When the shocking news of Eliot Spitzer's prostitution scandal leaked last March, few people outside of political junkies and residents of Harlem knew much about the man who would take his place in Albany: Lt. Gov. David Paterson. Now, with New York State sliding into economic trouble not rivaled in these parts since the 1970s, you can't go far without hearing praise for the principled stand Paterson has taken only five months into his new job. Since taking office, Paterson has warned New Yorkers about the impending fiscal crisis and has shown voters what real "straight talk" looks like: spending cuts were needed without a raise in taxes. This is not what you would expect a New York City Democrat to say. But, then again, Paterson isn't just your average politician.

I love that line from Pink's song Dear Mr President.  In Illinois we need to change the title to Dear Mr Governor.  In our state we are the worst of the worst and heading lower in terms of money spent on people with disabilities and mental illness.  The people with mental illness have it the hardest.  What do I think when I see all the homeless on the streets of Chicago.  I think most of those people have a mental illness and they could be my brother if he did not have his family fighting to keep him well and safe.  

On Thursday of this week, in a largely unreported and unnoticed story, governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an executive order eliminating 22,000 jobs and reducing the wages of a further 200,000 to the statutory minimum wage.

Despite the terrible effect this will have on those thousands of families, with gas prices and house foreclosures at record levels, very few people noticed.

This week the  Regents of the University of California will meet in San Francisco, and I’m sure part of the discussion will be how to address the $417 million gap between the regents’ budget and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s budget proposal for 2008-2009. The University has already decided that they will not try to reduce enrollment for this upcoming academic year to address the shortfall, so there aren’t a lot of good options left. Unless the funding level changes, they are likely to turn to fee increases and reductions in programs and services in the short term. In the long term the University may have to look at admitting fewer eligible students, which strikes directly at one of the core principles of the California master plan for higher education.

While most of us are focused on universal care, the Bush Administration has been incrementally shredding our existing public health safety net in ways that have yet to become apparent.  The most recent assault on our public health care infrastructure is escaping the notice of mainstream media and citizen journalists alike, probably because it is not easily explained. I am referring to a proposed set of arcane regulation changes by the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) which, if enacted, will result in $15 billion dollars in cuts over five years to service providers.

The damage that Bush has not been able to inflict through legislation is now being secretly implemented through an administrative back door. Even if Congress rejects the cuts Bush proposed to public health in his most recent budget, changes in regulations will insure that funding is not available for specific programs and activities.

While people are focused on universal care, the Bush Administration is incrementally chipping away at our existing public health safety net.  The most recent assault on our public health care infrastructure is escaping the notice of mainstream media and citizen journalists alike, probably because it is not easily explained. I am referring to a proposed arcane regulations change by the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) which, if enacted, will result in $4 to $5 billion dollars over 5 years in cuts to public hospitals and other hospitals that serve indigent patients. In addition, CMS is proposing other rules changes that will result in billions of dollars of reductions to teaching hospitals.

These hospitals serve as the backbone of our public health safety net, train the next generation of physicians and health care professionals, and are essential to any kind of response to disaster, terrorist attack or pandemic outbreak.  Without them, our already frayed public health infrastructure may disintegrate.

For those policy wonks on DailyKos, check out this really cool 2008 Presidential Budget Request interactive poster.

You can zoom and to see the details and the actual numbers.  A little more analysis after the jump.

some "oldie but not so goodie" news.....

2003

according to the veteran's administration, 28 million veterans are currently using va benefits. another 70 million americans are potential candidates for such programs. this amounts to a quarter of the country's population. veterans and their families will sadly begin finding that they have no place to turn for their medical treatment as va hospitals across the country face closing their doors.

I have grave misgivings about the value of a non-technical college education in this job market.  

This is depressing. Bush's budget cuts funding for hurricane research flights. Living in SoFla the hurricane information has been very important and useful.

From Jeff Masters:

For the first time since NOAA began flying research aircraft into hurricane in the 1950's, there is no money to fund airborne hurricane research for an upcoming hurricane season. NOAA's state-of-the-art flying weather research laboratories, the two P-3 Orion hurricane hunter aircraft, may sit idle this hurricane season due to a lack of funding. NOAA's Hurricane Research Division (HRD) usually receives several million dollars each year to perform hurricane research using the P-3's. However, funding for HRD has steadily declined over the past decade, forcing HRD to reduce staff and cut back on hurricane research.

The American Psychological Association (APA) is trying to galvanize its membership to call their congressional representatives to undo a 9% paycut to the providers of mental health services. This cut began on January 1. It was supposed to be 14%, but Congress gave a temporary 5% reprieve for one year.

Meanwhile, it's as hard as hell for someone who needs Medicare coverage for psychiatric and psychological difficulties to find a provider who will even take Medicare or Medicaid (the latter offering the similar cuts). This is especially true for the psychiatrically disabled, whose conditions often are stressful and complicated to treat.

Of course, this is barely covered by ANY news. How did it happen? What will be the effects?

Last week, I wrote about how Dave Reichert was the deciding vote for a bill to give George Bush the unchecked authority to hand over Washington's coast and other public lands to the oil companies.  He simply decided to side with Bush and the oil companies over all other interests.

Just in time for Halloween, here's the true story of Reichert providing another one-vote margin to pass nightmarish legislation in the House of Representatives.  The Republican leadership stitched together this Frankenstein's monster just a year ago.  It slashed food stamps, Medicare, Medicaid, school lunch programs, foster care, and child welfare.  It sold off treasured public lands, including national parks, to mining companies.  No victim was so vulnerable, so pitiful, or so in-need, that this monster would spare them.

Read on to learn more about the simple and terrible spark that powered this monster, and how Dave Reichert brought it to life.

Well, as of today they are operating on Continuing Resolutions, that is until after the election.  Apparently, they have all been told to expect to cut nearly 25% from their bugets.  This is being done to kepp the "fiscal" conservatives in the GOP quiet by promising that Congress will not use suplemental appropriations to pay for Iraq any more.

more below the fold...

And just as the Bush Administration has recently waived any whistleblower protections under the Clean Air Act and the Solid Waste Disposal Act, proposed $300 million LESS in funding for the EPA from FY 06 to FY 07 (and a full $1 Billion less than in FY 2004), a record $100 million of which Congress is still reviewing, we now hear that the FY 2008 budget cuts for the EPA will be even greater than in past years.

Because who needs that pesky environmental tree hugging nonsense?  Besides, it frees up more money to divert to killing all them terra-ists...

This is one of the agencies that has suffered under cuts to "entitlement programs" that have been the favorite sacrifice of our government in the past decade, and particularly under the Bush Administration.  But DVR hasn't ever been  a welfare program that people get hooked on, that is until the waiting lists for services got too long.    

This morning, The Oregonian reports that as a result of budget cuts, Multnomah County has informed close to 200 "junkies, vandals and other 'low level' misdemeanor criminals" that they no longer have to report to probation. By next year, that number could top 800.

The 39th district, of course, is not in Multnomah County. But what happens in the region can affect every community in the region. So when Multnomah County stops requiring some criminals -- albeit non-violent criminals -- to check in with probation officers, there is an all too real possibility that these offenders will come into Clackamas County, into Oregon City and Canby, and revert back to their old ways.

There are real consequences to shortchanging our budgets, both on the state level and in our communities. Yes, there is waste in our budgets, and when I get to Salem in January I will work extremely hard to cut the fat by giving our state agencies monetary incentives to find savings in their budgets. But when criminals are let off the hook because there isn't enough money to administer their probation, we all pay the price.