Newspaper Page Text
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2006
4A
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OPINION
Daniel F. Evans
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans
Vice President
Don Moncrief
Managing Editor
Letters to the Editor
Partnership needed
Over the last several weeks, officials from the
Department of Human Resources have toured the state
to justify their restructuring of Georgia’s mental health
system and to offer their explanations for the results of
that restructuring. Because the effects of that restruc
turing have been devastating to many of its consumers
and their families and because it is an election year, there
has been a good bit of blaming and finger-pointing dur
ing these visits and in other political forums.
The Community Service Board of the Pheonix Center
serves Crawford, Peach, and Houston counties. The
members of this CSB wish to clarify several misconcep
tions and misinformation that have emerged from these
forums.
A combination of five years of budget cuts in state con
tracts and the move to a very restrictive “fee for service”
approach to funding from the state and federal level
(i.e. managed care, Medicaid reimbursements, etc) have
resulted in less money coming into the Pheonix Center.
Anyone who manages a family budget knows that if the
money you bring home is reduced and/or the money you
bring home cannot be used as you see fit, then you must
reduce your expenditures overall and redistribute the
money you have left. To blame the CSB’s for “choosing”
to cut services is frankly dishonest on the part of DHR.
They fully understand the impact of the changes they are
making and if they believe that these changes will result
in better services for our communities, then they need to
stand behind the changes proudly and explain their deci
sion so we all can understand them.
Community Service Boards are comprised of volun
teers from the community who provide oversight for a
local agency whose only goal is to be a safety net for the
chronically mentally ill in our communities. The Phoenix
Center is the smallest of the state’s CSB’s.
We have always been a leader in programming and
services and our yearly audits prove that we have a long
history of managing our funds in an exemplary manner
with no audit exceptions in over 20 years. Even in the
face of the current chaos. We have a dedicated and com
mitted staff that is scrambling to figure out how to use
the current system to meet the needs of our clients.
Our Community Service Board does not have the power
to tax or generate significant funds on our own, so we
depend on the state and federal government to provide
us the funding on behalf of the citizens. DHR has made
significant changes in how they fund and how much they
fund and the federal government has done the same.
The result has been a complicated and confusing pro
cess that has caused our CSB to close programs that we
feel significantly impact the safety and quality of life in
our community. Underserved and ill-served mentally ill
adults and children will wind up in our jails and alterna
tive schools which are ill equipped to meet their needs.
This impact affects everyone in the community, not just
the consumers.
We have spent the last five years alerting our local and
state officials to the impact we knew these changes would
bring. We have warned them again and again in letters
and in face to face meetings. We have seriously explored
a merger with the Rivers Edge CSB, but our financial
future looked too bleak and their own challenges too
overwhelming for them to complete a merger.
What has beeti the response of DHR to our warnings
and our attempts to handle them ourselves? It was only
when we were at the brink of closing our doors did the
state agree to give us a one time “bail out” of $1,000,000
so we could continue to function. This was an admission
that we had been under-funded for several years and that
our demise would reflect on their ability to manage our
state’s health care system. Repeated requests and prom
ises to provide technical assistance along with the one
time funds have been ignored by DHR. If they believe
that the system they have created can successfully meet
the needs of our community, they need to be willing to
work side-by-side with us. Coming into our community
and seeking to undermine the confidence our local agen
cies and officials have in us, is not the way to build a
true partnership. A partnership between state and local
agencies is exactly what it will take to tackle the tremen
dous challenges that face us in serving the indigent, the
uninsured, and the powerless in our communities.
We are anxious to begin that partnership but our calls
for honest dialogue and true collaboration continue to be
ignored and our warnings unheeded. The biggest losers
are the clients and their families and the unsuspecting
citizens of our community.
Dr. Ruth O’Dell, Chairman Community Service Board
Phoenix Center in Perry
School safety is hot issue
Recent tragic events around the country have brought
the issue of school safety into the public eye this week.
At the Georgia Department of Education and in all of our
schools, the safety of students is our top priority everyday.
While we cannot predict when an incident may occur,
we can prepare.
There are many state and federal laws that ensure
that our schools and school systems have an emer
gency plan in place and have policies and procedures
for school visitors. You can view these policies by fol
lowing the link at the bottom of this message. Our local
systems also have additional policies and procedures
to make sure our children are safe in their schools.
We also have a hotline for students to call anony
mously if they become aware of any threat of vio
lence at their school. That hotline 1-877-SAY
STOP operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and
is answered either by the Georgia Department of
Education or the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
For parents, teachers, school employees and, most par
ticularly, students, stories such as yesterday’s tragedy in
Pennsylvania can be very unsettling.
See LETTERS, page {A
Foy S. Evans
Editor Emeritus
Standout news and notes
Some items in the news that stand
out and call for comments.
For example:
■ Disgraced former Rep. Mark Foley,
admittedly a pedophile, is now trying
to make excuses for his actions by
claiming that he was “sexually abused”
as a child. Where have we heard this
excuse before? Who believes him?
■ In connection with No Child Left
Behind, according to The Washington
Post, the federal government has been
spending more than $1 billion a year
with a a politically connected group
called Reading First to tell schools
how to teach reading. Arms have been
twisted in some states to force them to
use untested and untried methods sold
by Reading First. This has been going
on for five years at $1 billion a year
and the secretary of education and the
architect of the program have gone to
work for one of its contractors. Smell
something fishy?
■ On the same subject: What is so dif
ficult about teaching reading that new,
untried and untested methods should
be forced on schools? What is wrong
with the old-fashioned way of teaching
reading - including phonics - that has
worked for a long, long time?
■ Incidentally, hopefully Georgia or
Houston County were not among those
that adopted what The Washington Post
describes as “unproved and untested
textbooks and reading programs.”
■ Amnesty for parents who have
fallen behind in child support pay
ments has resulted in some money
coming in. Apparently falling behind in
child support payments is not unusual,
since letters were sent to more than
500 parents who were more than two
months behind in their payments. I
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It is all about the predation, stupid
Washington is embroiled in
another sex scandal. A sure
bet win for the Republicans
in Florida is now imperiled. The Dems
look to be one seat closer to regain
ing control of the House. But the
latest one involving disgraced GOP
Congressman Mark Foley’s predatory
emails and lecherous instant-message
exchanges is more than just a political
nightmare.
It’s a parental nightmare.
Foley’s targets were underage high
school students serving as congres
sional pages. I spoke with good friends
of mine a few weeks ago who were
positively glowing about their teenage
son’s experience as a page earlier this
year. It is supposed to engender pride
in our country and its institutions. It
is supposed to inspire young people
to public service. But irresponsible,
selfish and sick adults have turned
the Page Program into their personal
sexual romper room.
For more than 150 years, these young
messengers have worked in the U.S.
Congress. Daniel Webster appointed
the first Senate page in 1829. The first
House pages began their service in
1842. Most are high school juniors at
least 16 years of age. They must have
stellar academic records and enlist
members of Congress to sponsor them
for one or two semester terms during
the school year or a summer session.
The pages serve principally ,as
gophers. They carry documents
between the House and Senate, mem
bers’ offices, committees and the
Library of Congress; assist in the
cloakrooms and chambers; and when
Congress is in session, they may be
summoned by members for assistance.
They live in a supervised dorm near
the Capitol. They wear uniforms and
OPINION
understand that the Houston County
Child Support Services is more diligent
than some other counties.
■ The opening of the Georgia
National Fair reminds mq of one of the
most exciting events of my teen years.
George Burt, who was executive edi
tor of The Macon Telegraph, invited
me to come to Macon from Americus
to go to the Georgia State Fair as his
guest. I was 16. I had never been to
such an event before. It was one of the
highlights of my youth. Can’t imagine
today’s youngsters being so impressed,
since they have so much so early in
life.
■ The U.S. government no longer
will prevent visitors to Canada from
bringing prescription drugs into this
country. Never should have prevented
it, in the first place.
■ Complaints galore are coming in
from seniors who signed up for the
Medicare Part D health insurance pro
gram. Many of them already have used
enough prescriptions to reach the so
called “doughnut” where they must
pay 100 percent of the cost. Several
seniors have told me they believe they
made a mistake by dropping insurance
policies they had so they could partici
pate in the Part D program. They are
being told they cannot now go back.
■ A warning has been issued con-
take classes. It’s a highly competitive
process to become a page, and it’s an
exclusive and exciting opportunity to
see Washington up close. Parents put
full trust in Congress that their chil
dren will be safe.
You can’t possibly read Foley’s report
ed communications with minors that
have been disclosed so far - including
his attempts to rendezvous with one
and apparent meetings and scheduled
drinking sessions with others and
dismiss them as merely “naughty e
mails.” Yet, that’s how White House
press secretary Tony Snow described
some of them this week. Though he
admitted to being too “glib” and later
“clarified” those words with tougher
remarks, the damage has been done.
It makes Republicans who downplay
the messages and Democrats and
journalists who sat on them - look
recklessly flippant about sexual preda
tion. Parents of all political persua
sions should be outraged by both.
It is also impossible to ignore the
appearance of calculated grooming by
Foley of potential young targets. In
a June 6, 2002, farewell speech to
pages, Foley effused about his teen
pals even bragging about taking
one male page out on a dinner date
at Morton’s steakhouse after the boy
made a winning bid to have a meal
with him. Given my own experience in
Washington as a young college intern,
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Foy
Evans
Columnist
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Michelle
Malkin
Columnist
malkin@comcast.net
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
cerning the purchase of insurance
of any kind. Price is not everything.
Sometimes too low a price should be
a warning that something is amiss.
Insurance is nothing until you need
it and unless you are doing business
with a reputable company that keeps
customers in mind you could be in
for a rude awakening. Even highly
rated insurance companies sometimes
go bankrupt (one with which I had a
policy did) and you can be left holding
the bag.
■ Something to remember: If all the
subdivisions that have been approved
in Houston County recently are filled
with homes the increase in population
would be several times the number
added in any of the last few years.
Home sales are still soaring, but we
are beginning to see “For Sale” signs
in front of many houses for a longer
length of time. However, sales never
have been better in the more popular
new subdivisions.
■ I’m joining parents who are
demanding sidewalks on Welborn
Road, which students walking to and
from Huntington Middle School need
badly. A ride down that street will con
vince you that we are putting students
in danger every day they have to use
that route to walk to school.
■ It’s hard to understand why the
health department and hospital are still
waiting for flu vaccine while it already
is available to commercial businesses.
It seems to me that officials in charge
of distributing the vaccine would make
sure health departments and hospitals
were the first to receive the vaccine.
This happened last year and seems to
be happening again this year.
when I was approached by a congress
man to live alone with him for a winter
term, I am sure there are many, many
more such stories to be told.
Some Beltway types think it’s abso
lutely absurd to expect the adults in
Washington to have policed Foley more
aggressively based on knowledge of his
more “innocent” exchanges. Come on.
This was a 52-year-old man instant
messaging teenagers. Hello? Would you
be comfortable with your next-door
neighbor doing that?
And this is not the first time the
Page Program’s participants have been
exploited by politicians lurking in the
halls of power.
In 1983, Republican Dan Crane and
Democrat Gerry Studds soiled the
legacy of the House Page Program
after both admitting to sexual rela
tions with 17-year-old pages. Crane
abused his position of power with a
female page. Studds with a male page.
Crane apologized and was voted out
of office. Studds was defiant, calling
his “relationship” with his teen prey
“consensual.” He was re-elected. Then-
Congressman Newt Gingrich called for
both predators to be expelled. But the
enablers and apologists for Crane and
Studds settled for censure.
The consequences of letting their
sordid behavior slide without the most
severe punishment created fertile
grounds for the Capitol Hill predation
scandal we are witnessing today. I do
not blame the media or the prey for
the sins of the predators. I blame the
predators and all of those, on both
sides of the aisle, who looked the other
way.
Michelle Malkin is author of the new
book “Unhinged: Exposing Liberals
Gone Wild. ” Her e-mail address
ismalkin@comcast. net.