[Clinging Bitterly]

Good people if you want to think that, fine. Elsewhere in the news we find a story of two boys in NE Portland Oregon who were farmed out to a state funded home and how things went for them. White, English speaking boys sent to a home where the foster parents do not speak English (presumably Spanish), kept in a windowless basement room, laundry and cleaning not being done and sent to school in dirty, stinky clothes and finally, subjected to long term harassment and sexual hazing by a succession of older boys in the home. And even though state caseworkers are required to make a personal visit to each child at least once every 30 days, they made none in most of two years the boys were in that home. The state paid them $750,000 in a settlement and the "news" is how much of that the lawyers got as much as the negligent actions of the state and the abusive actions of the foster parents.

It may not be the same in every state but the whole system in Oregon is rigged to maximize the federal spiff given to states for kids "in the system" to support an ever growing cadre of union represented government employees (indeed, foster parents themselves are forced to join and pay a part of their stipend to SEIU local 503) as the base of the Democrat political machine. They couldn't care less about the welfare of the kids, they are simply a revenue stream.

[Chickensoup]

I think the foster care system is a horror show. I think monitored orphanages should be brought back into play, just like in the old days, for kids without functional families and also for kids whose parents need to leave them so they can get back on their feet.

The current system is supposed to replace the orphanage system, and IMHO does a terrible job.

[Chickensoup]

Have experienced the evils of the system first hand as a social worker rewarded a foster family with a sib group of three, complete with state and federal bennies instead of a family who would love and care for them.