What? Texas Closed A Prison is a blog commentary written by fellow classmate, Marissa Acuna, following the announcement of the closing of the Sugarland prison.
Acuna writes that by closing this prison Texas would be able to save over $25 million over the next two years. She also claims that instead of law breaking citizens being put into jails they could go to treatment programs or rehabilitation. Acuna agrees with this funding cut of the Sugarland prison to help Texas' current budget crisis.
Initially, after reading Acuna's blog I wasn't entirely convinced that I agree; however, after doing some of my own research I would say that I am caught in between. We currently have the lowest numbers of incarcerated individuals since 1973 and it is said that this can be attributed to rehabilitation programs. The question that I raise here is what type of criminals are we aiming to rehabilitate? I strongly disagree that all criminals can be rehabilitated. Are sexual predators able to be rehabilitated? My short answer to this probing question is, no.
How much are these programs going to cost? Is the state going to have to provide the same benefits to these individuals that they received in jail; medical, dental, etc.? After all of these numbers are configured, how much money are we really saving?
In conclusion, I agree with Marissa, we need to be making funding cuts from the Texas budget to fix this downward economy and if Texas is going to be able to save money by closing the Sugarland prison then I am all for it; I am just hoping there won't be any hidden costs arising from this.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Texas Cuts Family Planning Programs
Governor Rick Perry recently released the 2012-2013 biennial state budget and slashed family planning programs from $11 million to $38 million. These family planning programs are then organized into a tier system of priority with Planned Parenthood at the bottom. The results of such cuts could have devastating effects on our state as many women will be losing pertinent health care and screenings, also with out access to birth control our population will increase; putting more burden on taxpayers.
While slashing budgets and raising revenues are a necessary part of the balancing of the state budget it seems that perhaps the Texas legislation and Governor Rick Perry haven't quite thought this through. This plan to "defund" Planned Parenthood seems to be more of an attack, yet another way to try to legally rid Texas of abortion clinics albeit clients receiving abortions from Planned Parenthood are self paying.
- According to the Legislative Budget Board (LBB), the Legislature’s actions will result in nearly 300,000 Texas women losing basic, life-saving healthcare, including screenings for breast and cervical cancer, and screenings for hypertension and diabetes. The same report says the cuts will result in 20,000 more unplanned births – at a taxpayer cost of $231 million.
“These attacks on family planning are shortsighted, mean-spirited and make no sense from any viewpoint,” said Jeffrey Hons, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Trust of South Texas. “The result is all bad — more abortions, and more families who will look to government for public assistance. There is nothing smart here. This is bad politics winning over wise policy.”- This information was collected from the Planned Parenthood site.
-Texas Planned Parenthood offices have two avenues through which they receive state and federal money: the Women's Health Program (WHP), which is funded by Medicaid, and the state family planning program, which is funded by the Title X federal grant program. In addition to putting private providers like Planned Parenthood last in line for Title X funds, GOP lawmakers inserted language into the new Medicaid bill that will prevent WHP money from going to any entity that provides abortions or is affiliated with an abortion provider.
Because Planned Parenthood corporately separated its abortion services from its family planning services in 2005, every abortion it performs in Texas is paid for privately by the patient. But the Health Department will now have to define the word "affiliate" to determine whether Planned Parenthood's abortion and family planning services are closely related enough to disqualify it from state Medicaid funding.-Huffington Post
It is important to remember that the argue here isn't about whether or not one agrees with abortion, rather the necessity of family planning programs. With the state of Texas trying to defund Planned Parenthood that leaves taxpayers to fund more social programs as birthrates increase and women seek medical care that could have been prevented through family planning programs such as the Planned Parenthood.
While slashing budgets and raising revenues are a necessary part of the balancing of the state budget it seems that perhaps the Texas legislation and Governor Rick Perry haven't quite thought this through. This plan to "defund" Planned Parenthood seems to be more of an attack, yet another way to try to legally rid Texas of abortion clinics albeit clients receiving abortions from Planned Parenthood are self paying.
- According to the Legislative Budget Board (LBB), the Legislature’s actions will result in nearly 300,000 Texas women losing basic, life-saving healthcare, including screenings for breast and cervical cancer, and screenings for hypertension and diabetes. The same report says the cuts will result in 20,000 more unplanned births – at a taxpayer cost of $231 million.
“These attacks on family planning are shortsighted, mean-spirited and make no sense from any viewpoint,” said Jeffrey Hons, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Trust of South Texas. “The result is all bad — more abortions, and more families who will look to government for public assistance. There is nothing smart here. This is bad politics winning over wise policy.”- This information was collected from the Planned Parenthood site.
-Texas Planned Parenthood offices have two avenues through which they receive state and federal money: the Women's Health Program (WHP), which is funded by Medicaid, and the state family planning program, which is funded by the Title X federal grant program. In addition to putting private providers like Planned Parenthood last in line for Title X funds, GOP lawmakers inserted language into the new Medicaid bill that will prevent WHP money from going to any entity that provides abortions or is affiliated with an abortion provider.
Because Planned Parenthood corporately separated its abortion services from its family planning services in 2005, every abortion it performs in Texas is paid for privately by the patient. But the Health Department will now have to define the word "affiliate" to determine whether Planned Parenthood's abortion and family planning services are closely related enough to disqualify it from state Medicaid funding.-Huffington Post
It is important to remember that the argue here isn't about whether or not one agrees with abortion, rather the necessity of family planning programs. With the state of Texas trying to defund Planned Parenthood that leaves taxpayers to fund more social programs as birthrates increase and women seek medical care that could have been prevented through family planning programs such as the Planned Parenthood.
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