Beaver County Daycare Providers Meet Republican Senator Elder Vogel: Dismayed by His Lack of Concern for Children
By Tina Shannon
September 10, 2009
Last Thursday night, five daycare providers sat down with Pennsylvania 47th District Senator Elder Vogel and his aide Joe Weider to talk over the state budget. I arrived at the Senator’s office in the hilltop neighborhood of upper Rochester about 6:30 pm, even though the meeting didn’t start until 7:00.
Charlie Hamilton, my friend who had helped set up the meeting with Senator Vogel, was waiting . Charlie is a retired postal worker who has extensive experience dealing with legislators.
Several weeks earlier I had gone on an angry rant about the budget proposed by Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled State Senate. I wanted to have a public meeting denouncing Vogel, who is our newly elected Republican Sate Senator. Charlie counseled restraint. “First you have to give the guy a chance to do the right thing,” he said.
So Charlie graciously set up the meeting.
I contacted several of my colleagues, looking for people who understood the importance of maintaining social services in our county by funding them in the budget. A handful of wonderful women responded. I also brought an articulate impassioned young woman who is one my clients.
We opened the meeting with a criticism of the Republican budget proposals. The proposed 50% cut to childcare subsidies directly impacts all the women in the room and many others. I made sure to tie in the other drastic cuts to social programs, like cuts to children’s health insurance and Headstart , public education and college funding, disability programs and women’s shelters. Senator Vogel heard that we were concerned with our entire community, not just our own paychecks.
I told Senator Vogel that increases in revenue were necessary so that we could all shoulder the burden in these difficult economic times.
He incredulously asked, “You mean you want your taxes to go up?”
The entire room answered, “Yes.”
Then Lisa Booker, a family daycare provider from the Rochester neighborhood spoke about how hard it is to keep her doors open when her income has essentially been frozen. She also told about how important it is we stay open, how the families depend on us so they can keep their jobs. She asked how the economy could continue to function if there was no daycare.
Her friend, Jody Hemer, also a family daycare provider from Rochester told about how upsetting it is to her family, not knowing when the next paycheck will arrive. She talked about mortgage payments coming due and gas and electricity bills. All six of the children that Jody cares for receive subsidies to help pay for their care.
Throughout the discussion, they both frequently mentioned the children they care for, and the parents who depend on them.
“We care”, said Angel Good, a remarkable woman from Aliquippa. Angel has a heritage of caring for the children of her community. Her mother is a daycare provider of 20 plus years. Angel is the CEO of her own non-profit organization, helping to set up group daycare homes. She is also working on a Master’s degree. Angel said telling the women that work for her that she couldn’t pay them was one of the hardest things she had ever done. “Maybe we need to go to Harrisburg to get this taken care of,” she said.
The room nodded in agreement.
A march on Harrisburg might be in order at some point, but we were still working on our Republican Senator right here in Beaver County.
Echoing Angel’s words, “This system works” Mandy Bracken launched into her own story. Mandy is a single mom with two sons. I have cared for her children for about nine years. She told how she worked her way off cash assistance on welfare and out of public housing by going to school. First, she got her associate’s degree, and now is studying to get a nursing degree. She explained how she wouldn’t have been able to do this without help.
And the most necessary and foundational help was good daycare that she could afford. She told of her job caring for severely disabled children. Although she works weekends and attends school during the week, this semester Mandy didn’t even receive the money she needed to buy her books. Mandy’s impassioned story and concern for others like herself, including me who cares for her children seven days a week, brought tears to our eyes. And her passion also inspired others in the room to take a stand.
“When we will have a budget?” Angel repeatedly asked.
Senator Vogel finally answered, “I don’t know”.
“What is exactly is your position on revenues and new taxes?” we asked several times.
“We used the amount of revenue available for a budget.” He finally answered.
One of the most moving moments of the evening was when Charlie said, “Senator Vogel, raise my taxes if that’s what it takes to keep these social programs in place. If you have a logical reason I’ll understand that.”
It was a real privilege to be in the room to feel that kind of solidarity and unity.
I don’t think Senator Vogel felt that kind of unity with us, even though he is our senator. He kept a smile plastered on his face, but his eyes didn’t change much. He sat stiffly and unmoving in his chair. His body language didn’t indicate any engagement with us. There was no back and forth discussion of policy, no exchange of ideas.
At one point, Sara Beth Miller, the director of Mount Pleasant Daycare, mentioned all the regulations that daycare centers are required to follow, the ongoing quality upgrades that her center is pursuing without compensation now.
Mr. Vogel didn’t take that opportunity, or any other, to discuss what programs he would like to see continue versus those he thinks are less valuable. As someone whose job it is to pass legislation that determines policies, he might have come to the meeting prepared to discuss at least some aspect of the subject at hand.
We tried to pin him down on his position on the proposed 50% program cuts. I asked him outright. Mandy asked him, “What is your position on the cuts?” Finally he said, “Everyone gets cut this year.
Vogel’s aide, Joe Weidner, tried to get us to focus on overriding Governor Rendell’s line item vetoes of the social spending cuts. But we were reluctant to demand our own demise with a 50% cut in our funding. “Oh, its not permanent.” He said. “If things get better we can increase the spending.” In retrospect, that sounds pretty permanent to me.
So I’ll pass on asking the Democrats to join the Republicans to cut my budget by 50%.
Joe was touting gas drilling on public lands as a revenue solution. But this is actually a sweetheart deal with huge energy corporation benefiting from temporarily low natural gas prices. Gov. Rendell’s proposed excise tax on that self same drilling would result in continuing revenue for our state, year after year.
Although we came out of the meeting with little new information, we did learn something about Senator Vogel’s attitude toward us. Senator Vogel is not inclined to support a good budget for our community. His responses indicated a lack of interest or knowledge of the impact of the Republican cuts on the community.
What is promising, though, is the feeling of strength and support that we got from each other while trying to solve our problem. The problem isn’t solved, and we’re in for a long struggle to get the needs of our community addressed. But I feel a lot more confident about our ability to work together to make sure that our children and parents get the support they need.
Beaver County Blue: Voice of the 17th CD of Progressive Democrats of America 
Should have been progressive enough to hold jerry Lavalles feet to the fire like this, then mabey beaver county would hAVE SOMEThINGS TO FALL BACK ON NOW.
Vogel is doing what he thinks is right at least. Not like good old jerry would have. Please give us an unbiased report if you want to call yourselves progressive. These people at the meeting all had something to loose. The government subsidy to feed their government grant rich buisnesses.
I like to help people as much as the next guy. but when i work all day all year and make 30.000.00 with my 200 hrs of overtime and get back only 700.00 in a tax refund, and another person getting this subsidized daycare making as much as me gets back 3500.00 MORE than he paid in because he has children and gets earned income credit its time to think of people like me who pay and pay and pay and get nothing. Im tired and Im progressive and it needs to stop. The schools can go on a budget, the kids can go on a budget. During the depression we found ways . we can today too.
Jerry LaValle was not trying to cut childcare and headstart budgets by 50%. But when Duquesne Light tried to put commercial meters on family day care homes we did hold Jerry’s feet to the fire.
How do you know that Vogel is doing what he “thinks” is right. If he actually thinks about something he doesn’t say it. More likely he is doing what the gas and tobacco lobbyist and his rich right wing sponsors are telling him to do.
Your claim that you like to help people is not believable. You slander people who give care to children as ‘rich’ when they are just getting by. You have no problem lying about people you don’t know. The Republican budget cut would put people back on welfare because they would not be able to train for jobs or work at the low pay jobs they have.
If you are tired of paying taxes why don’t you talk to your Republican friends and tell them to stop the big gas drilling giveaway. These no tax Republicans are “doing what they think is right” by giving big tax breaks to wealthy drillers and the smokeless tobacco lobby.
Other states with Marcellus Shale gas deposits impose the normal gas severance tax on these big corporations. But not the Pennsylvania Republicans. That actually hurts the people like you but since you no tax dupes are against all taxes you think that’s good.
The schools are on a budget and so are the kids. Let’s put smokeless tobacco and gas drillers on a budget too. And why don’t your Republican hacks give back some of your farm tax credits and legislative pay.
First of all, I’m a democrat.But, I think for myself. It’s way out of hand. I’m tired of paying, period. I do not clainm to know vogels mind. I give him the benifit of the doubt. There is no doubt in my mind that the republicans (some) are unresonable. But for everyone of them there is a rendell or dwight evans to balance that out.
As far as those that give care to children, they get paid. When that ends they may still care but they will find another way.They are not mother theresa, they are buisness people. And I will tell you this that those fat cats that get the big state contracts will continue to get those under the democrats. Sell some of those down the road for money for your programs. Ask them why those spending venues arent on the table. They are all at fault. Lets be honest people are bashing vogel for the same reason that they bash obama. Politics. This is whats its all about. When we realize that we will all be better off. Vogels hasent been in there long enough for me to hate or judge him. But like Obama, I believe that their hearts are in the right place. I have called vogels office and they have been very helpful. More than I ever have been given access or help from lavalle. I sorry, thats just the way it is. I like my president and I like my state senator. And I like my state rep too. And you cant even read. “The government subsidy to feed their government grant rich buisnesses.” Thats not calling them rich, that is just telling you that they benefit at the front and the back. Like Ron suskind told us in his book. Trust the truth and trust the american people with it. They will see it if you trust them. Quit the manipulation.
We are not “grant rich”. We are “grant-trying-to-get-by” businesses. Most of us in family daycare are working without healthcare coverage and without pensions. If we work 12 hour days and 5-7 days a week, we can make a living. Want to calculate that hourly wage for me? Oh, that’s our choice you say? Are suggesting we chose to stop caring for the children and send them backwards in time, to be cared for by the drunk uncle one day, the teenage cousin the next and oops sorry, auntie doesn’t feel well the next day, call off work. Or maybe they’re old enough to stay at home alone, or maybe not. Better make sure you push a change in corporate policy to allow frequent calls home to make sure.
Research shows the biggest impediment to high quality early childhood education is high staff turnover. Research shows that high staff turnover is due to low wages. That is the reality facing larger daycare centers, who have to hire people. Anyone who cares about children must face these facts.
You are tired of paying, huh? Are you tired of living in the United States? Are you tired of living in a developed country that has social services? That’s the truth here on the ground and not on some ideological no-tax thought experiment. And guess what, we daycare providers pay taxes too.
It’s not about “liking” your politicians. It’s about how they help our community to function. I have been critical of Democrats in the past and anticipate being critical of them in the future. But the problem before me right now is a bunch of ideological Republicans trying to hurt my community.
PS
See the previous article for criticism of dems. If you’re serious in your opposition to “fat cat contracts” why don’t you start fighting the insurance companies that are taking money that could be used for healthcare instead of attacking Progressive Dems?
Im not attacking anyone. Heres the problem. They have written an editorial riddled with bias and feed it to us as balanced. If you only give me one side I cant decided. Thats wrong. I challenge this newsletter to invite mister vogel so i can hear his side. And dont tell me he wont say because i have called his office and talked to him personally and i never met him. he was clear and down to earth.We are all humans.Lets act like it.
I lived through the mills shutting down and the years of scrounging for a buck. I spent the better part of my life as a bottom feeder. Now im barely getting by and yes i am tired of paying. And I love living in this country and I have always been able to get by. We make our own beds. And yes there are cases that no matter what we do we can’t get ahead. Its never going to be a perfect world. But people disagree because thats the nature of democracy.We can change it when we are the majority and we get what we deserve when we sent the same ilk to serve us time after time.
I pay enough. I give, volunteer and help my neighbors.I have worked with those in need and ask no compensation.
Believe me Beaver county didnt get better in the last 30 years under the democrats.Because people let the political machine guide them and the machine is corrupt.A few get access and the masses get nothing. look at your courthouse and county government. Lots of familiar faces? Look at your local government, the same? They load up with their cronies and waste your money and no one ever stops them.Why is your county behind? You had veon and lavalle the most senior members in both houses and what did they bring? I mean seriously look at other counties. where people were free to think and had visionary represenatives they moved ahead. Were Veon and Lavelle progressive? I am ashamed to be called a democrat in this county. It’s not a badge of honor. If you feel so strong, throw them out and give us some progressive ideas i can believe in.
And as far as republicans,the masses woke up last election and had their say nationally. And i felt a beautiful cleansing moment from that as well. You see in this state its hard to find a villan when you have the ridgid republicans on one side and fast eddy on the other.Everything gets pretty murky.
Brief comments on the above.
Watch out for those Marcellus shale drillers to start hurting the water table too. Our water is likely to be under assault too.
Not supporting children early in life leads to bad health later on. Many of our late adult health problems in this county have been traced to not having good support in early childhood. (Note latest lecture on alternativeradio.org by Stephen Bezruchka on Capitalism & Health He makes many interesting comments on our reactive health care versus the preventive early intervention practices of the Europeans and Japanese.
I wish to express basic agreement with the progressives here.