CA: For a 'radical' agenda, try liberty

OC Register ^ | 1/13/04 | Ray Haynes-R CA assemblyman

[NormsRevenge]

Last Tuesday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger laid out his agenda for California in his State of the State address. Like so many newspaper reporters and pundits, I want to recommend an agenda for him to follow: an agenda that promotes individual liberty.

[NormsRevenge]

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[Viking2002]

'Liberty' and 'California' have become oxymorons, as of late. Of course, that can also apply to several other states, as well.........

[Weimdog]

I found this article on the budget particularly interesting. It discusses how a private charitable program for Polio victims has blossomed into the 3rd largest public healthcare expenditure in the state -

"In-Home Supportive Services, the program's claim to fame is that it helps people who cannot care for themselves to remain in their homes and out of institutions. Indeed, according to one history of the program, it grew out of one hospital's decision in the 1950s to discharge polio patients to home settings, where they were cared for by private caregivers funded by donations to the March of Dimes. Later, with the discovery of the polio vaccine, the foundation's funding dwindled and private support to the caregivers was cut. The recipients and their advocates persuaded the state to step into the breach."

"The cost to state taxpayers has grown from $232 million in 1993-'94 to $1.4 billion today. The budget for in-home care is projected to grow to $1.6 billion in the next fiscal year and continue growing at 13 percent annually into the future."

"And while the original intent of the program -- to keep people out of nursing homes -- still exists, no one seems to have studied lately how many of the recipients truly need the help to remain out of institutions and for how many it is simply a convenience so that their families needn't care for them. In about 15,000 cases statewide, in fact, family members are paid through the program to provide care for their loved ones -- an option that is among those the governor proposes to cut."

http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/columns/weintraub/story/8052946p-8987076c.html

[XHogPilot]

There are two aspects to protecting and promoting free enterprise: freedom of contract and protection of private property rights.

Oh My! I had no idea people could dare say these things!

[tubebender]

In-home care was a cost cutter by getting patients out of hospitals and care homes at a lesser rate and the patient was much happier and healed faster. Then the union goons got their "rat friends to take free enterprise out of the picture and the cost shot up and here we are.