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PROTECTING THE CHILDREN

ATTORNEY GENERAL MIKE COX ENDS CHILDREN’S BILLBOARD CONTEST

As reported in today’s Detroit News, Attorney General Mike Cox “Dumps” his Mike Cox Pay Kids Billboard Contest: 

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October 13, 2004:  Michigan noncustodial parents found relief today from unexpected quarters:  Attorney General Mike Cox.

After three weeks of denials that there was anything wrong with his children’s billboard contest, and one week after his unannounced modification of the rules to include only junior and high school kids--a move that had many parents crying “Cover Up”--Mike threw in the towel and admitted that he “made a mistake” . . . though he did not say if his “mistake” was simply a political one or one of real substance.

He appeared to view himself more as the victim of people who refused to appreciate his good intentions than a man who had made a genuine error of judgment that could have caused any actual harm to the children it targeted.

Mike’s spokesman characterized the end of the contest as a capitulation to the pressure of “certain groups that chose to cloud or distort the message” of the contest. 

While the prominently highlighted link to the Billboard Contest page was gone from the Pay Kids Foundation web site today, there was no mention of the contest’s cancellation.  The Mike Cox Pay Kids Billboard Contest page remains on the State website as well.

Parents now ask when--or if--Attorney General Mike Cox is going to post appropriate Notice of the contest’s cancellation and  if he is going to step up and really accept responsibility for his mistake. They say that this would necessarily include an explanation to parents and children alike that what he had encouraged was, in fact, wrong. 

Letters to Mr. Cox asking for appropriate announcements of the contest cancellation and correction of his previous advice await reply.

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