RE: A Letter to Palin from a Special Needs Mom

[Guest guest]

Interesting.

And what was her list of questions for Obama? Did she ask what disability

advocacy boards *he* has sat on? (and can you only be an advocate if you

are a board member?) Did she ask what he would do if he and his wife found out

that a child they were expecting had a disability? Did she ask the people of

Illinois to tell her how Obama improved life for people with disabilities while

he was a state senator? Because from what I have seen and read, his record isn’t

that great. Did she ask Senator Obama to tell her whether he values the life of

child w/Ds enough to vote that lifesaving measures should be undertaken if the

child survives an abortion ? Or does his vote always go to protect abortion ‘rights’?

Obama is promising a lot of things that I don’t think we

will be able to pay for. I think that he will promise anything he can in order

to get elected, and then afterwards, he can always say, “well, I tried,

but we just don’t have the money for that.”

This whole topic just boggles my mind. I just cannot wrap my

mind around the concept of voting for anyone who is so radically pro abortion

as Obama is, no matter what he promises. I can’t understand why people

will jump all over Palin and say she hasn’t done enough to prove

herself as an advocate, when we know for a FACT that Obama voted against the

Born Alive Protection Act…the baby that sparked that whole issue had Ds…and

Obama knew that…if he was such an advocate for the disabled, don’t

you think that he would have wanted to help children who are born alive after

late term abortions?(since most of them have congenital disabilities) How do

you reconcile that with his ‘promises’ to help the disabled? He has

voted, time and again for laws that would allow unborn children with

disabilities to be killed. Why in the WORLD would anyone trust him to protect

them or look out for their interests after birth?

From: DownSyndromeInfoExchange

[mailto:DownSyndromeInfoExchange ] On Behalf Of AgnesWeiss@...

Sent: Sunday, October 19, 2008 4:36 PM

To: DownSyndromeInfoExchange

Subject: [DownSyndromeInfoExchange] A Letter to Palin from a

Special Needs Mom

I

received this from a disabilities list and found some very valid questions.

They may be of interest to some.

Dear

Friends:

I wrote this letter to the NY Times. Since it is not terribly likely they

will publish it because I'm not some polical expert, or pillar of some

community, I am asking you to forward the letter to people in your address

book. I want this letter to reach far and wide across the Internet so

that reporters will start asking these questions. I would ask you

to simply cut and paste the letter into an email so that my email address isn't

in your forwards to help prevent hate mail that could come my way.

Thanks,

GOV.

PALIN, WHAT'S YOUR PLAN?

I am an

expert at raising a child with special needs. My son is an adult

over 25 years of age.

Governor

Palin, you have said repeatedly that you will be an advocate for parents of

special needs children. It is now time for you to tell us what you mean

by that statement. It is not enough that you chose to have a baby with

special needs. There are thousands of us who made the same choice - and

others like me who did not know until our children were born (or later

even) that they had special needs. There are also hundreds of thousands

of people with developmental disabilities on decades-long waiting lists for

services across the country - and others who are completely unable to

access services for their children because they don't fit some arbitrary

criteria.

Specifically,

I want to know the following:

1.

Do you support increased funding to and the expansion of Medicaid

Waiver programs to ensure that people with special needs can live and work in

the community?

2.

Do you support making certain that all services are portable, across the states

and counties - that people don't have to get at the " end of the line "

when they move to another state?

3.

Will you increase funding to special education, and improve special education

programs so that less parents have to " opt out " of sending their special

needs children to public school because " homeschooling " is better

than " no schooling? "

4.

If McCain were President, and he were to propose drastic cuts in Medicaid,

what kind of advocacy would you do for special needs parents to prevent funding

cuts that would put us back to the 1960's?

5.

What did you do in Alaska to improve the lives of people with special

needs? Did you increase services? Did you increase funding to

special education? Did you end waiting lists? Have you served on nonprofit

boards that serve children with special needs? How often did the local

papers in Alaska write about your advocacy for the families of Alaska who have

special needs children? Do all families in Alaska have access to local,

community-based programs and treatment regardless of their income because of

your advocacy efforts?

6.

Are you in favor of spending more time, money and attention on the horrific

status of mental health treatment and services across the nation?

7.

Would you be in favor of ensuring that services are provided to people with

disabilities who need them, in spite of their IQ's not being in the right

" range " ? Specifically, how would you address this problem?

8.

If Roe v. Wade were overturned, what special programs might you institute to

support the high influx new parents of special needs children who might

not have otherwise given birth to those children because they felt they could

not manage for whatever reason?

Governor

Palin, the media has had the opportunity to ask you these questions but have

not done so. You have seized that opportunity with photo ops and

heartstrings to simply say that you will be an advocate for us, without being

questioned. You complain that the media is against you and yet you have

not taken the time to explain to the hundreds of thousands of we special needs

parents who need a champion for our cause so much, exactly what your record is

on special needs advocacy and what we can expect in the future if you were Vice

President. It's time now to answer the question: What is your plan?

A special

needs mom.

Vote YES on CO Amendment 51

Help People Who Need it MOST

End the Wait LIst for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities

New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your

destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News more. Try

it out!

[Guest guest]

Good questions, Kathy. You should write your own letter to the Times!

As for Palin's record in Alaska, it is easy enough to check out. She reduced the Medwaiver wait list by quite a bit and added ESE funding to the schools.

Obama did WHAT in IL??

ette

-------------- Original message from "Kathy Ratkiewicz" : --------------

Interesting.

And what was her list of questions for Obama? Did she ask what disability advocacy boards *he* has sat on? (and can you only be an advocate if you are a board member?) Did she ask what he would do if he and his wife found out that a child they were expecting had a disability? Did she ask the people of Illinois to tell her how Obama improved life for people with disabilities while he was a state senator? Because from what I have seen and read, his record isn’t that great. Did she ask Senator Obama to tell her whether he values the life of child w/Ds enough to vote that lifesaving measures should be undertaken if the child survives an abortion ? Or does his vote always go to protect abortion ‘rights’?

Obama is promising a lot of things that I don’t think we will be able to pay for. I think that he will promise anything he can in order to get elected, and then afterwards, he can always say, “well, I tried, but we just don’t have the money for that.â€

This whole topic just boggles my mind. I just cannot wrap my mind around the concept of voting for anyone who is so radically pro abortion as Obama is, no matter what he promises. I can’t understand why people will jump all over Palin and say she hasn’t done enough to prove herself as an advocate, when we know for a FACT that Obama voted against the Born Alive Protection Act…the baby that sparked that whole issue had Ds…and Obama knew that…if he was such an advocate for the disabled, don’t you think that he would have wanted to help children who are born alive after late term abortions?(since most of them have congenital disabilities) How do you reconcile that with his ‘promises’ to help the disabled? He has voted, time and again for laws that would allow unborn children with disabilities to be killed. Why in the WORLD would anyone trust him to protect them or look out for their interests after birth?

From: DownSyndromeInfoExchange [mailto:DownSyndromeInfoExchange ] On Behalf Of AgnesWeissaolSent: Sunday, October 19, 2008 4:36 PMTo: DownSyndromeInfoExchange Subject: [DownSyndromeInfoExchange] A Letter to Palin from a Special Needs Mom

I received this from a disabilities list and found some very valid questions. They may be of interest to some.

Dear Friends:

I wrote this letter to the NY Times. Since it is not terribly likely they will publish it because I'm not some polical expert, or pillar of some community, I am asking you to forward the letter to people in your address book. I want this letter to reach far and wide across the Internet so that reporters will start asking these questions. I would ask you to simply cut and paste the letter into an email so that my email address isn't in your forwards to help prevent hate mail that could come my way.

Thanks,

GOV. PALIN, WHAT'S YOUR PLAN?

I am an expert at raising a child with special needs. My son is an adult over 25 years of age.

Governor Palin, you have said repeatedly that you will be an advocate for parents of special needs children. It is now time for you to tell us what you mean by that statement. It is not enough that you chose to have a baby with special needs. There are thousands of us who made the same choice - and others like me who did not know until our children were born (or later even) that they had special needs. There are also hundreds of thousands of people with developmental disabilities on decades-long waiting lists for services across the country - and others who are completely unable to access services for their children because they don't fit some arbitrary criteria.

Specifically, I want to know the following:

1. Do you support increased funding to and the expansion of Medicaid Waiver programs to ensure that people with special needs can live and work in the community?

2. Do you support making certain that all services are portable, across the states and counties - that people don't have to get at the "end of the line" when they move to another state?

3. Will you increase funding to special education, and improve special education programs so that less parents have to "opt out" of sending their special needs children to public school because "homeschooling" is better than "no schooling?"

4. If McCain were President, and he were to propose drastic cuts in Medicaid, what kind of advocacy would you do for special needs parents to prevent funding cuts that would put us back to the 1960's?

5. What did you do in Alaska to improve the lives of people with special needs? Did you increase services? Did you increase funding to special education? Did you end waiting lists? Have you served on nonprofit boards that serve children with special needs? How often did the local papers in Alaska write about your advocacy for the families of Alaska who have special needs children? Do all families in Alaska have access to local, community-based programs and treatment regardless of their income because of your advocacy efforts?

6. Are you in favor of spending more time, money and attention on the horrific status of mental health treatment and services across the nation?

7. Would you be in favor of ensuring that services are provided to people with disabilities who need them, in spite of their IQ's not being in the right "range"? Specifically, how would you address this problem?

8. If Roe v. Wade were overturned, what special programs might you institute to support the high influx new parents of special needs children who might not have otherwise given birth to those children because they felt they could not manage for whatever reason?

Governor Palin, the media has had the opportunity to ask you these questions but have not done so. You have seized that opportunity with photo ops and heartstrings to simply say that you will be an advocate for us, without being questioned. You complain that the media is against you and yet you have not taken the time to explain to the hundreds of thousands of we special needs parents who need a champion for our cause so much, exactly what your record is on special needs advocacy and what we can expect in the future if you were Vice President. It's time now to answer the question: What is your plan?

A special needs mom.

Vote YES on CO Amendment 51Help People Who Need it MOSTEnd the Wait LIst for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities

New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News more. Try it out!

[Guest guest]

OH! OH!I can tell you that!!! I LIVE here.. he has done NOTHING, nada not one thing for people with SP. We are the WORST state out there. We can't even get one of those Katy Beckett deals to help pay for things. We received NOTHING in the way of help with 's medical bills. nothing... and our schools are not very inclusive with the state winning most battles.It's awful.He has done a big fat nothing for anything. He is just one more cog on the democratic machine here. The reason he belonged to 's church was because it's where anyone wanting office went to get a leg up into the system.Also interesting to note that local business owners here are anticipating an Obama win and are already thinking about which employees are to be let go and how much more people are going

to have to pay into their health care plan... good going Obama.One said they were over heard by an employee who couldn't believe that could happen exclaiming " Obama won't let that hapeen' LOL ,I for one, am already saving and planning for a huge recession and lots of lay offs. Carol in ILMom to , 8 DS My problem is not how I look. It's how you see me.VOTE NOBAMA '08Join our Down Syndrome information group - http://health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ DownSyndromeInfo Exchange/ http://downsyndromeinfoexchange.blogspot.com/Listen to oldest dd's music http://www.myspace. com/vennamusicTo: DownSyndromeInfoExchange Sent: Sunday, October 19, 2008 5:39:20 PMSubject: RE: [DownSyndromeInfoExchange] A Letter to Palin from a Special Needs Mom

Good questions, Kathy. You should write your own letter to the Times!

As for Palin's record in Alaska, it is easy enough to check out. She reduced the Medwaiver wait list by quite a bit and added ESE funding to the schools.

Obama did WHAT in IL??

ette

--------- [DownSyndromeInfoEx change] A Letter to Palin from a Special Needs Mom

I received this from a disabilities list and found some very valid questions. They may be of interest to some.

Dear Friends:

I wrote this letter to the NY Times. Since it is not terribly likely they will publish it because I'm not some polical expert, or pillar of some community, I am asking you to forward the letter to people in your address book. I want this letter to reach far and wide across the Internet so that reporters will start asking these questions. I would ask you to simply cut and paste the letter into an email so that my email address isn't in your forwards to help prevent hate mail that could come my way.

Thanks,

GOV. PALIN, WHAT'S YOUR PLAN?

I am an expert at raising a child with special needs. My son is an adult over 25 years of age.

Governor Palin, you have said repeatedly that you will be an advocate for parents of special needs children. It is now time for you to tell us what you mean by that statement. It is not enough that you chose to have a baby with special needs. There are thousands of us who made the same choice - and others like me who did not know until our children were born (or later even) that they had special needs. There are also hundreds of thousands of people with developmental disabilities on decades-long waiting lists for services across the country - and others who are completely unable to access services for their children because they don't fit some arbitrary criteria.

Specifically, I want to know the following:

1. Do you support increased funding to and the expansion of Medicaid Waiver programs to ensure that people with special needs can live and work in the community?

2. Do you support making certain that all services are portable, across the states and counties - that people don't have to get at the "end of the line" when they move to another state?

3. Will you increase funding to special education, and improve special education programs so that less parents have to "opt out" of sending their special needs children to public school because "homeschooling" is better than "no schooling?"

4. If McCain were President, and he were to propose drastic cuts in Medicaid, what kind of advocacy would you do for special needs parents to prevent funding cuts that would put us back to the 1960's?

5. What did you do in Alaska to improve the lives of people with special needs? Did you increase services? Did you increase funding to special education? Did you end waiting lists? Have you served on nonprofit boards that serve children with special needs? How often did the local papers in Alaska write about your advocacy for the families of Alaska who have special needs children? Do all families in Alaska have access to local, community-based programs and treatment regardless of their income because of your advocacy efforts?

6. Are you in favor of spending more time, money and attention on the horrific status of mental health treatment and services across the nation?

7. Would you be in favor of ensuring that services are provided to people with disabilities who need them, in spite of their IQ's not being in the right "range"? Specifically, how would you address this problem?

8. If Roe v. Wade were overturned, what special programs might you institute to support the high influx new parents of special needs children who might not have otherwise given birth to those children because they felt they could not manage for whatever reason?

Governor Palin, the media has had the opportunity to ask you these questions but have not done so. You have seized that opportunity with photo ops and heartstrings to simply say that you will be an advocate for us, without being questioned. You complain that the media is against you and yet you have not taken the time to explain to the hundreds of thousands of we special needs parents who need a champion for our cause so much, exactly what your record is on special needs advocacy and what we can expect in the future if you were Vice President. It's time now to answer the question: What is your plan?

A special needs mom.

Vote YES on CO Amendment 51Help People Who Need it MOSTEnd the Wait LIst for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities

New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News more. Try it out!

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]



I imagine that learned a lot about Down's after she learned of the diagnosis just like most of us did. She will need a few months/years to show her colors. I believe she will do what she can.

Shirley

From: pbeurrier@...

To: DownSyndromeInfoExchange

Sent: Sunday, October 19, 2008 5:39 PM

Subject: RE: [DownSyndromeInfoExchange] A Letter to Palin from a Special Needs Mom

Good questions, Kathy. You should write your own letter to the Times!

As for Palin's record in Alaska, it is easy enough to check out. She reduced the Medwaiver wait list by quite a bit and added ESE funding to the schools.

Obama did WHAT in IL??

ette

-------------- Original message from "Kathy Ratkiewicz" : --------------

Interesting.

And what was her list of questions for Obama? Did she ask what disability advocacy boards *he* has sat on? (and can you only be an advocate if you are a board member?) Did she ask what he would do if he and his wife found out that a child they were expecting had a disability? Did she ask the people of Illinois to tell her how Obama improved life for people with disabilities while he was a state senator? Because from what I have seen and read, his record isn’t that great. Did she ask Senator Obama to tell her whether he values the life of child w/Ds enough to vote that lifesaving measures should be undertaken if the child survives an abortion ? Or does his vote always go to protect abortion ‘rights’?

Obama is promising a lot of things that I don’t think we will be able to pay for. I think that he will promise anything he can in order to get elected, and then afterwards, he can always say, “well, I tried, but we just don’t have the money for that.â€

This whole topic just boggles my mind. I just cannot wrap my mind around the concept of voting for anyone who is so radically pro abortion as Obama is, no matter what he promises. I can’t understand why people will jump all over Palin and say she hasn’t done enough to prove herself as an advocate, when we know for a FACT that Obama voted against the Born Alive Protection Act…the baby that sparked that whole issue had Ds…and Obama knew that…if he was such an advocate for the disabled, don’t you think that he would have wanted to help children who are born alive after late term abortions?(since most of them have congenital disabilities) How do you reconcile that with his ‘promises’ to help the disabled? He has voted, time and again for laws that would allow unborn children with disabilities to be killed. Why in the WORLD would anyone trust him to protect them or look out for their interests after birth?

From: DownSyndromeInfoExchange [mailto:DownSyndromeInfoExchange ] On Behalf Of AgnesWeissaolSent: Sunday, October 19, 2008 4:36 PMTo: DownSyndromeInfoExchange Subject: [DownSyndromeInfoExchange] A Letter to Palin from a Special Needs Mom

I received this from a disabilities list and found some very valid questions. They may be of interest to some.

Dear Friends:

I wrote this letter to the NY Times. Since it is not terribly likely they will publish it because I'm not some polical expert, or pillar of some community, I am asking you to forward the letter to people in your address book. I want this letter to reach far and wide across the Internet so that reporters will start asking these questions. I would ask you to simply cut and paste the letter into an email so that my email address isn't in your forwards to help prevent hate mail that could come my way.

Thanks,

GOV. PALIN, WHAT'S YOUR PLAN?

I am an expert at raising a child with special needs. My son is an adult over 25 years of age.

Governor Palin, you have said repeatedly that you will be an advocate for parents of special needs children. It is now time for you to tell us what you mean by that statement. It is not enough that you chose to have a baby with special needs. There are thousands of us who made the same choice - and others like me who did not know until our children were born (or later even) that they had special needs. There are also hundreds of thousands of people with developmental disabilities on decades-long waiting lists for services across the country - and others who are completely unable to access services for their children because they don't fit some arbitrary criteria.

Specifically, I want to know the following:

1. Do you support increased funding to and the expansion of Medicaid Waiver programs to ensure that people with special needs can live and work in the community?

2. Do you support making certain that all services are portable, across the states and counties - that people don't have to get at the "end of the line" when they move to another state?

3. Will you increase funding to special education, and improve special education programs so that less parents have to "opt out" of sending their special needs children to public school because "homeschooling" is better than "no schooling?"

4. If McCain were President, and he were to propose drastic cuts in Medicaid, what kind of advocacy would you do for special needs parents to prevent funding cuts that would put us back to the 1960's?

5. What did you do in Alaska to improve the lives of people with special needs? Did you increase services? Did you increase funding to special education? Did you end waiting lists? Have you served on nonprofit boards that serve children with special needs? How often did the local papers in Alaska write about your advocacy for the families of Alaska who have special needs children? Do all families in Alaska have access to local, community-based programs and treatment regardless of their income because of your advocacy efforts?

6. Are you in favor of spending more time, money and attention on the horrific status of mental health treatment and services across the nation?

7. Would you be in favor of ensuring that services are provided to people with disabilities who need them, in spite of their IQ's not being in the right "range"? Specifically, how would you address this problem?

8. If Roe v. Wade were overturned, what special programs might you institute to support the high influx new parents of special needs children who might not have otherwise given birth to those children because they felt they could not manage for whatever reason?

Governor Palin, the media has had the opportunity to ask you these questions but have not done so. You have seized that opportunity with photo ops and heartstrings to simply say that you will be an advocate for us, without being questioned. You complain that the media is against you and yet you have not taken the time to explain to the hundreds of thousands of we special needs parents who need a champion for our cause so much, exactly what your record is on special needs advocacy and what we can expect in the future if you were Vice President. It's time now to answer the question: What is your plan?

A special needs mom.

Vote YES on CO Amendment 51Help People Who Need it MOSTEnd the Wait LIst for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities

New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News more. Try it out!

No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 270.8.0/1724 - Release Date: 10/14/2008 2:02 AM

[Guest guest]



I think along the same lines.. I am glad to see she reduced the wait though BEFORE her Trig was born.

As she gets more experience with DS.. she will do more.

I know when Sam was only 4-5 months old.. we were still in the cocoon/momma bear den/nesting stage. I was still reading everything I could get my hands on.

HOWEVER, I really think that she could have addressed this more.. even during the last debate.. McCain seemed to stumble around like there was no plan. I would love to send them a note telling them what we want/need to hear.

I really feel they are falling behind because they are sitting back.. being warm and fuzzy and funny. I heard one of their advisors tell them to " keep the laughs coming". Uh.. It isn't a personality contest. I want a fighter/protector

Steph

RE: [DownSyndromeInfoExchange] A Letter to Palin from a Special Needs Mom

Good questions, Kathy. You should write your own letter to the Times!

As for Palin's record in Alaska, it is easy enough to check out. She reduced the Medwaiver wait list by quite a bit and added ESE funding to the schools.

Obama did WHAT in IL??

ette

-------------- Original message from "Kathy Ratkiewicz" <Kathy_Rcomcast (DOT) net>: --------------

Interesting.

And what was her list of questions for Obama? Did she ask what disability advocacy boards *he* has sat on? (and can you only be an advocate if you are a board member?) Did she ask what he would do if he and his wife found out that a child they were expecting had a disability? Did she ask the people of Illinois to tell her how Obama improved life for people with disabilities while he was a state senator? Because from what I have seen and read, his record isn’t that great. Did she ask Senator Obama to tell her whether he values the life of child w/Ds enough to vote that lifesaving measures should be undertaken if the child survives an abortion ? Or does his vote always go to protect abortion ‘rights’?

Obama is promising a lot of things that I don’t think we will be able to pay for. I think that he will promise anything he can in order to get elected, and then afterwards, he can always say, “well, I tried, but we just don’t have the money for that.â€

This whole topic just boggles my mind. I just cannot wrap my mind around the concept of voting for anyone who is so radically pro abortion as Obama is, no matter what he promises. I can’t understand why people will jump all over Palin and say she hasn’t done enough to prove herself as an advocate, when we know for a FACT that Obama voted against the Born Alive Protection Act…the baby that sparked that whole issue had Ds…and Obama knew that…if he was such an advocate for the disabled, don’t you think that he would have wanted to help children who are born alive after late term abortions?(since most of them have congenital disabilities) How do you reconcile that with his ‘promises’ to help the disabled? He has voted, time and again for laws that would allow unborn children with disabilities to be killed. Why in the WORLD would anyone trust him to protect them or look out for their interests after birth?

From: DownSyndromeInfoExchange [mailto:DownSyndromeInfoExchange ] On Behalf Of AgnesWeissaolSent: Sunday, October 19, 2008 4:36 PMTo: DownSyndromeInfoExchange Subject: [DownSyndromeInfoExchange] A Letter to Palin from a Special Needs Mom

I received this from a disabilities list and found some very valid questions. They may be of interest to some.

Dear Friends:

I wrote this letter to the NY Times. Since it is not terribly likely they will publish it because I'm not some polical expert, or pillar of some community, I am asking you to forward the letter to people in your address book. I want this letter to reach far and wide across the Internet so that reporters will start asking these questions. I would ask you to simply cut and paste the letter into an email so that my email address isn't in your forwards to help prevent hate mail that could come my way.

Thanks,

GOV. PALIN, WHAT'S YOUR PLAN?

I am an expert at raising a child with special needs. My son is an adult over 25 years of age.

Governor Palin, you have said repeatedly that you will be an advocate for parents of special needs children. It is now time for you to tell us what you mean by that statement. It is not enough that you chose to have a baby with special needs. There are thousands of us who made the same choice - and others like me who did not know until our children were born (or later even) that they had special needs. There are also hundreds of thousands of people with developmental disabilities on decades-long waiting lists for services across the country - and others who are completely unable to access services for their children because they don't fit some arbitrary criteria.

Specifically, I want to know the following:

1. Do you support increased funding to and the expansion of Medicaid Waiver programs to ensure that people with special needs can live and work in the community?

2. Do you support making certain that all services are portable, across the states and counties - that people don't have to get at the "end of the line" when they move to another state?

3. Will you increase funding to special education, and improve special education programs so that less parents have to "opt out" of sending their special needs children to public school because "homeschooling" is better than "no schooling?"

4. If McCain were President, and he were to propose drastic cuts in Medicaid, what kind of advocacy would you do for special needs parents to prevent funding cuts that would put us back to the 1960's?

5. What did you do in Alaska to improve the lives of people with special needs? Did you increase services? Did you increase funding to special education? Did you end waiting lists? Have you served on nonprofit boards that serve children with special needs? How often did the local papers in Alaska write about your advocacy for the families of Alaska who have special needs children? Do all families in Alaska have access to local, community-based programs and treatment regardless of their income because of your advocacy efforts?

6. Are you in favor of spending more time, money and attention on the horrific status of mental health treatment and services across the nation?

7. Would you be in favor of ensuring that services are provided to people with disabilities who need them, in spite of their IQ's not being in the right "range"? Specifically, how would you address this problem?

8. If Roe v. Wade were overturned, what special programs might you institute to support the high influx new parents of special needs children who might not have otherwise given birth to those children because they felt they could not manage for whatever reason?

Governor Palin, the media has had the opportunity to ask you these questions but have not done so. You have seized that opportunity with photo ops and heartstrings to simply say that you will be an advocate for us, without being questioned. You complain that the media is against you and yet you have not taken the time to explain to the hundreds of thousands of we special needs parents who need a champion for our cause so much, exactly what your record is on special needs advocacy and what we can expect in the future if you were Vice President. It's time now to answer the question: What is your plan?

A special needs mom.

Vote YES on CO Amendment 51Help People Who Need it MOSTEnd the Wait LIst for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities

New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News more. Try it out!

No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 270.8.0/1724 - Release Date: 10/14/2008 2:02 AM

[Guest guest]

Good questions and they should be asked... of both candidates.

[DownSyndromeInfoExchange] A Letter to Palin from a Special Needs Mom

I received this from a disabilities list and found some very valid questions. They may be of interest to some.

Dear Friends:

I wrote this letter to the NY Times. Since it is not terribly likely they will publish it because I'm not some polical expert, or pillar of some community, I am asking you to forward the letter to people in your address book. I want this letter to reach far and wide across the Internet so that reporters will start asking these questions. I would ask you to simply cut and paste the letter into an email so that my email address isn't in your forwards to help prevent hate mail that could come my way.

Thanks,

GOV. PALIN, WHAT'S YOUR PLAN?

I am an expert at raising a child with special needs. My son is an adult over 25 years of age.

Governor Palin, you have said repeatedly that you will be an advocate for parents of special needs children. It is now time for you to tell us what you mean by that statement. It is not enough that you chose to have a baby with special needs. There are thousands of us who made the same choice - and others like me who did not know until our children were born (or later even) that they had special needs. There are also hundreds of thousands of people with developmental disabilities on decades-long waiting lists for services across the country - and others who are completely unable to access services for their children because they don't fit some arbitrary criteria.

Specifically, I want to know the following:

1. Do you support increased funding to and the expansion of Medicaid Waiver programs to ensure that people with special needs can live and work in the community?

2. Do you support making certain that all services are portable, across the states and counties - that people don't have to get at the "end of the line" when they move to another state?

3. Will you increase funding to special education, and improve special education programs so that less parents have to "opt out" of sending their special needs children to public school because "homeschooling" is better than "no schooling?"

4. If McCain were President, and he were to propose drastic cuts in Medicaid, what kind of advocacy would you do for special needs parents to prevent funding cuts that would put us back to the 1960's?

5. What did you do in Alaska to improve the lives of people with special needs? Did you increase services? Did you increase funding to special education? Did you end waiting lists? Have you served on nonprofit boards that serve children with special needs? How often did the local papers in Alaska write about your advocacy for the families of Alaska who have special needs children? Do all families in Alaska have access to local, community-based programs and treatment regardless of their income because of your advocacy efforts?

6. Are you in favor of spending more time, money and attention on the horrific status of mental health treatment and services across the nation?

7. Would you be in favor of ensuring that services are provided to people with disabilities who need them, in spite of their IQ's not being in the right "range"? Specifically, how would you address this problem?

8. If Roe v. Wade were overturned, what special programs might you institute to support the high influx new parents of special needs children who might not have otherwise given birth to those children because they felt they could not manage for whatever reason?

Governor Palin, the media has had the opportunity to ask you these questions but have not done so. You have seized that opportunity with photo ops and heartstrings to simply say that you will be an advocate for us, without being questioned. You complain that the media is against you and yet you have not taken the time to explain to the hundreds of thousands of we special needs parents who need a champion for our cause so much, exactly what your record is on special needs advocacy and what we can expect in the future if you were Vice President. It's time now to answer the question: What is your plan?

A special needs mom.

Vote YES on CO Amendment 51Help People Who Need it MOSTEnd the Wait LIst for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities

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[Guest guest]

I don't know if she asked questions to either presidential candidate. Perhaps the questions are directed at Palin because she appears to be using her circumstance to get more votes. We should be comparing Obama and McCain.

AgnesNew MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News more. Try it out!

[Guest guest]

As I stated, I got the letter from another list. Yes, I originally posted the letter on this list. You asked: what was her list of questions for Obama? and proceeded to ask a number of questions and make a number of statements.

My answer to your question was that I did not know if a list of questions was sent to Obama or McCain.

To further clarify, I imagine that the questions were directed at Gov. Palin because she has a baby with Down Syndrome and has vowed to be an advocate for special needs in the White House. That's the way I see it and its just one more opinion.

I hope that I was clearer.

Regards,

Agnes

But you were the one who originally posted the letter, right?

And I don’t understand how she is ‘using her circumstances to get more votes’? Could you explain, please?

Thanks

KathyR

10/20/2008 7:32:32 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time

I don't know if she asked questions to either presidential candidate. Perhaps the questions are directed at Palin because she appears to be using her circumstance to get more votes. We should be comparing Obama and McCain.

Agnes

10/19/2008 6:24:05 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, Kathy_R@... writes:

Interesting.

And what was her list of questions for Obama? Did she ask what disability advocacy boards *he* has sat on? (and can you only be an advocate if you are a board member?) Did she ask what he would do if he and his wife found out that a child they were expecting had a disability? Did she ask the people of Illinois to tell her how Obama improved life for people with disabilities while he was a state senator? Because from what I have seen and read, his record isn’t that great. Did she ask Senator Obama to tell her whether he values the life of child w/Ds enough to vote that lifesaving measures should be undertaken if the child survives an abortion ? Or does his vote always go to protect abortion ‘rights’?

Obama is promising a lot of things that I don’t think we will be able to pay for. I think that he will promise anything he can in order to get elected, and then afterwards, he can always say, “well, I tried, but we just don’t have the money for that.â€

This whole topic just boggles my mind. I just cannot wrap my mind around the concept of voting for anyone who is so radically pro abortion as Obama is, no matter what he promises. I can’t understand why people will jump all over Palin and say she hasn’t done enough to prove herself as an advocate, when we know for a FACT that Obama voted against the Born Alive Protection Act…the baby that sparked that whole issue had Ds…and Obama knew that…if he was such an advocate for the disabled, don’t you think that he would have wanted to help children who are born alive after late term abortions?(since most of them have congenital disabilities) How do you reconcile that with his ‘promises’ to help the disabled? He has voted, time and again for laws that would allow unborn children with disabilities to be killed. Why in the WORLD would anyone trust him to protect them or look out for their interests after birth?

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[Guest guest]

But you were the one who originally posted the letter, right?

And I don’t understand how she is ‘using her circumstances to

get more votes’? Could you explain, please?

Thanks

KathyR

From:

DownSyndromeInfoExchange

[mailto:DownSyndromeInfoExchange ] On Behalf Of AgnesWeiss@...

Sent: Monday, October 20, 2008 6:08 PM

To: DownSyndromeInfoExchange

Subject: Re: [DownSyndromeInfoExchange] A Letter to Palin from a

Special Needs Mom

I

don't know if she asked questions to either presidential candidate. Perhaps the

questions are directed at Palin because she appears to be using her

circumstance to get more votes. We should be comparing Obama and McCain.

Agnes