RELATIONSHIPS; WOMEN, MEN AND CHILDREN

Social problems in America: examples:drug and alcohol dependence/addiction and the resulting deaths, health problems, familial problems, violence;  gun violence and the resulting deaths, maimings; making police and citizens feel unsafe; its relationship to mental and emotional health issues; its relationship to drug and alcohol dependence.

We are about to elect a new president. Over the past 16+ years Republicans have refused to address major social problems in this country. The Republican Congress does nothing but vote “no” on bills to address problems such as drug/alcohol dependence and gun violence. And they bring forth no worthwhile bills of their own. When something horrible happens in this country, all we hear from them is, “Pray for them”. Afterwards, nothing is done to solve the problems. As citizens, when something horrible happens, for example, regarding drugs/alcohol, gun violence, some people just say, “let’s pray for them”. It is not enough! We must do much more than pray. We must develop strong, comprehensive programming and laws to address the problems. We can no longer let the NRA and drug lobbies destroy this country. We can no longer let politics and partisanship destroy this country.

No longer can we just sit by and pray!  Over the past 16+ years Republicans have cut mental health/drug and alcohol programs/hospitals and treatments. Health insurance companies have reduced coverage for these health issues. As a result, fewer people have access to these services. These programs are not affordable or available to many citizens. Bobby Jindal, past Governor of Louisiana, destroyed the mental health and alcohol/drug treatment hospitals and facilities, defunding many, and closing many. This is not how you address a serious problem such as mental illness and alcohol/drug addiction! It is not enough to pray, or mourn AFTER a person dies, or a family is destroyed. We must have adequate care in this country! We must fully fund mental health and alcohol/drug programming in this country! No one should be denied quality treatment!

I am an MSW, a social worker. I am also a Paralegal. I have worked in various social service settings and with various social problems over 50 years. I have also worked in various legal settings: for Criminal Court/Drug Court, for The Supreme Court Judiciary Commission, for The US Labor Department, The US Immigration Court, Department of Justice…  I have a comprehensive view of how our social problems cause and interact with all aspects of our lives in this country. One of my jobs was as Supervisor of Drug Court for the Orleans Criminal Court. I also supervised Mental Health Court and Domestic Violence Court. They are all interrelated: these problems!  We MUST work on mental health issues/drug and alcohol issues in order to address our other national problems! We cannot sit back as citizens and refuse to fully fund and create quality programming for these problems! If you are a Republican, you are part of the problem; if you vote for people who do not address the problems and do not fund the issues. It is a nationwide problem; we must have nationwide solutions and funding; not piecemeal, according to what a particular state “wants” to do, or a particular Governor wants to do (prove he is “conservative”, whatever that means); Republicans are destroying this country re mental health/alcohol/drug programming and lack of reasonable gun laws. These are all interrelated.

As a drug court supervisor I was unable to do my job because there were not adequate services in New Orleans to treat alcohol/drug clients and mentally ill clients. Bobby Jindal closed several mental health/drug hospitals and treatment centers, including the New Orleans Adolescent Drug Treatment Center, and Mandeville Drug Treatment Hospital. Many of our “clients” needed inpatient treatment or detox initially. It simply was not available for low-income clients. If you are rich, you can get treatment, otherwise not. The few low cost/free beds were always full and had long waiting lists. Our clients could not wait. It is a life/death issue. We had to put clients back on the street, or in jail (where they obtained drugs); often they ended back in jail long term because our drug court was unable to get them the help they needed. Or they committed new crimes related to drugs, or mental illness issues.

I had mothers calling me begging me to send police to arrest their son or daughter because they were drug addicts and the mothers could not find or afford treatment. They thought we would at least get help for their children. They feared their children were going to die.

There is something wrong in this country! We MUST fully fund mental health/alcohol and drug treatment.

Gun violence and death due to guns: This country must develop common sense gun laws. Again the above issues and gun violence are interrelated. We have a huge population of citizens who are unstable!; either due to mental illness, emotional illness(anger, paranoia, excessive fear…), alcohol/drug abuse… We have a monstrous supply of guns in this country, including assault weapons, with no reasonable gun laws. We have people who worship guns and don’t worship human life and safety. I feel very unsafe walking around with mentally ill people with guns.  I cannot believe men can walk around with rifles freely. I cannot believe men can walk into a store and buy an assault rifle. The open carry laws, with no constraints, are ridiculous. Police do not feel safe when men walk around freely with  rifles and guns. They know many of them are mentally/emotionally unhealthy, or on drugs.

We must fully fund mental health/alcohol/drug treatment in this country. Mental illness and drug abuse causes many other problems for this country: the loss of human capital: workers; soaring health care costs as mental health/drugs then affect physical health; violence against women, child abuse and the resulting health care costs; crime, violence, poverty(cannot get or keep a job), veterans committing suicide or living with PTSD, suicide of citizens, families living in extreme stress, children growing up with mentally ill parents(then they often become mentally ill or don’t succeed).

There are many federal issues affecting the fundability and effectiveness  of mental health/drug treatment in this country. One issue is that we can no longer allow privatization of mental health care/drug treatment in America. Privatization makes care unaffordable and inaccessible. Those are 2 major issues in providing care: affordability and access. These corporations are only out for profit, money: not quality treatment and care. We cannot leave it up to Republican governors! We must fully fund quality care. We must develop and pass common sense gun laws to protect this country. Hillary will make this happen.  Praying is not enough! We, as citizens, MUST pay taxes to fund prevention and treatment in this country! We must vote for leaders who will lead in these social problems areas and produce results! Only then will you see a reduction in death due to mental illness/drugs and gun violence, AND all the other related problems. Mental illness/drugs not only affect the person afflicted, it affects their whole family and community, police,  and this entire country, including law, order and safety.