Quote of the Day: Woody Allen Edition

"I'm open-minded about sex. I'm not above reproach; if anything, I'm below reproach. I mean, if I was caught in a love nest with 15 12-year-old girls tomorrow, people would think, yeah, I always knew that about him."

Woody Allen, from an interview he did when he was 40 years-old.

Allen has been accused by his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow of child molestation.

From Farrow's open letter in The New York Times.

For as long as I could remember, my father had been doing things to me that I didn’t like. I didn’t like how often he would take me away from my mom, siblings and friends to be alone with him. I didn’t like it when he would stick his thumb in my mouth. I didn’t like it when I had to get in bed with him under the sheets when he was in his underwear. I didn’t like it when he would place his head in my naked lap and breathe in and breathe out. I would hide under beds or lock myself in the bathroom to avoid these encounters, but he always found me. These things happened so often, so routinely, so skillfully hidden from a mother that would have protected me had she known, that I thought it was normal. I thought this was how fathers doted on their daughters. But what he did to me in the attic felt different. I couldn’t keep the secret anymore.

It is getting harder to believe that Woody Allen is innocent. Dylan Farrow is now a grown woman living under a new name. Why would she open herself up for potential attacks on her character unless her accusations are true. It is certainly obvious that Dylan Farrow's relationship with Allen is strained. That didn't happen by accident.

More Bad News on DCF Children Deaths

Gov. Rick Scott has praised the work of DCF child welfare chief David Wilkins.

Commenting on the latest death, Scott told reporters: "You would hate for anything to happen to any child ... Any time anything like this happens, you take it very seriously and the expectation is you go back and make sure it doesn't happen again. I think Secretary Wilkins is doing a very good job. He's very committed to doing the right thing. He's very committed to making sure that every child is taken care of, and he'll do the right thing in looking into this."

Wilkins was doing so good of a job he as forced to resign. Scott offered his praise to Wilkins after four children died in the DCF child welfare program. Scott has a unique view of what constitutes doing a good job.

We now learn of the brutal death of a two-year old boy at the hands of his father Jayden Villegas-Morales. How did Villegas-Morales ever past the home inspection is a mystery.

Though DCF had declared Villegas’ home study to be “positive,” it included a handful of facts that some children’s advocates call troubling: Villegas was unemployed, living in a one-bedroom home with eight other children, had been repeatedly accused of domestic violence and had admitted to child-welfare authorities that he had “an anger issue.” Investigators also documented alleged marijuana use in front of the children, the presence of cockroaches in the home and instances where children were hemmed up in dirty diapers.

After this tragedy, Judge Hanzman has ordered hearings before caregivers can place a child. The legal system no longer trusts the DCF.

Rick Scott's Poor Handling of Department of Children & Families Deaths

I have blogged in the past about child abuse and mismanagement by the Department of Children & Families here, here and here. Gov Rick Scott has praised Secretary David Wilkins handling of the DCF. The only problem with Scott's narrative is dead children and the words of Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Jeri Beth Cohen.

“We have a very severe systemic problem,” Cohen said. “The system is not working, and it’s scary.”

“Every single one of these deaths could have been avoided,” said Cohen who was a veteran child welfare judge before transferring to Miami’s drug court, where she often still deals with parents whose addictions undermine their parenting. “You can’t explain away this many child deaths in this short a period of time where the state’s child protective investigation system is implicated. It’s urgent and it’s serious and it’s unconscionable..''

Translation: Judge Cohen is saying that the state bears responsibility in these deaths and lacks credibility. The Scott administration's first reaction to the TB outbreak was to cover it up. The result was 3,000 Floridians getting TB. This is the kind of incompetent governing that happens when a ideologue conservative becomes governor.

Florida Turns Down Child Abuse Prevention Funding

Republicans in the Florida legislature are blinded by their contempt for the Affordable Health Care Act. The legislature turned down $50 million in funding to combat child abuse.

Florida lawmakers have rejected more than $50 million in federal child-abuse prevention money. The grants were tied to the Obama administration’s healthcare reform package, which many lawmakers oppose on philosophical grounds.

The money, offered through the federal Affordable Health Care Act passed last year, would have paid, among other things, for a visiting nurse program run by Healthy Families Florida, one of the most successful child-abuse prevention efforts in the nation. Healthy Families’ budget was cut in last year’s spending plan by close to $10 million.

And because the federal Race to the Top educational-reform effort is tied to the child-abuse prevention program that Healthy Families administers, the state may also lose a four-year block grant worth an additional $100 million in federal dollars, records show.

I have policy reasons to be against Race For the Top. President Barack Obama broke his campaign pledge of pushing for merit pay. Vanderbilt University's National Center on Performance Incentives did a study that found that merit pay doesn't improve student performance. Contrary to what Obama says, his education blueprint focuses greatly on testing. Part of the reason is No Child Left Behind is still law. Another reason is Obama is ideologically aligned with the education reforms of George and Jeb Bush.

Seeing how Obama's education proposals are similar to the Bush brothers, you would think that Florida Republicans would take $100 million from Race to the Top to prevent child abuse. You would be wrong. Republicans say that the Healthy Families program is the evil hand of big government.

State Sen. Joe Negron, who chairs his chamber’s Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, said he long has been philosophically opposed to Healthy Families, which he views as an intrusion into the private lives of parents.

“I believe in providing basic information to parents at hospitals and medical settings,” said Negron, a Palm City Republican. “I am not persuaded that it is a good idea to show up at a family’s home year after year giving advice and guidance. I do not think that is a core, essential function of government.”

Florida has a horrible history of the Department of Children and Families failing to stop fatal child abuse. We now have the Florida legislature making the situation worse by turning down child abuse prevention money. Next we are going to hear Republicans say that eliminating corporate taxes prevents child abuse. These people have a serious disconnect with reality.

Domestic Violence in Afghanistan

This is a horrifying video of a Afghan woman whom had her face and ear cut off by her husband. This same abusive man poured hot water on his child. There is absolutely no excuse for a man to do this to his wife and child. The Afghanistan culture is so back ass. I wish I knew how to stop this knid of violent behavior. Whether it is the Taliban or the United States controlling the provinces, the vicious cycle of violence against women and children continues.

Florida Rankings In Health Care and Education

The Lawton Chiles Foundation has compiled a list of Florida's national in health care, education and social economic matters. The closer the ranking is to 50 the worse Florida's rating is compared to other states. For instance, Florida ranks 49th in uninsured children. The education numbers are dismal and prove no one should take Jeb Bush seriously on education matters.

Florida ranks 41st in child abuse-related deaths. The Florida Department of Children and Families is in need of aggressive reform. The DCF officials have been charged with committing crimes. THe DCF has failed to move children from abusive homes. In 2008, One in four foster children were homeless. Only one out of ten foster children were at grade level.

A mother was denied parental rights because she no longer attended "therapeutic visitations and individual therapy." The DCF discontinued these sessions due to budget cuts. The mother was found at fault for not attending sessions the DCF terminated. The Third District Court of Appeal reversed the DCF decision. This level of incompetence is normal for the DCF.

The Third DCA also held that the trial court erred in terminating the mother’s parental rights based on her failure to comply with her case plan. "The failure to comply with a case plan may not be used as a ground for termination of parental rights if the failure is due to the parent's lack of financial resources or the failure of the department to make reasonable efforts to reunify the parent and child." K.J. v. Dep't of Children & Family Servs., 906 So.2d 1183 (Fla. 4th DCA 2005); see T.M. v. Dep't of Children & Families, 905 So.2d 993, 997 (Fla. 4th DCA 2005).” The mother completed her parenting classes. The mother’s failure to complete the therapeutic visits and individual counseling was partially attributable to the department.

Finally, the Third DCA held that the trial court erred in terminating the mother’s rights based on abandonment. The mother made more than a marginal effort to communicate with her child. The mother failed to provide child support but that alone does not warrant a finding of abandonment as the mother lacked the ability to provide child support.

The Third DCA reversed the TPR order and remanded for further proceedings.

Florida's national rankings in health care, education and social economics.

HEALTH

Ranking on number of uninsured children
Florida ranks 49th. About 19 percent, or 763,000 of our children, do not have health insurance, versus a national average of 11 percent.
Source: The Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Center

Immunization Coverage
Florida ranks 10th, with 82.4 percent of children ages 19 to 35 months
receiving complete immunizations.
Source: United Health Foundation, America’s Health Rankings, 2008

Access to Prenatal Care
Florida ranks 47th in the percentage of pregnant women receiving prenatal care in the first trimester, with 70 percent. More than 71,000 women in Florida do not get prenatal care in the first trimester.
Sources: Kaiser Family Foundation, StateHealthFacts.org; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, VitalStats.

Infant mortality
Florida ranks 32nd in the number of infant deaths (before age 1) per 1,000 live births with a rate of 7.2, or more than 1,600 infant deaths annually.
Source: United Health Foundation, America’s Health Rankings, 2008; Kaiser Family Foundation, StateHealthFacts.org.

Low birth weight babies
Florida ranks 36th in the nation in the percent of low-birthweight babies, defined as babies weighing less than 5 ½ pounds at birth – 8.7 percent of all births, or nearly 21,000 babies a year.
Source: The Annie E. Casey Foundation 2008 Kids Count Data Book; Kaiser Family Foundation, StateHealthFacts.org.

Teen birth rates
Florida ranks 30th, with a rate of 42 (births per 1,000 females ages 15-19), or more than 25,000 teen births annually.
Source: The Annie E. Casey Foundation 2008 Kids Count Data Book; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, VitalStats.

EDUCATION

State spending on education as percentage of total resources
Florida ranks 42nd. As a state, Florida spends only 3.1% of its resources on education.
Source: Education Week, Quality Counts, 2009

State per capita spending on corrections vs. education
Florida ranks 50th in per capita spending on education, but ranks 16th in the nation in spending on corrections.
Source: NEA Rankings of the States 2008

High School Graduation Rates
Florida ranks 43rd, with 60.8 percent of public high school students graduating with a diploma.
Source: Education Week, Quality Counts, 2009

Standardized Test Scores
Florida students rank 48th in the nation in average composite scores on the ACT, a standard college entrance exam.
Source: American Legislative Exchange Council, Report Card on American Education, 2008

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC

Children in Poverty
Florida ranks 31st in the percentage of persons under age 18 who live in households at or below the poverty threshold, with 17.9 percent. The federal poverty threshold for a family of four is $22,050 annual income.
Source: United Health Foundation, America’s Health Rankings, 2008

Children in Single-Parent Families
Florida ranks 40th, with 35 percent.
Source: The Annie E. Casey Foundation 2008 Kids Count Data Book

Child Abuse Deaths
Florida ranks 41st, with 2.9 child abuse fatalities per 100,000.
Source: Every Child Matters Education Fund, “Geography Matters: Child Well Being in the States,” 2008

Teens not working and not attending school
Florida ranks 36th, with 9 percent.
Source: The Annie E. Casey Foundation 2008 Kids Count Data Book

Juvenile violent crime
Florida ranks 48th in the nation in juvenile incarceration rates, with a custody rate of 451.8 per 100,000 children ages 10 and up.
Source: Every Child Matters Education Fund, “Geography Matters: Child Well Being in the States,” 2008

Brian Blair Update

Former Hillsborough County Commissioner Brian "Killer Bee" Blair was ordered released from jail by Judge Walter Heinrich. Blair was arrested on two counts on child abuse. Blair was arraigned in video court at the Orient Road jail. Judge Heinrich is famous for not offering probation or releasing the accused on their own recognizance. His attitude is much more lenient for Blair.

Blair initially was held without bail, a common procedure in domestic violence cases. Heinrich released him on his own recognizance.

Usually, those accused of such crimes can't have any contact with their victims and must move out of the home if the victims also reside there.

Heinrich initially gave Blair such an admonishment but put the decision in the hands of DCF officials once Lorenzo told him they were involved. The judge also noted the age of the alleged victims, saying they aren't infants.

The infamous Walter Heinrich sense of compassion.

Blair choked and punched both his sons. Two other boys, not related to Blair, are witnesses to the alleged attacks. Blair told the media "If they were there, I think they'd understand the situation." Meaning the voters. Blair's spin was it was a "misunderstanding."

"It's a real, I guess, unfortunate situation, that it's a misunderstanding that could have been prevented," Blair told reporters as left jail. "I have over 7,000 hours mentoring children, and the last thing that I'd ever do is hurt a kid. Sometimes the hardest kids to mentor are your own."

The police report said Blair might have been drunk. AA and anger management might have prevented the incident.

Blair is going back to his home with his two boys. He was photographed arm-in-arm with his wife outside of the Orient Road Jail. I doubt Blair will be convicted with his celebrity and the DCF's track record of screwing up child abuse cases.

Another DCF Horror Story

Three boys were in the care of the Floirda's Department of Children & Families. They were caged like animals and raped in foster care. The children were adopted by Debbie and Jorge 1998.

The couple were unaware of the maltreatment the boys had suffered, and had told DCF officials they did not want to adopt children who had been sexually abused.

Not only did the department keep Debbie and Jorge in the dark, it even instructed a treatment center not to release records to the parents.

Meanwhile, the boys ran afoul of the law, set fires, were expelled from schools, attempted suicide and tried to poison Debbie.

Current Florida law forbids adoptive parents from seeing their children's medical records. The stupidity of that is beyond words.

Gov. Charlie Crist signed SB 58. The bill awards $9.5 million to Debbie and Jorge. Florida is infamous for refusing to pay lawsuits. Courts can decide a settlement. The idiotic tort reform law calls for any settlement over $500,000 to be approvedf by the legislature. This case is so shameful the legislature and Crist had no choice but to pay.

Under the bill Crist signed, the boys each will receive $256,666.66 a year for the next 10 years. Each parent will receive annual payments of $90,000.

It would be cheaper to run the DCF properly. However, that would intervere with Republicans goals to make government small enough to drown in a bath tub.

Charlie Crist Signs Marissa Amora Bill

It is nice to finally report good news on the blog.

Governor Charlie Crist signed the bill awarding Marissa Amorra $18.2 million over the next 11 years. In a classy move, Crist welcomed Marissa's mother Dawn and her brothers and sisters to the Governor's mansion.

Crist's office sent out a press release.

"Today, we give to Marissa and we honor her loving family for the unselfish commitment they have made, not only to Marissa, but also to other foster children," Crist said, according to a news release. "I applaud Senator Al Lawson and Representative Marti Coley for sponsoring this legislation and for recognizing that compensating Marissa is the right thing to do."

Related posts: More DCF FUBARS, Agency for Persons with Disabilities FUBAR, Marissa Amora Update, FastTrack Marissa Amora Settlement, Marissa Amora Gets Short Changed

Marissa Amora Gets Short Changed

I have written about the tragic Marissa Amora story here, here, here and here. Marissa was badly beaten by her biological mother's boyfriend. Her collarbone was broken and she was hospitalized for a month.

Marissa's mother could offer no explanation for the little girl's broken collarbone.

A DCF child abuse investigator testified at trial she was concerned that Marissa's mom ''was more interested in getting her boyfriend out of jail'' than picking up her own child.

The mother, the investigator said, rarely visited the girl during her monthlong hospitalization, ''and when the mother did come to the hospital the child would cry and the mother spanked the child in her hospital bed,'' the appeals court wrote.

The shocker is that the Department of Children and Families placed Marissa back in the custody of her mother. Marissa was beaten again. Marissa's suffered internal organ damage and bleeding to the brain. She is only capable of speaking a few words. Marissa's adoptive mother Dawn Amora won a $26.8 million lawsuit against the state. Jeb Bush stonewalled and appealed. Incoming DCF Sec. Bob Butterworth reversed the decision.

The Florida legislature award Marissa only $1.2 million of the settlement.

Nine-year-old Marissa Amora would get only $1.2 million from the state. Legislators said a tight budget year is the reason for the reduced amount.

The Department of Children and Families has promised to increase the amount to $18.2 million over 10 years, payments that would have to be put in the state's budget each year.

Dawn Amora left a comment explaining Marissa's medical expenses and the legal fight.

Thank you Michael. We want a trust/annuity set up for her and will continue to fight. This is just plain disgraceful.
Her adoptive mom. Dawn
No disrespect to the Andersons, however we went through the legal process, both by Grand Jury, Civil Jury and two appelate courts. This has been going on for six years and we are being crushed financially as more and more attorneys make money off of my daughter's blood.

Future payments are not guaranteed. High-valued disability settlements against the state must be approved by the legislature. Whoever had the great idea that the legislature can trump the will of public juries is an idiot.

The Palm Beach Post has a video story on Marissa and Dawn.

Disturbing Findings From DCF Survey

The Miami Herald has a disturbing article on the problems with the Department of Children & Families.

In southern Sarasota, nearly one in four former foster kids is homeless. In St. Augustine, fewer than one in 10 foster children age 17 is performing at grade level. And in Miami, Tampa and Daytona Beach, fewer than one in four 17-year-old foster kids passed Florida's high-stakes standardized assessment test.

DCF Secretary Bob Butterworth correctly calls this child abuse. The reason many foster children are homeless is to escape sexual and physical abuse. The article details that privatization of child services has hurt and not helped the DCF. WE can thank Jeb Bush for the privatization madness.

Children are not given education plans are taught money management skills. The short answer is these kids are not ready for the real world when they leave DCF services.

Conpassionate Conservatism: Agency for Persons with Disabilities Edition

The Agency for Persons with Disabilities has performed disgracefully. Former Director Shelley Brantley would not pay $360 for thermal blankets for Kevin Estinfil. The boy's body can not regulate body temperture. Brantley decided to spend thousands fighting in court over not paying a $360 tab. Jeb Bush refused to take federal money for KidCare. The result was 7,000 children being placed on a waiting list for medical care. The Agency for Persons with Disabilities waited five years to answer requests for financial assistance for Marissa Amora. The girl suffered permanent injuries after Department of Children and Families placed her back in her abusive home.

The Florida Legislature's answer to these problem is to cut the budget of Agency for Persons with Disabilities. The department has a deficit created by Bush. His cost cutting actually put the agency in a $126 million hole.

That sum is nearly one-fifth of the agency's annual budget, and an estimated 13, 000 eligible clients are on a waiting list for services.

"I've never seen a health and human services budget cut that deeply, " said John Hall of the Association of Retarded Citizens. "There's no way that's going to happen without the families of people with developmental disabilities losing support."

The budget also compels the agency to impose cost-containment measures, which are expected to curtail the scope of services for clients.

It is inexcusable to not give children medical care. The Florida Legislature can give $60 million to the Florida Marlins. They cut medical care to children on a waiting list. This is outrageous.

Florida Receives F In Child Abuse

First Star released a report grading the quality of legal representation abused child receive. Florida received a failing F grade. This is another black eye for the state.

The Marissa Amora case is a classic example of how the rights of children are not properly protected. If the DCF responded to the warning signs the girl would not need medical attention from permanent injuries. A girl with an unexplained broken collarbone should not have been put back in the same home.

Related: National Juvenile Defender Center On Florida Juvenile Courts

FastTrack Marissa Amora Settlement

The Panama City News has a good article about the stark contrasts between the way the state is handing the Marissa Amora and Martin Anderson cases. Both are horrible tragedies. The difference is restitution has been fast-tracked for Anderson's family.

The Department of Children and Families under Jeb Bush has fought against giving Marissa a settlement. The young girl was repeatedly abused under her biological mother's care. THE DCF put Marissa back in her mother's home after a broken collarbone. She is now brain-damaged and suffers from other medical problems from a beating from her mother's boyfriend.

Marissa's adoptive mother won a $26.8 million lawsuit against the DCF. The fallacy is settlements over $100,000 must be approved by the Florida legislature and the Governor. What business does the legislative and executive branch have interfering with the judicial branch. This is not what the Founding Fathers wanting. The state is deciding whether they should pay after they have been found at fault in the Amora and Anderson cases. How fucking redicious is that?

What is even more redicious is the DCF never did an investigation after Marissa's collarbone was broken. The Florida Legislature is sitting on deciding on the settlement while Medicaid puts a $400,000 lien against Marissa's future health coverage.

Fasttrack. Now.

Marissa Amora Update

Marissa Amora is one of the most widely-known child abuse cases in Florida.

Her case began in 2001, when her biological mother returned home from work one night and found her badly injured. Marissa's internal organs were damaged and her brain was bleeding. She was rushed to the hospital, where she remained in a coma for weeks.

Marissa was left incapable of walking and brain-damaged from her injuries. The Department of Children and Families knew she was being abused and didn't remove from her mother's home. Marissa's adopted mother sued Florida and won a $26.8 million settlement. Under Jeb Bush, the DCF was going to appeal the case. New DCF Secretary Bob Butterworth decided to pay Marissa. The Florida House and Senate has not fast tracked payment. Things get worse from there.

So, in January, DCF finally stopped challenging the verdict. Last month, in an interview with The Post, Gov. Crist reiterated his commitment to Marissa Amora, noting that "The House and the Senate could waive the rules" to pass a claims bill this year, even though the legislation was not proposed by the usual August deadline. "Maybe making that request" would propel the bill, Gov. Crist said on March 9, adding, "And I'll do it, after consulting with Secretary Butterworth."

DCF has sent a $100,000 check to the Amoras. But the family can't use the money because Medicaid has a lien of nearly $400,000 against Marissa. Two letters to Medicaid have gone unanswered, said Marissa's attorney, Joe Nusbaum. Pleas for aid from the state Agency for Persons with Disabilities went similarly unanswered for five years until the agency in December finally reversed an illogical determination that Marissa - who cannot walk, bathe or feed herself, and can speak only a few words - did not meet the its definition of disabled.

Governor Charlie has promised to ask the state legislature to fast-track payments to Marissa. The question is will he back his words with action.

Agency for Persons with Disabilities FUBAR

The tragic mishandling of Marissa Amora by the state of Florida is becoming more apparent. The mother of Melissa's boyfriend severely beat her. The the Department of Children and Families received reports that Melissa was in a dangerous domestic environment. Melissa's collarbone was broken. A Department of Children and Families investigator testified that Melissa's mother "was more interested in getting her boyfriend out of jail" than for her daughter's welfare.

The DCF did not complete their investigation on the previous abuse. She was returned home.Melissa was beaten again.

Her case began in 2001, when her biological mother returned home from work one night and found her badly injured. Marissa's internal organs were damaged and her brain was bleeding. She was rushed to the hospital, where she remained in a coma for weeks.

Melissa's adoptive parents sued and won $26.8 million. The DCF was proven to be negligent. The Jeb Bush administration DCF appealed the verdict. New DCF Secretary Bob Butterworth reversed that decision.

There was other mishandling of Melissa during the Bush years. Melissa is incapable of walking or speaking more than "a few dozen words." The Agency for Persons with Disabilities ruled that Melissa was high risk, but did not quality for disablity. That means Melissa's adoptive parents did not get a wheelchair or railings for the bathtub.

The Agency for Persons with Disabilities realized they never did a follow up on Melissa.

After discovering Marissa's unresolved case, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities contacted Amora for new records. But officials determined, based on a special 2004 school district test for nonverbal children, that Marissa's IQ was 81 — 12 points too high to classify her as mentally retarded.

To qualify for additional aid under Florida law, a child must have mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism, spina bifida or Prader-Willi syndrome. Traumatic brain injury, though it can produce similar symptoms, is not on the list.

The AFPWD wrote back on November 22, 2006 that Melissa did not qualify. The Palm Beach Post contacted AFPWD in December of 2006 about Melissa's plight. Suddenly, they had a change of heart. Melissa now is eligible for disability. Sadly, there are still 11,000 people on the waiting list.

More DCF FUBARS

Marissa Amora suffered permanent brain injuries after her mother's boyfriend beat her. Melissa is now on a feeding tube. Prior to Marissa's beating, the Department of Children and Families received several urgent reports on the abuse Melissa was receiving. This is the kind of parenting Marissa received after a previous assault.

Marissa's mother could offer no explanation for the little girl's broken collarbone.

A DCF child abuse investigator testified at trial she was concerned that Marissa's mom ''was more interested in getting her boyfriend out of jail'' than picking up her own child.

The mother, the investigator said, rarely visited the girl during her monthlong hospitalization, ''and when the mother did come to the hospital the child would cry and the mother spanked the child in her hospital bed,'' the appeals court wrote.

Marissa was placed back into her mother's custody. We know what happened next.

Marissa's adoptive parents sued and won $26.8 million. The DCF was going to appeal. New DCF Secretary Bob Butterworth reversed that decision. The only problem is getting the Florida state legislature to pay. They have a history of not paying for even the most tragic cases.