Why The Democrats Kited A State Income Tax...

Senate Dems Use Audience Counters To Vote In Caucus...that is the rumor.

The reason to bring up the income tax? If it were to be on the fall ballot it would be a motivator for Acorn voters and the far left to get to the polls. With the new 2/3 vote Eyman initiative sure to be on the ballot and Democrats not likely to turn out to vote in November...putting an income tax on the ballot would create the class warfare needed to get D's to the polls. It won't work...Take away the Obama surge we saw at the polls in '08 and the D's will not have the same turnout in '10. They need those far left voters and the backlash was too great to even try another launch!

And...I can only tell you that I heard it on the Senate floor.

To count votes in caucus the D's have hand held counters like in the focus groups. (In fact, since no longer in use...they could be from the Obama campaign. Really! They aren't now being used so why not share!)

Our D's use the counter so no one has to expose themselves to the rest of the caucus. They have a huge majority but all the D's (except Omeig) who are in swing districts don't want to take the tax votes.

After the count is taken it is presumed that their leadership knows how close they are to getting a majority on a certain issue.

I am not sure if they used the counters before sending their press release on the income tax. If they did...I'm thinking one of the Republican counter intelligence people might have tampered with the switches. In any event...the more they talk about a state income tax the more voters are incensed!

I am a strong NO on an income tax and I don't think the clickers are doing a good job for them.

The Thrill Of Victory, The Pride Of Accomplishment

AND THE WINNER IS...LINDSAY! The competition was pretty steep: the whole kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades. Lindsay drew a contemporary "City Scenes" piece and won the contest. She is in kindergarten. I think I will have to commission a drawing....I thought the style was something an adult might try for...a Picasso look. Lindsay has moved to Colorado so I went up on the stage and received the award for her.
I am the luckiest one on the Senate floor. Grandma loves you Lindsay!

Alexis Stuth Bill

The bill is now in conference. If an agreement can be reached then there is a good chance we will have a bill. If not, then the bill will be left to die. Senator Hargrove and Rep. Kagi and a few others will meet. I will be there. Staff will be there. Think of it as an operating room with specialists around the patient. And for Pete's sake cheer up out there!!!! If we get a bill it will be a good one. If we don't get a bill it would have been a bad one! Like a good doctor...I will do no harm...and try to keep others from doing any :o)

It Was Suppose To Be Just A Few Quick Holes...

The Senate Ways and Means Committee today announced and then voted out a measure to...CREATE A STATE INCOME TAX. Trouble is the public heard about it! A couple people were driving down I-5, heard about the upcoming hearing, turned around and headed to Olympia to testify! They were MAD!

Alexis Stuth Bill Progress

First...part of my original bill was taken and amended into another bill that will be passed into law. So, the work we have done will not all be left behind. It will not have Alexis's name on it. This happened because some of my bill was "easy" and some not. The chair, Rep. Ruth Kagi, did not want to lose the good language that was less controversial in my bill...and that leaves the tough part to still negotiate.

The bill is currently in the House and it has been amended to place foster parents on equal footing with biological relatives. The federal government and existing state law says: Families First. In reality...that isn't what always happens. And, in some cases it shouldn't happen. Foster parents already have standing in court. So, the bill does not now possess the original intent.

Rep. Ruth Kagi and I talked yesterday about the bill. She came to me which I appreciated. There are some well meaning Republicans in the House who have an amendment favoring foster parents over biological relative waiting for the bill should it be brought up for a vote.

The amendment is being sponsored by Rep. (******) who is himself a foster parent. He sees the kids who come from bad families. He does not seem to acknowledge the fact that not all family members are bad. Again....some are bad, but some are not. Legislators need to look outside their own experiences to see the larger picture. And, legislators need to have a commitment to our family structure as does the federal and state law. Right now, according to Rep. Kagi, foster parents have standing and bio family does not. So where is the fairness in this? Seems to me that our existing law operates outside of the law. Hopefully, we can get this straightened out. As I have been saying...we need to get cases to the State Supreme Court.

This blog has taken the correct position. There are abuses on both sides of the CPS system. CPS does not do enough to help some kids (1 death a month in CPS cases) nor are they placing with relatives when they should. CPS does steal kids from good families. They were almost successful in the Stuth Case.

The bill in the House has not been voted on by the body. Do not worry about the current form of the bill. I haven't posted about it because there are too many moving pieces right now.

Lured To The Fray... A Social Worker Speaks Up...

Hello Dear Social Worker. I appreciate what you are saying. But...in the cases I have been discussing...the relatives HAVE stepped in to help. The department takes the child from the grandparents when the grandparents have done nothing wrong....And third party custody??? I think the Stuths were the first in decades to have third party custody.

(A self identified reader has comments. In the Senate we worked into the evening and will work late tomorrow. So, I am going to bed. Jim is staying up to see Mitt Romney on Letterman.)

I am a social worker for the department. The Ombudsman's office needs more power, that I agree with. However, DCFS needs to change from the top down. The "good ole boy and girl" network is alive and well in DCFS in every region. There will be no changes in DCFS until it is no longer profitable for the higher ups to cover up the abuses in the department frequently perpetuated by the higher ups themselves.
The phrase "childnapping" appears often in this and other blogs. CPS can't remove children when there is no evidence of abuse or neglect. That's the bottom line. When a child needs to be removed from their home, relatives who will PROTECT THE CHILD, NOT THE PARENTS need to step up. Too often relatives will think the department is wrong while turning a blind eye to what is happening to the child and continue making excuses. There are many, many children in this state who are in guardianships or third party custodies with relatives who stepped in before the department had to. They are to be commended for putting the safety of the child first before family. I've seen case after case when parents have been arrested for drugs, alcohol offenses, domestic violence, assaults, and other crimes and relatives are "surprised" when CPS has to get involved. Where are the concerned relatives? Arrests are not secret. I've read statements on these blogs such as "I wasn't convicted." Well, guess what? Many people aren't convicted of crimes they've been arrested for or they plea bargain down from the original charge. This does not mean they are innocent; it just means they probably had a good lawyer. Meanwhile, the children continue to be subjected to their parents' behaviors.
Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and even concerned "suitable persons in the community": if you know there are problems with parents, please protect those children before we have to step in. Anyone can go to court and file a third party custody petition. There are safeguards in place to prevent frivolous custody actions but if parents are unable to protect their own children, family or friends need to step in. If more families put children first before the parents, maybe there wouldn't be a need for CPS any longer

CPS Positions Itself To Take Another Child....

THIS ONE JUST CAME IN
There are too many loopholes between CPS and the judge's directives. New case? Let's hope this get settled...FAST!

"On February 10, 2010 my niece's son was taken into state custody in Port Townsend. She did not have a hearing until February 18,2010. At the time the judge told CPS to expedite having her son placed with me.

I took custody of him on 02/20/10. We were told we had to have our fingerprints done within 10 days. We went to the Bonney Lake Police department only to learn they couldn't help us. On February 22, I went to the Port Townsend CPS office and was told they had to send off a form and obtain a number before we could make an appointment to have our fingerprints scanned.

On Friday, February 26 at 5:15 pm, I was given the form to have this done. After trying to schedule an appointment, I discovered we didn't have the correct ID number for the Port Townsend office. I finally got the correct information on Saturday, February 27 at 10:00 pm. I was able to schedule an appointment to have our fingerprints done on Wednesday, March 3 at 9:00.

This is a full two days after they are supposed to have the results back in their office. After spending hours trying to find out if the 10 days could be extended, I was told by the supervisor there is a possibility the child could be picked up from
me tomorrow.

I am very concerned about the way this case is being handled. Is there anything you can do to help?"