Republican Senators are Blocking Al Franken’s Bill To Improve Mental Health Services

[babylonsister]

http://www.politicususa.com/2013/12/24/right-wing-senators-blocking-franken-mental-health-bill.html

Republican Senators are Blocking Al Franken’s Bill To Improve Mental Health Services
By: Keith Brekhus
Tuesday, December, 24th, 2013, 1:56 pm


Two right-wing Senators are blocking a bipartisan mental health bill that would provide 40 ­million dollars to extend funding for mental health courts for five years, establish more crisis intervention teams to cooperate with law enforcement officers, and provide more extensive mental health screening for ­veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress. The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Act, co-sponsored by Senator Al Franken (D-MN) and Representative Rich Nugent (R-FL), enjoys broad bi-partisan support. However, according to the Minneapolis Star & Tribune, an unnamed source reports that the legislation is being blocked from going to a floor vote by right-wing Senators Mike Lee of Utah and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.

The Franken Bill would provide much needed mental health services and tools for police and the courts to address deficiencies in the nation’s mental health system. The legislation should be uncontroversial, but Mike Lee and Tom Coburn adhere dogmatically to an anti-government ideology that would even deny combat veterans and others suffering from mental illness, access to critical services. Franken’s bill has 15 Republican co-sponsors in the US House and 13 in the US Senate, but Coburn and Lee still insist on stalling the legislation. Senate GOP sponsors include staunch conservatives like Mike Enzi (WY), Pat Roberts (KS), Orrin Hatch (UT), Chuck Grassly (IA) and Roy Blunt (MO), as well as more moderate Republican Senators, including Susan Collins (ME), Rob Portman (OH) and Kelly Ayotte (NH).

Conservatives who oppose gun control often argue that instead we need to do something about mentally ill people who become killers, yet when given the opportunity to approve of expanding mental services, conservative lawmakers like Lee and Coburn refuse to fulfill their obligation to do so. Mike Lee is a repeat offender. The Utah Senator joined Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) in April by refusing to reauthorize and improve federal programs related to mental health and substance use disorders.

Right-wing and Libertarian opponents of gun control frequently argue that better mental health care, not new gun laws, are needed to prevent future mass shootings. Al Franken’s amendment is designed to provide better mental health care for Americans who need it, but right-wing and Libertarian heroes Tom Coburn and Mike Lee are blocking that legislation. The words of support for better mental health care ring hollow if they are not backed up by legislative action.

Washington Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis highlighted the need for better mental health services for veterans. James Holmes, Jared Loughner, Adam Lanza and several other recent mass shooters have illustrated the need for better mental health intervention programs in this country. However, Tom Coburn and Mike Lee do not want to take any action to reform our gun laws and they do not want to support federal programs designed to help the mentally ill. Until the right-wing puts some money into mental health services, their words about improving mental health care policy in this country provide absolutely nothing but empty rhetoric.

[Turbineguy]

1. The repub plan is such a great plan!

Make sure that mentally ill people have access to high powered personal weaponry. A man with a gun can solve any problem. We'll all be happier if we know we can be shot at any time by a random person. It's a Christmas Message from the Republican Party.

[Cirque du So-What]

4. Doesn't that undermine their favorite talking point

in the immediate aftermath of the Sandy Hook massacre? Every last one of them repeatedly called for 'keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally ill' as a panacea for the epidemic of gun violence in this society. How in pluperfect Hell is this plan going to come to fruition if it remains difficult to gain access to mental health care? <--Rhetorical question. These RWers don't care about gun violence OR those who would benefit from expanded mental health coverage. In fact, the list of people on the RW 'pay no mind' list would be quite lengthy.

[awoke_in_2003]

13. Did you ever read 1984...

and the idea of doublethink? The ability to believe 2+2=4 when mathematically necessary, and also believe it equals 5 when the party says it must. What was scary about the whole idea was that the mind could switch between the two and not even realize it had done so. When I first read it in 1983 it seemed far fetched. Not so anymore.

[lostincalifornia]

2. It is really sad. It seems that people who need the most help, won't get it

[JaneyVee]

11. The Republican base.

[lostincalifornia]

12. you got my hidden message

[Tobin S.]

3. Is "evil" too strong of a word to describe Lee and Coburn?

People in need of mental health care are very much under-represented in this country. Getting them health care should be just as important as getting it to everyone else just from a compassion angle, let alone the benefits to the rest of society.

[Doctor_J]

5. Repukes know that if the overall mental improves, more people will vote (D)

Mental illness is a pretty good predictor of the propensity to vote Republican.

[sakabatou]

6. Another group of people that Republicans don't care about

[Bernardo de La Paz]

7. Republicans need more mental health services than other people, due to

Republicans need more mental health services than other people. They have much more anger issues, and are anti-rational thinking ("we don't do nuance or science&quot .

Their anti-social antipathy toward women and the disadvantaged is legendary and endless.

[marble falls]

8. They're in denial, not undertanding how much they need the services.

[jazzimov]

9. Yet ANOTHER reason we need a filibuster-proof

majority in the Senate and take back the House.

GOTV 2014!

[freshwest]

14. +1

[JaneyVee]

10. Because Republican base would benefit greatly from such a program.

[freshwest]

15. Mental Illness per GOP = Sin = Demon Possession. Jail them or kill them if they can't be saved. n/t

[CTyankee]

16. Because "debt". That explains it.

We can't keep spending. Just can't.

Next time they pull the "mental health needs are at fault for shooting deaths" let's all REMIND them of their words on this bill, m'kay?