Schwarzenegger Apparently To Recommend Effectively Closing California State Office Of AIDS

[ccharles000]

Gov. Schwarzenegger and the California Legislature are coming to grips with a $21 billion-with-a-B budget deficit. Since Californians soundly rejected initiatives in a special election last week that would have raised taxes and redirected funds, draconian measures are being proposed for closing the budget deficit.
One of these is defunding the California Office Of AIDS. From the Los Angeles Times:


The Los Angeles County Commission on HIV issued an alert objecting to possible elimination of a $96-million AIDS program that provides help to 35,000 patients.

It's going to be brutal, if this budget cut goes through.


On May 21, 2009, Governor Schwarzenegger's administration released tentative plans for $5.5 billion in new cuts to health and human service programs. These plans include severe cuts to HIV services.
Although the formal proposal is not expected to be released until May 26th, preliminary reports indicate that the Governor plans to eliminate all state general fund support to the Office of AIDS. Removing general fund support to the State Office of AIDS would eliminate over $160 million in support for services such as:

• AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP),
• HIV counseling and testing,
• HIV education and prevention,
• Early Intervention Programs (EIPs),
• Therapeutic Monitoring Program (TMP)
• HIV surveillance,
• Home and community based care programs,
• Housing programs, and
• CARE/Health Insurance Premium Payments (CARE/HIPP)

http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/11140/gov-schwarzenegger-apparently-to-recommend-closing-california-state-office-of-aids

[Pirate Smile]

1. The hoops California has to jump through just to get a budget is ridiculous. It makes it impossible

to govern.

The public can't even blame the government after defeating the referendums. What a mess. :(

[villager]

2. Maybe a couple years of budget disasters affecting everyone will get my fellow Californians

...to make the one budget reform desperately needed: The repeal of ceding power to a 1/3 legislative minority of rightwingers, to continually hijack the budget process...

[nichomachus]

5. And a severe restriction on ballot initiatives

It's too easy for a corporation or political pressure group to get a ballot measure passed. It needs to be much harder.

I say make it two thirds of people voting or 51 percent of all registered voters. That still gives the people the chance to make some change if there is a serious problem and some widespread support.

The current system is just electoral mayhem.

[slackmaster]

3. And the systemic problems that caused the present system to be created, have not been fixed

A fundamental change in the way we choose our elected representatives is needed. As things stand we have a one-party system in Califonrnia: The Incumbent Party.

The public can't even blame the government after defeating the referendums.

We can only blame ourselves for continuing to elect the same ding-dongs.

[Hoopla Phil]

4. Unfortunately I think this is only the first hammer to fall.

CA is out of money and is going to HAVE to cut programs. This in turn will make things even worse. I've got an old friend that moved to CA about 10 years back. He is desperate to get back to TX but is stuck. He does not have enough money to move and has no job lined up in TX if he should be able to make it back. It really sucks.

[bridgit]

6. Oh the very next morning after his loss he was dredging up his scary, tired old...

republican bullshit: gonna shutdown Quentin set Richard Ramirez free roaming *your* Starbucks to kill more people maybe even *you*, cut health care specially for kids cancel their education too, no more nice-nice no more civilization. It's boiler plate Ronald Reagan/Pete Wilson republican eat-shit-&-die-tactics.

But this is all Schwarzenegger can do; he's not really that smart or flexible, and he's stuck on thinking that only people with money really matter. If he went to his corporate donor/fan base and told them they'd have to have an increase in their luxury tax status to assist balancing the budget they would shit their fucking pants down both pant legs and DEMAND that he go back in there and not come out till every little 'california corporate princess' gets a brand new blood diamond tennis bracelet tax free believe it!!

So it's back to the people that can't, won't, are too young to, have given up or are too infirm to fight for any length of time certainly up against the likes of: Grover Norquist and the ghost of Howard Jarvis. Schwarzenegger was a cynical, snarky ("luke at da girly man mit da puny arms") competitor even throughout his b-building career. Pushing children, farm workers, and HIV/AIDS programs around seems right up his alley.

[lies and propaganda]

7. its going to be a hard few years here

Hope thsi shows people to participate more in their gov. A lot of Californians thought it was super cute that we have some fucking asshole as our Gov, and a lot of Californians didnt vote on prop 8 so another state and religious group came in and decided for us.

at least we got Gray Davis out though :sarcasm: