I found another interesting lawsuit against Sarah Palin (in her capacity as governor of the state of Alaska).
Billy Olson's mother sued the governor and the state because Alaska lack 24-hour residential programs for severe-needs autistic children and adolescents. Billy Olson, a 16-year-old with severe autism, was living in an out-of-state residential facility, thousands of miles away from his family.
The plaintiffs were seeking relief in the form of the state establishing and operating a 24-hour resident facility for Billy Olson and other young people with autism.
To cut a long story short, the Olsons lost.
In March 2008, eight months after the start of the case, Sarah Palin issued a proclamation which ends like this:
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Sarah Palin, Governor of the state of Alaska, do hereby proclaim April 2008 as:
Autism Awareness Month
in Alaska, and encourage all Alaskans to work together to ensure that individuals with autism spectrum disorder are accurately diagnosed and appropriately treated throughout their lives.
Dated: March 12, 2008
Sarah Palin has a nephew with austism, there's a member of her immediate family with Down's Syndrome, but all her actions, from funding to defending lawsuits, indicate that she says one thing and does the opposite.
Sarah Palin's version of small government is so small and petty that it fails to meet the basic needs of people who may not find themselves in the same fortunate position as herself or members of her family.
Most people regard their children as simply children and do not use them to further their ambitions. If the children have needs, they come before those of the parents.
It must be soul destroying for the parents of children with special needs to have to fight a losing battle in the courts and spend thousands of dollars in an attempt to have the state provide services that are mandatory. They lose more than lawsuits, they also lose contact with the children they love when they have to be placed thousands of miles away from home.
Links
Cindy Olson's complaint on behalf of her son
Sarah Palin's proclamation
Details of court case on Public Access website
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