Congress Opts to Keep Poisoning Children

Lead poisoning is entirely preventable.

By Jim Hightower

Yes, we certainly need to cut unnecessary and frivolous federal spending, because…well, because it's unnecessary and frivolous.

So Congress has targeted unnecessary oil subsidies and frivolous tax giveaways to billionaires, right?

Uh…no. Instead, our learned solons have chosen to whack the Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. In December, our lawmakers slashed this tiny, $30-million fund that's not even worth a decimal point of the national budget by 94 percent, to only $2 million. Gutting this program won't save you and me a penny on our tax bills.

Well, retort the whackers, who needs this program, anyway? Some of the poorest families in America, that's who. Lead poisoning from contaminated paint and soil is a silent epidemic in our country, afflicting some half-a-million low-income children a year with permanent brain damage and loss of IQ. 

The only safe level of lead in a child's blood is zero, which is why this program to monitor blood levels of lead and help state health departments inspect homes and contain the poison was initiated.

Lead poisoning is entirely preventable. America has the science and programs to stop this insidious destruction of babies' brains. Yet even the miniscule $30-million budget the program previously had couldn't touch the crisis of lead contamination in the 4 million homes in which vulnerable children live.  

And now Congress has refused this dollop of funding, responding instead to the wails of Wall Street billionaires that federal spending be cut to preserve their minuscule tax rates.

Imagine the national emergency Congress would declare if 4 million homes of the super-rich posed a danger to their children. But we're told that such thoughts amount to class war — and we can't have that, can we? To fight this outrage, go to www.leadsafe.org.

Jim Hightower is a radio commentator, writer, and public speaker. He's also editor of the populist newsletter, The Hightower Lowdown.
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