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Practically Idealistic blog
 
The title for this blog originated with use of the term “practical idealist” in this 1996 opinion piece, which asked: “To what kind of work should a practical idealist aspire?” A century and a half earlier, Emerson, in his 1841 essay Circles, wrote: “There are degrees in idealism.  We learn first to play with it academically. . . .  Then we see in the heyday of youth and poetry that it may be true, that it is true in gleams and fragments.  Then, its countenance waxes stern and grand, and we see that it must be true.  It now shows itself ethical and practical.”  John Dewey and Mahatma Gandhi embraced practical idealism in the 20th century, as did UN Secretary General U Thant.  Al Gore invoked it in a 1998 speech. In the context of this blog, the term is meant to convey idealism tempered but not overwhelmed by realism: a search for the ideal on a path guided by common sense.
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Tuesday, March 4, 2025

"Federal Funds Benefit Connecticut Children and Families"

In similar opinion pieces in the Connecticut Mirror, Hearst CT Media, and Hartford Courant, I discussed federal funding--with a focus on Connecticut.

While sketching the broader context, the article highlighted examples of three federal funding streams affecting Connecticut CASA:

  • the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and Crime Victims Fund (CVF);
  • a Prevention Innovation Grant received, with HHS funds under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA);
  • Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) funds to help CASA and other organizations aiming to prevent children's move from the dependency (child protection) to the dependency side of the juvenile court.

 A version of the piece also appears on Medium.

8:28 am est 


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