$1 million a month

That's how much taxpayers are spending to keep the Texas cult kids in foster care:

It will cost taxpayers $21 million to care for a polygamist sect's children over the next year, the Health and Human Services Commission estimated Monday.
Foster-care payments for more than 450 youngsters removed because of possible child abuse at the group's Eldorado ranch will cost nearly $1 million a month, commission spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman said.
Virtually all of the sect children are deemed to need a "basic" level of service, which at $39 a day is the least costly of Texas' four levels of paid foster care. Nearly doubling the monthly cost, however, is the fact that many -- a precise number was not available -- are staying in emergency shelters. The state pays shelters $106 a day.
Ms. Goodman said other monthly costs will include $325,500 in health care, provided under the state-federal Medicaid program for the poor; and $425,000 for an additional 70 protective services workers -- as soon as they're hired.

Doing the math on that $39 a day per child, Lady Liberty comments:

Can I just point out that there are many single mothers in this country that would love, love, love to see a $1200 monthly- per child- support check? And, the monthly emergency shelter rate of $3379 plus approximately $700 monthly in paid health care is more than some dual income families make in a single month. You’d think that the jackasses at CPS who are supposed to be so much better at parenting would have learned to budget a little better.

Think about $39 per child per day. That's $14,235 per child per year. I've got six kids, so I'd need $85,410 just to provide a "basic" level of care for my kids. My wife and I together have never earned that much in any year of our entire lives, so I guess our children have been subjected to a sub-"basic" existence, inferior to what any child in the Texas foster care system experiences.

My kids are victims! Call Child Protective Services!

(Hat tip: Hit & Run.)