In Brief: Schwarzenegger Shows No Concern For the Homeless
Last week our movie-star governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger has shown the power of his mean-spirited line-item veto on the
California 2007-08 State Budget. It was a promise to his many Senate Republican
allies to get the budget passed. Believe it or not, he has used his dictatorial
authority to cut $55 million and thereby effectively destroy a highly acclaimed
program called the “Integrated Services for Homeless Adults with Serious
Mental Illness.”
Of course, he has generously given a $45
million tax break for people he can relate to--yacht and private plane owners.
Unfortunately, Arnold just can’t
relate as well to people whom he has never met. These folks are the over 4500
homeless and mentally ill people who, up until now, were able to regularly
receive psychiatric treatment, job counseling and permanent housing under this
short-lived progressive program.
The
Department of Mental Health is, understandably, outraged at this unconscionable
cut. The program was one of their greatest success stories. Starting now, these
defenseless people will lose everything.
–Karl Abrams
Posted: Sat
- September 1, 2007 at 07:11 AM