DHHS is paying more for child care — after saying it wasn’t allowed to

The LePage administration is relaxing certain requirements for child care providers who look after children in their own homes, while unilaterally increasing the amount of money they receive for enrolling low-income children with state-funded subsidies.

More >> DHHS is paying more for child care — after saying it wasn’t allowed to

Misdiagnosis leads to paralysis, $1.9 million settlement for Maine girl

It was every parent’s nightmare.

In February 2014, six-year-old Wynter Przybylski was very sick. Her parents took her to a walk-in clinic in Brewer and to see the girl’s pediatrician. Both diagnosed her with severe constipation, but the treatment only made her worse.

More >> Misdiagnosis leads to paralysis, $1.9 million settlement for Maine girl

Recent Headlines and opinion articles

What LePage really plans to do with $100M meant for Maine families in poverty

Topsham parents wanted to record their son’s school day – a jury says no - This of course helps he schools to keep secret how they deal with special needs kids.  I suggest putting a wire on the kid and recording them anyway.  Maine is a one party state which means that only one party needs to know that there is recording going on.

Study: Early Head Start fails to serve thousands of Maine children

Senate overrides LePage veto of school truancy measure

Senate upholds governor's veto of tanning bed bill

• Maine bill to bar minors from using tanning beds goes nowhere

Report: More kids going without health coverage in Maine

Our View: Maine fails to step up for young people with mental illness - As does Portland Public Schools.

Maine passes law to allow 12-month supply of birth control

Maine’s budget doesn’t have to pit schools against health and human services

Mainers are pretty smart. They clearly demanded more school funding.

Maine youth prison lays off nearly half its teachers 

• Maine has strong prison oversight laws. Lawmakers and correctional leaders should follow them.

Lewiston schools forum seeks answers to cyberbullying issue

Maine's Acting DHHS Commissioner Loves Signing Adoption Papers

So Maine's DHHS posted this little diddy on Facebook this morning about how Mary Mayhew's "acting" replacement Ricker Hamilton just LOVES signing other peoples stolen children away into new families.  A process known in the Child Protection Racket System as Adoption.


Of course the people who have never experienced the pleasures of a DHHS social worker crawling up their ass still believes that this is all for the greater good because ALL of these (18 so far) children were "abused or neglected." Maybe some of them were, but I doubt all because I know for a fact and personal experience that DHHS is unfairly heavy handed in their treatment of families who have come into contact with child welfare since Gov. Lepage and Commissioner Mayhew took over. People believe this is best without a single care in the world  as to the pain and suffering or the struggles or the work or the fighting that the families went through to get the kids to this point only to be shot down and failed by the system that was supposed to help strengthen and preserve their families by providing services to help them become better parents.

Yes I do realize that some parents are not capable of caring for their children due to whatever reason, but I also know many in Maine who are and are fighting tooth and nail to get the kids back.  It's not only them  who are getting screwed though.  Never mind, for example, the Grandparents who are capable and willing to care for the kids but are being shunned by DHHS for whatever reason.  I know grandparents in Maine who are fighting for or raising the kids and even Senator Susan Collins has taken a sudden interest in this issue.

One of the many fallouts of the opioid epidemic is that thousands of children are winding up in the care of grandparents, including many in Maine. 

With parents in prison, strung out or dead, these youngsters are among the 2.7 million nationally who count on grandparents to raise them, sometimes on limited incomes or struggling with their own health issues. 

More >> Susan Collins seeks to help grandparents raising grandchildren

Of course I'm sure Senator Collins only cares about the grandparents who were given the opportunity to care for their family members.  I haven't read it yet as I haven't found any such bill online, but I assume that there is nothign in this bill that requires DHHS to prioritize kinship placements of children rather than foster care which is what leads to adoption, just that it qualifies this segment of the population for Government Funded Services similar to what's given to foster families.

Sadly, most people who read this crap in the news or on Facebook will get that heartwarming feeling after being led to believe that the state is doing good things for the children when in all actuality it's all about the money and the services, many of which the LePage Administration has cut funding for..




Go Figure!

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FYI: You can follow the progress of Senator Collins Bill here...

S.1091 - Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act 

Parents’ First Amendment suit seeks to allow disabled son to record school day

I agree with this lawsuit.  If the school has nothing to hide then they shouldn't worry about such things.  And Maine is a One Party State anyway.  That means that they can record and only they need to know.

The Topsham couple says the boy can barely speak so the device could provide details of his education, but the district says the practice would cause problems. 

More >> Parents’ First Amendment suit seeks to allow disabled son to record school day

Watchdogs revealed crisis in Maine’s youth prison. LePage let them go.

You know it really scares me to see this article because I know how good the state is at taking care of kids with mental health issues.

In the child welfare system, for example, they dope them up on psych meds and tell them they're doing great while bouncing them around from home to group home to institution, all while praising in the media the foster care providers who open their hearts and homes to a child in need.   All the while the state keeps their secrets.  We rarely read about anything more than the need for more foster homes in Maine or what the state is doing to fight child abuse.

I also know how they treat kids with mental health issues in the school system.  Put the little ones into physical restraints, slide things through and blame the parents or retaliate by reporting them to DHHS for complaining.  Meanwhile, all the meetings and incidents are confidential.  In fact, the physical restraints, as horrific as they are, are referred to as therapeutic holds and when described to the parent, sugar coated all the way.

Now we're getting a glimpse of how they intend to keep us and the legislature informed of issues when they lock these kids up at the Long Creek Youth Development Center, or rather Southern Maine's Juvenile Detention Facility.  They don't.  Good care costs money, therefore they must keep their secrets in order to keep taxes low.

For more than a year, Tonya DiMillo saw tragedy waiting to happen at the state’s youth prison. 

More >> Watchdogs revealed crisis in Maine’s youth prison. LePage let them go.

After reading this article I am convinced that Governor Paul LePage just doesn't care about the most vulnerable children in our society.  He doesn't care about the lack of available services in the state that could have helped to prevent the "need" for jailing these kids, nor does he care how parents are supposed to pay for them.    

He would rather lock them up and keep it all secret.  

Augusta father ordered to take parenting class after 2-year-old nearly drowns in Kennebec River

The problem with being a parent in Maine these days is that if you are not perfect in almost every way, the state will be all over you when they are no better and often much worse for the kid than the imperfect parent.

An Augusta man pleaded guilty Tuesday to endangering the welfare of a child in connection with an incident last September in which his 2-year-old son ended up floating facedown in the Kennebec River. 

More >> Augusta father ordered to take parenting class after 2-year-old nearly drowns in Kennebec River

Although this incident COULD HAVE ended in a horrible tragedy and as parents we do have to be vigilant and on on top of things with your kid, I don't believe for a minute that this father is guilty of anything more than making a mistake.

Of course if incidents like this happened like 5 times in the family then there may be a problem.

Of course if the police reports indicated that the father was falling over drunk or overdosing on heroin at the time of the incident then there may be a problem.  But this guy is guilty of nothing more than making a mistake.  He fucked up in other words and the perfect people would want to hang him for it.  It's prone to happen at least once in every parents life.   I'm sure even the most self-righteous perfect parents among us have experienced that near death moment as a parent when your kid runs out into the middle of the street.  You turn your head for one second and your kid has taken off in a busy mall.  They won't admit it, but something can happen to them too.

Kids are fast.  Give the guy a break.

Father of toddler who nearly drowned reaches plea deal