Budget cuts hurt victims of DV
The recent shooting of Deborah Ross, the toll booth collector in
the Bay area, compelled me to write. This woman was a domestic
violence victim and the other victim was her friend. It is
appalling that the governor has the temerity to show
”
his grief
”
by putting a flag at half staff when he very recently gutted the
budget for domestic violence shelters statewide. Having been in the
field of human service for more than 20 years and working closely
with domestic violence groups, I know that shelters are critical in
helping women take those first steps away from their abusers. He
took this safety net away from people like Ross who might have been
able to find refuge at a shelter instead of being killed in a hail
of gunfire. I have been in areas where there have been domestic
disturbances and watched police take the man and an ambulance take
the battered woman only to see her back the next day because she
had no options. In fact, one in four women will experience abuse in
their lifetime. I hope that one day some domestic violence victims
show up on the governor’s doorstep to personally tell him their
stories. In the meantime, it is up to us to step in and be
advocates by donating to the local shelter and being a voice for
those who are too afraid to speak out. Please call, write or email
the governor to protest this domestic violence shelter budget cut.
You can do this by going to http://www.gov.ca.gov/interact or
calling 916-445-2841.
Jeanne Huber
Hollister
Budget cuts hurt victims of DV
The recent shooting of Deborah Ross, the toll booth collector in the Bay area, compelled me to write. This woman was a domestic violence victim and the other victim was her friend. It is appalling that the governor has the temerity to show “his grief” by putting a flag at half staff when he very recently gutted the budget for domestic violence shelters statewide. Having been in the field of human service for more than 20 years and working closely with domestic violence groups, I know that shelters are critical in helping women take those first steps away from their abusers. He took this safety net away from people like Ross who might have been able to find refuge at a shelter instead of being killed in a hail of gunfire. I have been in areas where there have been domestic disturbances and watched police take the man and an ambulance take the battered woman only to see her back the next day because she had no options. In fact, one in four women will experience abuse in their lifetime. I hope that one day some domestic violence victims show up on the governor’s doorstep to personally tell him their stories. In the meantime, it is up to us to step in and be advocates by donating to the local shelter and being a voice for those who are too afraid to speak out. Please call, write or email the governor to protest this domestic violence shelter budget cut. You can do this by going to http://www.gov.ca.gov/interact or calling 916-445-2841.
Jeanne Huber
Hollister
Health care reform misguided
I attended Congressman Sam Farr’s town hall meeting for San Benito County Aug. 12. Although I commend Mr. Farr for holding the meeting, 67 percent of his fellow members of Congress won’t bother to, his agenda is very clear. He is holding town hall meetings in an attempt to convince his constituents that the America’s Affordable Health Care Plan is the best thing for all Americans. The opinions of the voting public will have no bearing on how he chooses to vote.
I am a small business owner. I cannot afford to pay for my employee’s health insurance. The insurance that I can afford for myself carries a $5,100 a year deductible before covering a dime of my medical costs. My husband is a recovered alcoholic and after three and half years of sobriety, he still cannot obtain insurance. Do I think the system is broken? You bet I do. Do I want to see our government take over of the medical insurance system? Heck no!
Mr. Farr was real good at skirting the issue on subjects that he didn’t want to go into detail about. He referenced his beloved father that passed away at least three times and I never did see the validity of it. From what I gathered he was trying to convince his audience that having the federal government help with your estate planning is going to be a good idea. In the House version of the health care legislation, H.R. 3200, Section 1233, titled “Advance Care Planning Consultation,” the bill calls for “end of life” planning consultations once every five years. How is that supposed to save Americans money on health care? It’s another attempt by this Administration to tell us how to live our lives and now they want to tell us how to die. With that in mind if you don’t think the government-run insurance program will deny cancer surgeries and chemotherapy to people of advanced age to save a buck, you are sorely mistaken. The provision on “end of life” planning for seniors comes from Rep. Earl Blumenauer, congressmen from Oregon who supports assisted suicide. Think of the money the feds would save paying for assisted suicide instead of investing in medical treatments aimed at trying to fight off a cancer and give people more time to spend on earth with their loved ones. It’s a very slippery slope here, folks.
And how do you feel about your tax dollars funding abortion? There are amendments offered in the Senate by Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) and in the House by Lois Capps (D-Cal.) that guarantee that abortion will be a part of the health care legislation. Unfortunately, there are many women that use abortion as a form of birth control. Over 71 percent of Americans agree that tax payer dollars should not fund or subsidize abortion. Many people that believe in a women’s right to choose do not believe that we should all pay for their choice.
How well does our government handle its existing programs? Medi-care, Medi-cal and Social Security are all government programs that are nearly broke. And then there’s welfare? The abuse of the welfare system costs tax payers hundreds of millions of dollars every year. Even with so called “welfare reform” the abuse continues.
I believe that my husband who is dedicated to working his sobriety should be rewarded and not punished for seeking help. But I also know that for everyone like him there are another eight or ten that go into a program and come back out and go right back to their addictions whether it is drugs or alcohol. Would I expect tax dollars to cover my husband’s addiction if he went in and out of recovery? No, I would not. Many people who use these programs never really plan on changing. They are just looking for a reduction in their prison sentence for drunk driving or drug use. Are there provisions in the 1,018 pages of the bill to see to it that the treatment plans are not abused?
Mr. Farr likened this forced medical insurance plan to having to carry car insurance. If you want to drive, you have to pay. With the America’s Affordable Health Care Plan if you want to breathe you have to pay. Excuse me, Sam, but the last time I looked, driving was a choice. Breathing is not. Medical insurance companies should be forced to offer reasonable catastrophic coverage the same way car insurance companies have to offer comprehensive insurance. And pre-existing conditions should not exempt people from acquiring it. Regulate the insurance companies better so that people can purchase affordable health insurance. Mr. Farr had the nerve to tell me that regulations are already in place for the insurance companies. How’s that working for us, pal? When I asked if there were provisions in the bill that guaranteed that the insurance companies would bring down their prices he moved on talking about his father once again.
It is predicted that 100 million Americans will lose their employer-provided health insurance and be forced into the Health Information Exchange. Just the name scares the heck out of me. Also provisions in the bill state that if a self-employed person makes a single change to their existing plan they will also be forced into the government program.
The secretary of Health and Human Services appointed by the president will have full authority over everyone’s health insurance and every single plan detail and the bill grants her this blanket authority over 200 times. Someone appointed by a president that I did not vote for having this much power is something that makes my skin crawl. Even if you voted for Obama it should scare you, too. If you are as incensed as I am about the loss of the our freedoms this bill will create please write, call and e-mail your legislators and let your voice be heard.
Charisse Tyson
Hollister
