Michigan Babysits Fraud and Waste

Please keep in mind while reading this article that a home child care provider is paid $2.25 an hour.

Child care agency still receives payments after being defunded by Michigan legislature

Lawmakers question funding to Michigan
Home Based Child Care Council

By Christopher Behnan • DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
March 22, 2010

Payments to the Michigan Home Based Child Care Council, which serves as an intermediary between the department and a controversial union for home-based care providers, were eliminated in the 2010 budget the Legislature adopted in November.

But state officials notified lawmakers that a $200,000 contract with the council remains in effect and is being funded from alternative sources in the DHS budget.

State Rep. John Proos, R-St. Joseph, said at a news conference last week that the DHS needs to be more transparent and accountable.

"We don't yet know what their purpose is. I can't tell what they do," Proos said of the council...more

But wait, it gets better.

See, behind the scenes you have the reason why the union was formed. See, the Auditor General did an audit. If you are a fan of my work, you should know what the audit found.

$23 million in fraud.*

AFSME comes in to protect the right of home child care providers to make sure they keep working, at the rate of $2.25 an hour (before union dues). 

All I know is that I see hundreds of thousands of dollars being wasted by the state on top of the millions in fraud, all because Michigan refuses to care for its future citizens.

Normally, I would upload the audit report but Michigan has started the nasty little habit of locking its PDFs when they do not come out the way they want them to. Keep checking back, it will be unlocked and uploaded shortly.