If Our Country is So Great, Why Can't We Take Care of Our Kids?

I honestly feel that our "system" is totally screwed up! They need to help people in need HERE and NOW! Afterall, thse precious little children ARE OUR FUTURE!

Day care givers make less than minimum wage. Teachers make nothing, school budgets are always tight. It just blows me away that billions go to destroying children in other countries and a pittance goes to nurturing them in our own country.

If our system is screwed up--it starts with selfish or lazy parents. First, one has to realize that the UN is not US friendly. Ask yourself, when have you seen a starving child as seen on TV in Africa and India? In Africa infants are raped believeing it cures the rapist of AIDS. In some Muslim countries young boys and girls are openly forced into prostitution. For crying out loud--some countries still have Blacks into slavery--in Africa! Are we the worst in caring for our kids? Ask the kids in Africa if they would switch. Understand that the "Jealous Bash America" crowd originates with the UN. Did you read that other nations should provide funding to help us with our kids? No But we provide aid to help these "better nations" with theirs. Remember this the next time you are asked to donate to oversea charity. Do research before you attack your own country.

too much interference by gov agencies I think

Good comment, P.M. I agree.

Of course, there are countries who do worse by their kids. However, those are not WEALTHY countries. This report does not compare the United States to places like Bangladesh for goodness sakes. This report compares the United States to places like Canada and Western Europe.

I do not donate to overseas charities when there are kids here in the US who go without food. The economic differences in this country are appalling and it's the children who suffer the most.

The worst of it is that we're spending our nation's resources on places like Iraq when some of our own schools are crumbling right in front of us!

THe problems with our country are not just the government, people tend to forget the country is run by US. We put people in power for US. Look at our society though, we look down on women who leave babies on doorsteps and women who love their babies so much they want to breast feed and they do it in public!

Women who stay home to raise their children are looked down on for leaving the workplace and women who stay in the workplace are made to seem like they care more about their careers. We live in a no win situation.

Childcare workers get paid minimum wage because if they got paid what they were worth no one could afford it. According to the Census Bureau, 35.9 million Americans live below the poverty level, 12.9 million are children. Almost 100 billion pounds of food is wasted in America each year. 700 million people in different parts of the world are starving. 3.5% of US households experience hunger. That is 3 million children skipping meals, not eating enough or skipping meals all together.

I am of the school that it takes a village to raise a child, so to me seeing the numbers that 3 million children are starving in our country means we as a country are not raising our kids right. Forget the government, what are YOU doing to help these children in need. I am sure there are some in your community who could really use your help. You show them you care, they will grow up a little better.

I donate to the food bank, I give to the "Angel Tree" (buying Christmas gifts of clothes and jackets for needy children), I assist my civic league in helping those in my neighborhood who may not be able to afford a Thanksgiving meal, and I help these same people throughout the year so they can get back on their feet.

I am not trying to sound preachy, but so many people get so wrapped up in what they do for themselves that they forget the joy in helping other people. People helped me when my husband and I were faltering and because of them we have a wonderful home we filled with 2 beautiful children and many other blessings.

We live in a great country! I wouldn't want to have anywhere else be my home. I believe other people look in on our country and see the bad just like we look into other countries and see their bad so I don't take other people's comments too much to heart.

Aimee...I completely agree with everything you wrote.

If more people do what you do, we wouldn't have this problem in the first place.

There are so many things changing and evolving that it is hard to say any one thing is causing problems for our children.
Back when my mother grew up, her aging grandparents moved in at different times and helped out with the kids, living out their last days with their families. Alot of times this was free child care when the elder was still able to keep up with kids or the kids were old enough to manage most things independently. It also gave the kids a stronger sense of family, in my opinion.

What I do not understand about that article is that it supposedly studied the "ability" to care for the children. Does that mean that they did not study whether the children were or were not taken care of? Just how well we as a nation "could" care for them?

Kathy, I'm just stopping by during Triple Point Week to say thank you for being my Gather friend, and thanks for all the nice comments you have left on my articles and images.