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The cuts announced by Blagojevich include elimination or reductions totaling $100 million for education-related items, $210 million for social services and $600 million for health care. Among items on the chopping block are services to AIDS patients, sexual assault victims and homeless youth, as well as cuts to public transportation, community colleges, public parks and environmental programs.
Governor Blagojevich has cut 1.5 billion dollars to the state budget--affecting social service programs, healthcare, and homeless kids. Of course, I'm sure none of these cuts will impact Chicago at all. /bitter
I don't know yet how this will affect Dove or Growing Strong. And the Illinois House has a chance to somehow overturn or protest the cuts next week. I don't know how it all works. When it comes down to it, I'm politically stupid, really.
But this isn't about jobs being cut, though that will certainly happen. People in social services aren't in it for the money (trust me on that--I don't even make 25,000 a year--the first three years I worked in social services-part time mind you--I didn't even make HALF that). It's about helping people and changing lives. At least that's what it SHOULD be about.
Trust me when I say we'd also love to put ourselves out of business--that we have managed to eradicate domestic violence and sexual assault. But we haven't. In the years since I've been at Dove, the number of victims we've served has only increased, not decreased. Regardless what you hear on the news, percentages are NOT going down. Not by a long shot.
But we may very well be put out of business because of a political cluster-fuck. Congrats, politicians. Bang up job you've done here.
Just remember that when your kid commits suicide because she was raped and beaten by her boyfriend and had no one to turn to for help--you did this. I hope you're proud.
Governor Blagojevich has cut 1.5 billion dollars to the state budget--affecting social service programs, healthcare, and homeless kids. Of course, I'm sure none of these cuts will impact Chicago at all. /bitter
I don't know yet how this will affect Dove or Growing Strong. And the Illinois House has a chance to somehow overturn or protest the cuts next week. I don't know how it all works. When it comes down to it, I'm politically stupid, really.
But this isn't about jobs being cut, though that will certainly happen. People in social services aren't in it for the money (trust me on that--I don't even make 25,000 a year--the first three years I worked in social services-part time mind you--I didn't even make HALF that). It's about helping people and changing lives. At least that's what it SHOULD be about.
Trust me when I say we'd also love to put ourselves out of business--that we have managed to eradicate domestic violence and sexual assault. But we haven't. In the years since I've been at Dove, the number of victims we've served has only increased, not decreased. Regardless what you hear on the news, percentages are NOT going down. Not by a long shot.
But we may very well be put out of business because of a political cluster-fuck. Congrats, politicians. Bang up job you've done here.
Just remember that when your kid commits suicide because she was raped and beaten by her boyfriend and had no one to turn to for help--you did this. I hope you're proud.
