Sociology Discussion Responses Response to Post #

Your post raises some very important issues that face the entire nation as well as the individual states such as New Mexico. The largest social services programs such as Medicare and Medicaid are unsustainable for the long-term, largely because of the dramatic demographic changes in American society since their development. Today, the average longevity is almost double what it was in the early 20th century when the average life span was only 47 years of age. Likewise, the fact that the post-Word War II Baby-Boom generation is now entering retirement age means that larger than ever numbers of program beneficiaries will have to be supported by fewer working program contributors. Meanwhile, the economy is undergoing a very difficult period and unemployment and underemployment rates, even for college graduates, are at all time lows. Some of the most sensible approaches to solutions might include raising the retirement age (or the eligibility age for program benefits) and devoting much more attention to identifying and eliminating the sources of financial waste such as duplication of services, unnecessary services, and fraud and abuse of social welfare programs.

Response to Post # 2

While I certainly agree with the sentiment of your post, I am confused by some of your statements. For example, you suggest that there are plenty of financial resources available but that they are not being appropriately directed where they might do the most good for children's services. Is that really the case in your state; because in my experience, social services across the nation are struggling financially.

You seem to acknowledge that various strategies have been attempted that have been unsuccessful at improving the effectiveness of child protective services in your state. Unfortunately,...

I would be curious to know what specific strategies or alternative solutions you might suggest instead of those you have described as being ineffective. For example, if additional training and certifications are contraindicated in many cases because of the additional time pressure they represent what other types of improvements might help make a beneficial change that you would support?
Response to Post # 3

I understand the frustrations that you have expressed in your post. However, I would be curious to know what other types of approaches you might recommend to ensure that social services meet specific program criteria and goals and that practices satisfy the applicable regulatory criteria. Certainly, when viewing individual decisions in from an isolated perspective, it is conceivable that controls that are established to maintain the sufficiency and safety of extensive programs might produce less than optimal results.

However, I wonder whether those standards and policies also serve important functions in the aggregate. In my opinion, when evaluating the record-keeping functions you describe, it might also be important to consider the benefits they provide and what harms might occur with greater frequency and severity in similar situations where records and authorizations are less strictly mandated.

Response to Post # 4

Before reading your post, I was not aware of the extent to which certain states, such as California in your case, have outsourced the care for mental health program beneficiaries to private organizations. I know that this is very common in penal systems throughout the nation and that this privatization of prison facilities has often…