Debate over dollars not a substitute for funding mental health

Accounting: The debate over dollars is not substitute for funding mental health.

The N.C. House and Senate Republican leaders say they’re for it — appropriating whatever funds are necessary to “address deficiencies in the state’s mental health program.” The House majority leader seems sympathetic to it, too.

The Speaker calls mental health funding a “priority,” whatever that means. Priorities can be high, low or in between. But at least it shows interest, and that’s good.
With the governor also on board, how can it fail?

Easy as pie.

Gov. Easley is the only one who’s willing to dwell at length on the distinction between merely appropriating revenue and creating it. His preference is a booze tax that would generate $68 million to begin undoing the colossal mess the state made by trying to privatize mental health care in the name of “reform.”

Granted, Easley knows as well as the rest of them that (a) this is the “short” session, (b) the session may actually be short this year because the lawmakers are eager to adjourn and go campaign, (c) even a sin tax is a tough sell in an election year, (d) the surplus is smaller than last year’s and (e) the economy is on a down slope. If you want to dismiss this as political grandstanding, you’ll get plenty of agreement.

Eventually, though, all those other politicians who would never, ever engage in political grandstanding themselves will be closely watched as they seek ways to clean up behind themselves while working within existing revenues. Or as they backpedal away from a responsibility to fix what the legislature broke, including no few people who could have been given a shot at a normal life.

A year ago, with North Carolina belatedly owning up to the failure of reform, the state ranked 43rd in the nation in spending for mental health care. A federal monitor called the system “overwhelmed” and a private advocacy group protested the legislature’s perennial raids on the mental health budget. Some lawmakers sought to pretty things up with a one-time infusion of cash.

They’ll need stronger medicine than that this time around. Vulnerable people have been sent “home” by the thousands to communities in which the private sector either would not or did not rise to the challenge, leaving them to take up residence in hospitals and jails, under bridges and in other situations you can scarcely imagine. They’re waiting for help.
Those who survive will be waiting next year, too — unless the current crop of lawmakers demonstrates its great commitment by wringing what’s required out of a budget that is being twisted at both ends.

Fayetteville Observer Wednesday May 14, 2008