Unfortunately the situation at the border is not bringing out the best in people.
Putting aside any political discussion or blame games, these are children escaping from horrendous conditions in their home countries, and people just want to send them back.
Some are now using the suddenly discovered compassion toward those they have ignored up until now.
We are suddenly hearing that we need to take care of our own children, our homeless, and our veterans first.
The fact is, though, that while food assistance for children and veterans’ families was being cut by congress, people sat silent.
With an a unacceptable number of our veterans being homeless while training and jobs programs got cut, people sat silent.
When school breakfast and lunch programs were being cut by congress people sat silent.
When unemployment benefits that assist parents in feeding and clothing their kids were threatened, people sat silent.
When Senate Republicans blocked legislation that would have expanded federal healthcare and education programs for veterans because it would have “busted the budget” while the Republican House and Senate members gave additional tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations, people at silent.
When the White House proposed an increase to the VA budget, and Congress shot it down, people at silent.
While children in the United States are going to bed hungry, and the troops we support return and could use some help supporting their kids until they get their civilian lives back together, Congress cuts food stamps, and people sit silent.
When thousands of soldiers return home from war in Afghanistan, You know, the troops we like to trumpet that we support, and are searching for jobs and could use some assistance, they end up homeless, and people sit silent.
When congress was proposing cuts to Head Start, Community Health Centers, Community Services Block Grants, Low Income Home Energy Assistance contingency funds, Title I (K-12 education for low-income students), IDEA (special education) grants to states, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, & Children, 21st Century Community Learning Centers (after school programs), Maternal and Child Health Block Grants, and Child Care Development Block Grant, people sat silent.
When Congress threatened funds for Teen Pregnancy Prevention Grants, Mentoring Children of Prisoners, Even Start, Striving Readers, High School Graduation Initiative, Student Aid – for higher education, and LEAP program (for low-income college students), people sat silent.
Either they did not pay attention, did not care one way or the other, or actually spoke in support of these cuts to veterans and children because those they listen to without question told them to.
But now, in an attempt to assume some high road position to justify their negative attitude toward the children coming from Central American countries to avoid gang pressure, gang violence, and death, people are suddenly invoking the children already here.
They have been ignoring our own children because they are other people’s children living in conditions they themselves are foreign to.
While they worshiped the fetus, they ignored the child.
Well, the children have been here.
Why have these people not cared up to now?
The answer is simple. They didn’t need the prop.