"HAVE CHILDREN BECOME THE STATES SECRET BOUNTY?"

The Federal Government does pay the state a set bounty on each child adopted from the system. There's also an Adoption Assistance Payment paid to the family each month until the child turns 18. There's also a one time $10,000 tax credit. In fact, we were told during our home study, We qualified for the AAP. That our daughter was considered special needs simply because she was in the system! Even though, we'd raised her from 3 months and her verbal and math skills had scored at a 6/7 year old level before she was even 4! Anyways, the other day the subject of the bounty came up. I began to think and wonder about the children adopted from the system, and the $$ paid out to each of the 50 states. If IRC, it's $4,000 per child.(Disabled children somewhat higher) Three questions came to mind; How many children are adopted each year per state? How much $ does each state receive? How is it recorded and spent? I guess the answers to my questions exist somewhere. If it's public knowledge? I have no idea where the information might be obtained. I believe the Clinton administration had the best intentions when signing the Adoption and Safe Families Act in 1997. When parents can't get it together and get their children back in a timely manner, their children do deserve a loving, stable home. No child should grow up in the system. However, I think they made a huge mistake including the financial incentives/payouts to the State as part of the final law. After all, if "money is the root of all evil", what has been bred the last 15 years within the "CPS" Agency we know today? Considering how much disrespect and degragation parents are shown, is there any interest/incentive in preserving families? In the past year I've asked myself one question many times. How does disrespecting and demeaning parents help to strenghten and reunite families? I know from personal experience that dealing with the system completely strips away someones self esteem. You feel like a complete piece of crap by the time they're done with you. It seems all they want is to have complete control over you and your life. God forbid you don't fall to your knees and do everything they say, exactly how they say to, when they say to do it. I believe the politicians need to try again. IMO, The financial incentives/payments to the State need to be removed from the law. Seems to me, the money has only succeeded in breeding corruption and abuse within a broken system. Power in the wrong hands that is completely out of control! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoption_and_Safe_Families_Act