This might seem inappropriately judgmental and even harsh. Or worse. So be it. But when we see tragic and often horrific stories that somehow involve a government agency, such as the Florida Department of Children and Families, my first inclination is not to scapegoat the agency. No matter how understaffed, shortsighted or bureaucratically backward and inept.
The quintessential bottom line, it would seem, is this: There are some things in life for which there are no ultimate subsidies. Some things that are so fundamentally basic that government purview can’t be a reliable option.
Indeed, we’re talking human values and civilizational norms.