Bruce Lesley Profile picture
Proud father of 4. Child advocate. President of @First_Focus & @Campaign4Kids. Basketball fanatic. @SpeakingOfKids podcast co-host. #InvestInKids #VoteKids
Sep 24, 2023 13 tweets 4 min read
For our youth and those concerned about the lives of children, this piece by @amylittlefield is a must read.

As you read it, understand there are two children’s agendas being considered here and nothing less than the now and future of children is at stake. (1) In the name of parental rights, one is about book bans, censorship, speech codes, school privatization, the whitewashing of history, science, and literature, and the complete elimination of the rights of kids to education, health, safety, privacy, and confidentiality. (2) Image
Jul 28, 2022 15 tweets 12 min read
Watching AEI conversation with Sen. @MittRomney on the future of conservative family policy.

Child policy, including the Child Tax Credit, should be about the best interests of children and child well-being and NOT a focus for social engineering by conservative think tanks. (1) Sen. Romney said the Child Tax Credit is a "family program" but not a poverty program.

First, it is a CHILD program.

Second, nobody is suggesting that it should only benefit poor children, just that it stop harming children simply because their parents are low-income. (2)
Mar 21, 2022 12 tweets 6 min read
It is NOT insightful.

First, nearly 1,500 children have died from COVID.

The idea that this is “exceedingly low likelihood of severe illness or death” is horrifying and demonstates a fundamental dismissal of concern about the lives of children. (1) Second, hospitalization rates rose dramatically in recent months.

Deaths AND hospitalization in children should NEVER be dismissed. The parents, families, and friends of these children do not think this is not a big deal.

IT IS A BIG DEAL. (2)
Jan 4, 2022 21 tweets 13 min read
In 1991, a bipartisan National Commission on Children recommended a fully refundable Child Tax Credit (CTC) to all children. Here is what Democrats and Republicans on that National Commission on Children wrote: --> medium.com/voices4kids/a-… (1) In 2017, @Sen_JoeManchin voted twice to improve the CTC -- to make it more refundable and to make it fully refundable.

In 2021, he voted, once again, to make it fully refundable. This has the effect of cutting child poverty by more than 40%! (2)
Dec 18, 2021 19 tweets 8 min read
There is a REAL children’s agenda that parents are far more concerned about than ban books or a need to scream, harass, and intimidate school board members (the same behavior they would condemn and demand disciplinary action in children).

Here is a list of examples… 🧵(1) First, parents want the best for their kids. They do not accept that the U.S. ranks 36th out of 38 wealthy nations in indicators of child well-being.

Banning books and screaming and harassing school boards over public health measures does not address this. (2)
Feb 5, 2019 7 tweets 4 min read
Here is a little more on the idea of a Medicaid buy-in, including that proposed by Sen. @brianschatz and @repbenraylujan...

Expanding Medicaid instead of Medicare would offer more generous benefits - @pw_cunningham - Washington Post buff.ly/2WDrpKN (1) Here is how Sen. @brianschatz explains his Medicaid buy-in proposal in a USA TODAY piece. - usatoday.com/story/opinion/… (2)
Feb 5, 2019 19 tweets 10 min read
The debate over Medicare for All is growing. The following are a few perspectives in today’s news:

Don't Settle for the Public Option Over Medicare for All - Splinter buff.ly/2RBtp2p (1) Among 2020 Democrats, a Debate Over 'Medicare-For-All' - NY Times nytimes.com/aponline/2019/… (2)
Jan 3, 2019 13 tweets 4 min read
Not a single person of color and not a single person from the border in a discussion about the border and immigration.

There are actually at least 3 people from New York & people from North Dakota & Indiana there, but nobody from the border who has real knowledge about it. (1) If they bothered to include somebody from the border in a discussion about the border, they might have seen this. —> (2)