As if we don't have enough busy-body snoops already, Congress is considering a bill (S. 1877) to make every adult in the country a mandatory reporter of child abuse and neglect. This puts the feds smack in the middle of a child abuse industry that is already completely out of control. Does anyone really think that having the Department of Health and Human Services involved will improve things? Is this really about protecting the children or about creating massive new authority for HHS? And how many false charges will be applied by people who don't happen to like their neighbors?
Who do you think will end up being reported? Will it be large families? After all, they can't possibly be caring responsibly for all those children and didn't you see one of them outside in their pajamas at noon? What about Christian families? There have already been cases where judges told parents they take their children to church too much and have to stop. Just read some of the cases on the HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) website.
To read more and to contact the committee members and your own senators go here. HSLDA has written a great summary on the dangers inherent in this latest federal attempt to usurp the rights of the states and create a new federal mandate that calls every adult in the country to snoop on his neighbors.
I'm glad I'm old and my sight and hearing are failing.
ReplyDeleteMore to the point, I see Al Franken is on the (sub?) committee. He will get an email from me.
I'm a little surprised by this post. This action is obviously a reaction from the Penn State scandal in which there were a lot of adults who failed those children by not reporting abuse to the proper authorities - instead only reporting it to their supervisor.
ReplyDeleteI agree, some adults will take it too far - but trust me when I say that taking it too far (ie. calling on the toddler who's outside without parental supervision or the child who's in pajamas) is already happening now. That's part of why CPS workers are so overwhelmed - it takes so long to distinguish between a real and a bogus accusation.
Exactly, Anonymous! That's why it's crazy to add a layer of FEDERAL bureaucrats on top of all the rest of them.
ReplyDeleteThe Penn State scandal was not a problem of parental abuse or abuse in the family. Reporting abuse in public between non-related individuals is different from interfering in the family with your next-door neighbor binoculars and lack of knowledge of what's going on in the family (parental discipline, etc.)
ReplyDelete