[QUOTE=winter rose]About the rules of this thread, and the whole
Civilized Discussion and Debate - I don't quite understand how it would be possible to have a debate or discussion where members "never" get offended, offensive, upset or personal...[/QUOTE]
It isn't possible not to. That's not the point. I thought it a pretty simple concept, actually - it's called self-control. The ground rules are there for those who need reminding. To post in this thread, a person is required to exercise better judgment - don't post when hot under the collar, highly offended, bent out of shape, etc. Do the equivalent of "walking away and cooling off". If personal differences exist, don't use this thread to air them out (use PMs instead). I don't think it's asking very much at all.
@Magrus, Ik, Cuch: On the health and human services issues in the US (to include education), it's my opinion that in general, it's historically last place in the priorities of lawmakers and Administrations on both the federal level and state level. It's the favorite portion of the budget to slash, reduce, or, to indulge in the more chic corporate parlance (which is invading all levels of government these days): "streamline." Streamlining generally involves cutting staffing levels, resources, rolling back salaries (or capping them; usually both), and reengineering access and delivery systems to exclude the maximum possible. This has the practical effect of drastically reducing service areas and the level of services available. What this means from a healthcare perspective:
1. Longer waiting periods in general for services;
2. Reduced or non-existent coverage for certain medications and treatments, or exemption from coverage for selected medically-diagnosed conditions;
3. Long term care facilities (such as state-run schools for persons with mental retardation or a related condition) closed, creating larger workloads and stresses on the facilities that remain open (and are forced to absorb the displaced clients);
4. Staff who, on average are paid up to 40% less than their private sector counterparts, and are faced with ever-increasing case loads and insurmountable backlogs that cannot be addressed in a timely manner; and
5. Deterioration of public approval due to the outcry over lack of services, which is directed against the governmental health and human service agencies by a public unaware of the environment that makes such a situation unavoidable and inexorable.
I have studied health and human services (henceforth HHS) budgetary figures (available to any citizen who requests such information in writing) for the state I live in, and find that overall, they reflect the environment found in Washington at the time. A situation rather unique to Texas, however, is that the previous governor is now currently the President of the United States. His last federal budgetary proposal (Magrus posted some of the details in another thread) resembles his tendencies while governor of this state: the budget for HHS is up for slashing. The public eagerly latched on (and still do) to the misleading notion that streamlining = efficiency...however, the record shows otherwise.
Take, for example, some of the recent fruits of the streamlining of HHS here in Texas...called outsourcing. Outsourcing can create an attractive shortfall on graphs and pie-charts when consulting firms play with budgetary figures to demonstrate the money saved over X amount of years. In reality, the outsourcing of HHS services has a horrid record that ends up, in the long run, costing the taxpayers more money. A certain state agency is currently up on the auditing block for an estimated
$20 million in overpayments to a private contractor. Contracting services out has been a part of HHS for quite some time, made more popular under the Bush and the Perry governorships.
First of all, there's a demonstrated lack of accountability when dealing with a private contractor. Secondly, levels of service have not demonstrated a measurable improvement over time as promised. In fact, there has been a marked decline in quality and customer satisfaction. The state agencies who contract services out are in a regulatory, oversight role...and their own ability to take action is often impeded by the very codes and legislation which define the outsourcing to begin with, making legal actions a long, drawn out affair which can literally be sat on by the Attorney General's office for many years (try over 7 years just to get the courts to enforce a permanent injunction issued against a contrator...the injunction was imposed 9 years ago).
(EDIT - nearly a hundred different memorandums from legal services cross my desk weekly. The time periods involved in some of these cases is astromical, and quite incredulous to ponder.)
In short, it's a mess. While my particular knowledge on this subject lies with HHS, education has taken similar hits in the past 20 years. To start understanding the reasons behind our problems with the public schools, we need to take a look at the history of their program funding, appropriations, legislative activity, and the treatment of the staff compared to their counterparts in private schools. Much can be learned.