[Peace-discuss] Please attend this, if you can!

[Brian Hagy]

sorry about crossposting.  this is important and so i'm sending it out to
the various lists i'm on, requesting support.  i work with people with
developmental disabilities, and so this directly affects the people i work
with, as well as my own job.

The state of Illinois budget cuts are detrimental for everything in the
mental health field.  This includes the local theater troupe the Prompting
Theater (though i plan to fight to prevent anything happening to adversely
affect the troupe, i could use some help).  The following offers one thing
people can do to help prevent budget cuts from making a terrible situation
(that of how people with any mental disability are treated in today's
society) worse.  I know it's short notice, but if you can attend this
public hearing, it will help to show support for people with mental
disabilties (including mental illness, affects from age, developmental
disabilities, and nuerological damage from drug abuse).

as well, if you could forward this message to anyone you think can attend,
or wants to help support this, i'd appreciate it.

Thanks,
Brian Hagy

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On Monday, April 22, the Champaign County Board of Mental Health will be
hosting an open public hearing. The reason for this hearing is to seek
input and responses from the community concerning the budget cuts Governor
Ryan recently proposed.

Unknown to most people in Illinois, the proposed budget cuts severely
affect the mental health field in Illinois. The Champaign County Nursing
Home is facing a $400,000 reduction in funds from the state of Illinois
(meaning a severe cut in staff and services). Provena Behavioral Health,
which offers drug rehab services for adolescents and up and support for
people with mental illness, is facing having to terminate many of their
programs that don't deal with long-term and severe mental illness, in
spite of an already burgeoning waiting list. Developmental Services
Center, a not-for-profit organization that provides services to adults
with developmental disabilities, is facing up to $350,000 in budget cuts
(also meaning a loss of up to 14 staff positions and reduction in services
offered...which also means that many folks with developmental disabilities
would no longer be able to receive the support they need in order to live
a healthy life). And the list goes on, as every agency that deals with
mental disabilities is being severely cut from the Illinois state budget.

The public hearing scheduled on Monday, April 22 in the Illinois Terminal
Building from 4-6 PM is meant to be an avenue for concerned citizens to
voice their opposition to the budget cuts and to offer alternatives. It is
important for people to show up to this hearing, even if you don't intend
to speak. Rep. Tom Berns, and Senators Rick Winkel and Stanley Weaver are
expected to be present at the hearing to determine the support for not
encouraging these budget cuts.

In addition, the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability will also be
there to present their plan that they refer to as "A Fair Plan for
Illinois' Fiscal Crisis". This plan outlines 10 key points that help to
increase revenue for the state of Illinois, and thus eliminate the need to
have any budget cuts. Some of these points include: using the Illinois
Rainy Day fund of $226 million (considering it's no longer raining in
Illinois, but storming); increasing riverboat casino taxes; maintaining
current Illinois Estate tax; and increasing the cigarette tax. The full
text of the plan can be viewed on their website at
http://www.ctbaonline.org. Governor Ryan has said that he supports the
plan and would immediately sign his name to each of the points if Congress
has the guts to bring it to his desk. The problem is that this is an
election year, and thus the politicians are receiving enormous pressure
from the corporate world and from those with a lot of money to not
increase taxes (especially those that directly affect their own profits).
Their theory is that the money should be removed from those who don't have
it to begin with, and thus need it most.

So, if available, please come out for the Public Hearing, Monday April 22
from 4-6 PM at the Illinois Terminal Building. Let it be known that the
state of Illinois budget can't be balanced at the expense of those who
didn't create the problem and are at the mercy of those who did.