THE UNITED WAY AND ITS NEW INDIANA REPORT

The Indy Star put this story in their paper today. I thought it was different. I don't think its necessary negative towards women. It is negative in the way our society treats women. For the last few decades, we have gone after the "welfare" mother. Its sad shame that we as a society do not enourage and help women, children and older folks. I know personally that I would rather bail out humanity especially the children in comparison to a $700 billion dollar bailout for many of the banks and major investment firms in this country. That is quite a bit of money. We could take $70 billion dollars and see to it that women and children were educated, fed, clothed, and housed in healthy environments. Just my opinion.

Here is the story and the link.

United Way paints bleak baby picture

By Dan McFeely
dan.mcfeely@indystar.com

More than half of the babies born in Marion County are born to a
single mother, one of the startling statistics released today by the
United Way of Central Indiana.

The agency unveiled its 2008 Community Assessment to a large crowd at
the Madame Walker Theater Center early today.

The survey, which uses data from a variety of national, state and
local sources, has churned out more than 500 pages of statistics and
trends in the Central Indiana area. The results help the agency
determine where to direct donated dollars.
Among the findings:

>> Births to unmarried parents have steadily increased and now exceed
50 percent of all births in Marion County. And they exceed 35 percent
of those in more than half of all Indiana counties.

>> One fourth of the population growth in the metro area comes from
international immigration.

>> Between 1999 and 2006, the percentage of uninsured folks 65 and
older in Indiana grew by 10 to 13 percent, almost 50 percent higher
than the national growth as a whole.

>> In 2007, more than 60,000 people in Central Indiana suffered from a
serious and chronic mental disorder, and such problems often go
undiagnosed and untreated, especially in minority communities.

The study was completed with the help of more than 150 people,
including United Way staffers, independent researchers and volunteers.