It sure costs a lot of dough to kidnap children

The Dallas Morning News is reporting that the cost of foster care for the kidnapped FLDS children will be nearly $1 million a month. The total cost to taxpayers for this fiasco could top $21 million.

Virtually all of the sect children are deemed to need a “basic” level of service, which at $39 a day is the least costly of Texas’ four levels of paid foster care. Nearly doubling the monthly cost, however, is the fact that many – a precise number was not available – are staying in emergency shelters. The state pays shelters $106 a day.

Ms. Goodman said other monthly costs will include $325,500 in health care, provided under the state-federal Medicaid program for the poor; and $425,000 for an additional 70 protective services workers – as soon as they’re hired.

The estimates came on the eve of a special Senate Finance Committee hearing today to examine the costs of the raid, the largest child-protection sweep in U.S. history.

“The focus has always been on what you do for the children and how do you protect the children,” Ms. Goodman said. “Obviously, we have to take care of the costs as well. … We have to look at that going forward. I think we’ll get a lot of good guidance tomorrow from Senate Finance.”

Can I just point out that there are many single mothers in this country that would love, love, love to see a $1200 monthly- per child- support check? And, the monthly emergency shelter rate of $3379 plus approximately $700 monthly in paid health care is more than some dual income families make in a single month. You’d think that the jackasses at CPS who are supposed to be so much better at parenting would have learned to budget a little better. But, I guess budgets don’t matter when John Q. Taxpayer is paying the ransom.

~ by Miche on May 20, 2008.