First-grade students at Amos Steck Elementary in Denver attend the first day of school in 2011. (AAron Ontiveroz, Denver Post file)
Re: “Here’s what the new Congress should do,” Nov. 25 guest commentary.
Writers Hank Brown and Barry Jackson are right: Voters care about children’s futures. But Brown and Jackson’s policy agenda ignores children entirely.
Whatap worse is that nearly every debate they mention — taxes, regulation, immigration reform, welfare reform, the federal budget, health care — matters for Colorado children. On health care, their exclusive focus on Obamacare ignores that federal funding will soon expire for Child Health Plan Plus, a bipartisan health plan that covers more than 125,000 Colorado kids.
Sadly, this commentary is typical of national politics: Children headline the sales pitch, not the policy agenda. Letap challenge Congress to tackle child abuse and neglect, education, and child poverty. Improving kids’ lives begins with voters who demand action, not just lip-service, for children.
Bruce Lesley, Bethesda, Md.
The writer is president of First Focus Campaign for Children in Washington, D.C.
This letter was published in the Dec. 4 edition.
