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<DIV>
<DIV>Diving in as someone who spent 1990-2001 working with Mexican immigrants in
Western Washington, many of whom were considered migrant agricultural workers by
the government . . . </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I am sad but not surprised that this program would be cut. I am sad
but not surprised that Ms. Kraut would voice her support of cutting programs
that benefit migrant farmworker families. I am sad and astonished that Ms.
Kraut would say the things she says without apparent shame, and I trust that she
receives this in the spirit in which I intend it:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Pat, how hard a heart can you have while still professing to worship
God?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Given that you are almost assuredly a citizen of the United States, are
obviously literate, very likely didn't grow up in a family of illiterate and
perhaps undocumented migrant farmworkers, and seem to have grasped a kernel of
education from the husks of poverty, it is beyond my comprehension how any dire
circumstances of your youth could compare with those experienced by the
thousands and thousands of children who would have benefited from this
program. You have my sympathy for whatever hardships you undoubtedly
suffered and my sincerest regrets that your education and subsequent adulthood
left you with a paucity of argument and a parched spirit. Perhaps some
things cannot be cultivated by government help after all. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I would love to meet with you and try to understand the bitterness you've
evinced toward the poor, and I would be happy to tell you the difference
education has made in the lives of scores of my friends and acquaintances in
Washington who have entered adulthood with options other than picking berries or
milking cows for a living. No need to debate programs and policies -- I
just want to hear from you, and I invite you to contact me off-list. And
for those of you wondering how I, as a Christian, could avoid the model of
Matthew 18 in my response to Ms. Kraut, I would point out that public comment
often calls for public rebuke, particularly when the public rebuke might serve
as an apologetic for (defense of) the Gospel. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>How ironic that we don't use the word "ingrate" to describe someone who has
benefited utterly from the mercy of her Savior, and yet delights in hurling
invective at the poor He weeps for.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>keely emerine mix</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>From:</B> <A
href="mailto:pkraut@moscow.com">Pat Kraut</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, July 21, 2004 2:48
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Vision2020] Leaving a few
children behind</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>I gotta tell ya that I think that this is one of those programs
that needs<BR>to fail. Paying them to stay in school proves nothing because
they are<BR>passed through the grades without really learning anything. If
they have a<BR>real desire to stay in school they can without being paid for
it. I know<BR>that you all will have lots of comments and complaints about my
attitude but<BR>I stayed in school even with bad circumstances and made it out
on my own. I<BR>know they can do it and appreciate their education even more.
I am also<BR>tired of paying ingrates to go to schools that are only keeping
them in to<BR>pad their funds and not really teaching them anything.<BR>Oh,
here it comes!<BR>Pat<BR>----- Original Message ----- <BR>From: "Melynda
Huskey" <<A href="mailto:mghuskey@msn.com">mghuskey@msn.com</A>><BR>To:
<<A
href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com">Vision2020@moscow.com</A>><BR>Sent:
Wednesday, July 21, 2004 11:22 AM<BR>Subject: [Vision2020] Leaving a few
children behind<BR><BR><BR>> I found this news extremely disturbing . . I
hope others who do so will<BR>> contact legislators and express their
concern. If the Bush tax cuts have<BR>> been so beneficial to the
economy, and if we are indeed in an economic<BR>> recovery, why are we
reduced to cutting educational programs for extremely<BR>> vulnerable
children--programs which would enhance the earning potential<BR>and<BR>>
productivity, and hence the tax base, of our nation?<BR>><BR>> Melynda
Huskey<BR>><BR>><BR>> AP Wire:<BR>><BR>> DES MOINES, Iowa -
Funding is being eliminated for a federal program that<BR>> pays the
children of migrant workers across the country to stay in school<BR>>
instead of working in fields.<BR>><BR>> The Department of Labor program
pays some young people minimum wage to<BR>stay<BR>> in school while
migrating with their parents, who travel across the<BR>country<BR>> looking
for seasonal farm work.<BR>><BR>> Coordinators in 31 states and Puerto
Rico were told there was no money to<BR>> operate the program this year,
leaving them to find alternate sources,<BR>> petition Congress or drop the
program.<BR>><BR>> "This is a remarkable abandonment of the most
vulnerable youth," said<BR>David<BR>> Strauss, executive director of the
Association of Farmworker Opportunity<BR>> Programs. "I don't know what's
going to happen to those kids."<BR>><BR>> Repeated telephone messages
left this week for Labor Department officials<BR>> weren't
returned.<BR>><BR>> The Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Youth Program is
designed to combat<BR>> extraordinarily high dropout rates among seasonal
migrant youth workers<BR>and<BR>> the children of adult seasonal migrant
workers. It also attempts to end<BR>> cyclical poverty and low
socio-economic levels plaguing that population.<BR>><BR>> The school
dropout rate is understandable, Strauss said. "If you look at<BR>> their
lives they're in multiple schools because their families travel to<BR>>
work."<BR>><BR>> Dropout rates among migrant youths are estimated at 60
percent, according<BR>to<BR>> the federal Office of Migrant Education in
the U.S. Department of<BR>Education.<BR>><BR>> Students are pulled from
school early because their parents move to where<BR>> work is more
plentiful, disrupting their academic progress and causing<BR>many<BR>> to
fall behind or become discouraged.<BR>><BR>> "They're pulled out of
school or start back late," said Terry Meek of<BR>> Proteus Inc., a
nonprofit organization that oversees the Iowa program.<BR>"Some<BR>> of
them are here for June, July, August and part of September because<BR>>
they're coming to work with seed corn."<BR>><BR>> Despite the stipends,
most of the young people still work because their<BR>> families need
supplemental income. The average income of an adult farm<BR>> worker is
less than $10,000 a year.<BR>><BR>> Nationally, more than 2,500 youth
ages 14 to 21 participated in the<BR>program<BR>> last year. Many came from
California, Texas and Florida.<BR>><BR>> The program also provides job
placement, tutoring, mentoring, vocational<BR>> training and career
counseling services. It also funds child care and<BR>health<BR>>
care.<BR>><BR>> Four years ago, programs across the country were
dividing a healthy $10<BR>> million a year. This year, all funding was
eliminated and coordinators<BR>were<BR>> told to use money from last year
until it dries up.<BR>><BR>> ___<BR>><BR>> On the
Net:<BR>><BR>> U.S. Department of Labor:<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>>
<A href="http://www.dol.gov/">http://www.dol.gov/</A><BR>><BR>><BR>>
U.S. Department of Education:<BR>><BR>> <A
href="http://www.ed.gov/">http://www.ed.gov/</A><BR>><BR>> Association
of Farmworker Opportunity Programs<BR>><BR>> <A
href="http://www.afop.org/">http://www.afop.org/</A><BR>><BR>><BR>>
Melynda Huskey<BR>><BR>><BR>>
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