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To the Editor :
“The Children of Our Community Deserve a Good Halloween” rightly identified the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on our children and grandchildren. Not …
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To the Editor:
“The Children of Our Community Deserve a Good Halloween” rightly identified the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on our children and grandchildren. Not addressed, though, were the myriad of legislative and policy actions taken at the federal, state, and local level over the past several years that have deprived the children of even more: their basic rights and potential for a healthier and fulfilled future. In these times the political, public health, and personal choices we make are inseparable.
November is recognized by the Council of Welfare for Children as National Children’s Month. The Children’s Rights Movement lists 12 basic rights of children including to be born well ( safe environment, proper prenatal and infant care), a wholesome family life ( with loving family in safe home), provision of basic needs ( nutrition, housing, health care), protected from danger ( environmental, gun violence, domestic violence) and “good governance”. How we have failed them!
Three years of “zero tolerance” at our southern border has resulted in 5,500 children being separated from their parents. Our government has “lost contact” with 545 parents, and “can’t find” 362 children. “There is no vulgarity less forgivable” than the forceful separation of children from parents and failing to provide for their safety and eventual reconnection.
Economic and racial disparities and injustices are central to the established two Americas our children live in. The Children’s Defense Fund reports Early Head Start served only 8% of eligible infants and toddlers in 2018, 73% of poor children are children of color, and a baby is born into poverty every 51 seconds. In 2018 nearly 4.3 million children were uninsured. Meanwhile our leaders in Jefferson City opposed Medicaid Expansion and caused over 100,000 children to come off Medicaid rolls. From 2016 to 2018 Missouri led the nation in rising number of uninsured children.
Enter the Covid-19 pandemic and the politicized response that demonizes science, the federal and state responses that fail to recognize that economic recovery can only be achieved with pandemic control by established public health practices, and the polarization of our communities over the most effective preventive tool: facial coverings. Local elected officials who did not have the courage to “encourage” facial coverings at risk of political repercussions failed miserably in their primary role: serving and protecting our community.
I encourage your readers to Vote For Our Children. Vote for change in our leadership in Washington D.C. and Jefferson City. Our children not only deserve it; their futures depend on it.
Tony Cook
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