Great. Ronald Reagan. A great actor, but not a great president or humanitarian.I was living in California when Reagan became Governor. He shut down the state mental hospitals. The idea was that schizophrenics, and psychotics could get their medicine from community clinics.Of course he didn't ask any medical advice about the plan. On how good that segment of the mentally ill was on being treatment-compliant.Only an institution with mandatory medication dispensing could keep those poor people's demons at bay.I remember the first time I saw a severely mentally-ill man pushing a grocery cart in MY California neighborhood--he was mumbling out loud, answering those voices in his head. He was half-naked with his pants falling off as he shuffled along. There was no local mental health clinic within miles."My God," I asked my friend, "What has happened? Why is that really sick man on the street?""Oh, you haven't heard? Reagan shut off financing to the state mental hospitals. It's a cost-saving measure. Now that there are psychotropic drugs out there, those people are supposed to get their medicine in local clinics. The hospitals had no choice--they just had to open their wards and all those institutionalized people walked out."Don't talk to me about Reagan. I saw his inhumane policies firsthand.Furnishedowner
PosOutlook,Your response is so far out there that it's difficult to answer.There is NO WAY a citizen on the street can pick up a homeless psychotic person IN THEIR CAR, FOR HEAVEN"S SAKE, and take them to a clinic! This is something that even the police and paramedics find challenging, and dangerous.You haven't been around many crazies lately to even suggest such a thing. I remember that my friend and I did call the police and reported the poor man as he was more than half-naked, and obviously not capable of caring for himself.Hoosier,It is IMMORAL to not help the most poor and needy amongst us. It is even in the ancient Christian scripture--"Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you" and "As you so help the least of my brethen, so you help me". Paraphrased.Also the Koran, and other religions also teach about giving to the destitute and poor.We do this because we are human, and we recognize the humanity in others.Remember Hoosier, anyone of us is just one head injury away from joining the group that needs to be supported by the healthy.Furnishedowner