If Bush adopts a proposal to screen all folks like WND says will happen, then we should be concerned, not when some impotent commission reports its recommendations.
What I posted to you are not listed as "recommendations" but as GOALS, part of the overall report given to the President by the commission he established for the express purpose of receiving recommendations which he could implement. These goals are, indeed, what is "recommended" by the commission, and it is for this very reason that the alarm bells are ringing. This recommendation specifically states that goal #4 is to screen everyone, across the "life span" (this term goes beyond 'age spectrum' and introduces cradle-to-grave mental health tracking), via every individual American's Primary Health Care Provider. You seem to rely on the idea that because the commission's findings are called "recommendations" they are not to be taken seriously. On the contrary, the President asked for these recommendations with the expressed intention of implementing them.
Interesting that you both make your argument based on the President not having made a LAW yet. He's obviously "accepted" it; it's posted on the White House Web site.
Your reaction brings to mind Jesus' words to the Pharisees--how quick you are to accept weather forecasts based on highly predictable factors (or even judge for yourself what the upcoming weather will be based upon what signs you see in the sky now), but slow to believe the signs of the times!
In the same way that you would prepare for a tornado or hurricane that hasn't actually arrived yet, but is forecast based upon known factors, shouldn't you likewise prepare yourselves for other predictable disasters? Yes, there is always the slim chance that the predicted disaster will move offshore by God's grace, but when a warning is issued it is best to prepare for the worst, and seek to avoid catastrophy, not pretend the warning has no merit, or ignore the signs of impending dooom which always precede a storm.
Here are the President's own words:
...I am honored to announce what we call the new Freedom Commission on Mental Health. It is charged to study the problems and gaps in our current system of treatment, and to make concrete recommendations for immediate [im]provements that will be implemented -- (applause) -- and these will be improvements that can be implemented, and must be implemented, by the federal government, the state government, local agencies, as well as public and private health care providers.
Read the warning.
Please don't ping me to this thread again.
Corin is trying to say "don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up." It doesn't matter what the President has said what matters is what they want him to have meant.
Pretty strong words by Bush. Thanks for the link.
Presidents say a lot of things without fighting for them (where is Bush's Mars plan now?) We will see how serious he is about this one.....it may be worth it to write to the WH and others to warn about the possibility, in any case.
As many Americans know, it is incredibly painful to watch someone you love struggle with an illness that affects their mind and their feelings and their relationships with others. We heard stories today in a roundtable discussion about that -- what the struggle means for family.
That sounds like a description of eight years of the life of a friends wife. She was little more than a walking vegetable. Her psychiatrist had her on about nine high powered psychotropics, while her physician had her on another eight drugs including coumadin for physical problems, all stemming from initially treating her depression over her adult son's accidental death. Thank God she almost died and was rushed to the hospital where they immediately took her off of all but three of the seventeen drugs. (Those were for physical complaints.)
One drug for depression. Side effect - hears voices.
One drug for the voices. Side effect - anxiety.
One drug for anxiety. Side effect - sees hallucinations.
One drug for hallucinations. Side effect - complete loss of motivation.
One drug for loss of motivation. Side effect - .....
Yes, let's screen for those who don't even ask for this help. More people need to experience the compassion of today's psychiatry sans counseling. There's an expensive and powerful pill for whatever ails you.
Excellent post. Possibly the best in the thread.
It puts the lie to all the claims that "it's only WND" and all the other not-just-a-river-in-egypt noisemakers -- which is probably why they're all so silent in reply to it, eh? ;)