The legislature agrees on BiPartisan cuts for children, the sick, the handicapped, and breaks another promise.

This letter is being sent to every elected member of the legislature, has been published on Http://WWW.UnionMaine.BlogSpot.Com and sent to the Bangor Daily News.

I will probably lose my house after July 1, 2008 and it is a direct result of cuts in the foster adoptive care stipend.

Starting thirteen years ago my wife and I adopted three special needs children through DHHS. Asthma, immune deficiencies, fetal alcohol syndrome, severe psychological problems due to neglect and abuse were some of the issues the children brought with them. The challenges were too severe for my youngest son, he died two years ago and my other children, my wife and I still mourn his loss.

My remaining children are unable to attend a regular school and are being successfully home schooled by my wife.

We purchased our home in Stetson based on the stipend that the State of Maine guaranteed in writing to our bank. The rate was guaranteed until the children reached eighteen years of age, and I will be glad to provide a copy for anyone that is interested.

Within one year of purchasing our home the State cut the stipend rate in half, and all clothing allowances were eliminated.

This was over an eleven thousand dollar a year cut in the family income and understandably made things harder, yet we continued and tightened our belt.

Two years ago we were forced to refinance our home in order to bring our payments in line with our reduced incomes and again the State provided a guarantee to our mortgage company that the income levels would continue until our children were eighteen years of age.

Psychological help, camps, therapy for these children were deleted in order to balance the budget with no concern for the harm done.

Now the legislature proposes yet another cut that between my two children will come to nearly seven thousand dollars a year. We will no longer be able to pay our mortgage after losing eighteen thousand dollars a year in income. We will no longer be able to provide the type of surroundings that our children need.

If you are a Republican you are against tax increases, yet an eleven thousand dollar tax has been forced on a family of four and now an additional seven thousand dollar tax is proposed.

If you are a Democrat, you are pledged to protect those who need support. If children can not be placed in the foster adoptive care system the will be cared for by agencies at a far greater financial and human cost.

I can live through anything, but my children will be facing the shame of bankruptcy and the loss of the secure life they have known for years.

I beg a fair hearing. The proposed budget cuts will fall on foster & adoptive parents and will harm the children they have promised to protect and support.

Please consider how much has already been done to jeopardize foster and adoptive care and please reconsider your decision.

Thomas Maher

Stetson ME

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