The fall-back answer is, “We can’t afford it” … and ... "You're not bad enough YET to get services"

How many of you have seen / read the CBC news story, "B.C. school shorting autistic son, mother says"?

In part the story says that only part of the special education funding allocated to a six year old, grade one boy with autism, is being used to help him at school.  His mother says, "He's not getting the support he needs"

Now before anyone says, “… there isn’t the money in the system to provide the care this boy needs …” you may be interested to know that there are two different government ministries which are providing $36,000 to the school district where the young boy, named Cooper, is enrolled.

Would anyone care to venture a guess as to why Cooper is NOT getting the supports that he should be receiving … and that the school district is receiving funds for?    

Cooper’s mother, Crystal Gerrits, was told, “...  if he was acting out more, Cooper would get more time with an assistant."

And that in a nutshell is the whole insanity of being reactive rather than proactive --- and I know from personal experience (mind you it was years ago now) that it happens far more often than people would like to believe.   The fall-back answer is, “We can’t afford it” … and ... "You're not bad enough YET to get services".

Rather than investing less money, to more people, with services at an earlier stage of need, this is what we have instead … MORE expensive government services going to less people, who now have a greater need, because they didn’t receive services earlier on that would have helped them to be able to more easily be a part of society.

Knee-Jerk reactions are regrettably the typical reaction of government, and government ministries. 

Cooper isn’t acting out and having enough difficulties YET … but when he does, the money to provide what will likely be more services, at a greater cost, will be there.

With better long-term planning, government can provide more service to more people who need it.  BUT ... it will cost more money to begin with, it will initially cost more money.

The long-term benefit to society however; will be people that are far more productive, and enjoying life because they are plugged in with their community.  As a result the need for government services will be much less ... and that my friends EQUALS less pull on the public purse.

We need to have long term plans with measurable benchmarks! 

It’s a win – win for everyone!

I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops; with the thoughts of one conservative on this round ball we call planet earth.