Another child has been brutally tortured and killed, apparently by a step-parent. Some have suggested this tragedy is a reminder of poor Lisa Steinberg, who was beaten to a pulp by her adoptive father, Joel Steinberg, but I beg to differ. Nixzmary Brown, like the most recent child homicide victims, will fade from the headlines in a matter of weeks. The trial of her allegedly abusive parents, Nixzaliz Santiago and Cesar Rodriguez, is unlikely to appear on the front pages of the local tabloids. Do the names Dahquay Williams and Sierra Roberts ring a bell? Probably not.

There will be inquiries as to why the child welfare agency monitoring Nixzmary failed to halt her abuse, but I don’t expect to read of any major shake-up. A senior manager at the Administration for Child Services was found to have falsified records to cover up negligence in the Williams case, news that never made the front pages, either.

New Yorkers will sigh at the inhuman treatment of the young innocents, but then they will turn the page and go on with their lives, as it doesn’t directly affect them. This is not an indictment of them but rather a note of frustration with a society that has no answers on how to prevent these tragedies.

I seem to recall that in the 1960s one reason put forth for legalizing abortion was that aborting an unwanted child would prevent these abuses of children. In other words, kill them in the womb or parents may be forced to kill them later. Well, that certainly hasn’t worked, because today unwanted children still get born and killed in even greater numbers.

One would think an organization with the name Children’s Defense Fund would have come up with a solution that works, but in fact CDF’s main mission is to enact social change via government intervention. While it may help get laws passed to provide more money for social programs that may or may not trickle down to help the Nixzmarys of the country, in reality it’s just another bureaucratic boondoggle that sounds good on paper.

Most social programs receiving government funding are rarely monitored for effectiveness, but crusading politicians just love to cite their involvement in the programs while running for election or re-election.

Senator Clinton is appearing with Harry “Bush Is the World’s Worst Terrorist” Belafonte at the CDF’s 2006 Winter Benefit Fund. Mrs. Clinton has always been a strong advocate for this organization, and she will likely decry Congress’s latest budget bill, which includes cuts for many socialist – I mean, social – programs. I do wish that honesty was required before politicos could rail about budget cuts without mentioning that these cuts are generally made to rates of increase. In most cases, programs get more money than before, but why mention that little tidbit?

If a program is claiming to defend children, then I want something that works. Paying for studies and research and psychological data may be interesting, but common sense works faster and is cheaper. Most cases of child abuse involve parental or guardian substance abuse. Children living with crack, cocaine, and heroin addicts are in peril, and what do we hear from liberal advocates? Let’s legalize drugs.

How many times have we heard about decent foster parents who’ve sheltered children from infancy only to have them torn away and returned to supposedly rehabilitated biological parents? What does CDF have to say about that?

According to its mission statement, “CDF provides a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and encourages preventative investments before they get sick, into trouble, drop out of school, or suffer family breakdown.”

Well, CDF provides a voice and educates the nation about children’s needs. Heck, I can do that too, and I wont take any taxpayer money. It’s probably not wise to write a column when you’re emotionally overwrought, but I keep looking at the photograph of a smiling 7-year-old and wondering how she could have been saved.

A few years ago, a couple in Staten Island was arrested in the savage abuse death of their daughter. They lived two blocks away from me, but I had never seen Sylenna Hernkind, 3, whose head was held under water, her mouth filled with soap; who had her body scrubbed with a steel mesh pad if she dirtied her diaper.

He parents were charged with second-degree murder. Funny how nearby neighbors always say they knew something was wrong but didn’t know what to do.

Mrs. Clinton, what’s your answer?