Socialism versus State Foster

Socialism vs. Tennessee Foster Care (2025) – Plain Text Version Pure socialism: the state owns and runs everything, no private providers, no profit motive, everything decided by central plan, services are supposed to be allocated purely by need. Tennessee foster care in 2025: the exact opposite on paper, but looks eerily similar in practice. Ownership – Socialism: 100% state. Tennessee: DCS is state-run, but ~70% of actual foster homes and almost all therapeutic/residential beds are delivered by private for-profit and nonprofit contractors (Youth Villages, Omni Visions, Centerstone, etc.). Profit – Socialism: none allowed. Tennessee: private agencies bill the state $50–$300+ per day per child. The more severe the disability or behavior, the higher the daily rate, so profit is directly tied to how “high-needs” the child is labeled. Planning – Socialism: central planners decide how many homes and beds are needed. Tennessee: the state sets per-diem rates and issues contracts; private agencies decide whether to open beds based on whether those rates are profitable. Result: chronic shortages of therapeutic homes, kids sleeping in offices and hotels. Workers – Socialism: all state employees. Tennessee: overworked, underpaid DCS caseworkers mixed with better-compensated private-agency staff and CEOs who sometimes earn $500k–$1M+. Choice – Socialism: zero, the state assigns everything. Tennessee: almost zero, DCS assigns placements; foster parents and biological families have little real say. Funding – Socialism: heavy progressive taxation. Tennessee: 60% federal money, 40% state general fund (mostly from sales tax, which is regressive). Accountability – Socialism: usually none. Tennessee: legislature, federal audits, and the 2025 class-action lawsuit demanding a new federal monitor; private contractors mainly audited for billing accuracy. Innovation & efficiency – Socialism: historically terrible, endless shortages. Tennessee: some private nonprofits innovate, but the system still produces the same shortages, office stays, and out-of-state shipments seen in socialist systems. Bottom line: Tennessee foster care is not classic socialism, but it is a hybrid that socializes all the risk and cost onto taxpayers while privatizing the profits and delivery. It delivers socialist-style shortages and bureaucracy alongside capitalist profit incentives, producing what critics on the left call “neoliberal child welfare” and critics on the right call “government-created cronyism and dependency.” In short: the worst of both worlds. Hi all, we've reached 35 signatures on this petition—thank you so much for your support! Would you help us keep the momentum going by sharing? Posting to Facebook groups, Instagram stories, WhatsApp, or sending it directly via text or email all make a big difference. Thanks for being part of this!