Many of our kids who are abused in homes are abused because of conditions rooted in poverty. Oh, abuse occurs in more affluent surroundings but poverty is a prime breeder of abuse. Capital gains legislation does not help kids in poverty. Nothing wrong with capital gains legislation but ladies and gentlemen of the Congress and the legislatures, keep your eye on the kids. Perhaps the greatest prevention for many conditions assailing children comes from a strong school program.
School is the common denominator, every child has one.
I speak of a school which is academically strong but also has been given the resources to identify and treat children in need. That means, among other things, classroom size that enables a teacher to know her students, a teacher who is trained in identifying children with special needs and having the resources within the school to pass such children on for special attention. I know it places a heavy responsibility on teachers, but such a program saves lives, quite literally. When I was fifteen years old, I lost my mother. I was devastated.