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Los Angeles has a New Mayor with Deep Foster C

By Chris Chmielewski Foster Focus Editor

It’s no secret that when it comes to politics in America these days, no one is getting along. Turn on any news program at any time of day and you will be inundated with anger from the left, right and middle If there is one thing everyone in Washington D.C. can agree on is that they just can’t agree on anything. Enter the issue of foster care.

This is where opposing parties who are seemingly enemies become fast friends. It’s tough to vote against kids. It’s even tougher when those entering the government, do so with the underlying intention of helping people Whatever the campaign entailed, whatever the climb into office, you can bet they started out with the hopes of helping people. And who better to help than kids?

This is where aisles are crossed. This is where leaders of differing opinions on nearly everything, find common ground. It’s been my experience, that the issues of foster care and adoption trump the party agenda Individuals who were just hours ago vehemently debating one another, can be found sharing laughs at any foster care related function.

Most members of Congress and Senate are parents. Some are adoptive parents. Some are even foster parents. Even if a government official isn’t a parent, chances are they’ve got one At the very least they were children themselves This lends itself favorably to the cause of foster care. Most can recall being small, vulnerable, voiceless. It may be buried deep down but they can relate to those feelings.

Best intentions combined with memories of youth or the faces of the kids in their own home, leads to a desire to take care of the nation’s children. Taking care of the country’s most vulnerable is seen as an investment in the future and a responsibility of those who sit among the Legislators in Washington.

No one waves the flag of the importance of that investment and responsibility like second term Congress member from California, Karen Bass.

Actions speak louder than words and intentions; Congresswoman Bass is the embodiment of that philosophy. Within months of arriving in the nation’s capital she created the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth along with Congressman Tom Marino of Pennsylvania

Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, there were no Congressional Caucuses devoted to the foster care system For those of us who are not politically savvy, the definition is as follows; a congressional caucus is a group of members of the United States Congress that meets to pursue common legislative objectives. Formally, caucuses are formed as congressional member organizations (CMOs)