My Resolution To Prevent Child Poverty In Athens County, Ohio

MY RESOLUTION TO PREVENT CHILD POVERTY IN ATHENS COUNTY, OHIO

WHEREAS, poverty is the crime of child abuse as it is enshrined in law and policy a failure to provide for the necessary needs of the child;

WHEREAS, in 2014 Athens County, Ohio, 31.4% of children lived in poverty, with a 90% CI, 25.9 to 36.9% of the SAIPE, one of the highest rate of child poverty in Ohio, the purple line at the top of the graph;

WHEREAS, in 2015, Athens County, Ohio measured as the poorest county of the state;

Athens County, Ohio

> County median household income, 2009-2013: $33,823

> State median household income, 2009-2013: $48,308

> Poverty rate, 2009-2013: 31.7%

> Unemployment, 2013: 8.4%

Nearly 32% of Athens County residents lived in poverty over the five years through 2013, more than double the national figure of 15.4%. While children are almost always more likely to live in poverty than adults in the United States, this was not the case in Athens County, where nearly 29% of children lived in poverty. However, this rate was much higher than the comparable national rate of 21.3%. County households had such low incomes that owning a home was also out of reach for many area residents. Over the five years through 2013, less than 57% of housing units were owned by occupants, versus the national homeownership rate of 64.9%.

WHEREAS, so far, according to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2016, Athens County, Ohio is till the poorest county of the state;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, PINWHEELS REPRESENT CHILDREN IN POVERTY WHO WERE ABUSED BY POLICIES OF THE STATE.

The best part of the Athens County pinwheel story is that they used slave labor to make the pinwheels which represented these prisoners' children, some of whom are in foster care, a cold blooded way for Athens County Children's Services to drum up new business.

If Athens County would have told you all of this if it was not a propaganda campaign.

HAPPY CHILD ABUSE PROPAGANDA MONTH!

More than 1,200 pinwheels raise awareness for child abuse prevention

The front yard of Athens County Children Services on East State Street is quite a whimsical sight this month as more than 1,200 handmade pinwheels grace the location.

The pinwheels are placed at the location each April in recognition of National Child Abuse Prevention Month. In 2015, Athens County Children Services fielded 2,070 calls to report suspected child abuse and neglect. This figure is up 12 percent from the 1,869 calls received in 2014.

So does this mean that more children in Athens County are being abused or neglected? According to Children Services spokeswoman Robin Webb, not likely. She said the increase in calls is more likely representative that people in the community are looking out for their neighbors and becoming more aware of the signs of neglect and abuse. Just because there were increased calls doesn’t mean there was an increase in abuse.

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