To the editor:
Tim Russert, the host of NBC’s “Meet the Press” gave an outstanding keynote at the Business Expo recently held in Providence(in his comments about the importance of our children) He was inspiring and invigorating; he challenged parents, politicians and business leaders in Rhode Island to take action.
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He began his discussion with some statistics: “There are 15 children a day who are killed in this country; 80 percent who will continue in poverty without an education; only 8 percent of our children have a chance of living in poverty if their parents have a high school education or better.” Russert focused on the prevalent factors that impact the precarious status of too many children, including access to guns, exposure to drugs, the lack of a paternal figure and poverty.
When most of the middle and upper middle class audience were feeling insulated from such problems, Russert pointed to the Columbine tragedy. He reminded us that this horrific incident involved upper middle class families, not youth living in poverty. “Where are the parents in this country,” he asked. “People need to accept responsibility for being a parent.”
Addressing the business community, he expressed concern about what we stand for as a nation. “If we are going to be a global super power, economically with the rest of the world, we need to save the 25 million children who have little chance of getting a job or an education. We need to provide schools, skills and jobs that meet their needs. They have little chance of being productive members of society if we fail them.”
In my opinion, we can not afford not to act. Let’s start by closely scrutinizing the DCYF proposed budget cuts and ensuring that the placement and service needs of children and youth in state care are appropriately met. Let’s show our children that we really do care about them. Our future depends on it!
Laureen D’Ambra, Esquire
Child advocate
