Thursday, June 23, 2011
Arkansas Politics Hutchinson pops off; Beebe, DHS fire back UPDATE
Posted by Gerard Matthews on Thu, Jun 23, 2011 at 11:08 AM
Now comes an email from Rep. Donna Hutchinson, who had some strong words for the governor. Hutchinson said Beebe was playing the "scrooge game" and that she would hold up the budget for DHS in the upcoming fiscal session if Beebe does not restore funds to foster families. Hutchinson said cuts could have been made to other DHS programs, like "Gambling, alcohol & drug use, and the most wasteful of all programs—those that help Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual feel better about themselves." Hutchinson voted for all seven tax cut bills passed in the session and co-sponsored two. This is not the first time Hutchinson has said she would hold up the DHS budget on this issue. From her statement:
Democrats may give speeches about caring for the poor and down trodden, but Governor Beebe doesn't mind cutting funds if it helps his cause which is "See, I told you we shouldn't have passed so many tax cuts." Beebe is a #1 Scrooge. Foster care children are wards of the state; they have no place to go for funds. They should be the very last program to cut—but in a Beebe administration, foster children are the first.
UPDATE: Gov. Mike Beebe's response:
“Rep. Hutchinson’s comments are the worst kind of demagoguery and represent one of the most troubling issues we face in politics today: There are too many politicians at all levels of government who campaign for and vote for tax cuts, who then want to run and hide, or blame someone else, when the inevitable spending cuts follow.”
UPDATE II: In a polite way, the Department of Human Services explains that, well, the Hon. Rep. Hutchinson is misinformed about some of her representations. From Amy Webb, communications director:
Just wanted to clarify some issues mentioned by Rep. Hutchinson.
First, DHS does not intend to cut substance abuse treatment. In fact, we are expanding those services to include treatment for pregnant woman and adolescents by using Medicaid funding. It is our hope that by addressing these issues with this group, we will help prevent families from breaking up and prevent more children from coming into the foster care system.
As for the gambling program, that is one funded by lottery dollars and required by law.
Finally, we cannot cut a DHS program that helps Gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people feel better about themselves because no such program exists.
Read Hutchinson's entire statement on the jump.
There he goes again playing the "Scrooge game". Governor Beebe just cut in half the funds for therapeutic foster care. As long as I have been in politics I should not be surprised when politicians use the most innocent and vulnerable as pawns in political games. Governors and presidents tend to use the "Scrooge game" whenever they want more funds or to complain about tax cuts. I predicted this would happen when I introduced HB1768 which declared the state couldn't dismiss employees who have direct contact with the public if funds become tight. That's how the game is played. Governments never cut management or politically powerful but always those dealing with the public directly so voters will feel the pain directly and demand more funds/tax increase. OR governors cut those who have little political power as foster care.
Democrats may give speeches about caring for the poor and down trodden, but Governor Beebe doesn't mind cutting funds if it helps his cause which is "See, I told you we shouldn't have passed so many tax cuts." Beebe is a #1 Scrooge. Foster care children are wards of the state; they have no place to go for funds. They should be the very last program to cut—but in a Beebe administration, foster children are the first.
Without doing any research I can think of numerous programs that could have been cut in the DHS budget. These are programs which are supposed to help adults overcome negative lifestyles. Gambling, alcohol & drug use, and the most wasteful of all programs—those that help Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual feel better about themselves.
Adults may go to outlets other than government to get help—foster children can not.
Adults made decisions which landed them in these sad situations—foster children did not. They are in foster care because parents made bad decisions.
If Governor Beebe doesn't restore funds to the foster care therapeutic families, I will put a hold on the entire department and just sit there until he does. Thank God for the Fiscal Session.
Governor Beebe's approach is shameful and an embarrassment to the entire state.
All these statements are on the record.
Donna Hutchinson
State Representative
District 98
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Comments (33)
Showing 1-33 of 33
Where was this letter when the tax cuts were passed?
I have no problem with my tax dollars helping ANYONE, whether they be straight, gay, FTM, MTF, etc. feel better about themselves. I personally wish more of our citizens had access to mental health services.
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Of course funding for LGBT foster children should be cut, after all it is a negative lifestyle.
I actually feel anger of Donna's statements. What are these people thinking. If you cut taxes (i.e. revenue) services will have to be diminished.
Hopefully all of these tax cuts have created a boat load of new jobs in Arkansas. Any results on that yet?
VERY short sighted!
That cut will cause possibly a significant portion of the 289 to resort to institutionalization.
Save $210 a month and then have a $5,000 a month cost at an institution.
I use a relative's nursing home cost of $5,400 per month for the number. Believe me it was a depressing nursing home in a small town and that was room and board.
What an idiot. She voted irresponsibly, and now wants someone else to take the blame.
You cannot vote to cut taxes and give the public treasury away to corporations and then complain when your pet cause feels the impact. Of course innocent people get hurt. Duh.
At least take personal responsibility for your decisions is all I ask of conservatives. Stop whining and blaming other people for your own wrong choices.
The cut proposed is for the room and board base pay for therapeutic needs children. Those children have an additional $75 per day benefit payment for care that is above and beyond usual foster care reimbursement. Just adding information to the discussion. That's all. Obviously it is a horrible move to cut care for children who are most in need so that they receive even less. Reminds me of some folks who decided to hold up funding for the School for the Deaf...
Wasn't the gambling abuse funding a stipulation of the lottery bill?
So isn't that not cutable as long as the lottery is going?
To quote ms Hutchinson, "Whitout doing any research I can think". I think the nonresearching is part of the problem with the thinking part.
It is all fun and games to be on the holier than thou tax cutting side but when the cuts chickens come home to roost, they all scatter.
Oh Donna, Donna, Donna for some reason your stated care for the children affected just does not ring true to me. Why do I not believe you?
Well said, Donna, if your intent was to spew venom. A mean spirit is never pretty.
I assume since she is an (R) that she also was a backer of reducing teh number of available homes for foster kids but that was different, that was a "religion" thing.
Go back in your hole, Donna. You voted for them and now, you must live with your results. Votes do have consequances.
Does the Times have expense reports and pay for Hutchinson? I want to see how much she takes home that could be used for this program. I propose a new program just for legislators - The Care and Compassion That Beebe Won't Provide Act of 2012. For only $3000/year legislators can sponsor a developmentally disabled child that has fallen through the cracks. Those participating agree to cap expenses and pay at 2011 levels and deduct $3000/year from that amount.
Maybe she will take in a few of these kids to save the state money. After all, can't let those gays who now feel good about themselves taking in God's children.
She is a whack-job, alright. Just read the bills she sponsored and/or co-sponsored:
http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/200…
Rep Hutchinson is just being premature, if I may. We all know that tax cuts work. It's like magic how they work. Historically, the more you cut the more money government will get. You just have to trust the Invisible Hand and the Hand has never failed us.
There is always a time lag between cutting taxes on those able and willing to invest in our well being and the inevitable, profitable enterprise it stimulates. So, as Rep Hutchinson should know, there will be some casualties on the Road to Prosperity BUT, those will only be temporary. The Hand of Prosperity will provide for all including the children.
No one can expect young people to live without encountering some emotional problems. Personally, I find it very rewarding that Rep. Hutchinson has let her role as a mother and care-giver come to the forefront of this debate. She is indeed a compassionate Republican and I look forward to leading more such women in the coming years.
But let's face the truth. Twenty seven thousand ($27,000) a year to raise a child is going too far. That means a normal family with three children would need $81,000 just for the kids! This is unheard of in a state with a median income such as ours.
We can bring the needs of the executive in alignment with maternal caring needs as expressed by Rep Hutchinson. I will lead Bro Rapert, Bro Woods, and Sister Irvin as we get together with Rep Hutchinson for an in-depth prayer meeting and the laying on of hands to help her grasp our new Road to Prosperity.
Hard.drive makes an excellent point. Cutting Arkansas taxes to zero would result in so much growth that government would be flooded with money and our foster child program would be the best financed in the U.S.
Uh Socialist Arkie, your perception is that it's a negative lifestyle, but there there are many other negative lifestyles that need attention child abuse, spousal abuse, alcohol and drug abuse, etc., etc. My favorite is folks who talk in generalities and sometimes in specifics as if what they are saying is gospel (you can take it to the bank), basically it's their truth with no facts or valid information to support what they actually say. Seems like there would be much less pollution of this sort going around if people were more careful in what they say and were able to support what they said with relevant facts.
It would be interesting if Hutchinson got the chance to deliver on her threat and hold up the DHS budget. Could well be the end of a really bad tradition in the Ledge. Otherwise, the Ledge's worst fool would embarrass the lot of them, though granted, quite a few have lost the capacity for shame. Donna, we believe in something called a democracy that is founded on shared power and majority rule. There's no place for despots like you who would abuse your power.
I borrowed that from the conservatives here on the ATB.
- Cutting taxes to zero will increase government revenues and eliminate the deficit.
- Arming all citizens at all times will drop the murder rate to zero.
- Removal of all environmental laws will make our country a modern Garden of Eden.
- Eliminating social security will improve our senior citizens' quality of life beyond imagination.
- Etc.
Uh, mrprincipal07, I'm not quite sure if you know what you're talking about when you reply to comments (the "gospel" note above and others in previous threads). The negative lifestyle comment was not by socialistArky. And the sarcasm was anything but veiled. As a school principal, you need to attend more reading comprehension classes.
Thank you Donna Hutchinson for making your breathtaking hypocrisy so plain for all to see, and for allowing Gov. Beebe to call you out on it. And what a crisp statement he gave. Too rare. The DHS statement is also quite good. Can we now hope that the mainstream media will do its job and appropriately report these facts?
Arkansas Media Watch
http://arkansasmediawatch.wordpress.com/
There are real consequences to voting Republican. It is something that is very dangerous and should not be taken lightly. However, too many here in Arkansas did that last year because it was the "cool" thing to do.
We need to quit using code words and just calll a "lie" a "lie". Maybe it will get someone's attention (but then again, Republicans are so busy generating the next lie that they don't pay any attention to the responses.
Donna: "Judge not lest ye be judged." Read your Bible, girlfriend
Beebe: Way to go, bro
Evidently hers was not intended to be a factual statement.
Seriously, lying is wrong. Don't blame the state for giving money to teh gays when no such program exists.
We'll be waiting for an apology for making lies up and spreading them.
These partisan shots at the messenger tend to prove Ms. Donna's point - you folks don't really care about the powerless among us, such as foster kids - you're too happy to get your digs (jollies?) in.
And yes, Beebe has more discretion here than he lets on. Where's that rainy day fund? Its easier to pick on those with no representation - foster kids - and blame the Ledge.
I have followed the Hutchinsons (in their various incarnations) since 1978. If it is a program that will benefit them, or one in which they have a vested interest, it is not government waste. What is her interest here?
Donna Hutchinson does not care about being right (morally or factually). Donna Hutchinson's interest here is getting Donna Hutchinson's name in the paper (in this case the Benton County Daily Record and not those liberal bastards at the Democrat-Gazette). Interestingly enough, the Benton County Daily Record was known as the Daily Democrat until the mid-80s when the influx of Republicans related to Walmart (see also: Donna Hutchinson) got confused about the meaning of the word "Democrat" and started writing angry letters to the editor.
Ironfortified, I see we are neighbors, because I remember what you describe well. The Waltons bought the Bentonville paper from Wes Hunnicut, who was a dedicated Democrat, and, after a few years, decided that they did not want their name associated with a "Democrat," and so they changed the name. Jim Walton was the one who made this change. Democrat is a dirty word in Benton County.
I keep thinking of Donna as a wife and mother. Helps me understand Tim and the boys.
Alright, who here is really living the "negative lifestyle" and is a shame and embarrassment to not only the "entire state", but the entire nation. It's obvious- Someone who feels the need to eliminate research and blatantly lie and blame someone else over an issue.
It's pitiful she is even in the position she's in.
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