Georgia’s Governor Sonny Purdue has neglected and abandoned children and adults with special needs on a continuous regular basis. First he cut the Katie Beckett Medicaid Waiver dramatically.

The first cuts were those children who have childhood mental illnessess such as- schizophrenia, Bi-Polar disorder, High functioning Autism, Downs Syndrome etc. When these cuts occurred parents were sent a $3,000 dollar “medicine card.” When the medication voucher card was used up,(in most cases within one or two months.) It was difficult for the parents who had children cut from the medicaid waiver to insure their children because of the pre-existing conditions that these children have.

The second cut Purdue passed was a limit on therapies and related services. Therapists were required to have a prior pre-approval for every single therapy visit for the children that they were serving.

Respite services here in Georgia are a fairytale. If an adequate amount of respite hours were provided to families who have children with disabilities, it would enable these families to have the “privilege” or “luxury” for families to possibly have both parents to work outside of the home! WOW!

In closing I will say with absolute certainty that the state of Georgia does not just turn a cold shoulder to children who have disabling conditions, but sends those children with disabilities and their families to live alone in an ice-cold tundra!

I do not agree with what this woman did, but I do understand the state of Georgia’s politics surrounding these issues.