GUILTY TX - Alanna Gallagher, 6, Saginaw, 1 July 2013 - #13

[Filly]

Interesting.

Good points have been made about WIC, etc . It sounds like you would have received the same help as anyone else, father or not. It 's income based .

Cash assistance for a family of two where I live is about $200/ month.

Even if you get help with food and housing, $200/month does not go far for clothes and other things you need such as shampoo, laundry soap, clothes washing, on and on.

Grocery stores are not close by where I live, so people either take a bus, if the route goes anywhere near, or a cab, which is expensive here.

I pray everyday I never have to be that poor.

And even if people cheat on welfare, they aren't getting too much more. Ii was in hundreds of homes over the years. The first year I had my new assistant at work, we both went home and cried.

We don't have any crime ridden ghettos where I live. I cannot even imagine a concrete land to live in.

In a concrete land there's drug trade. That puts alot of food on the table and designer clothing on the backs of your family.

Here the corner store folks get their food with an Access card only to sell it at three times the amount to the neighbors who can't get to the supermarket because nobody puts a supermarket in the ghetto.

Somehow, and in some way there's often money left over to get your hair done and your nails done.

Wash? Buy new stuff. Shopping is a way to pass the time. nevermind the Lexus's parked outside the welfare office.

No, no, no this is not every family living in extreme poverty and certainly not the people who try their very best to show good work ethic and bust their butts at a job with no benefits and no money left over for a decent meal. Actually it's the elderly that are suffering the most from what I see at the supermarket and the pharmacy.

Of course none of this has anything to do with why this "person" turned out to be a murderer. I was Blessed to have family to help me when I got divorced, and nooooooooo I would not have wanted to have to deal with welfare at any rate. Just like everything else it's sad that there's people that abuse the system when there's people that truly need help and aren't getting it.

 

[PlainJaneDoe]

It really wasn't your post specifically. I have just seen many posts here at WS (as another poster mentioned) which insinuate or outright connect ADHD and deviant behavior. I was really just trying to address that before yet another thread became a dialogue likening ADHD with violence. I'm sorry! :truce:

Jmo. just jumping off your post.

What I think we should fight against:

• The tendency to see a person with ADD as his or her disorder, believing one can understand and predict behavior with absolute certainty based on just the fact that s/he has ADD.

• 
  The tendency to see people with ADD as a homogenous population (i.e. ignoring important individual differences).

Substitute whatever disorder or mental illness you want for ADD. Maybe I am in the minority but as a person with mental illness, I say, if the data show that my condition appears to be linked, epidemiologically or otherwise, with criminality or deviance, so be it. It doesn't change who I am and what I do. If the data are sound, they will stand up and we can learn from them. If not, let's do the studies to prove that, let's address it scientifically like (IMO) it should be. And let's keep the public (non-experts) in the loop, because knowledge is power for all of us.

All IMOO.

 

[blue22]

Back when I was practicing law this wasn't true but I don't know the rules now. Back then you only had to name the father or potential fathers if you received government aid of certain types and the government was trying to get some of their money back so the government (state) went after the non-custodial parents.

I agree with the posters that have said KH might not have initiated the child support and paternity case. It's possible that the State initiated the action.

It's also possible that KH reached out earlier to the state for help with child support and paternity.

It can take some time for the Attorney General to file any case, but especially a case where the custodial parent is not getting state aid. Back when I was practicing law the state aid cases had priority, I don't know if that's still the case or not.

Just throwing out some ideas, I don't know anything about the circumstances in this case.

First, let me say I have no idea how it works when a father lives out of state. Second, I don't know if protocol is different, when the state wants to pursue child support, instead of government aide.

With that said, as far back as 14 years ago...DNA paternity is required in Texas. If the mother does not know who the father is, they must say who they think the father might be. They will then order paternity tests for all potential fathers. I don't know if this is the story, when TH was young. in 2009, paternity testing was definitely a requirement. Like I said, I don't know how that is approached with an out of state potential father.

ETA: This is really good information about child support in Texas. https://www.oag.state.tx.us/AG_Publications/pdfs/cs_faq.pdf

 

[human]

In a concrete land there's drug trade. That puts alot of food on the table and designer clothing on the backs of your family.

Here the corner store folks get their food with an Access card only to sell it at three times the amount to the neighbors who can't get to the supermarket because nobody puts a supermarket in the ghetto.

Somehow, and in some way there's often money left over to get your hair done and your nails done.

Wash? Buy new stuff. Shopping is a way to pass the time. nevermind the Lexus's parked outside the welfare office.

No, no, no this is not every family living in extreme poverty and certainly not the people who try their very best to show good work ethic and bust their butts at a job with no benefits and no money left over for a decent meal. Actually it's the elderly that are suffering the most from what I see at the supermarket and the pharmacy.

Of course none of this has anything to do with why this "person" turned out to be a murderer. I was Blessed to have family to help me when I got divorced, and nooooooooo I would not have wanted to have to deal with welfare at any rate. Just like everything else it's sad that there's people that abuse the system when there's people that truly need help and aren't getting it.

Here, hair and nails are important.

We have drugs and gangs, but nothing like big cities.

Of course, I have not been to the ghettos in the big city, but a lot of the families I worked with came from those ghettos.

They would be sleeping on concrete floors until I or some other person went and got them a free mattress. That mattress being one we selected from the pile at the store. Those mattresses were the ones picked up when the store delivered the new one.

I would have my hubby come with . Had him smell the mattresses. We would pick the ones with the least amount of stains. The people were so grateful.

I told them a out the stains. It was OK because they said they would put plastic over them. I would rather sleep on concrete, to tell you the truth.

I know there were the BF's who gave money so the kids had nice clothes.

They want something of the American dream. They see it on TV. They want in.

I had my job for 30 years. I am thankful as I met people who I would never had a chance to meet otherwise. Gang members from the different large ones from big cities, strippers, prostitutes, drug addicts. I would say almost all of them wanted better for their children than they had.

Lots of times it was hard when they had to drop out of school at 14 because of pregnancy. I would say 100% of the time it was due to molestation at a younger age. But nothing is 100%. Thank you God or whatever that it was not me born into those circumstances,

 

[x_files]

Here, hair and nails are important.

We have drugs and gangs, but nothing like big cities.

Of course, I have not been to the ghettos in the big city, but a lot of the families I worked with came from those ghettos.

They would be sleeping on concrete floors until I or some other person went and got them a free mattress. That mattress being one we selected from the pile at the store. Those mattresses were the ones picked up when the store delivered the new one.

I would have my hubby come with . Had him smell the mattresses. We would pick the ones with the least amount of stains. The people were so grateful.

I told them a out the stains. It was OK because they said they would put plastic over them. I would rather sleep on concrete, to tell you the truth.

I know there were the BF's who gave money so the kids had nice clothes.

They want something of the American dream. They see it on TV. They want in.

I had my job for 30 years. I am thankful as I met people who I would never had a chance to meet otherwise. Gang members from the different large ones from big cities, strippers, prostitutes, drug addicts. I would say almost all of them wanted better for their children than they had.

Lots of times it was hard when they had to drop out of school at 14 because of pregnancy. I would say 100% of the time it was due to molestation at a younger age. But nothing is 100%. Thank you God or whatever that it was not me born into those circumstances,

You rock.

 

[PlainJaneDoe]

Here, hair and nails are important.

We have drugs and gangs, but nothing like big cities.

Of course, I have not been to the ghettos in the big city, but a lot of the families I worked with came from those ghettos.

They would be sleeping on concrete floors until I or some other person went and got them a free mattress. That mattress being one we selected from the pile at the store. Those mattresses were the ones picked up when the store delivered the new one.

I would have my hubby come with . Had him smell the mattresses. We would pick the ones with the least amount of stains. The people were so grateful.

I told them a out the stains. It was OK because they said they would put plastic over them. I would rather sleep on concrete, to tell you the truth.

I know there were the BF's who gave money so the kids had nice clothes.

They want something of the American dream. They see it on TV. They want in.

I had my job for 30 years. I am thankful as I met people who I would never had a chance to meet otherwise. Gang members from the different large ones from big cities, strippers, prostitutes, drug addicts. I would say almost all of them wanted better for their children than they had.

Lots of times it was hard when they had to drop out of school at 14 because of pregnancy. I would say 100% of the time it was due to molestation at a younger age. But nothing is 100%. Thank you God or whatever that it was not me born into those circumstances,

And thank you. Wow. If there is a god, I bet you were his/her hands and feet to answer many prayers.


“Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours,
Yours are the eyes through which to look out
Christ's compassion to the world
Yours are the feet with which he is to go about
doing good;
Yours are the hands with which he is to bless men now.”
― Teresa of Ávila

 

[Filly]

Here, hair and nails are important.

We have drugs and gangs, but nothing like big cities.

Of course, I have not been to the ghettos in the big city, but a lot of the families I worked with came from those ghettos.

They would be sleeping on concrete floors until I or some other person went and got them a free mattress. That mattress being one we selected from the pile at the store. Those mattresses were the ones picked up when the store delivered the new one.

I would have my hubby come with . Had him smell the mattresses. We would pick the ones with the least amount of stains. The people were so grateful.

I told them a out the stains. It was OK because they said they would put plastic over them. I would rather sleep on concrete, to tell you the truth.

I know there were the BF's who gave money so the kids had nice clothes.

They want something of the American dream. They see it on TV. They want in.

I had my job for 30 years. I am thankful as I met people who I would never had a chance to meet otherwise. Gang members from the different large ones from big cities, strippers, prostitutes, drug addicts. I would say almost all of them wanted better for their children than they had.

Lots of times it was hard when they had to drop out of school at 14 because of pregnancy. I would say 100% of the time it was due to molestation at a younger age. But nothing is 100%. Thank you God or whatever that it was not me born into those circumstances,

Thank goodness for good hearts such as you, human.

In all honesty here you can get furniture on credit, move into a rented house, and beat the rent with the furniture in tow. I see it all the time. There you go with new furniture. These are people that wouldn't want an old bed or mattress.

Again this is only some people. It's what I live in. Women with four or five children and new kiddie pool, patio furniture, and toys galore and the kids get sent to school in the morning with a bag of Chetto's. Always, always, the pool gets left with sludge, and the patio furniture rusts and the new clothing gets tossed out and the pizza boxes get piled up, and it's a cycle.

No better than sleeping on a concrete floor in alot of ways. The end result often the same.

Sorry O/T in this case, but we're all the same and we're all different. Now I must get my nails done. J/K

 

[Linda7NJ]

Thank goodness for good hearts such as you, human.

In all honesty here you can get furniture on credit, move into a rented house, and beat the rent with the furniture in tow. I see it all the time. There you go with new furniture. These are people that wouldn't want an old bed or mattress.

Again this is only some people. It's what I live in. Women with four or five children and new kiddie pool, patio furniture, and toys galore and the kids get sent to school in the morning with a bag of Chetto's. Always, always, the pool gets left with sludge, and the patio furniture rusts and the new clothing gets tossed out and the pizza boxes get piled up, and it's a cycle.

No better than sleeping on a concrete floor in alot of ways. The end result often the same.

Sorry O/T in this case, but we're all the same and we're all different. Now I must get my nails done. J/K

Well it drives me bananas! My husband works everyday 12-15 hours. We pay our bills....all of them. Frankly, the economy is so bad now that there really isn't much left over. Certainly not the 10% we used to have for savings.

My neighbor whose house ( section 8) is actually bigger than mine as they have a built on enclosed patio. She pays a whopping $48.00 a month. The $850 a month she gets in food stamps must be great! They entertain all the time... No hot dogs or burgers for them... Carry in cases of ribs & steaks. I passed on replacing our broken jacuzzi this summer....moneys tight. I have a budget ya know. They got a new car and an above ground pool,., oh and guess what! She's expecting #7 ...another Little BLESSING! Our health insurance .., pffft what a joke that is for all the money we pay for practically nothing. They get Medicade ..,100% paid. Must be nice.

If that's being poor... I want in!

I'm telling you, I'm sincerely regretting doing things the right way when I could be living the high life on everyone else's dime.

 

[blue22]

Well it drives me bananas! My husband works everyday 12-15 hours. We pay our bills....all of them. Frankly, the economy is so bad now that there really isn't much left over. Certainly not the 10% we used to have for savings.

My neighbor whose house ( section 8) is actually bigger than mine as they have a built on enclosed patio. She pays a whopping $48.00 a month. The $850 a month she gets in food stamps must be great! They entertain all the time... No hot dogs or burgers for them... Carry in cases of ribs & steaks. I passed on replacing our broken jacuzzi this summer....moneys tight. I have a budget ya know. They got a new car and an above ground pool,., oh and guess what! She's expecting #7 ...another Little BLESSING! Our health insurance .., pffft what a joke that is for all the money we pay for practically nothing. They get Medicade ..,100% paid. Must be nice.

If that's being poor... I want in!

I'm telling you, I'm sincerely regretting doing things the right way when I could be living the high life on everyone else's dime.

I feel you. The family across the street from me is pregnant with #6. The mother isn't even LEGAL to be here, and they still rake in the benefits. We are born citizens and work our freaking butts off, and we see them have everything they need AND want. I just have to keep telling myself that those bad choices always have consequences. We may not see, and it may not be in our lifetime...but eventually they will pay.

 

[CluelessWonder]

Well it drives me bananas! My husband works everyday 12-15 hours. We pay our bills....all of them. Frankly, the economy is so bad now that there really isn't much left over. Certainly not the 10% we used to have for savings.

My neighbor whose house ( section 8) is actually bigger than mine as they have a built on enclosed patio. She pays a whopping $48.00 a month. The $850 a month she gets in food stamps must be great! They entertain all the time... No hot dogs or burgers for them... Carry in cases of ribs & steaks. I passed on replacing our broken jacuzzi this summer....moneys tight. I have a budget ya know. They got a new car and an above ground pool,., oh and guess what! She's expecting #7 ...another Little BLESSING! Our health insurance .., pffft what a joke that is for all the money we pay for practically nothing. They get Medicade ..,100% paid. Must be nice.

If that's being poor... I want in!

I'm telling you, I'm sincerely regretting doing things the right way when I could be living the high life on everyone else's dime.

Section 8 requires you to pay 30 percent of your income for rent. Is their monthly income $150? That is terrible. How are they able to afford a new car? It sounds like the problem may be fraud rather than over-generous assistance programs.

 

[human]

First, let me say I have no idea how it works when a father lives out of state. Second, I don't know if protocol is different, when the state wants to pursue child support, instead of government aide.

With that said, as far back as 14 years ago...DNA paternity is required in Texas. If the mother does not know who the father is, they must say who they think the father might be. They will then order paternity tests for all potential fathers. I don't know if this is the story, when TH was young. in 2009, paternity testing was definitely a requirement. Like I said, I don't know how that is approached with an out of state potential father.

ETA: This is really good information about child support in Texas. https://www.oag.state.tx.us/AG_Publications/pdfs/cs_faq.pdf

Excellent document with great info. All questions that I had are answered there.

I found this interesting
Does the Office of the Attorney General handle custody and visitation disputes?
Federal regulations do not allow the Office of the Attorney General to use child support funding to provide legal services for custody or visitation disputes. The attorney general encourages mediation of these issues, and most cases are resolved by agreement.
The Office of the Attorney General does receive limited special funding to provide assistance to parents with custody and visitation issues. Information about these services and basic legal information regarding child access and visitation issues is available by contacting the Texas Access and Visitation Hotline. The state- wide toll-free number, (866) 292-4636, is answered in English and Spanish, Monday–Friday from 1 to 7 p.m. The hotline has a corresponding website, www.txaccess.org, where parents can download sample materials and tools for assistance with child access issues.
The OAG maintains an online directory of programs and service providers across Texas designed to facilitate shared parenting after separation or divorce. You can search the online directory at http://www.oag.state. tx.us/cs/access/ by zip code, county or service provided.
In the rare case where custody and/or visitation are con- tested, you may choose to hire a private attorney or rep- resent yourself. If you cannot afford a lawyer, you may be eligible for federally-funded legal assistance. Look
16

 

[Dora the Explorer]

Long story but I was single and unemployed with no father in sight my children's first year at home. My circumstances were a bit different because I got a large income tax refund from the prior year (since I only worked half the yr paying single person taxes) and my children, having been micropreemies, qualified for SSI (so Medicaid as well). What with these, unemployment, and WIC (and living in a low income town), I was better off then than I am now making well above the national median for a household of three. It is frustrating sometimes, I admit.

 

[elmomom]

This country is never going to get better while the working class wage war against the poor. The wealthy just sit back and rake it in. But what I want to know is what does all this have to do with Alanna?

 

[Filly]

Section 8 requires you to pay 30 percent of your income for rent. Is their monthly income $150? That is terrible. How are they able to afford a new car? It sounds like the problem may be fraud rather than over-generous assistance programs.

Linda can answer that, but from my experience I'd ask who "they" are? The one person applies and then you have how many other people living in there?

Plasma TV's, cable, Smart phones, designer shoes,and clothing, and indeed new cars. Weather it's fraud or not it does tend to get people PO'd when you're in line counting your dollars for Mac&Cheese and maybe a vegetable and someone in front of you whips out that card for a cart full of steaks and shrimp, and soda.

My elderly mom says her new life ambition is to get "one of those cards". You have homeowners, a mortgage, medical insurance, co-pays, prescritpions and full on utilities you want a "card" too and a Section 8 house even though you and your deceased husband worked your entire lives. That pension ain't cutting it.

 

[Filly]

But what I want to know is what does all this have to do with Alanna?

You are absolutely correct. My apologies. It has nothing to do with this little beautiful child or her family.

 

[Linda7NJ]

Section 8 requires you to pay 30 percent of your income for rent. Is their monthly income $150? That is terrible. How are they able to afford a new car? It sounds like the problem may be fraud rather than over-generous assistance programs.

I dunno, she's got a man over there, I don't know if he's baby daddy to #7... He's been there for at least 3 years. He doesn't work either but does do "handiman" type work under the table.

 

[human]

Thank goodness for good hearts such as you, human.

In all honesty here you can get furniture on credit, move into a rented house, and beat the rent with the furniture in tow. I see it all the time. There you go with new furniture. These are people that wouldn't want an old bed or mattress.

Again this is only some people. It's what I live in. Women with four or five children and new kiddie pool, patio furniture, and toys galore and the kids get sent to school in the morning with a bag of Chetto's. Always, always, the pool gets left with sludge, and the patio furniture rusts and the new clothing gets tossed out and the pizza boxes get piled up, and it's a cycle.

No better than sleeping on a concrete floor in alot of ways. The end result often the same.

Sorry O/T in this case, but we're all the same and we're all different. Now I must get my nails done. J/K

Really O/T but I want to share from one of my all time favorite parents.

She was from Filthidelphia, she called it.

She said you could watch the news and the newscaster would say, "There was a shooting on 5th and 6th today. Six people are dead."

" And Chris, what is the weather forecast for tomorrow?!

She is black. She was in a shelter run by a different ethnic group , not white.

She got kicked out for smoking crack on the back porch.

She was angry.

She said, "Look at me ( she is overweight). Do I look like I could be smoking crack? Just cuz I am black? Couldn't they say I was doing cocaine or something? "

I asked her what she meant. She said that crack smokers are skinny.

I asked her, "Why?"

She said they lost weight running back and forth to the pawn shop to get more money to buy crack.

Anyway, I know if people on here saw and met the people in poverty (not all o f course, just like all rich and middle class people are not nice) , you would be helping them as well. It is impossible to go home and sit on a couch and go to sleep in your bed and think about the people who have horrifying circumstances.

 

[human]

Linda can answer that, but from my experience I'd ask who "they" are? The one person applies and then you have how many other people living in there?

Plasma TV's, cable, Smart phones, designer shoes,and clothing, and indeed new cars. Weather it's fraud or not it does tend to get people PO'd when you're in line counting your dollars for Mac&Cheese and maybe a vegetable and someone in front of you whips out that card for a cart full of steaks and shrimp, and soda.

My elderly mom says her new life ambition is to get "one of those cards". You have homeowners, a mortgage, medical insurance, co-pays, prescritpions and full on utilities you want a "card" too and a Section 8 house even though you and your deceased husband worked your entire lives. That pension ain't cutting it.

It's easy. Give away everything you own and you can have it too.

 

[Midwestmama78]

It really wasn't your post specifically. I have just seen many posts here at WS (as another poster mentioned) which insinuate or outright connect ADHD and deviant behavior. I was really just trying to address that before yet another thread became a dialogue likening ADHD with violence. I'm sorry! :truce:

No offence taken. I could have worded my post better.

 

[Backwoods]

Her car was there when they served the search warrant, wasn't it?

I'm not sure -- I know it (the KIA) was searched.

I was thinking: Maybe one reason for the separate search warrant for the KIA (even though vehicles on the property are included on the house search warrant) would be that investigators did not know whether the car would be at the house -- Mom gone to work or wherever she might go -- and they wanted to be prepared to be able to go search that car, immediately, when they hit the house, even if it was not on the property.