According to a report released March 9 by the National Alliance on
Mental Illness, two-thirds of states have reduced spending on mental
health care over the last two years. Kentucky instituted the most
egregious cuts, slashing funding by a shocking 47 percent, followed
by Alaska at 35 percent.
These reductions cause tremendous suffering and have consequences
that reach beyond those immediately affected by mental illness.
Michael Fitzpatrick, executive director of NAMI, pointed out: “Cuts
mean people don’t get the right help in the right place at the right
time. Communities suffer and families break under the strain. Some
people end up living on the street or dead.” (Reuters, March 16)
Budgets reveal the priorities of the capitalist state. In the face
of massive unemployment, poverty and foreclosures, vital social
services for the most vulnerable segments of society are being cut.
Health care is a basic human right, and it is unconscionable that
capitalist politicians are targeting the mentally ill.
