Maine- Dangerous to children? (apartments, renting, condos)

[deerislesmile]

This was brought up in another thread, but rather than go off-topic over there, I'll start a new one.

I have a 6000 square foot, 3 story victorian sitting on an acre, on the golf course near lake wassokeog. It is sitting empty in Maine while I am living in Conroe. On the surface, the area is beautiful and it is totally my dream house but Maine is sooooooo not what you seem to think it is. In addition to the economics of no jobs, low wages and high taxes there is the terror of the state govenment in Maine. It is pervasive and it operates entirely outside constitution. It is especially dangerous for children as Maine CPS has an "encounter" with one of three children in the state between birth and 18 years of age. Frontline did a two hour series on this titled "Failure to Protect" about Logan Marr, a beautiful 6 year old who was murdered by her case worker. I am not the hysterical type but understand that I didn't walk away from my house without good reason. Please don't be seduced by the media hype and put your children in jeopardy.

For what it's worth, the pines in conroe are much taller and healthier than the ones in Maine. There is so much swamp up there and what is considered forest up there is generally more like a brush pile down here. Another disappointment is that the coastline, which would be beautiful, is covered with dilapidated trailers and tarpaper shacks. Lobstering doesn't pay well and it certainly shows as you drive up the coast.

I can't express how much I miss the climate and the snow. Also there is no crime, my house has sat empty for three years and the only problem has been the neighbor's daughter who was feeding a kitten at my house when her mother wouldn't let her have it at home. She played with my children's games while she was there and made a bit of a mess but not a big deal.

Logan Marr was murdered by her foster mother, not her case worker. It disgusts me beyond words, but I don't believe there is a state in the US that has not had at least one foster child killed by their foster parent. (Sad..) And sadder still, more children are abused by their own parents than are by foster parents.

I wonder if you have taken into account that the Department of Human Services (what many of you elsewhere would refer to as CPS) is also the agency which oversees the USDA Food Stamp Program, as well as Medicaid, Medicare, Office of Behavioral Health, Housing Assistance, Head Start, Foster Care, Child Behavioral Services, WIC, the Free and Reduced lunch program, and TANF (formerly AFDC) along with several other departments, so yes- the chances that one of three children will have contact with them at least once during their years 0-18 is great. This does not mean, however, that the Child Protection Services has active abuse/neglect cases with 33% of children in Maine, which is what the OP seems to be implying. I do know that 33% of the school children in Maine are currently participating in the free/reduced lunch program, and anywhere from 10-25% more would be eligible if their parents filled out the paperwork.

Sorry you find our homes along the coast disappointing. We'll have to see about plowing them all over in favor of nice, neat condos that the locals wouldn't be able to afford. And BTW- it's usually the lobstermen that have the nicer houses- the pay isn't as bad as you seem to think.

[mollysmiles]

DeerIsle, where did you find that and who posted it? that is outrageous....I hope you told that poser about her lack of facts!!

[mollysmiles]

I found it....it's in "places to avoid", a post by mbear....the good news is she hasn't been active since February....looks like we're well rid of her. I get so angry about the misinformation that some perpetuate!!! It's one thing to disagree, it's another thing entirely to lie and mislead--oh and to name call.....but you all know how I hate THAT.

[TheCaptain]

I live in Florida. If anyone recalls, we (our state) made national news more than once these past two years over murdered children. In fact, one child died because the caseworker lied about her visitations to the house.

I think it's dispicable, but not indicative of the state itself. Clean up the program if you want to start somewhere, and include every state, because unfortunately - bad things happen in every state.

[deerislesmile]

I apologize for not including this as well- Sally Schofield was a caseworker in Maine, but not the one assigned to Logan Marr's case. In any case, she should not have been allowed, as a DHS worker, to also be a foster parent, but was allowed to do so, and had resigned her postion at DHS, in the hopes of adopting the 2 girls (Logan and her younger sister), shortly before she killed Logan.

[elston]

I worked for many years in family services for Department of Welfare in two New England states and supervised child protective services in a major metropolitan area. I can't tell you how impressed I was with the quality of services that the social case workers provided. Most were idealistic wonderful people who truly wanted to help children and families. They had grueling caseloads and dealt on a daily basis with heart break and agonizing situations. The laws of the states often made it impossible to adequately protect the kids; the support services to augment marginally functioning families weren't available; public opinion from the civil libertarians to the fundementalist christians often tied the caseworkers hands because the rights of parents are so grounded in English Common Law and "spare the rod" scriptures. Of course bad things happen--let me assure you that many more would if it werent for the dedication of underpaid and over worked caseworkers. I have been out of the field for some years but I bet it is still the same.

Of course there were some workers who were sloppy or lazy, but that was a tiny minority. There were others who were burned out, and suffered with vicarious victimization, or just didnt have the energy to deal with apathetic judges, lawyers who were very skilled at cross examination. The states often don't provide a lawyer and caseworkers (often with just a BA degree in a non related field like English Literature) had to go into court on behalf of a child and stand up to a well trained and experienced lawyer.

[Maine Writer]

I have to wonder in rants like these if the OP lived in Maine or merely existed. Not everyone has what it takes to make a good life here.

Nearly two years ago I turned in a child molester who lived a few miles from me. DHS was great. The phone calls were prompt and action was swift. In spite of me not making the call until after 3 pm they were still on site the next morning. I gave the case worker the information I had and was left out of it from then on.

I doubt there's a profession that doesn't have a problem now and then. We are after all, human and stuff happens now matter where you live.

[Elcarim]

If this is Conroe, TX (20 miles from us) I find it hard to believe they would say anything about the condition of the pines OR about the trailers along the coast. Obviously they live out on Lake Conroe and haven't recently visited the NORMAL parts of Conroe that are filled with run down apartments and plenty of trailer trash. And yes, I mean trailer trash - that is very different from people who simply live in trailers. This person obviously had some negative reaction to Maine and needs to open two eyes and look around them - if they are talking about Conroe, TX. If not, then I have no idea what I'm talking about!

[ogre]

The user quoted in the OP mentioned a couple of times that she lived in "Conroe." Where's Conroe, anyway?

Not to single out any state in particular, I do get concerned about the possibility that case workers could be over-zealous in removing children from their parents. It's a difficult issue. Go too far in allowing parents leeway in how they raise their own kids, and a child gets hurt by an abusive parent. Go too far the other way, and children are torn away from decent parents as a result of narrow definitions of good parenting. Tough issue, but the quote in the original post seems pretty clearly to condemn an entire state on the basis of one terrible incident. Sorry, but those can occur anywhere.

[msina]

Conroe, Texas