I Endorse John McCain for President. He is the Autism Candidate.

Last year I decided that I would endorse whomever turned out to be the candidate who would be the one most likely to address the autism epidemic properly, and to end the government stonewalling that is preventing real progress from taking place. I am a republican, but if reforming the dysfunction in public health that is sustaining the autism epidemic meant endorsing Hillary Clinton because she made a 180 in her position on autism and decided to earnestly fix the problems, then I would endorse and vote for her, as difficult as that might be for me.

But what has happened is something unusual. The conservative candidate has turned out not only to be the better autism candidate, he has brought more attention to the disorder than any other national political figure in history.

So at this late date (I have decided you can either be an autism mom or find time to write about autism, but rarely both), I am announcing my endorsement of John McCain as the autism candidate, and urging you to vote for him for the following reasons, some of which you may be aware of, one of which is new information:

1. John McCain has brought autism to the forefront of the national agenda during this campaign.

This started in March, even before the Hannah Poling concession was announced, when he was the first presidential candidate to address the autism/vaccine connection publicly, causing Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to add their comments on the topic.

It continued during the conventions, when McCain talked about autism in his acceptance speech, declaring:

"I fight for Jake and Toni Wimmer of Franklin County, Pennsylvania,... They have two sons. The youngest, Luke, has been diagnosed with autism. Their lives should matter to the people they elect to office. And they matter to me."

And he did again during the debates when he brought autism into the conversation.


2. John McCain is meeting with and listening to parents. Barack Obama is not.

John McCain met with several of my friends in late 2007, when he had been considered out of the contention for president. (I was actually invited to participate in this effort, but family obligations prevented me from doing so). He listened, he heard them, he acted on their behalf, and he began talking about our kids on the national stage.





Barack Obama will be introducing autism legislation shortly that he has been preparing for the last six months. Our community has reached out to him on several issues, and he has not responded. At any time he would have had a chance to gain our input on his autism bill, but we found out about this bill after it was drafted, from a source other than the Obama camp, practically by accident. Even those of us in regular contact with the Obama campaign had no knowledge of this bill. Reading the bill it is clear to see why he may not have wanted parents to read it. More on his upcoming legislation in a moment.

3. John McCain, after meeting with autism parents, along with Joe Lieberman wrote to the Senate Health Services Committee asking them "to hold a hearing on federal research efforts regarding factors affecting incidence and treatment in order to help determine where research efforts can best be directed". This included the environmental triggers of autism such as vaccine additives, pesticides, metals and other chemical pollutants.

Barack Obama is on that Committee and could have picked up the torch and initiated hearings, but didn't.

4. Barack Obama will be introducing this legislation after the election during the lame duck session of congress. This information has not yet been made public, so most of you will be seeing this bill for the first time. Some who have seen the bill in the last few days are upset not only because it will do little to help our children, but it will give even more money and more responsibility to the same agencies who have been wasting autism money and failing in the responsibilities thus far.

From one Generation Rescue staffer:

The draft Obama Research, Treatment and Services Bill Puts HRSA/CDC At Helm:

1.) The bill had no input from the "biomedical" community (the fact that our people had no clue about this bill speaks volumes considering they've been in touch with the Obama camp for quite awhile.)

2.) Individuals within Obama's office who worked on the bill have not returned any of our calls asking for some background on the bill nor have they replied to our request for GR to have some input on the bill before it gets submitted.

3.) The bill is outlining many of the same mechanisms that are contained in the original CAA bill. It is redundant.

4.) The CDC is put in charge of "facilitating the rapid dissemination of evidence-based and promising practices" which, in my opinion is one of the most troubling aspects of this bill!"

5. John McCain has stated that parents should be the ones to be making health care decisions for their children, Barack Obama has stated that he is "not for selective vaccination", implying that he may be in favor of forced vaccination.

Our community has tried doggedly to get Barack Obama to expound on this statement and let us know if he is in favor of forced vaccinations like the kind that are taking place in New Jersey and Maryland. He will not respond.

5. John McCain has taken far less money from pharmaceutical companies, and has been consistently tough on them over the years.

6. Political Base has listed Julie Gerberding as a possible HHS secretary in an Obama administration.

The fact that she is even speculated by dems to be in contention to be in charge of this country's health services under Obama after all of the debacles she has reigned over is upsetting. The ONLY thing that our community agrees with the skeptic community is that Julie Gerberding has done a horrible job as the head of CDC, which is also the opinion of many of the people who have worked under her. Her public career should be over when Bush leaves office.

Hillary Clinton is also listed as a potential for the job. Hillary Clinton is no friend of the autism community.

7. John McCain chose a special needs mom as his running mate.

Sarah Palin is new to special needs parenting herself, but as her sister Heather Bruce has a 13 year old son with autism (hear Bruce's interview on Autism One Radio), she has been touched by the disorder. When you have autism in your family, you get a chance to see how much more difficult it is than people imagine, and addressing it becomes a much higher priority.

Her statement to the special needs community at the Republican National Convention was, "To the families of special needs children all across this country, I have a message for you. For years you've sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters and I pledge to you that if we're elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House".

Palin's first policy speech was on the Mccain/Palin Special Needs Platform (Please read to see what they are proposing), and the autism group she invited to the event was not Autism Speaks, the ConGlomCo of endless, fruitless autism research, it was a small local parent group called AutismLink.

8. Cindy McCain has a Masters in Special Education and a heart for children with autism as well.

Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, and at this point it seems that the McCain/Palin crew can't stop talking about autism.

It should be noted that both McCain and Obama supported CAA and both will fully fund IDEA.

The debate is broader than what I have referred to here, but it sums up the differences between the two candidates.

You may be asking, "why should I vote for a candidate based on this one issue", so I will answer. This is more important than the economy. It is more important than the war. There are few issues as important as the autism epidemic, because what we are seeing happening in this country will be blossoming into a disaster that will effect every arena in this country in the next 10 years or so.

Autism now effects around 1 in 100 children. The CDC's number of 1 in 150 is several years old, and the Department of Defense reports that 1 in 88 of their dependents has some form of autism. The disorder is believed to be growing at 10 to 17 percent per year. And CDC admits that 17 percent of children have a developmental delay or disability.

Read that again... 1 percent have autism, 17 percent have developmental problems.

This week Suzanne Wright, co-founder of Autism Speaks talked about how appalled she was to find out how prevalent and quickly growing autism was when her grandson was diagnosed 4 years ago. When she asked the CDC why they were not talking about this their response was, "Well, we don’t want to disturb people. Pediatricians aren’t sure of the diagnoses and it might just cause difficulty."

The federal government is not just allowing the autism epidemic to happen, they are now complicit in the escalation of the problem. The decision has been made that this epidemic will not be addressed because doing so will "cause difficulty".

So more and more children get sick, stop talking and their parents are told by doctors to just accept it.

Think about what it will mean for this country in ten years.

When somewhere between 1 and 17 percent of adults cannot reach their vocational potential, what will that do to tax revenue? What will that do to the economy?

A child with autism will cost between three and ten million dollars over their lifetime. If the autism rate remains at 1 percent, that means that those millions will be paid by the other 99 people. Which means that for my high functioning son with autism, 99 of my friends will pay more than $30,000 in taxes that will go to his care.

When 1 in 60 boys has an autism diagnosis, what will that do for military readiness and defense in 2018 and beyond?

In 10 years a generation of disabled children age out of education programs into adulthood. When their parents start passing on, or becoming too infirmed to care for them, what will that mean for homelessness in this country?

When a generation of people have melt downs when overwhelmed by loud noises and confusion, some becoming violent, what will that do for law enforcement?

1 percent of children have autism, yet the government will not even declare it an epidemic.

Now... is the economy this year really more important that what hundreds of thousands, even millions, of disabled individuals pouring into society will do to this country over the next several decades?

Please vote McCain on November 4th. He is the only one who takes autism seriously.

Ginger Taylor, M.S.

Update:

Bob had a few more reasons to vote McCain:

"Let's not forget that disgusting "midnight rider" the preservative republicans slapped onto the tail-end of the Homeland Security bill in 2002. You know, the Eli Lilly rider designed to provide liability protection to Eli Lilly against Thimerosal-induced Autism that came over from the White House at 10:10 PM and was inserted into the Homeland Security Act?

From the New York Times article "Whose Hands Are Dirty?" November 25, 2002

"Senator John McCain of Arizona characterized the provision as ''among the most inappropriate'' in the homeland security legislation. He said: ''This language will primarily benefit large brand-name pharmaceutical companies which produce additives to children's vaccines -- with substantial benefit to one company in particular. It has no bearing whatsoever on domestic security.''

John McCain gave his word that he would fight to remove the rider, and guess what? It was removed."
 

...John McCain continued to fight against Thimerosal liability protection efforts. He and few others banded together to to form the gang of fourteen.

They fought over and over against as Bill Frist and Hillary Clinton tried repetitively to slip Thimerosal language into countless bills. And when it became clear that Hillary Clinton and Bill Frist were blocking Thimerosal and vaccine research, together John McCain and fellow Autism ally Joe Lieberman composed a letter to the U.S. Senate H.E.L.P committee calling out the lack of Thimerosal and vaccine research and calling FOR Senate hearings concerning the Combating Autism Act fiasco.

Sarah Palin Gives Her First Policy Speech and It Is On Kids With Special Needs

So much to write about, but unfortunately I am stuck working today. But I wanted to provide the text of her speech this morning. I have not even read it yet:

REMARKS BY GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN ON THE MCCAIN-PALIN COMMITMENT TO CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
For Immediate Release

Contact: Press Office
Friday, October 24, 2008
703-650-5550

ARLINGTON, VA -- Governor Sarah Palin today delivered the following remarks as prepared for delivery in Pittsburgh, PA, at 9:00 a.m. ET:

Thank you all very much. I appreciate the hospitality of the people of Pittsburgh, and I'm grateful to all the groups who have joined us here today. The Woodlands Foundation, the Down Syndrome Center at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Autism-link, the Children's Institute of Pittsburgh: Thank you for coming today. And, above all, thank you for the great work you do for the light and love you bring into so many lives.

John McCain and I have talked about the missions he'd like me to focus on should I become vice president, and our nation's energy independence and government reform are among them. But there is another mission that's especially close to my heart, and that is to help families of children with special needs. And today, we'll talk about three policy proposals that are going to help us fulfill our country's commitment to these children: more choices for parents, fully funding IDEA, and efforts to reform and refocus.

Too often, even in our own day, children with special needs have been set apart and excluded. Too often, state and federal laws add to their challenges, instead of removing barriers and opening new paths of opportunity. Too often, they are made to feel that there is no place for them in the life of our country, that they don't count or have nothing to contribute. This attitude is a grave disservice to these beautiful children, to their families, and to our country -- and I will work to change it.

One of the most wonderful experiences in this campaign has been to see all the families of children with special needs who come out to rallies and events just like this. We have a bond there. We know that children with special needs inspire a special love. You bring your sons and daughters with you, because you are proud of them, as I am of my son.

My little fella sleeps during most of these rallies, even when they get pretty rowdy. He would be amazed to know how many folks come out to see him instead of me.

When I learned that Trig would have special needs, honestly, I had to prepare my heart. At first I was scared, and Todd and I had to ask for strength and understanding. I did a lot of praying for that understanding, and strength, and to see purpose.

And what's been confirmed in me is every child has something to contribute to the world, if we give them that chance. You know that there are the world's standards of perfection, and then there are God's, and these are the final measure. Every child is beautiful before God, and dear to Him for their own sake. And the truest measure of any society is how it treats those who are most vulnerable.

As for our baby boy, Trig, for Todd and me he is only more precious because he is vulnerable. In some ways, I think we stand to learn more from him than he does from us. When we hold Trig and care for him, we don't feel scared anymore. We feel blessed.

Of course, many other families are much further along a similar path -- including my best friend who happens to be my sister, Heather, and her 13-year old son Karcher, who has autism. Heather and I have worked on this for over a decade. Heather is an advocate for children with autism in Alaska. And as governor, I've succeeded in securing additional funding and assistance for students with special needs. By 2011, I will have tripled the funding available to these students.

Heather and I have been blessed with a large, strong family network. Our family helps make sure that Trig and Karcher have what they need. But not everyone is lucky enough to have that strong network of support. And the experiences of those millions of Americans point the way to better policy in the care of children with special needs.

One of the most common experiences is the struggle of parents to find the best and earliest care for their children. The law requires our public schools to serve children with special needs, but often the results fall far short of the service they need. Even worse, parents are left with no other options, except for the few families that can afford private instruction or therapy.

Many of you parents here have been through the drill: You sit down with teachers and counselors to work out the IEP -- an individual education plan for your child. The school may be trying its best, but they're overstretched. They may keep telling you that your child is "progressing well," and no extra services are required. They keep telling you that -- but you know better.

You know that your children are not getting all of the help they need, at a time when they need it most. The parents of children with special needs ask themselves every day if they are doing enough, if they are doing right by their sons and daughters. And when our public school system fails to render help and equal opportunity -- and even prevents parents from seeking it elsewhere that is unacceptable.

In a McCain-Palin administration, we will put the educational choices for special needs children in the right hands their parents'. Under reforms that I will lead as vice president, the parents and caretakers of children with physical or mental disabilities will be able to send that boy or girl to the school of their choice -- public or private.

Under our reforms, federal funding for every special needs child will follow that child. Some states have begun to apply this principle already, as in Florida's McKay Scholarship program. That program allows for choices and a quality of education that should be available to parents in every state, for every child with special needs. This process should be uncomplicated, quick, and effective -- because early education can make all the difference. No barriers of bureaucracy should stand in the way of serving children with special needs.

That's why John and I will direct the Department of Education to clarify the statute administratively. We'll make explicit that when state funds are portable, federal funds are fully portable. We're going to make sure parents have choices and children receive the education they deserve.

Even the best public school teacher or administrator cannot rightfully take the place of a parent in making these choices. The schools feel responsible for the education of many children, but a parent alone is responsible for the life of each child. And in the case of parents of children with disabilities, there are enough challenges as it is, and our children will face more than enough closed doors along the way. When our sons and daughters need better education, more specialized training, and more individual attention, the doors of opportunity should be open.

Like John McCain, I am a believer in providing more school choice for families. The responsibility for the welfare of children rests ultimately with mothers and fathers, and the power to choose should be theirs as well. But this larger debate of public policy should not be permitted to hinder the progress of special-needs students. Where their lives, futures, and happiness are at stake, we should have no agenda except to ease the path they are on. And the best way to do that is to give their parents options.

In a McCain-Palin administration, we will also fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. To his great credit, it was President Gerald Ford who signed the legislation that became the IDEA -- establishing new standards of respect and inclusion for young Americans with disabilities. From that day to this, however, the federal government's obligations under the IDEA have not been adequately met. And portions of IDEA funding have actually decreased since 2005.

This is a matter of how we prioritize the money that we spend. We've got a three trillion dollar budget, and Congress spends some 18 billion dollars a year on earmarks for political pet projects. That's more than the shortfall to fully fund the IDEA. And where does a lot of that earmark money end up? It goes to projects having little or nothing to do with the public good -- things like fruit fly research in Paris, France, or a public policy center named for the guy who got the earmark. In our administration, we're going to reform and refocus. We're going to get our federal priorities straight, and fulfill our country's commitment to give every child opportunity and hope in life.

For many parents of children with disabilities, the most valuable thing of all is information. Early identification of a cognitive or other disorder, especially autism, can make a life-changing difference. That's why we're going to strengthen NIH. We're going to work on long-term cures, and in the short-term, we're going to work on giving these families better information.

Once a condition is known, parents need the best and latest information on what to expect and how to respond. This service is also provided for under the IDEA. And we will make sure that every family has a place to go for support and medical guidance. The existing programs and community centers focus on school-age children -- overlooking the need for assistance before school-age.

But it would make a lot more sense for these centers to focus as well on infants and toddlers. This is not only a critical stage for diagnosis; it can also be a crucial time to prepare the family for all that may lie ahead. Families need to know what treatments are most effective, and where they are available, what costs they will face, and where aid can be found, and where they can turn for the advice and support of others in their situation. As Todd and I and Heather know, there's no substitute for the friendship of those who have been where we are now.

The IDEA is also intended to serve teens and young adults with special needs. And here, too, there is an opportunity to reform and extend the reach of federal support under the IDEA. By modernizing a current law, the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, we can better serve students with disabilities in our high schools and community colleges. This will require reform by the states as well. Just as the federal government expects proven results in the progress of other students, we must require results as well in the achievements of students with disabilities. And the result we will expect is simple: that every special-needs student be given a chance to learn the skills to work, and enjoy the freedom to live independently if that is their choice.

As families across America know, the care of special-needs children requires long-term planning, and especially financial planning. A common practice among these families is to establish financial trusts. These are known as special needs trusts, covering years of medical and other costs, and for parents they bring invaluable comfort.

Understandably, then, many families with special-needs children or dependent adults are concerned that our opponent in this election plans to raise taxes on precisely those kinds of financial arrangements. They fear that Senator Obama's tax increase will have serious and harmful consequences -- and they are right. The burden that his plan would impose upon these families is just one more example of how many plans can be disrupted, how many futures can be placed at risk, and how many people can suffer when the power to tax is misused.

Our opponent has an ideological commitment to higher taxes. And though he makes adjustments on his tax plan pronouncements seemingly by the day, his commitment to increase taxes remains the same. John McCain and I have just the opposite commitment. We intend to lower taxes, promote growth, and protect the earnings and savings of American families.

Not long ago, I spent some time at a place in Cleveland called the Michael T. George Center, a beautiful home for adults with Down Syndrome and other disabilities. I met Michael George, too, a boy of five with Down Syndrome. Michael is a healthy, sweet, joy-filled little man -- and I saw in him all the things I wish for Trig in just a few years.

Michael's parents, Tony and Kris George, are advocates for children with special needs in their community. They are thinking far ahead, in their own boy's life and in the lives of others. They named the center after their son. It's a public-private partnership. This welcoming place -- and so many others like it -- shows the good heart of America. They are places of hope. They are the works of people who believe that every life matters, everyone has something to contribute, and every child should have things to look forward to, and achievements to point to with pride and joy. As many of you know better than I, it can be a hard path, and yet all the more joyful and productive when the barriers are overcome.

John McCain and I have a vision in which every child is loved and cherished, and that is the spirit I want to bring to Washington. To the families and caregivers of special-needs children all across this country, I do have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. And I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House.

Thank you all, and God bless you.

Cindy McCain Discusses Autism on Fox News

Ok... so I said about ten minutes ago that I would be likely endorsing McCain, and this pretty much sews that up. At this point the McCain campaign can't seem to stop talking about autism.

There is a wise biblical proverb that says, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks". Never has a political campaign talked so much (or even at all) about autism. And when Obama and Clinton have talked about it, it is because John McCain brought it up.

And keep in mind that Cindy holds a Masters in Special Ed.

FYI: Sarah Palin's sister, who has an autistic son, will be on Autism One Radio tomorrow.

Special Needs Issues and the Presidency Hitting Mainstream Discussion

Trig Palin's story is safe ground for the Republican ticket

Biden's comments on special needs kids called 'new low'

One mom's comment: "Wouldn't you just love to see these two campaigns to get into a battle over who cares more about children with special needs?"

Education Week Clears Up The Confusion On Palin and Special Ed Funding

Again... Sara Palin DID increase Special Education Funding.  On the charge that she cut funding:

"... these charges against Palin are false, driven by a misreading of the budget documents for the state.

The "proof," as has been presented, is part of the fiscal 2007 budget for the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, which includes funding for the Alaska School for the Deaf, students who are patients at the Alaska Psychiatric Hospital, and the Alaska Challenge Youth Academy, a statewide, boot-camp-style program. The budget that year was $8,265,300.

But the next year, fiscal 2008, the budget is shown as $3,156,000, leading to the accusation that Palin cut the department's budget.

The difference in funding, however, is because the Alaska Challenge Youth Academy moved to a budget line item of its own. In the fiscal 2009 budget, you can see that the academy alone has a budget of $6,082,100. When you add that to the $3,156,000 that is being spent on all the other projects, it adds up to $9,238,100--an approximately 12 percent INCREASE in spending on all those particular programs, put together, since fiscal 2007."

Sarah Palin Raised Special Education Funding in Alaska

A few are under the impression that Sarah Palin cut Special Education funding in Alaska. Apparently she raised it dramatically.

From Education Week, April 30, 2008:

Alaska Legislators Overhaul Funding

Gov. Sarah Palin and state lawmakers have gone ahead with an overhaul of Alaska’s school funding system that supporters predict will provide much-needed financial help to rural schools and those serving students with disabilities.

The plan, enacted in the recently concluded session of the legislature, is based on recommendations issued by a legislative task force last year. It will phase in a greater flow of money to districts outside of Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, over the next five years.

Advocates for rural and remote schools have lobbied for years for more funding, in particular noting the higher fuel, transportation, and other costs associated with providing education in communities scattered across the vast state.

A second part of the measure raises spending for students with special needs to $73,840 in fiscal 2011, from the current $26,900 per student in fiscal 2008, according to the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.

Unlike many other states, Alaska has relatively flush budget coffers, thanks to a rise in oil and gas revenues. Funding for schools will remain fairly level next year, however. Overall per-pupil funding across the state will rise by $100, to $5,480, in fiscal 2009. Total K-12 funding will rise to $1.2 billion from $1.1 billion, when transportation, energy, and other state funds are included, according to estimates from the governor’s Office of Management and Budget.

The state also agreed to add another $216 million to fill in shortfalls in its teacher-retirement system, the budget office said.

Carl Rose, the executive director of the Association of Alaska School Boards, praised the changes in funding for rural schools and students with special needs as a “historic event,” and said the finance overhaul would bring more stability to district budgets.

Bill Bjork, the president of the Alaska state affiliate of the National Education Association, said that he was pleased with those changes, but that the plan, and the increase in per-pupil spending, “doesn’t do enough, soon enough,” particularly given the state’s strong oil revenues.

UPDATE:

Education Week's review of Sarah Palin. They confirm that she raised special needs funding and that she was even popular with the teachers union:

Sarah Palin supportive of state’s performance-pay plan.
By Sean Cavanagh and Alyson Klein

In tapping Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, presumed Republican presidential nominee John McCain has selected an elected official who has supported increased funding for education across her rural, frontier state and voiced support for school-choice programs that appeal to many conservatives.

A mother of five children, Ms. Palin, 44, vaults onto the national stage as the vice presidential nominee from relative obscurity, at least within the political and education circles of the nation’s capital.

The Republican governor was elected to that post less than two years ago. Before that, she was the mayor of Wasilla, a suburb of Anchorage, which is the state’s largest city.

Members of education organizations in Alaska generally spoke favorably about Ms. Palin’s record on school issues since she took office in January of 2007. The governor has become a popular figure among the 13,000 members of the Alaska National Education Association, said Barbara Angaiak, president of the state affiliate of the National Education Association.

The union official credited Ms. Palin for having backed a legislative proposal, which became law this year, that overhauled the state’s school funding system. That plan brought more money to the state’s many rural and remote school districts and raised spending for students with special needs. ("Alaska Legislators Overhaul Funding," April 30, 2008.)

The measure raised per-pupil funding by $100, to $5,480, and brought the state’s total K-12 budget to $1.2 billion.

“She understands many of the issues that are important to educators in Alaska," Ms. Angaiak said. "She pushed fairly hard on funding, and we were pleased she was pushing.”

Supports Performance Pay

Alaska has one of the nation’s most unusual performance-incentive programs, which rewards school employees with payments for gains in student achievement. The state-run program is distinct in that it includes many different kinds of employees, from administrators and teachers to custodians and secretaries, offering them payments for increased student performance at their school.

The program was initially signed into law by the previous governor, Republican Frank H. Murkowski, as a three-year pilot program, though Ms. Palin has been supportive of it, said Eric Fry, a spokesman for the state’s department of education and early development.

Ms. Palin campaigned as a supporter of school-choice programs, though a number of Alaska education observers said they could not cite examples of her having shepherded policies in that area into law. Alaska, partly because it has so many rural schools scattered across formidable terrain, has a well-established tradition of allowing homeschool programs, which Ms. Palin has supported, Mr. Fry noted.

“There is awesome potential to improve education, respect good teachers, and embrace choice for parents,” Ms. Palin told lawmakers in her state-of-the-state address earlier this year. “This potential will prime Alaska to compete in a global economy that is so competitive it will blow us away if we are not prepared.”
Supports Flexibility on NCLB

Ms. Palin has also become known for juggling her duties as Alaska’s chief executive with those of a parent. Well into her term as governor, she announced that she was pregnant, and in April, she gave birth to a son, Trig Paxson Van Palin, who has Down syndrome. The governor was reportedly back at work days after the boy was born. She and her husband, Todd, have four other children.

Since taking office, Ms. Palin has been generally supportive of the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act, though she has also backed Alaska’s efforts to gain more flexibility under the federal law, a number of observers said. Alaska officials have said that meeting the law's mandates has been difficult, particularly in the state's more remote districts.

The Alaska governor’s experience with the NCLB law appeared to reflect that of a particular constituency of policymakers on education, said Michael J. Petrilli, the vice president for national programs and policy at the Washington office of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation.

“Her instincts are going to come from rural America,” Mr. Petrilli said. “It’s hard to find a state that is less of a fit for No Child Left Behind” than Alaska, he added.

The relatively short amount of time Ms. Palin has spent in office made it difficult to predict the education views she would bring to a McCain administration, said Tom Toch, a co-director of Education Sector, a Washington think tank. But he suspected that Ms. Palin’s policy-shaping role on school issues would be a small one.

“There’s not much to suggest that she would be likely to put forward any serious discussion of school reform issues,” Mr. Toch said. Generally speaking, on education, “there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot there.”

Ms. Palin’s rise to the governor’s position was sudden. After serving as mayor of Wasilla, she easily defeated then-Gov. Murkowski, in the 2006 Republican primary, before beating Democrat Tony Knowles, himself a former Alaska governor, in the general election.

As a candidate, Ms. Palin reportedly did weigh in on an issue that has stoked enormous controversy, not to mention legal action, in states and school districts. During a televised debates for governor, she said she thought creationism, the Biblically based view that God created the universe, should be taught alongside evolution in public classrooms, according to the Anchorage Daily News.

Such proposals are strongly opposed by the vast majority of scientists, who say so-called alternatives to evolution are inherently unscientific, and mislead students.

“Teach both,” Ms. Palin was quoted as saying during the debate. “You know, don’t be afraid of information. Healthy debate is important, and I am a proponent of teaching both.”

Ms. Palin told the newspaper at the time, however, that she would not push to add creationist views to the state school curriculum. Mr. Fry said the governor had not supported any such proposal during her time in office.

Staff writers Linda Jacobson and Christina Samuels contributed to this report.

Sarah Palin's Message to Special Needs Parents

"To the families of special needs children all across this country, I have a message for you. For years you've sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters and I pledge to you that if we're elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House".

-Sarah Palin

John McCain meeting with A-Champ in November of last year:





There is still two months until the election, and there is plenty of time for Barack Obama to sit down with our community, and to use his position on the Senate Health Committee to make real CHANGE for children. If he does, he may take the poll position as the best autism candidate, but at the moment, unless things change dramatically, I will be endorsing McCain/Palin.

Vice President Sarah Palin, Mother of a Beautiful Boy with Downs Syndrome

I LOVE the sound of that.

John McCain has just chosen the mother of a child with Downs Syndrome as his running mate. Trigs mom, Sarah Palin.

This gives me hope.