August 5, 2007
Here's one for the Republicans.
Today, CNN online had this story: Authorities puzzled about mother in deaths of children left in hot car - CNN.com. It's about a poor single mother who left her children in her car while she worked a double shift. They both died. "Terrible mother," you think, right? "Should have known better." "Deserves to go to jail for child abuse," right?
Here's what the article has to say about it:
Sametta Heyward was in a bind. The single mother was scheduled to start a double shift at 3 p.m., and her baby sitter had just canceled."She was either told to come to work or be fired, or she was afraid to call in sick -- one of those things," said police Lt. Michael Fowler.
She made it to her job at a county-run group home July 29, a typically warm summer day. After eight hours, she called a supervisor and said she had to leave because of child-care issues.
According to her employer, she didn't tell the supervisor or a co-worker that for all that time, she had left her 1-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son in her Chevy Cavalier hatchback, parked on a residential street.
She had left Triniti and Shawn with battery-powered fans, food and drinks, but it was not nearly enough to combat the sweltering conditions inside. She later told relatives that when she got to the car at 11:30 p.m., the children were unconscious and had weak pulses.
A day later, police found her at her apartment wailing, "Oh, my babies!"
What would have happened had there been free or cheap subsidized public daycare?
At least the Republicans will be happy: there are two fewer poor children in South Carolina, and a poor, single mother who will be going to jail. Out of sight, out of mind.