End of the Year Flurry
December 21, 2007
After a long absence, please allow me to hit you with a flurry of links that have backed up of late! I’ll start with the most recent items. I admit some of this is not-so-happy stuff in the midst of what we want to be a happy time of year. But poverty has its impact at all times. At the end of this installment I’ll give you something that, while of serious matter, is actually worth a laugh!
Legal services for the poor at risk: As with every other matter of life, low-income folks struggle to provide legal representation for themselves when needed. Legal Services Alabama helps to fill that gap in civil cases, but have recently had to lay off personnel because of funding shortfalls. I’ve written before of how Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb is giving attention to this matter. She says, "It is crucial to keep all of the lawyers at work. We are not meeting the need now."
Part of the problem is that the state provides no funding, another example of our poor, inadequate revenue stream.
The state bar association is addressing the problem, however. Alabama ranks dead last among states in funding legal services for the indigent. But new money will soon be realized as proceeds from attorneys’ escrow funds will now be directed to providing such services. Maybe next year we’ll see ourselves move beyond the present 20% of indigent needs being served.
Jails serving as mental wards: Lack of revenue shows up again in the prison system, this time as it appears that, with nowhere else to put them, we are housing our mentally ill in jail cells. This article doesn’t state it specifically, but once again we can assume that it is not those from families with adequate resources that end up behind bars in such circumstances.
This is not just sad, but borderline barbaric. “In 1971, only 200 of 3,904 state inmates were thought to be mentally ill. This year, of the 25,000 people in state prisons, 5,000 are in need of mental health treatment. And 4,400 of those people would be considered outpatients were they not also convicted of crimes.” So reports Corrections Commissioner Richard Allen.
Those are troubling figures for all kinds of reasons. Note that there are more people in prison who need to be in outpatient facilities than there were total prisoners a generation ago.
The revenue stream and pre-K: Hopefully you know that Governor Riley has recently announced plans to extend Alabama’s excellent pre-K program to more children, currently reaching only 4% of eligible youngsters. That’s very good stuff. This editorial, however, questions where the money will come from. It’s a good question. There are hard decisions to make in this area, along with what seems sometimes to be a never-ending list of revenue needs.
Tax reform, anyone? Watch for a lot more traffic on the pre-K superhighway. This is a hot issue.
Poverty and education in Madison County: The Huntsville Times recently ran a series on poverty and education in the Huntsville area. Charts and graphs are not included in the online versions of these articles, but this one article gives a more narrative description of their findings. The bottom line is no surprise – a poverty setting results in lower test scores.
Vanderbilt’s presence in Alabama classrooms: Well, Vandy is making a contribution to the Alabama educational challenges by providing virtual resources to schools in Thomasville. Check out this report. Any Alabama schools out there getting any ideas?
Ok, ok…I’ll cut this little storm short – soon.
APP’s symposium on poverty: The Alabama Baptist was good enough to cover our November 15 event at Samford – Poverty and the Alabama Faith Community. We’ll be doing more of these around the state, taking Wayne Flynt “on the road” to encourage and provide resources for faith leaders. So watch for those announcements. In the meantime, check out this article and this one too that reports well what we’re up to.
A little satire never hurt anybody: Well, I suppose that’s more or less true. I promised a giggle at the end of this, so here it is. Check out this website by the “Predatory Lending Association,” dedicated to “ extracting maximum profit from the working poor by increasing payday loan fees and debt traps.”
With a “working poor finder,” among other tools, the PLA intends to support and encourage the predatory lending community.
When you share this with others, be sure you point out that IT’S A JOKE! I’m always amazed at who gets fooled and offended by satire. But I’m also convinced that satire is a powerful tool in working for what is right.
In the bleak midwinter, I’m hoping all the best for APP, our supporters, and especially for those whose lives we intend to be better for our efforts. So stay warm, get some rest, and we’ll “see you” on the other side of the New Year! Blessings to you in this good season.
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