Young Mothers Raising The Next Generation Of Inmates?

                                                 Image: Louisa Stokes / FreeDigitalPhotos.net


 There have been many studies on the effect of children that come from young mothers that are raised without fathers. What those studies and statistics show are beyond startling and disturbing.

While researching this topic, I found a great website that list's some of the governments statistics on the outcome of children being raised by young single mothers. http://www.fathers.com/ Some of the more shocking stats that are listed are as follows:
1) Children in homes without fathers are more likely to live in poverty.

2) Children from single parent homes are likely to develop drug and alcohol abuse.

3) Children from single parent homes are more likely to commit criminal acts. These of course are just a few examples and merely the tip of the iceberg.

Now of course these statistics are flawed in that the research done was not in depth enough. For example, what differences on children can be found between homes with a single mom compared to a single dad. Also, what if the single mom has an extensive family network compared to mom's with little or no family.

My biggest concern is not listed in these statistics per say, but perhaps can be found by reading between the lines. I am speaking of how these young girls are raising these children. I am speaking directly about the young girls who have children fathered by men who have jail and or prison records. I have seen this too many times first hand and realize that it is a viscous cycle that sadly seems to repeat itself over and over. What needs to be studied in depth is the character traits that is being passed on to these young ones and what can be done to change it.

I realize that not all single family homes are like the above example. There are indeed both single mother's and father's that instill values and discipline and character in their children. There are also situations where the father may not live with the children, but is still a constant in their lives. These children are the blessed ones. These children are more likely to grow up and finish school and make wonderful lives for themselves. This is why I say the above statistics are inaccurate to a degree. These studies are not covering all facets of single parents.

I have seen too many children raised by young mothers that already show extreme behavioral problems. I know of a case where a three year old bi racial child is allowed is to go around calling people of all creeds and colors the N word. The mother laughs. The father and other men in this particular child's life have all been incarcerated and the mother is much younger acting than her actual age of 20. I am not sure which group of  circumstances is affecting this child worse. Another example is how this same child is allowed to hit people and animals. Is given anything he wants in order to keep him from crying. I am afraid this is the outcome for many children being raised by very young girls.

I think that schools, churches, youth groups etc... need to concentrate not only helping to prevent teen pregnancy but to also develop support for those that already have children. They need to see how to raise their children in a positive way and what could and probably will happen if they continue to allow their children to go down the path they are on.

The Great Debate Purebred Or Pound

                                                 


There seems to be a great debate with potential dog owners and enthusiasts alike. This would be buying a purebred or adopting a mixed breed (mutt) from a pound or shelter.

I believe the decision should be made from a number of factors. One of these factors and the most important, being finance. Purebreds tend to cost a lot depending on breed and whether or not they come from champion bloodlines and whether or not you are buying for breeding rights or simply for companionship. When purchasing an AKC registered dog with full registration (meaning breeding rights) and champion bloodlines, expect to pay quite a lot regardless of breed. Of course under the finance decision there is also the question of whether or not you can financially take on a pet of any kind. This is due to the fact that food is not the only expense you have. There is also veterinary care, flea and tick treatment, heart worm preventative, grooming if required, and of course toys and various accessories.

The truth of the matter is that pounds and shelters across the country do have purebreds. It is sometimes difficult to find them because many breed specific rescue groups, rescue these animals before they can be euthanized. The euthanizing of animals at pounds would be one reason I would urge anyone who is simply seeking a family friend or companion to visit their local shelter or pound. A lot of dog's found at shelters are either homeless or ran away and the owners either never claimed them or never found them. Occasionally you will find dogs that got taken from their previous owners due to neglect, mistreatment or inability to care for them. These dogs in particular need love and attention but will also need patience and understanding because they have been through a lot and will undoubtedly suffer from some sort of after affect.

Now, I personally fall into the category of having all of the above. I have a purebred I bought, a purebred that I rescued from a roadside that was in horrible condition, and a furry fluffy lovable mutt (pictured at the top). Just because you buy a purebred, this does not mean that you cannot also open your heart and home to those who need it.

Now to throw my two cents in. There is also another debate when it comes to dogs, and that is SIZE. I would like to inform those that do not know, that some large breeds are actually better for certain scenarios than small breeds. I will use my Great Dane (the love of my life) as an example. Great Danes, albeit huge, are actually great for those who live in an apartment. They require less exercise, need to go outside less frequently than their smaller counter parts, and generally spend their day's playing, eating and watching t.v. I will ad one quick side note to this: Great Danes love bed's, especially yours, and you will find yourself sometimes on the couch due to this fact. That being said, thorough research should be done before picking a specific breed. The lack of understanding a breed is one reason why there is a  need for so many breed specific rescue groups. Some people get small dog breeds because they are cute and do not realize their need for a lot of exercise, their tendency to bark a lot, and the fact that some, like Jack Russell's ,generally bounce of the walls. I actually like this about them but if you are not prepared you will end up with a case of having to give your dog up because you cannot handle him or her. The same can be said for large breeds. Again as an example, Great Danes are beautiful, sweet, loyal to a fault and great protectors. They also can do some pretty nasty damage to your house if you do not take the time to train them and provide them with exercise and toys. I speak from experience when I say there can be nothing more devastating to your wood furniture than a 100 + lb. puppy.

Ultimately the choice is up to the individual. But to prevent having to give your dog up, whether purebred or mutt, I urge everyone thinking about a new dog, to read, read, read and read some more. As long as you know exactly what you are getting into, any dog, big, small, purebred or mutt, will love you always and you will feel the same way. 



Thank you for reading and as always your comments and suggestions are welcome. God Bless!!!

The Illegal Alien Dilema

After receiving a suggestion to do a post on illegal aliens, I began to do some research. Some of the findings I knew, some I did not. Irregardless I was left even more infuriated at the situation than I was before.

My first order of business was to see if I could find any statistics on what countries illegal immigrants stem from. I must admit that I was left surprised. As most Americans know, the majority of illegals come from Mexico. The part however that surprised me was this list of other countries that illegals immigrate from as well. WHERE-DO-ILLEGAL-ALIENS-COME-FROM .
Some examples were China , Brazil , Korea , India and many many more. Since this report is 11 years old I am sure those numbers have greatly increased.

I like many others, first think of Mexicans when I hear of illegal immigrants due to the fact that those are the illegals that are always being referred too. And is it probably also due to the fact that illegal Mexican immigrants are the group that we as a country have such have such a hard time policing. 

I read an article http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5312900 that is basically a Q and A on illegal aliens and the economic impact they have. I must say that I strongly disagree with a segment in this article that states that illegal immigrants have little or no impact on the unemployment rate. It seems to me that many Americans in this time of economic difficulty are having a hard time even finding jobs in the fields of construction, landscaping and various other labor intensive fields. Why this is so, is really quite easy. Why would someone hire an American legal citizen when they can hire an illegal for much less. 

This  brings up yet another point. Illegals of any nationality are illegal. Therefore they should not be given jobs in the first place. I am not saying that people of all nationalities should not immigrate to other countries. What I am saying is to do it legally. By allowing illegals to stay here we are worsening the situation. Especially with the current need of so many Americans to find jobs of any kind. 

The next question is why are so many illegal aliens not deported? I for one am baffled by this. In fact if you run a online search you can find stories about illegal immigrants being arrested over and over until finally being deported. It was always my thought that illegals are illegal. Therefore just being in a country where you are not allowed to be without legal right, should be grounds for removal. At http://www.justice.gov/usao/eousa/foia_reading_room/usam/title9/crm01918.htm you can clearly see that state and local law are most certainly allowed to obtain and hold an illegal immigrant. More so, they are allowed to do so on suspicion that an individual is an illegal alien.

On one hand, I say that law officers both state and county should do this. On the other hand, that would truly increase the officers already heavy work load. Perhaps a good solution would be to implement a small group of state highway officers for each state whose soul purpose is to track down known illegals and to investigate potential cases of illegal immigration.This would also open up more jobs across the country since this is not a a problem that will be going away anytime soon.

I really find this issue in general to be unbelievable. It seems like a never ending loop. What confuses me the most is that our Government, the government of the United States Of America, deemed these individuals as illegal in the first place. But somehow, this group of people who are "illegal" are on the system, driving around with drivers licenses (usually fraudulently), and working at jobs that many many Americans need and or want. I think it is a shame that illegal immigrants have children and instantly are allowed to stay. This is only adding to the problem. We already have so much poverty in this country and now it seems we are importing it from Mexico and various other countries.

In short, this really must be addressed in a head on, hands on kind of way. I love this country through the good, the bad, and the ugly. I hate that illegal aliens are breaking the law by being here and being rewarded by taking things that rightly belong to the legal citizens of this country.

The Social Security Injustice

photo by graur razvan ionut

Too many seniors are suffering at the hands of the social security administration. The cost of living is going up while the benefits are going down.

It seems strange that to everyone else in the free world it is quite obvious that the cost of living has risen. Yet according to the social security administration it has not and therefore there is no need to raise seniors social security. So instead they have decided to make cuts.

While reading up on this subject I found an article http://peoplesworld.org/proposed-social-security-cuts-seniors-hit-millionaires-glide/ which states that next year social security is making some rather drastic cuts that will in turn make the rich richer and the poor poorer. 

My parents both receive social security and even with one of them still working they can barely keep their heads above water. This is the case with so many others. My father said to me one day "that's funny I thought the social security administration said the cost of living wasn't going up" while referring to the $3.09 gas price at the time. That is exactly the problem. The people in charge of making these decisions see all of these people as numbers on a piece of paper. They go by whatever crackpot statistic has been thrown at them.

It is time that the government looks at all of these people as people and not statistics. They do not see the countless individuals struggling with bills and not being able to do necessary tasks such as have their vehicles fixed, or having to decide which medicine to do without today. 

It is not only the current seniors that are suffering but the future generation of Seniors as well. This is due to fact that although very gradually, they want to keep raising the age limit for when you can receive social security benefits. I believe it is already preposterous that the age is 67 now and they want to continue to hike it up. Most people by age 67 have worked more than half their lives and most certainly deserve to be taken care of and receive all the hard earned money that they have put in. 

This age increase also causes more problems because there are already millions of people suffering with unemployment and some individuals would have to continue working  until they reach of age. The problem however is the fact that the trend in this country is to let more experienced older people go so that they can hire younger inexperienced individuals for much cheaper. All this is doing is stepping on those that deserve respect, help and understanding. 

This has got to stop. I for one hate knowing that people I love are being hurt by a system that is more than capable of taking care of them. Not only this but now it certainly seems that if the big wigs get their way, I and many others have the same or worse to look forward to when we finally get social security at almost 70 years old.

Is Euthanasia Always The Best Answer ?

Carlos Porto

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=345

  

There are thousands of thousands of pet owners who probably at some point in time, have to make the gut wrenching decision of whether to put their beloved pet to sleep. It is the same heart wrenching decision whether your pet is a dog, cat, horse or something else entirely.

I feel to many times however ,Veterinarians do not always work with their human clients the way they should in understanding that euthanasia may not always be a necessity.

I am in no way stating that in some instances putting the pet down is not the right action. Nor am I saying that pet owners are not occasionally too quick to opt for euthanasia.

My own personal feelings are that if possible you stay and take care of that pet to the bitter end. I have known many people that have chosen euthanasia as a cheap easy way out even when treatment was an affordable and easy option.

One instance of this, is a person whose horse had a hoof infection. The vet informed the person that it could clear right up with a course of antibiotics but it is a possibility that it  may not and the horse be lame. Without a second thought the horse was put down on the spot. This story broke my heart and sadly I know many more like it. Sometimes it is the Veterinarians doing because they know the client is low income and will persuade the client its the best choice when it is not necessarily the case.

As I stated before, there are many different reasons why putting ones pet to sleep may be the best option in some cases. However, I strongly feel that something needs to be done here. Whether it be putting restrictions on when Euthanasia be administered, or judging whether a pet owner should make that call if clearly it might not be the right choice due to the fact it is unnecessary. 

Change needs to come and money should never be a factor in making a person put down their pet. It should be something that absolutely is the only way to ease an animals suffering, period.

There needs to be programs implemented that help in case of an emergency to cover low income and others in financial need with veterinarian bills and or surgery costs if required. 

After all, for many not only in this country, but around the world, our pets are our lives.

Jail Is Not Enough

Occasionally incarceration is simply not enough for many of the inmates that reside in the various jails
and prisons throughout the country. There are quite a few inmates that desperately need to be sent to
mental health facilities or receive extensive in jail therapy compared to incarceration alone.

I write this not for the sake of the inmates but for the countless people who will be affected when these people are once again released. This is due to the fact that these inmates are likely to be released and incarcerated time and time again. While trying to find statistics on the amount of mentally ill inmates, I found some disturbing information on  http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2006/09/05/us-number-mentally-ill-prisons-quadrupled  a human rights website.The Human Rights Watch site states since six years ago, the number of mentally incarcerated individuals has "nearly quadrupled".

Change needs to happen and happen now. There are too many disturbed and violent individuals that will cause harm to others when simply released without any intervention. In fact, a lot of inmates can cause harm while in jail or prison. I know a young woman whose ex is currently serving time in a local jail. This individual has sent letters and has gotten other inmates to give him their i.d. number so that he can call her. Although she has a no contact order on him that of course does not stop him. This particular individual has been in jail more times than I could possibly list, but the number one reason would be assault. This man uses violence as a way of controlling women, making them too afraid to leave him. He has done this over and over again since the age of 18. This man is now in his mid 30's and it is safe to say the system has failed.

Another instance of this would be the previous mentioned man's brother. This mans brother has also been in jail repeatedly and suffers from severe bi polar disorder and schizophrenia.   This man we will call Bill, recently went off of his medicine and brutally sexually assaulted his spouse and is now in prison. Like his brother, Bill will be eventually released and without intervention this could happen again and perhaps to a completely unsuspecting person who is in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Unlike the Humans Rights Watch group, I am not worried about the inmates but the victims, both past and future. We need to take drastic measure to ensure that people who committed certain crimes are not only punished but reformed in a way that jail alone cannot and will not do. These individuals should not be allowed to enter society again until detailed exams have been performed and these individuals are proved to be trustworthy to the public at large.

I realize my views may seem extreme, but I have seen too many injured whether it be physically or mentally by these types of individuals and I truly believe with all my heart that drastic may be the only way to correct the problem.  

This Valentine's Day Give Something Special

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, many are already thinking about what to get that special someone. However, I say give a little of yourself this year. 

Several years ago around this time, I had a severe medical emergency and had to receive 8 pints of blood. If it wasn't for the large caring hearts of blood donors I certainly would not be here to write this today. So this Valentine's Day I encourage you to give a little of yourself and donate blood. There are so many people in need everyday. I can tell you first hand that it does save lives and those people who lives you save are indeed so grateful.

If you would like to donate or want more information on donating blood you can go to  http://www.redcrossblood.org  to find our more information, find a local blood drive or schedule an appointment. I highly recommend looking at the recipients story's to fully understand how important donating blood really is. 

Happy Valentines To All And Please Give Blood