Mental Health Treatment in the US

[GMDino]

(02-04-2017, 12:17 PM)bfine32 Wrote: We currently spend money to support immigrants here illegally; hell, that currently costs more than a proposal.

Of course there is a point to directing the "wall money"; however, the counterpoint of using the money spent on what the wall is designed to curb is equally valid and in no way "misses the point".

It's just that you want your "Trump Bad" point to be the only point (see where I said likeminded); fortunately, more open-minded folks know there are usually at least 2 sides to every issue and reducing money on supporting illegal immigration by curbing it is a very valid one.

I pretty sure Trump made mental health one of his priorities in his canpaign; I know he did for Veterans. You just cannot acknowledge this; because it would make your constant presence here "moot".

But enough about that. Mental health is an issue and one this administration has vowed to reform; as a matter of fact, he is constantly talking about what he is going to do for Americans; often at the expense of non-Americans.

I suppose if there were something that showed the wall would actually do what you and like minded folks say it will that could be a valid argument.

Pointing out that illegal immigration is already down and dropping and that those same immigrants also pay other taxes that help keep up the economy could be see as reasons a wall would do more harm than good.

However it's not as simple as "Trump bad".  It's bad policy from the top down on an entire side of the aisle.

Now as yo his wanting to make mental health a priority, especially with veteran:

https://newrepublic.com/article/140357/donald-trump-no-friend-veterans

Quote:His hiring freeze has had an impact on former service members, who make up one third of the federal workforce.


President Donald Trump loves veterans, or at least that’s what he would have us believe. “You’re amazing people, great people,” he told the Retired American Warriors PAC last October. “Our veterans, in many cases, are being treated worse than illegal immigrants, people that come into our country illegally,” he said last September. “Honor their valor,” his foundation’s website still insists.


...


It worked. Veterans voted for him by a two-to-one margin and were critical in helping him win office. Several told Reveal they liked his anti-establishment edge and conservative rhetoric: “All I know is that Trump is sending fear into the very status quo special interests I despise,” a Gulf War veteran explained.


And then he froze most federal hiring.

---

The Military Times reported last November that veterans now comprise roughly one third of the federal workforce—or more than 600,000 positions—a testament to the success of projects like former President Barack Obama’s Veteran Employment Initiative. These job opportunities are critical for veterans, but it also leaves them particularly vulnerable to political turmoil. The GOP-driven budget sequestration in 2013 forced the federal workforce, including veterans, to take pay cuts; it also forced many active-duty servicemembers to leave the service early. For similar reasons, any federal hiring freeze—even a temporary one, like Trump’s executive order—inevitably affects veterans. And though there are exemptions to the 90-day freeze, it’s not yet clear if these exemptions will be enough to mitigate the damage.


“This is going to really impact veterans in a negative way,” Peter Kauffmann, a former U.S. Navy officer and current senior adviser to VoteVets.org, told the New Republic. “By freezing hiring, you’re cutting off one path for veterans leaving military service to transition into civilian life.”


Now many veterans must find their way in the dark.


And employment isn’t the only need the hiring freeze will leave unmet. At the VA, Kauffmann said, there are “thousands” of open positions that now will not be filled. “Keeping in mind the devastating impact of PTSD on a generation of veterans? If we can’t staff suicide hotlines this may cost the lives of veterans,” he said. “That’s not hyperbolic. That’s actually true.”


“Right now there are 45,000 vacancies at the VA that need to be filled immediately. This freeze will only make wait times longer and accessing care more difficult,” Will Fischer of the Union Veterans Council concurred.

On January 27, VA Acting Secretary Robert Snyder released an extensive list of VA positions exempt from the freeze. It may add more in the days to come: In a statement provided to the New Republic, the VA says it “intends to exempt anyone it deems necessary for public health and safety, including frontline caregivers.” But this hasn’t been enough to alleviate concerns about the department’s ability to function.

So...lot's of talk.  But his actions did the opposite of what he said he would because (again) he didn't think it through or execute it properly.