everything themselves or pay ridiculous co-pays. The rest of the nation is feeling a hardship in insurance costs, why should disabled people be any different. I also think that some people take advantage of this money and they feel like they depend on it, but what if they never got it again? they would still have to survive. If they feel like just because they don't have unlimited medical coverage they can't survive, then you're living out of your means, because people do it everyday. People go without certain screenings and tests because they don't have the money, and turns out they hav breast cancer thats in the worst stages. Thats not fair. if disabled people have unlimited funding for medical costs then so should everyone. Like I said, some people have severe medical problems, and get no help because they aren't classified as "disabled" they should still feel lucky that they get the amount of assistance that they do. I don't mind if they cut funds from the FARC budget, because it's based on peoples needs now, so they just have to be more cautious like the rest of america on what they use their money for.
I think that cutting funds from FARC is not a good idea. I'm a nurse and the biggest thing in healthcare is to help the patient maintain their independence. I also work in a group home. The patient's still maintain somewhat of their independence but I think that if they were in their own home, with their families, I think that their level of independence would increase dramatically.I also think that its not fair for them to put someone's disablement under a bracket. Taking care of a disabled person is not cheap and definitely not easy. Healthcare is expensive, especially for a child with a disability because their health can constantly change. The budget cut would also be hard on the care takers as well. The economy is in a horrible state now for everyone. So imagine having to give total care to someone and work a fulltime job with no assistance. What other choice would you have other than a group home?
There are a lot of people nationwide that shiver in fear every time some one says the word "TAXES". It seems to be a popular view point, in particularly with conservatives, that tax dollars go to indigent, lazy folks on welfare. We as a society often forget that it's programs like FARC that suffer the most when we cut taxes or when they are misappropriated. I feel strongly that it is the duty of the supposed "Greatest Nation in the World" to care for those who are in need and that includes the mentally and physically challenged. Every dollar we make and spend as Americans is taxed and that money should be utilized to make our community work for everyone.
I think that cutting funds for FARC is wrong. I know many families who have children with disabilites, and it can be very expensive depending on the severity of the handicap. I think some people tend to overlook families and their disabled children, especially if they do not have experience with people who have handicaps. Therefore, things like this end up occuring because they do not understand how important this money is to keep up with the cost of mentally hanicapped children. This, to me, is the equivalent of telling society that these people are not worth the money that they are able to provide.
Men and women born with disabilities can still grow to be functioning members of society, but not without help. Cutting funds from FARC, means cutting down on peoples abilities to live fulfilling lives. Aren't all Americans supposed to born with certain unalienable rights? By cutting the budget that helps certain people live their lives to the best of their ability are we not saying that these people are second class citizens, not worthy of the same rights as the rest of us?
Also, I may be wrong about this, and I know this does not apply to the majority; but are there not people with disabilities working at jobs, with normal paychecks? So, they pay taxes like every one else but don't deserve to have those same taxes used to help better their lives?
I believe that cutting funds from FARC budget is selfish and unreasonable. The lives of many children and families depend on this money. They use this to support doctor bills, extra care, and just helping a person feel as normal as possible. The medical costs alone can cost more than a healthy child which puts a strain on the family big time. I myself have a mentally handicapped sister in law who I love dearly and I know how much my mother n law depends on that money to help her. She tries her best to keep Sara's life as normal as possible and fun :) Who ever is trying to cut the funds should try a day with a child in need and really dig deep to try and take anything from a child who has barely anything.
I disagree with cutting the funds for FARC. It is taking away any opportunity for these children to learn and apply everyday activities such as the ones mentioned in the article. They are tearing families apart by sending them to these designated homes and depriving them of any independence they worked towards. They also steal the love factor from the families they grew up with and they have absolutely no say if they can't afford to care for them in their own household. It's like breaking a very important promise. They say they will give you this money in order to successfully raise your child and then oops nevermind we are taking away half of what we originally gave you and if you can't support your child with this amount of money then they can no longer live with you. I think it's ridiculous and extremely unfair for those families to suffer that consequence.
I think this is awful. Cutting funds from the FARC could possibly destroy some of the families relying on it. These families have relied on a set amount of money to help with medical expenses and care for their children. How do you classify what disability with the tier they will be placed in. I don't think these parents should have to put their children in group homes when they would benefit more from being with their families. The One Step Closer and the PARC programs are beneficial to our retarded citizens. These programs can help them become a part of society and for most become independent. My heart goes out to those families!!
I think this is awful. Cutting funds from the FARC could possibly destroy some of the families relying on it. These families have relied on a set amount of money to help with medical expenses and care for their children. How do you classify what disability with the tier they will be placed in. I don't think these parents should have to put their children in group homes when they would benefit more from being with their families. The One Step Closer and the PARC programs are beneficial to our retarded citizens. These programs can help them become a part of society and for most become independent. My heart goes out to those families!!
Cutting the funds would ultimately be worse for the entire family. The parents are probably already frustrated with their children just based on the fact that they are disabled and therefore more difficult to raise. This puts them at a higher risk for abuse, or at the least at risk of recieving less parental love than the average child. Adding on extra financial difficulties will just make the parents even more frustrated, and they may take it out on the child.In the less severe cases, parents in financial trouble may even let thier children get worse instead of helping them out in hopes that they will be able to recieve benefits if their child has a more severe case.
I personally disagree with the idea on cutting funds from the FARC. I believe a person’s life is important no matter if they have mental disabilities or not. Therefore, I think that a person who has mental disabilities have a rougher time living life especially when their family cannot support him/her. I can’t imagine how difficult and stressful it is for a single parent/ couple to work hard inside and outside the house so they can support their disabled child. Both family and disabled person fully depend on money/financial aid. It is devastating to know that by cutting funds, a family might have to put their disabled member into a group home. And even if the group home has its benefits for the disabled, they will not receive the true love and attention they get from their family.
Cutting the funds for these families is not doing any good; because if they are need it for their children and had demonstrated that are only used for them. Why the government would cut something for these people that really need them. I believe that they should still give them the same fund that had been given before so that their children can get the care need it and can get good opportunities to succeed in the future. Even though so of them can work they won’t be able to supply everything themselves and they will have to live with their parents for support and survival. If the government want to do something go about this country they should keep the fund for the FARC the same amount it was. Also help them more when the economic is worst instead of cutting them off.
I can not see any reason for this program(FARC)to have its funds cut. I have not had to deal with the consequences of having a retarded or mentally challenged person who depended on me for everything. I can't even imagine the financial stress, not to mention the emotional stress that would be put on an individual or family. Why can't we as a society, step up to the plate when it comes to issues like these. Certainly the care givers have enough on their plate without having to deal with yet another setback, by having thier financial support with held. How is one supposed to take care of a loved one who can not be left alone. How does one work, not to mention go to the grocery store, cook dinner etc. We must be a very shallow society indeed. My heart goes out to these amazing people. I hope some how that these people continue to recieve financial support. It is the least we can do.
Of all the other places they legislators could have chosen to cut funds from, they cut funds from the one organization that can help the lives of retarded citizens. I believe that the because we voted lower property taxes, they government had to cut funds somewhere. The negative affects this has on these people are huge. They are not going to be able to receive the care they need. Many will be in debt, which will lead to resorting to other means for getting money and problem after problem. Those who used to benefit from FARC are going to suffer. I do not think this is fair at all. They gave them a reason to feel protected by the funds and now taking half of the support away is in a sense taking candy away from a child! I hope they will realize they made a mistake and change it before it affects them badly.
This subject is somewhat difficult to coment on but i believe cutting the funds that benifits children with disabilities. Many of these family depends on this fund in order to support there family.Some families dont have enough money to take care of there children medical expenses. Dealing with children who are retarded is hard and doing this without assistance and money is can be challenging.I believe these funding is important to assist them in making sure these children are ready to become apart of society.Exception should be made for these families that have to support these kids with disabilities.
I think cutting funds from the FARC budget is a severely horrible idea. It is obvious how much these families depend on the help of this organization and cutting costs just puts those families at an even greater disadvantage.
As if it weren't a great enough feat for these families to survive and makes ends meet with the special needs of their child, but to have had such a helpful organization and now their funds be cut in half is so extreme. It is truly unjust and does not make sense as to why they would cut funds from such an imperative program. I think it is disgusting that people can even consider taking this away from those who truly need it.
Cutting funding from FARC would not be a good idea at all! I think that the fact that we are using the taxpayers money to help out these families to support their children with disabilities is a great thing. I would much rather have our money being put toward something productive than other things the goverment wastes our money on. These children with disabilities need to learn basic things such as cooking and cleaning we need to teach them as though they are equal to us and by teaching them to depend on themselves it is much better than teaching them to depend on others.
My mom used to work in these 'group home' the mentally disabled are being put in. They worked there to help them learn to function on their own. some of then even eventually went out into the world, got married and had children.
But there is a dark side. Many of the disabled in different homes were abused, not my mothers house in particular but many were neglected, not bathed when they soiled them selves, left to choke and die...
These people are best of with ones they know love them and who won't be so lucky to get into a home with care takers that /do/ take care of them.
I personally agree with the legislative's
decision to cut funds for those families who depend upon the (FARC) Florida Association for Rtarded Citizens funds to enrich the lives of their family members.
I'm in no way looking down upon those with disabilities but simply just putting it into perspective and looking and the pros and cons under a microscope. Frankly, raising a child with a retardation or disability is just too expense.
Pregnant women go in for routine check-ups with their OB/GYN and during those check-ups ultra sounds as well as other countless tests can be run to check the well being of their baby. As soon as something appears to be wrong in a scan, the doctor points it out and brings it to their attention. The parents can either make one of two choices.
Choice one being to keep the developing fetus, and to dedicate most of your time as well as your budget to fund this child. If these are first time parents to a disabled child, they should really take the time out and do their research. This will not be a walk in the park. Or after long hard thinking, choice number two would be to terminate the pregnancy and to try again.
I'm in no way endorsing abortions or bashing the disabled, but nearly just voicing my opinion on my feelings regarding the FARC budget cut.
Simply cutting the funds from the FARC is retarded! Families depend on the money they receive from the government for caring a child with disabilities is quite expensive. Thus containing an individual with or without disabilities in a home, cannot improve on their mental health. Also, terminating a program that helps these individuals participating in a program that keeps them productive and busy is complete nonsense to the maximum extent. Staying at home in a comfortable environment with there families would benefit there stability and improvement of there disability. Ultimately us the tax payer will again have to pay for these compensations if the state legislators deducts currency from the association for retarded citizens.
Personally I think that taking away reparations from the families with disabled, retarded children is the worst cut we as a country have had in ages. There are many things which are not a direct result of the people effected by a disability. I have a best friend who has a younger sister with a disability and I know that financially it is a heavy situation for them. However, their father is a physician and regardless of financial situations, I know that it is so much of a complicated situation. Taking care of the child, everything from dressing her, to bathing her, to feeding her, can be such a complicated situation. The effort needed to put into the management of a disabled child, I believe should be enough and the financial strain that comes along with it, should not have to be something parents worry about. There are many other things we as a country could cut funds to, but as usual, this is one situation, where if you are not placed into it yourself, you never quite receive the forte of it.
I believe that FARC's budget shouldn't be cut but regulated. With how our economy is going we should be distributing the wealth evenly starting with the most needed people that need help.
What I did not know about is that we have a community that helps them learn on there own. Which is AWESOME! I believe this program can help them. Even though they might not be stable in the head they can still learn and comprehend things, not as fast but in a period of time.
FARC has a good idea of distributing the money. But they aren't technically cutting it. They are just trying to find a way to help the people who need more help financially then the people who don't. That's how I interpret this article.
I do not think they should cut funds from the FARC budget. This money is greatly needed by theses families and they depend on it highly. Typically a parent has to stay home to take care of a disabled child and lots of times they either cannot go to school or have to go to special schools which cost additional money as well. Medical bills are also very expensive and common for someone with a disability. I think they could take money from somewhere else where it is not so greatly needed and avoid cutting the FARC budget.
well this sucks. Its wrong for them to cut thier funds, im not with it at all. It has to be really hard for the families that have retarted and disabled kids to get thier funds just cut like that. How can they pay for the medical expenses and just give them the needs they want, when their funds just got by half or more. I cant belive thAT the legislators would go and ask the familes to put thier own kid in a group home. To sererate from thier familes and take them to somewhere else. No im not with this at all.
I think that is really unnecessary to cut the budget for FARC funds. That’s just putting parents
into more problems dealing with debt and all that! The FARC is a really big help with parents dealing with their disabled child, so why should that benefit be taken away? To me I think that’s
opening another door for more problems. With them cutting the funds, and parents not able to take care of their kids anymore, that’s putting more burdens on tax
payers also because of the group
homes; like the article stated.
Trying to take care of a disabled
child is way harder and more expensive. I've never experienced caring for a disabled child, but I can just imagine how it must be, regarding with expenses, and medical attention, special needs, also special needs during school...it’s a lot of weight being carried on the parents shoulder. It’s not like they asked to have a disabled child. So why make things harder for them? Especially how things are going
right now, I think cutting the budget for the FARC should be the least of worries right now.
Blah and Trau
Thanks for the personal insight
PunknDrublic
Good point abouit the misconception on taxes. Welfare assidtance in the US has been at the lowest point since Bill Clinton cut it down to five years maximum. After that, you are out.
Jinkzt3r
Good points. One needs to know more of the financial status of the parents before reaching a definite conclusion.
This is probably going to offend alot of people but oh well. I'm sorry but if someone has a retarted child they should have to take full responsiblity for it. why should i have to pay for someone elses kid with disabilities. In my opinion if someone knows thye are going to have a retarted child they should have an abortion. it is just not fare for everyone else to pay for a severly handicaped child. Retarted children just cause problems for tax payers down the road. for instance when the parents of the child dies who pays for thier care, I do. I not only belive for cutting the funds, but i believe in cutting funds off all together!
I agree with dragonfly's opinion. I believe that the governments priorities are backwards. If studies have proven that it actually cost more to institutionalize these members of society and it is far worse for their well being than I don't understand where the question is. It is plain as day common sense. If the problem is budget than why wouldnt we be interetsed in doing what is truly most cost effective in the long run? Not only is it more expensive to place them in a "home" obviously for the costs of running these facilities as well as paying employees but you are further isolating them from society. Ruining all chances for these people to become an active and successful member of society. I think this should be severely reconsidered.
I think that it would be crazy to cut funds FARC. I believe that everyone should get the chance to live as much of a normal life as possible. And taking away the money from them would just be horrible. The parents and the children are already having a hard time and to take money away from them would just make it harder for them. Yeah the economy is not doing so well but i think that there are other things that the government can cut funding on. So in the end i think that cutting FARC's funding is unfair for the families
I think it is terrible that they are cutting the funding to help these families. Earlier someone said something about how a woman can know if there is something wrong with a child before she gives birth. That is true... but many other disabilities actually develop as the child grows. Then, of course, there are people who simply just could not abort a child. I don't know if I could do it even and I am adamantly pro choice.
This is one of those flawed systems we have that relates directly to our healthcare system. In European countries, this wouldn't even -be- an issue. If we had socialized healthcare (yes, I just said the dreaded "s" word!) then all of this, including home care, would be covered by the government. They would have to fund these sorts of programs because it would be taken care of to begin with. However, we live in a country that believes that the only people that should matter are those wealthy and powerful enough to warrant attention. In Michael Moore's movie "Sicko" he talked to a British man who had lived in the United States for some time and as much as healthcare could cost the country... how much do wars.
The man said, "If you can afford to kill people, you can afford to help people live".
In essence, until our healthcare is fixed in this country the government has no right to cut funding for the people who need it the most. If they want to start cutting spending they should start in places that have most of it to begin with and help our country to once more become a place others can look up to.
I do not think cutting FARC funds is a good idea. Usually people who are mentally challenged show greater improvement with the support of family members giving them individual attention. The government seems to be very selfish when it comes to medical expenses. Especially by giving families the option to put their child in a group home if things still aren't affordable. That isn't a good option, and i'm sure most families would rather go bankrupt than put their family member in a foreign environment. Today families are having a hard time paying for doctor's appointments and the government is aware of that. So I don't understand how FARC funds can be cut in a time where out economy is falling short and it is harder for people to make money.
If the families with the retarded individuals truly nedded the amounts of money that were given to them, then I completly dissagree with the budget cut. This money was used to take care of people with special needs and if this meant they had a chance at a productive, independent life, they had no right to cut the budget. People have the option of sending their family members with mental problems to state groups that povide them with everyday care and attention but, this only solves one part of the problem. They were learning to rely in themselves and a chance to live in the real world. They could socialize with different groups of people and earn their own money. They probably had a sense of pride on what they did.
It looks to me like the government is taking a lot more than money away with those budget cuts, and that does not seem fair to me.
I think it is a bad thing that they are doing this to families who depend on that money given to them to help their handicapped children. They need it for medical issues, help for necessities, school, learning, and living in general. If they're cutting the fund they give them for help in half, it is true, it will damage a lot of these families and children's lives, and it will be an ongoing and harder struggle for them than it was in the first place. Personally, I think it is unfair and kind of selfish, only to allow full help and money for those children who have severe disabilities because most of those children have notable problems, and should be treated and helped the same, on every level. Of course though, the government will always do things in a different way, and will disagree with that. It's not fair, I think.
Cutting funds for the Florida Association for Retarded Citizens is not only unethical, but it does not make financial sense in the long run. Firstly, to cut aid to families that depend on the help is immoral. Despite the temporary focus on reducing government spending, many services such as FARC are vital to the citizens it provides for. The economic crisis seems to be clouding the vision of policy makers. As the article explains, the program of assistance for these special needs citizens’ results in a better more productive life for them and eventually less dependence on the state. It is sad that politicians view these services as unimportant.
I think cutting funds from FARC budget is ridiculous, not to mention unethical. Parents who have kids that have disabilities use the money to support their children with the help they need. Having the budget being cut will force the parents to put their own children in a home because they no longer have the money to take care of them anymore. This will still be expensive, but the children will not grow up with the love and care from their mother and father. Also, putting them in the home will no longer let them try to be independent and try to do things on their own. The article states, “they become reliant on the people around them.” It is hard enough on the parents that they already have to put their child in a home, but then seeing them go from learning to do things on their own to basically turning into a vegetative state is devastating. I hope the government rethinks their idea and does not cut any fund from the FARC budget.
Cutting funds from the FDRC would be a terrible decission to make. Have they taken into consideration how many lives would be turned upside down because of this. So many families depend on that because their childs special needs can be extremely expensive. When i was in High School i was part of a club called Best Buddies where we'd spend time with the mentally challenged and autistic children in the school. That was such a touching experience that i couldn't imagine anyone trying to harm those sweet children. Yes in some extreme cases the children wont have an amizingly social life but in most they still have a chance to be a some what active member of society.
This article reminded me of one movie I just saw recently. The movie is called "The Memory Keeper's Daughter". The
movie was about the girl with Down's Syndrome and the morale was simple: everyone has a chance in life. Yes,
retarded children are born with incurable disease and their options are limited. But they do deserve a chance to
have a life as close to normal as everyone else. We spend billions of dollars on wars every year. Are not our tax
dollars better spent helping people live then helping them die?
I belive that cutting funds from FARC's budget whould not help in any significant way when it comes to our economic problems. It just makes it harder on people with disabilities and their families.
The states attempts to cut the FARC fund only goes to show that it is the less fortunate in our society who suffer in tough times. If you cut the funding it will make it harder on families trying to support their children, and you would increase the chances of the family having to put the child in state care which would be much worse because like the article stated would only cause citizens to pay more.
I feel as though if funds are cut it will destroy the lives of those people that are indeed dependent on those funds. I mean why now should we cut the funds, wouldn't it be wrong to do so when the families feel as though that yes the funds are their to help them.
I feel as though the funds shouldn't be cut because people today are struggling and the assistance of those funds are helping them greatly and if those funds were to be cut, then imagine that effect it will have on them and their families.
I think this is very sad. I have three step bothers and sisters that are mentally disabaled and they receive money from the government but I can relate that if they didn't get that money they would not have any quality of life. They cannot work and cannot live by themselves so yes if they cut the FARC funds this will change these peoples lives greatly.It's not a very good thing.
Cutting the budgets of FARC, has two sides... just like anything in this world.. um..i think that its pretty messed up that the legislator is taking the money that these families need to raise their mentally handicapped child..i hate the word retarded, to classify them. But like i was saying... but on the other side of the belt maybe the legislators think some are using the system as way to get extra money. for example.. welfare..why work if you can get the free money anyways.. its sad to believe that their are people who put themselves in front of their childs needs but it happens. and maybe the system is being abused...i understand that its hard to make ends meet and it really sucks to be punished for everyone elses actions if that be the case..but you have to sacrifice and make it work.. its really sad in my opinion
I think that cutting funds from FARC is a terrible idea because this program helps people that are mentally disabled, and if this is taken away then it could ruin their lives. This program is especially made for people with disabilities, and it is helping them cope with their everyday lives and if the state decides to cut funds from it then the people in need will feel like they have nothing and no one supporting them. I think that there is no reason for them to cut funds from FARC because there are so many people in need that depend on this money.
Cutting the funds for the children that aren't in certain" groups" is ridiculous for it gives the ones that aren't in the "correct" group the shorter end of the stick and doesn't give them a fair opportunity to succeed as well as others Not only this but cutting the funds for those families who have a low income that is already barely helping the family to get by will place them in even more of a detrimental situation than they already are in. I believe they should really re-consider these options. for why should bidgets be cut for these kids and we're spenging so much money on other thingts that are so useless and pointless such as huge skyscrrapers and new "trump" towers and such. Im baffled at the fact that they would do harm onto children that cant help how they are or how they were born, and who ARE in need of help because without it they cant survive.
cutting funding for the FARC is more devastating to families then I think some people realize. last summer my mom received a similar notice letting her know that my adopted bothesr funding was being cut. My brother was born with some mental limitation he is 29years old but functions as a young child. He was in a program like one step. twice weekly he had the opportunity to go out on the town with an assigned conpaion. The job of his companion was to take my brother out and help teach him basic tasks like ordering food for himself or going to the library to check out books. Although these tasks were short and simple they meant the world to my brother it gave him a stronger sense of independence and made him happy. The improvements that my brother made through the program was amazing. Unfortunately the funding for the program was cut all together which has been a very unpleasant experience for our family. so in the attempt to answer the question more fully cutting funding for any such programs in the past or the future dose more harm then good. It just should not be don!!
To cut the budget on this association is rediculous.This association is helping families that need it the most.These families are struggling everyday and they need associations like this to help them out.The government needs to stop spending on useless things and needs to make helping families that face these problems a priority.This is defiantly not an area where our government should skim money.These parents need as much help as they can get,and worrying about money shouldn't be somthing they should have to deal with.
I personally don’t know of anyone in this situation so it’s kind of hard for me to relate to this article. The way that I have to look at this situation is that, it takes a lot of money to raise a child and then to have a child mentally disable can only bring on more bills which means more money that is needed. The funding for the children should not be cut in half. These families need those funding to take care of their child and to maintain a health lifestyle. These parents were told to give their child up to a group home which could make the child condition even worst. I think that state legislators are being ridiculous to tell parents to give up their child. Those children need family and friends around them to help them just like any other child do. Family is very important in anyone’s life and just because they are mentally disable doesn’t mean that they want feel or understand the hurt of not having a family support system.
If someone needs something in order to live then thats what they need. If it is costing them $60,000 a year to live then how can you had them $30,000 and tell them sorry but thats going to have to do. This is the last place that funds need to be cut from. Also, if the are getting help from the other organization that is cheaper and is actually showing them how to survive on their own why would you put them in a "group home" where they are no longer able to attend this org?
FARC's former system for the distribution of benefits was much better than the current capped system.
It makes no sense, to change the system that had been working. If the individuals were assessed and given assistance based on need, the money alloted to the child was put to use efficiently. Now, some of these children are being deprived of their benefits, and their families are left to come up with the difference.
Cutting FARC's budget is an outrage. They are taking money from those who ligitimately can not support themselves, while the welfare program is still providing for those who sometimes could and chose not to take care of themselves.
The reprocussions of this extend to the quality of life of those children. Being forced out of their homes because of an inability to pay, and taken to a state facility is not good. The environment is not as positive, and they do not recieve the same encouragement and tools to grow and possibly become more independent.
The need to reassess this decision and make sure the money is going where it needs to go to benefit those who truly need it most.
I do not care either way at all, but lean to cutting the budget. There parents and family should be taking care of them and the government my tax dollars can help a little but 10-50 thousand is way to much. I can see sending everyone the lowest amount that seems ok but the high amount of 50k is more then other people make in a year and more then enough for them. Although I think the government mis spends so much money that could be used in other areas like this. I know a family that gets the upper end payout and there kid is not that bad he could work if he wanted to but instead the family and him spend money on cigarettes and alcohol and only the dad works part time maybe 20 hours a week, the whole family misspends and rely on this its bullshit the parents should work and they would be fine without any money. Now I know this is not everybody so I think funds need to meet stricter guidelines.
For the thought of cutting the budget for the mentally challenge breaks my heart. These individuals need the support to live and enjoy the privileges of an American. The amount of money it would cost for a family to raise a mental child without help would be financially impossible. Medical bills are absolutely outrageous for a healthy human to get a check up, imagine what it would cost to have a doctor everyday of the week. I would rather have my money go to help a family with this situation than to the lazy welfare people who don't want to work......
I feel that this legislation is terrible. I have 2 sibling is my family that are classified as retarded and it would be a great social injustice to cut off the funds that allow these people to survive. It is incredibly stressful raising a child with disabilities and now with this bill there would be less money for these families to support their children...one more thing to worry about. It is not the parent or the child's fault that they have a mental disability and I feel that this bill only serves as a punishment to the parents.
I like the program in Pinellas that helps people with mental disabilities get jobs. Many of these children can get jobs and become productive in society and we need more programs like the one in Pinellas. Unfortunately this would cost money as does everything so i am not sure it is financially feasible with out private funding.
Cutting funds for these people is absolutely horrid! i seriously hate government officials, they dont look at the big picture and seriously do anything to save a buck even if it involves ruining a couple thousand lives! The government officials are all thieves who get away with murder on a daily basis and we do nothing to these people. I hope sometime soon we get someone into office who will take care of things like this for the middle class people..hint hint OBAMA! I know that if i had a mentally disabled child in my family and we were relying on the government for funds i would be going crazy right now. Hospitals, treatment centers and rehabilitaion centers are not cheap.
The student with the display name "Blogger59" sent this comment:
Hi Athena, I sent this over on blackboard this morning, but don't see it posted, so I am resending it this way.
I am not surprised that the 2007 political party cut the funding for FARC. Only this group could actually suggest that we go back to the old fashion “State Run System”, The state is unable to create some organized way to they’re Privatized but yet state funded and state regulated organizations. I am infuriated that our society just closes their eyes on this type of “switch a roo”. In the mid to late 1980’s the states closed some of the larger older State Mental Institutions and dumped all these handicapped people into the public communities. Some of these patients knew no other life, they were institutionalized when they were very young, their transitions was enough to drive a sane person crazy; those who grew up in the state system had some sense of certainty at 70 years old they were familiar with their surroundings. I worked with a “Non-Profit” group who won the bid on a State Privatized Contract; which then housed these mentally Ill people. In our facilities group homes, the youngest was 58 yrs old, the oldest for this group was 78, and most of them had lived in the state institution for most of their lives. I remember one man was institutionalized when he was 9 because he was handicapped and his family of 8 children could not afford to feed him or keep a non productive person in the family, so the choice was to institutionalize him for life. It is unbelievable how our States can just dump their financial burdens on the tax payers. Now they suggest we create a similar dysfunctional system at the tax payers’ dollars. I hope the families affected by this event will work harder to petition for more justice. Giving this back to the state is just creating another big pocket for the state. The monies proposed to create this “new improved system”, should be allocated to community services to help the families on a local level and to help keep the families together, and not promote segregating the handicap once again... "
I personally think that its ridiculous. Out of all the government spending, this shud not be an area recieving a cut. The government does so much unnecessary spending that they shouldnt cut back on what is necessary, like the FARC budget. Families with mentally challenged members go through enough as it is, putting up with all the challenges of their day to day lives. This budget takes a little of the burden off of them and should not be cut.
This seems ridiculous, if the current system creates more positive outcomes in the lives of the disabled people and those involved, why change. Helping the handicapped assimilate into society is outstanding, instead of alienating them from family members or helpful programs because of limiting funds by the severity of their illness. I would think that the direct involvement of family in their everyday lives would be more beneficial than in a home of some sort. Although I'm sure qualified and caring people are employed in group homes, isn't there a point when they would become a number and neglected just like we have in retirement homes? It seems like the families had no say in the change. Hopefully some change can be seen when the reality of these cutbacks opens the eyes of the legislators responsible for the change. I thought it wasn't politically correct to use the term "Retarded" anymore. Then again, what is "politically correct" today anyway?
I do not believe it would be right to cut funds from FARC budget. As hard as it is to raise a disabled person the caretakers need all the help they can get. Depending on the disibility it can cost hundreds of thousands to care for the disabled. Majority of the time it is a full time job to care for them. When I say full time i'm not saying 8 hours a day 40 hours a week job i'm saying 24/7 care which leaves no time for the caretaker to be employed elswhere
Its a shame that anyone would cut the funds for FARC. Its not these people fault that they were born with a disability(s), and depend on people. How cold hearted and money hungry have the government become to cut help to the ones that need it the most. Also to split families apart just because they cannot afford to take care of their children without assistance. I work in a group home and I know that these kids rather be home with their families because it can cause them to have behaviors and lash out. See its not only about cutting funding, but what about their FEELINGS. Plus also these mentally retarded , disabled or the "People we serve", as our company calls them, regress instead of progressing, because now you have staff doing the work for them, just because the greedy government decided to cut funds affected their independent programming that teaches them to help do things for themselves.
Its bad enough also that staffing is not getting paid enough so people come a dime a dozen then leave. This also caused more behavior from mentally disabled, because it takes time to get use to a new staff, but then that staff quit with in a few months or less. People get hired like clock
work and the mentally disable cannot take so much change all the time, so they act out. On top of that staffing hours have been cut and staffing also, so you have one staff taken care of three, four, five and six mentally diabled person on their own, which is very dangerous. Suppose something happens and that one staff cannot be in two places at once, then they get in trouble because they have no other help. Even the companies are forced to cut back, which in my opinion will lead to a disaster eventually.
Mentally retarded, or disabled people, are people with feelings just like you or I. Just because some of them cannot communicate or function like we do, what give anyone the right to hurt them and their families by cutting funding. How would people in the govermnent like it if more of their children were born mentally retarded, only then might they undersdtand. Well, then again maybe not, I think they love money too much to care about anythingelse. The love of money is the root of all evil.
I think that cutting funds from the Florida Association for Retarded Citizens is a terrible thing. I had a cousin who was mentally retarded and i saw how expensive it was to care for her. It literally cost my aunt thousands of dollars every month between the nurses, medical equipment and medications. It was a full time job to look after her even with the nurses there. If they cut these funds it's going to be devastating for many families. I know the economy is in bad shape right now, but i hope that it's not going to get so bad that they are going to start cutting these particular funds. I feel sympathy for these families as it's a hard situation to live with. I hope that the funds aren't cut.
I believe that cutting these funds would not do any good. These children with disabilities need that money so their parents do not go bankrupt. If the parent had to put the child in a home that would do a lot of harm to both the parent and the child. The parent would have to suffer with not being able to care or see their child every day and the child would most likely loose all the progress they had made in their training in the "one step closer to independence". And also to make the tax payers pay more because they decided to cut funds is unfair. We pay enough taxes as is.
Severing the funds from the FARC budget, not only cripples the financial conditions of the family dependent, but lessens the chances of the disabled children of becoming an equal part of society. Just Because that child is born with limited capabilities than others doesn't mean they should be rejected from the rest of society, thus making that child and their family's lives much harder to sustain. It's also sad how government focuses their attention on more "serious matters," such as legalizing marijuana, changing the voting limit, while there are people who aren't able to stand alongside others in today's society.
I do not beleive that the legislator should cut the funds from the FARC budget, I think that it is wrong to take something away from someone that they have been dependant on for a long time. Having children is already a big expense, when I need to go to the doctor, the visit is usually very pricey, I can only imagine how much the medical bill is with a family raising a disabled child, so many families need the extra help, I do not like paying taxes, but since I have to pay I would prefer my tax money to go to an organization like the FARC.
Plain and simple, the cuts to FARC are terrible. As the children age their needs will change placing them in higher tiers. Also, families that needed the money in order to support their children can no longer do so in the level they were accustom to. This will cause a financial hardship within the family leading to stress, and other factors, which the family may not be ready for. Some mentally challenged children may not be able to develop new skills and thus cause more difficulty for the family in the unforeseeable future.
How can the government get away with this? Well true the events happening are terrible, but in the long run the cries of the minority are unheard through the arguments of the vast majority. In the end most really don't care unless if it's literally involving them or their families most of the common people do not care enough to outcry this problem. The one chance for a semi-normal life for a person with disabilities otherwise inhibiting normal life scenereos is no losing that also due to some unknown government funding being reduced. All in all I guess you can only justify this with little morality, saying the "ends justify the means" hopefully the money is being used for something good, due to it's purpose already being destroyed.
Cutting the funds of the FARC would be pointless, and would harm alot of peoples lives.Children with disabilities need more attention and that could mean the parents not being able to work as much as they have to do to afford the costs of medications and everything else. I personally know a few familys with retarded children and they need attention all throught the day and only one parent has the time to work, because the other one never leaves the kids side. If he didnt have a good paying job they would be in debt and if they cut the FARC then they would be more in debt. I think the money is going to a good cause because we waste so much money on stupid things and they should never cut this.
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