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The Palin Paradox on ‘special-needs’ kids “Who is Barack Obama?” Over the last few weeks, much has been made of this question and the responses offered by John McCain supporters. However, Gov. Sarah Palin’s recent comments regarding Colorado Amendment 51 have left me pondering, “Who is Sarah Palin?” As the mother of a child with Down’s syndrome and an aunt to an autistic nephew, Palin has on numerous occasions presented herself as a champion of families and children with special needs. Her own family situation allows her to have unique and empathetic perspective of the burden of trying to care for a person with special needs. She has promised families of special-needs children that they will have “a friend and advocate in the White House.” However, it seems this friendship has its limits. Colorado Amendment 51 calls for an increase in state sales tax and use tax 0.1 percent each of the next two years. The money generated by this tax increase will be used to pay for services available to Colorado citizens with developmental disabilities, including autism, Down syndrome, and mental disabilities. The tax increase is also designed to eliminate the waiting list of people who are still waiting for requested services. Approximately $89 million will be raised to aid families who take care of a person with special needs. The average middle-class Colorado family can anticipate an added $20 cost next year and a $40 cost the year after. During a campaign stop in Colorado, Palin was asked about her thoughts on Amendment 51 given that it seeks to help families and children with special needs. As a self-proclaimed “friend” to families in need, is this really an issue? Yes. Palin opposes the initiative because it raises taxes. She argued that because she was able to fund programs in Alaska through prioritization, Colorado should be able to do the same. One would think that after all the traveling she has done over the last few months, Toto would have told Palin that she wasn’t in Alaska anymore. Certainly, if she is going to speak out against an important initiative such as Amendment 51, she’ll offer answers to important questions: “What programs should Colorado cut to ‘prioritize’ better?” Right? Wrong. Palin offered no constructive solutions to replace the proposed tax increase and relied solely on the idea that because it worked in Alaska, it will work in Colorado. Her stance was clear-cut: Raising taxes for a social program to provide services to less fortunate members of society is tantamount to the evil “spreading of wealth” Barack Obama promulgates. Of course, Palin’s silver-tongued answer covered up the fact she had no legitimate alternatives by using a vague concept as if it offered a concrete solutions. “I’m going to make sure that on a national level, too, that we prioritize to meet the needs of these special-needs children.” This was Palin’s promise to the concerned parents of Colorado. “Prioritizing” requires a person to arrange items in order of importance. Palin’s response to Amendment 51 clearly shows that her priority is with furthering the attack on socialism and not with the children or families with special needs. Raising taxes 2 cents for every $10 is hardly a socialist revolution aiming to destroy the very fabric of American democracy. Palin must decide whether she is the great adversary to the socialist agendas of the Democratic Party or the Republican evil du jour, or an elected official who is actually going to follow through on a campaign promise made to American families to put special-needs children interests first. As Geoffrey Dunn, a parent of a disabled child, wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, as a special-needs parent “one doesn’t talk the talk in this world, one walks the walk.” |