Sen. Mickey Switalski on Early Retirements for State Workers

Senator Scott's statement on the floor- (0.00 / 0)

Right to the point.

Are we trying to just really cut out state government, period?

And that's all she said.

---

by: wizardkitten @ Thu Aug 30, 2007 at 17:38:00 PM CDT

Enough (4.00 / 1)

Enough with these cuts.  It's time for us to hold our line.  No more demonizing state employees or public school teachers, no more talk of privatizing foster care or prisons, no more talk of right to work for less.  This is nothing more than union busting, and driving down workers' wages and benefits so they can drive up corporate profits that never trickle down.  The Republicans are just using the budget as a political tool to obliterate the voting base of their opposition.  They don't care who gets hurt.  And if megalomaniac Mike Bishop gets to appoint himself emperor of Michigan in the process, so much the better.




If you're not interested in what a sit-downer has to say, it's going to take him twice as long to say it. ~my grandpa

---

by: Christine @ Thu Aug 30, 2007 at 18:01:51 PM CDT

cost analysis (0.00 / 0)

I have heard that many mentally ill people are now in prison/jail for whatever reason. Has anyone done a cost analysis on the cost to "run" prisons prior to closing down so many psych hospitals and after the closing of them? Seems to me that people with mental illness end up in prison since there are no longer health facilities to take care and provide them aid. Would it be more realistic to bring back psych hospitals, thus bring down the cost of running a prison?

---

by: mpa @ Sat Sep 01, 2007 at 06:49:00 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Sen. Liz Brater has introduced legislation (0.00 / 0)

... to have "mental health courts" that are modeled on the drug courts. She introduced this back in February- but I haven't heard anything about it since then.

From the Detroit News (now archived)- 

It costs an average of $31,325 a year to house and monitor prisoners, plus $5,000 to $22,000 more for medical care for those who are mentally ill.

By comparison, treatment in community mental health programs costs $11,000 a year or less. In Detroit and Wayne County, the cost averages $6,872 a year.

As many as half of Michigan's 51,000 prisoners suffer from mental illness, but it's difficult to estimate how many new offenders would qualify for a diversion program that would send them to community treatment instead.

Yes, treatment would save us a bunch of money over incarceration. I don't know if psych hospitals are the way to go, but simply getting these people on medication and monitoring treatment on an out-patient basis will keep some of them from committing acts that land them in prison.

Another example of real reform that Republicans are ignoring in favor of political stunts that only end up costing us more in the long run.

Here is the link to Brater's statement on it on her Senate page.

---

by: wizardkitten @ Sat Sep 01, 2007 at 09:10:24 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

DHS audit (4.00 / 1)

I can't find the details, but I heard DHS Director Marianne Udow on Michigan PR yesterday, and she mentioned that part of the DHS problem is that the staff doesn't have the experience anymore.  I see MIRS News article didn't report that ... it was probably a separate interview than the radio interview, though.  So I don't know if she mentioned it to MIRS.  Seems like she would.

I checked the MiPR site for Udow interviews and didn't see her interview there either.  :(



If you're not interested in what a sit-downer has to say, it's going to take him twice as long to say it. ~my grandpa

---

by: Christine @ Thu Aug 30, 2007 at 18:10:16 PM CDT

More Dem floor statements (4.00 / 1)

Here's Sen. Switalksi on the floor, and here's Sen. Cherry's opposition statement.

---

by: BZP @ Thu Aug 30, 2007 at 19:00:03 PM CDT