Is Rick Perry Losing His Mind?

The state of Texas is headed to the mad house! Unfortunately there is no one to care for us due to an order by Governor Rick Perry for the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to cut their budget by 10 percent for the 2012 -2013 budget year,resulting in an estimated 134 million cut. Non profit mental health centers across the state, such as Mental Health Mental Retardation (MHMR) centers, will have to limit their client intake and will possibly result in a more selective intake process.

As someone who has worked in the behavioral health field over the course of the past 3 1/2 years, I feel that this is a huge, HUGE mistake. According to statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in the year of 2005-2006 there were approximately 55.7 million ambulatory care visits with a primary mental health diagnosis and 2.4 million inpatient mental health discharges. The need is there and it is not a need that will go away anytime soon.

It is difficult enough that the insurance companies don't accept mental health treatment as an everyday doctor's visit. Mental health has a stigma attached to it and everyone needs to open their eyes and realize that mental health treatment is not a privilege but a necessity. Rick Perry is doing a disservice to the citizens of Texas by ordering these cuts.

I have worked at Austin Travis County Integral Care (formerly MHMR) and know first hand the troubles it faces currently. There are several hundred people in need of care that are on the waiting list to be treated. It is no secret that the indigent population is going to suffer the most. With lack of finances and insurance, mental health providers will be more willing to see financially stable citizens who carry insurance with higher reimbursement rates.

Aside from those who are in need of care there are also those who will now have to work harder. The members of law enforcement and hospital staff will see an influx of calls and people entering the emergency rooms. The cost of of the results of this cut will outweigh the cost saved. Hopefully this is not a look of what's to come nationally.

Mental health treatment is necessary for the well-being of all regardless if someone is treating schizophrenia, depression, or just in need of an ear to listen. I think that everyone has issues that need to be worked on from the mild to the major. Without access to this type of care there will be a far worse population with untreated conditions. So much for health care for all.

Red Light on Green Fight

Last week the Senate made a decision to halt a climate change and energy bill. Actor and environmental activist, Robert Redford, expressed his disappointment in his blog titled "It's the Opportunity, Stupid!" on HuffingtonPost.com today.

Robert Redford argued that the decision to turn a blind eye to the energy bill is to turn a blind eye to economic growth. According to him, passing this bill would lead to a cleaner air, increases in renewable energy, and creation of jobs. He references polls that were taken by the Wall Street Journal and CNN which show support for reducing oil use and limiting pollution.

He is making his argument towards fellow environmental conscious citizens and I also believe that he is trying to appeal to those who are looking towards economic growth. Robert Redford makes an irrefutable argument by illustrating that the bill would not only provide the world with cleaner energy but it would also stimulate jobs and lessen the hold oil has on our government.

The cleaner climate and energy bill would have provided a cap on greenhouse emissions and transition us towards the use of more renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. There was also a proposal to enact carbon credits but it was evident that no GOP would sign on to a bill that would put a price on carbon.

I agree with the environmental fight. I feel as though there is some lobbying going on with regards to the big oil companies. The energy bill is really only a loss for them and now the focus seems to be turning towards off shore drilling rather than environmentally conscious issues. We have a large reliance on oil and they have a great control over our democracy.

Not Everything is Black and White

I came across an article in the New York Times by Op-Ed Columnist Ross Douthat called The Roots of White Anxiety. In this article, Mr Douthat addresses issues regarding racial divide, mainly in the higher education system.

According to Mr. Douthat, whites, white Christians, and the white working class aren't viewed equally to minorities in the college admissions process. He states that income plays a factor as well, the lower the income for minority families then the greater the chance to be admitted and with white Americans it is the higher the income that increases chances of being admitted. He also argues that even though most extracurricular activities will help you get into these schools, if the extracurricular activities show a likeness to conservatism or being rural, such as ROTC, your chances are affected negatively.

In this article, the author is addressing the argument to the middle class working white Americans and also called out specifically white Christians. His claims are based on a study performed by two Princeton sociologists that examined the inter-workings of elite college admissions. The author also challenges admissions officers to adjust their admission criteria.

I agree with some points of the author's argument. Mainly that minorities are favored by college admissions. Not that they necessarily get in easier the poorer they are but that with the right criteria(i.e. extracurricular activities and grades) they are more likely to be accepted. I really think that criteria is a big part of the selection process. A college, an elite college at that, is not going to select a poor black young women who couldn't get a passing grade in high school just to meet a quota.

I think you have to work hard during your high school career in order to stand out during the college application process and that anybody can get accepted as long as their hard work shines through. The material from the Princeton study was taken from 1980 to the late 1990's. A lot has happened within the last decade such as economic turmoils which has probably decreased the number of young adults attending college. The price of higher education is going up and I am sure that recruitment efforts within the colleges are also going up. There may be some slight differences in the admissions process amongst races but I hardly think that there is really one group that is truly being victimized or having a very difficult time getting in.

America: Two Steps Forward or Two Steps Back?

It's official! Argentina has became the first country in Latin America to rule that gay marriage is not only legal but that gay couples are entitled to the same legal rights as heterosexual couples. This legalization occurred Thursday, according to National Public Radio(NPR).

Argentina, who has primarily Roman Catholic citizens, has passed a bill that grants gay couples adoption and inheritance rights. So how is it that a vastly religious culture is able to vote in favor for gay marriage legalization and rights? So is America a step behind modern times and seeing the world through Brady Bunch rose colored glasses?

Here in America, there is supposed to be separation of state and religion...does that mean it is a moral issue? To me morality is relative. For a country as ours to have made much progress over the past decade with equality and discrimination, we are having a hard time accepting life and how it has progressed throughout the times. And don't get me started on the reproduction argument. Honestly, do human beings in these modern times have any trouble procreating? I think in our current overpopulated world, we as a human race will be all right.

Currently there are five states in the US that have legalized gay marriage. I invite you to listen to the following NPR broadcast on a Boston federal court ruling that will hopefully be taking us steps closer to becoming more modern and realistic.