Just to be fair, ever hear of "The Children's Defense Fund?" (click here) The topics most on this organization's mind today are "Bipartisan Bill to Expand Children's Health Coverage Passes Congress" and "America's Cradle to Prison Pipeline® Report and Summit."
The Children's Defense Fund has been around a long time and is recognized as an organization strongly noted to be affiliated with Democrats. It doesn't have to have that strong affiliation. It 'obtained' that identity because the founder, Marian Wright Edelman (click here), and one of it's most staunch supporters happened to attend the same law school long before they were affiliated with a particular political party. That other fervent supporter was/is Hillary Rodham Clinton. That was before there was a Hillary and Bill Clinton. I find it interesting because Hillary was, in her early years, a Republican.
At any rate, this is an observation of how 'steadfast' the current Democrats are in their focus to bring equity and representation to those least likely to get it.
I do believe they have all come out in favor of SCHIP, the children's national health insurance, guaranteed to insure any child in families with incomes below something like $50,000. I might remind those that oppose this needed insurance, if it's necessary, that many households with a gross income of $50,000 are primarily two incomes if not three whereby each job pays somewhat better than minimum wage. These people fall outside the tax breaks for low income workers, pay taxes that lowers their take home pay and can't afford the skyrocketing price of health insurance. There is no way a household with a disposable income of perhaps $35,000 can pay for any type of health insurance. Just no way.
But, to return to the focus of the current majority legislative party, both the topics at the top of the list for The Children's Defense Fund have been voiced on the campaign trail for the Democratic nomination for President of the USA.
Recently, John Edwards brought up the fact there is a segment of the community of American citizens that find they have a sole purpose in life and that is to fill our prison cells. While there are many Black Americans finding success in the American Landscape, finding success in high school and moving onto college, their are communities with revolving doors to prison. The majority of prison inmates come from the Black community. So while this is an issue to many voters, it isn't as though it hasn't been studied by people who care. The Children's Defense Fund clearly is concerned about the "Cradle to Prison" phenomena met by a 'certain' segment of the minority communities in the country.
Children don't vote. The first child abuse case in the country occurred in the 1950s in New York City. It wasn't because children were valued and the nation passed laws, it was because some people did value children and moved a case into court based on Animal Welfare Laws. The case based it's right for children due to the value of Carriage Horses and the laws that protected their economic worth. From there blossomed Child Abuse Laws and the protections of the voiceless began. It is this reality The Children's Defense Fund has built it's purpose and it is open to membership and support from anyone of any party. It's time the nation pay attention to the issues of the voiceless.
