What are the politicians going to do?

[Guest guest]

I have heard a lot this election and I have seen this question asked on many of the boards I'm on. What will the politicians do? This is the first clearly outline thing I've heard from the McCain camp. I thought I'd spread it around because I've heard the questions asked by many others. This is not to display one side vs. another or to promote a candidate. I know she mentions Obama in here, but I am interested in what she says about IDEA. This is just the first thing I've heard from them, and I thought it was interesting.......I figure we all want to hear what's being said......Governor Palin today delivered the following remarks as prepared for delivery in Pittsburgh, PA, at 9:00 a.m. ET:

Thank you all very much. I appreciate the hospitality of the people of

Pittsburgh, and I'm grateful to all the groups who have joined us here

today. The Woodlands Foundation, the Down Syndrome Center at the

Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Autism-link, the Children's

Institute of Pittsburgh: Thank you for coming today. And, above all,

thank you for the great work you do for the light and love you bring

into so many lives.

McCain and I have talked about the missions he'd like me to focus

on should I become vice president, and our nation's energy independence

and government reform are among them. But there is another mission

that's especially close to my heart, and that is to help families of

children with special needs. And today, we'll talk about three policy

proposals that are going to help us fulfill our country's commitment to

these children: more choices for parents, fully funding IDEA, and

efforts to reform and refocus.

Too often, even in our own day, children with special needs have been

set apart and excluded. Too often, state and federal laws add to their

challenges, instead of removing barriers and opening new paths of

opportunity. Too often, they are made to feel that there is no place

for them in the life of our country, that they don't count or have

nothing to contribute. This attitude is a grave disservice to these

beautiful children, to their families, and to our country -- and I will

work to change it.

One of the most wonderful experiences in this campaign has been to see

all the families of children with special needs who come out to rallies

and events just like this. We have a bond there. We know that children

with special needs inspire a special love. You bring your sons and

daughters with you, because you are proud of them, as I am of my son.

My little fella sleeps during most of these rallies, even when they get

pretty rowdy. He would be amazed to know how many folks come out to see

him instead of me.

When I learned that Trig would have special needs, honestly, I had to

prepare my heart. At first I was scared, and Todd and I had to ask for

strength and understanding. I did a lot of praying for that

understanding, and strength, and to see purpose.

And what's been confirmed in me is every child has something to

contribute to the world, if we give them that chance. You know that

there are the world's standards of perfection, and then there are

God's, and these are the final measure. Every child is beautiful before

God, and dear to Him for their own sake. And the truest measure of any

society is how it treats those who are most vulnerable.

As for our baby boy, Trig, for Todd and me he is only more precious

because he is vulnerable. In some ways, I think we stand to learn more

from him than he does from us. When we hold Trig and care for him, we

don't feel scared anymore. We feel blessed.

Of course, many other families are much further along a similar path --

including my best friend who happens to be my sister, , and her

13-year old son Karcher, who has autism. and I have worked on

this for over a decade. is an advocate for children with autism

in Alaska. And as governor, I've succeeded in securing additional

funding and assistance for students with special needs. By 2011, I will

have tripled the funding available to these students.

and I have been blessed with a large, strong family network.

Our family helps make sure that Trig and Karcher have what they need.

But not everyone is lucky enough to have that strong network of

support. And the experiences of those millions of Americans point the

way to better policy in the care of children with special needs.

One of the most common experiences is the struggle of parents to find

the best and earliest care for their children. The law requires our

public schools to serve children with special needs, but often the

results fall far short of the service they need. Even worse, parents

are left with no other options, except for the few families that can

afford private instruction or therapy.

Many of you parents here have been through the drill: You sit down with

teachers and counselors to work out the IEP -- an individual education

plan for your child. The school may be trying its best, but they're

overstretched. They may keep telling you that your child is

"progressing well," and no extra services are required. They keep

telling you that -- but you know better.

You know that your children are not getting all of the help they need,

at a time when they need it most. The parents of children with special

needs ask themselves every day if they are doing enough, if they are

doing right by their sons and daughters. And when our public school

system fails to render help and equal opportunity -- and even prevents

parents from seeking it elsewhere that is unacceptable.

In a McCain-Palin administration, we will put the educational choices

for special needs children in the right hands their parents'. Under

reforms that I will lead as vice president, the parents and caretakers

of children with physical or mental disabilities will be able to send

that boy or girl to the school of their choice -- public or private.

Under our reforms, federal funding for every special needs child will

follow that child. Some states have begun to apply this principle

already, as in Florida's McKay Scholarship program. That program allows

for choices and a quality of education that should be available to

parents in every state, for every child with special needs. This

process should be uncomplicated, quick, and effective -- because early

education can make all the difference. No barriers of bureaucracy

should stand in the way of serving children with special needs.

That's why and I will direct the Department of Education to

clarify the statute administratively. We'll make explicit that when

state funds are portable, federal funds are fully portable. We're going

to make sure parents have choices and children receive the education

they deserve.

Even the best public school teacher or administrator cannot rightfully

take the place of a parent in making these choices. The schools feel

responsible for the education of many children, but a parent alone is

responsible for the life of each child. And in the case of parents of

children with disabilities, there are enough challenges as it is, and

our children will face more than enough closed doors along the way.

When our sons and daughters need better education, more specialized

training, and more individual attention, the doors of opportunity

should be open.

Like McCain, I am a believer in providing more school choice for

families. The responsibility for the welfare of children rests

ultimately with mothers and fathers, and the power to choose should be

theirs as well. But this larger debate of public policy should not be

permitted to hinder the progress of special-needs students. Where their

lives, futures, and happiness are at stake, we should have no agenda

except to ease the path they are on. And the best way to do that is to

give their parents options.

In a McCain-Palin administration, we will also fully fund the

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. To his great credit, it

was President Gerald Ford who signed the legislation that became the

IDEA -- establishing new standards of respect and inclusion for young

Americans with disabilities. From that day to this, however, the

federal government's obligations under the IDEA have not been

adequately met. And portions of IDEA funding have actually decreased

since 2005.

This is a matter of how we prioritize the money that we spend. We've

got a three trillion dollar budget, and Congress spends some 18 billion

dollars a year on earmarks for political pet projects. That's more than

the shortfall to fully fund the IDEA. And where does a lot of that

earmark money end up? It goes to projects having little or nothing to

do with the public good -- things like fruit fly research in Paris,

France, or a public policy center named for the guy who got the

earmark. In our administration, we're going to reform and refocus.

We're going to get our federal priorities straight, and fulfill our

country's commitment to give every child opportunity and hope in life.

For many parents of children with disabilities, the most valuable thing

of all is information. Early identification of a cognitive or other

disorder, especially autism, can make a life-changing difference.

That's why we're going to strengthen NIH. We're going to work on

long-term cures, and in the short-term, we're going to work on giving

these families better information.

Once a condition is known, parents need the best and latest information

on what to expect and how to respond. This service is also provided for

under the IDEA. And we will make sure that every family has a place to

go for support and medical guidance. The existing programs and

community centers focus on school-age children -- overlooking the need

for assistance before school-age.

But it would make a lot more sense for these centers to focus as well

on infants and toddlers. This is not only a critical stage for

diagnosis; it can also be a crucial time to prepare the family for all

that may lie ahead. Families need to know what treatments are most

effective, and where they are available, what costs they will face, and

where aid can be found, and where they can turn for the advice and

support of others in their situation. As Todd and I and know,

there's no substitute for the friendship of those who have been where

we are now.

The IDEA is also intended to serve teens and young adults with special

needs. And here, too, there is an opportunity to reform and extend the

reach of federal support under the IDEA. By modernizing a current law,

the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, we can better serve students with

disabilities in our high schools and community colleges. This will

require reform by the states as well. Just as the federal government

expects proven results in the progress of other students, we must

require results as well in the achievements of students with

disabilities. And the result we will expect is simple: that every

special-needs student be given a chance to learn the skills to work,

and enjoy the freedom to live independently if that is their choice.

As families across America know, the care of special-needs children

requires long-term planning, and especially financial planning. A

common practice among these families is to establish financial trusts.

These are known as special needs trusts, covering years of medical and

other costs, and for parents they bring invaluable comfort.

Understandably, then, many families with special-needs children or

dependent adults are concerned that our opponent in this election plans

to raise taxes on precisely those kinds of financial arrangements. They

fear that Senator Obama's tax increase will have serious and harmful

consequences -- and they are right. The burden that his plan would

impose upon these families is just one more example of how many plans

can be disrupted, how many futures can be placed at risk, and how many

people can suffer when the power to tax is misused.

Our opponent has an ideological commitment to higher taxes. And though

he makes adjustments on his tax plan pronouncements seemingly by the

day, his commitment to increase taxes remains the same. McCain and

I have just the opposite commitment. We intend to lower taxes, promote

growth, and protect the earnings and savings of American families.

Not long ago, I spent some time at a place in Cleveland called the

T. Center, a beautiful home for adults with Down

Syndrome and other disabilities. I met , too, a boy of

five with Down Syndrome. is a healthy, sweet, joy-filled little

man -- and I saw in him all the things I wish for Trig in just a few

years.

's parents, Tony and Kris , are advocates for children

with special needs in their community. They are thinking far ahead, in

their own boy's life and in the lives of others. They named the center

after their son. It's a public-private partnership. This welcoming

place -- and so many others like it -- shows the good heart of America.

They are places of hope. They are the works of people who believe that

every life matters, everyone has something to contribute, and every

child should have things to look forward to, and achievements to point

to with pride and joy. As many of you know better than I, it can be a

hard path, and yet all the more joyful and productive when the barriers

are overcome.

McCain and I have a vision in which every child is loved and

cherished, and that is the spirit I want to bring to Washington. To the

families and caregivers of special-needs children all across this

country, I do have a message: For years, you sought to make America a

more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. And I pledge to you

that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the

White House.

Thank you all, and God bless you. Maggie

mom to Aiden

maggielouisem@...

[Guest guest]

Maggie, thank you for posting this. While politics can bring out the worst in all of us LOL.....I do love to hear what the candidates are saying regarding my little man.

Also...I realize that their are many, many who criticize her---saying things like, "Well she didn't care until she had a special needs child." I say, yes that may be true...it was true for me...not that I didn't care, but I was totally unaware of the magnitude of it all. I had no idea people were paying in the thousands out of pocket, etc....I do now, as I'm living it. We all are.

I think she gets it now too...truly gets it. Actually, I know she does. God bless that precious, preciuos baby of hers.

e

To: AutismBehaviorProblems Sent: Saturday, October 25, 2008 1:24:34 AMSubject: What are the politicians going to do?

I have heard a lot this election and I have seen this question asked on many of the boards I'm on. What will the politicians do? This is the first clearly outline thing I've heard from the McCain camp. I thought I'd spread it around because I've heard the questions asked by many others. This is not to display one side vs. another or to promote a candidate. I know she mentions Obama in here, but I am interested in what she says about IDEA. This is just the first thing I've heard from them, and I thought it was interesting. ......I figure we all want to hear what's being said......Governor Palin today delivered the following remarks as prepared for delivery in Pittsburgh, PA, at 9:00 a.m. ET: