New "not so free" dumb plan

According to this article (thanks Advice Goddess) Bush is planning to have the entire US screened for mental illness. Apparently this is called the "New Freedom Plan." But from this article it sounds like people think its more of a way to create a bigger market for expensive psych treantments and drugs. Funny cause they've outlawed all the fun drugs and now they want to have us evaluated so they can force us to take other drugs. I suddenly feel like we're on the path to a very 1984 existance. Maybe that's cause I've been reading all these alarmist articles.

AAaaaanyway. After a little searching I found this. Apparently the president has appointed a Mental Health Commision (in 2001) and they have created this fascinating report.

goal 1
Americans Understand that Mental Health Is Essential to Overall Health.
Goal 2
Mental Health Care Is Consumer and Family Driven.
Goal 3
Disparities in Mental Health Services Are Eliminated.
Goal 4
Early Mental Health Screening, Assessment, and Referral to Services Are Common Practice.
Goal 5
Excellent Mental Health Care Is Delivered and Research Is Accelerated.
Goal 6
Technology Is Used to Access Mental Health Care and Information.

So goals 2 and 3 here sound kindof like they might be wanting to provide funding for these people to help them get the care they need. (Personally I think the first goal is more about industry than it is need for mental health, people've been fine for centuries without it) And there is a lot of language in here about maintaining the patients right to determine their own care.

"Quality screening and early intervention will occur in both readily accessible, low-stigma settings, such as primary health care facilities and schools, and in settings in which a high level of risk exists for mental health problems, such as criminal justice, juvenile justice, and child welfare systems. Both children and adults will be screened for mental illnesses during their routine physical exams. "


Obviously you'll have no problems finding websites decrying this action, so rather than post those I'll let you google them on your own. However I think that if people want to seek help for a mental illness it is their business and the government should keep to themselves about it. ESPECIALLY the REPUBLICAN administration. Also I'm not particularly concerned because this sounds pretty expensive, and we're all out of money. But then, that hasn't stopped Mr. Bush before.

So here we go a mental health system that provides screenings through primary physicians and schools:

Pros:
Ease of diagnosis for mentally ill individuals.
Individuals who may not have gotten care previously will get it now.
Mental health care becomes more commonplace (not just for the crazy folk)

Cons:
Mental health research is changing constantly and misdiagnosis and wrong handling of diseases are likely to increase and can cause further problems.
Individuals who may not need treatment may end up getting treatment at the cost of the state.
Individuals who may not WANT mental health treatment could be coerced.
Will the screeners and doctors be thinking in the patients best interest? How much influence will perscription drug companies have in this program.

So I don't know if they are actually planning to implement this. Clearly the costs would be astronomical and I don't think it would be very popular to boot. I wonder how long until the mainstream media picks up on this.

Queer Eye for the American People

Tuesday I watched the first episode of the new season of Queer Eye For the Straight Guy. Which as always was FABulously funny. This one was particularly poigniant as it featured a serviceman about to be deployed to Iraq and him coping with the inevitable separation from his wife and young daughter. It was very touching and even though I've enver been a big fan of men in uniform I really hope that we can bring our boys home soon. And I hope that this (however misguided) effort to bring democracy to the Iraqi's is succsessful if only to have something to show for the sacrifices of our soldiers and the Iraqi civilians who have lost their lives and families in this war.

(I almost used the word conflict there to make it sound "nice"..... the media has clearly brainwashed me.... we INVADED this country.....)

Queer Eye for the Straight Girl premeired last night, (I watched the sneak preview on tuesday also) And it was dissapointing. Maybe people from LA just aren't as funny. I mean it was still funny but it just wasn't quite as Amazing as the Fab 5. The sneak preview episode was especially dull, but the premier was better. Maybe they just need to get into the groove. The lesbian is cute :-)

But I think my favorite show has to be Nanny 911. Watching kids going from screaming terrors to little angels in a week is highly entertaing, especially when all of the changes taht go on are related to the parents. Mean and psycho mama's being told what for by Nanny Deb is highly enjoyable. Finally some lessons in parenting for the stupid people of America.

I don't really know what the point of this post was, but since they've ended the search for WMD's I just have no reason to watch the news anymore.

Thanks Pat!

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

I just added Haloscan so people can comment without logging in. Thanks Pat for pointing me in the right direction. This is good because the blogger comment feature sucks. Maybe I'll update the template and make it pretty eventually but for now this will have to do.

Is there a Draft in here?

From Time magazine:

Outside observers agree. "The Army's wheels are going to come off in the next 24 months," Barry McCaffrey, a retired four-star Army general, said last week. "The data are now beginning to come in to support that." McCaffrey said the service needs to add 80,000 troops to ease the strain brought on by the Iraq war. "We are in a period of considerable strategic peril," he said. "And it's because Rumsfeld has dug in his heels and said, 'I cannot retreat from my position.

Not good news folks. Rumsfeld is being a stubborn ass as usual and the article goes on to talk about what happend in Vietnam, although they differentiate between the All Mercenary I mean Volunteer army that we have today.

This whole article is in response to a statement by the head of the national gaurd saying we don't have enough troops. SURPRISE. I have friends on their way over in June, I can only hope things aren't fubar by the time they get there.