Palin Slashed Funding for Teen Moms

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/02/palin_slashed_funding_to_help...

By Paul Kane
ST. PAUL -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential
nominee who revealed Monday that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant,
earlier this year used her line-item veto to slash funding for a state
program benefiting teen mothers in need of a place to live.

After the legislature passed a spending bill in April, Palin went through
the measure reducing and eliminating funds for programs she opposed. Inking
her initials on the legislation -- "SP" -- Palin reduced funding for
Covenant House Alaska by more than 20 percent, cutting funds from $5 million
to $3.9 million. Covenant House is a mix of programs and shelters for
troubled youths, including Passage House, which is a transitional home for
teenage mothers.

According to Passage House's web site, its purpose is to provide "young
mothers a place to live with their babies for up to eighteen months while
they gain the necessary skills and resources to change their lives" and help
teen moms "become productive, successful, independent adults who create and
provide a stable environment for themselves and their families."