If The Citizens Want Tax Relief, Punish Them!

            Well at least that seems to be the instinct in Arkansas’s Governor Beebe’s Administration. To review some of the details for those of you who may not know, or even care; Governor Beebe became just a little upset when some obnoxious legislators took the initiative and proposed and then passed some tax reductions without his blessing and leadership. (He likes to take credit for this kind of stuff.)

            Turns out in the implementation of “fiscal responsibility”, (cutting taxes by $35 million), some foster parents will pay the price by having their monthly reimbursement for “room and board” reduced about 50% per child. To quote from the local paper, “The payments are being halved to help the Children and Family Services Division in the Department of Human Services stay within its budget.”

            The total budget cut for this Department was $1.59 million of which $275,000.00 was cut from the room and board for “therapeutic foster care homes”. These homes are for children requiring “extra care”. This reduces the monthly “room and board” maximum reimbursement per child from approximately $500.00 to $250.00 per month.

            So Governor Beebe, as the Chief Executive of the State’s Administrative Branch, seems OK with just slicing the monthly reimbursement to those good folks caring for “special needs” foster kids by 50%. After all, his budget was cut by $35 million in tax cuts, so some one has to suffer. Of course he could find the $275,000.00 in the AG McDaniel’s office. Seems the AG just keeps all the moneys the state receives from the class action lawsuits and spends it as he deems appropriate. Maybe “special needs” foster care falls under the AG’s definition of “appropriate”.

            Oh, did I mention that the state has over 8,000 vehicles, many of which they can’t locate or determine who uses them and for what. At $30,000.00 each the Governor could find $275,000.00 by not purchasing NINE new ones!
            What Shirley? No! I'm not in some kind of "Mid-Summer Night's Dream". I'm, well, just a lovable ole optimist at heart. Some good spirited public servant will figure out how to pay these good folk foster parents for the R&B of these special needs kids.