Socialism needed in Texas for Veterans

Texas can't take care of their homeless citizens. Well maybe they blame them for ending up homeless in the first place. After all, it has nothing to do with the economy or the scandal of sub prime mortgages. Has nothing to do with mental healthcare spending that could end up putting people back into "productive" living on medications and off the streets, drug and alcohol rehabilitations. Hss nothing to do with homes gone from "acts of God" like in Galveston. This is what "socialism" programs do. Also consider they ended up with people from New Orleans after Katrina but they also faced what came with Ike. Federal dollars went to help and should have helped even more had they proper representation in congress.

This was five months after Ike.

Galveston, Texas Still Struggling to Recover from Hurricane Ike
By Greg Flakus
Galveston
23 February 2009


Five months after Hurricane Ike devastated Galveston, Texas, the island city on the Gulf of Mexico below Houston is struggling to recover. The economic slump in the nation as a whole has made the task more difficult, but many islanders are determined to rebuild their homes and their lives there.

The party is in full swing at night in downtown Galveston as the city celebrates Mardi Gras, a smaller version of the big party held every year in New Orleans, 640 kilometers to the east. The event culminates on Tuesday, with parades and street parties. Both cities rely on these tourist-drawing celebrations for their economic vitality and both are ever more dependent on them as they recover from hurricanes. Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans in August, 2005 and Hurricane Ike caused widespread wind, surge and flood damage to Galveston on September 13 of last year.

Although many restaurants and hotels are open and thriving on the influx of visitors, nearly 75 percent of shops in downtown Galveston remain closed and some of the island city's biggest employers have either moved elsewhere or are considering moving.

Dottie Rutledge, who has lived here since 1968, lost her home to the hurricane and now lives in a hotel on vouchers provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"Galveston is totally forgotten. There are piles of stuff here that nobody has picked up," she said.
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Galveston, Texas Still Struggling to Recover from Hurricane Ike

Not much better now for the homeless in Texas.

Homeless project ‘probably gone’
Harris County likely to remove funds to convert motel
By LIZ AUSTIN PETERSON
Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
May 4, 2009, 10:01PM

Plans to turn a vacant motel into permanent housing for the homeless appear all but dead as Harris County withdraws funding for the project and even Mayor Bill White, one of its most influential supporters, concedes defeat.

Commissioners Court is expected to vote today to rescind a $1.67 million grant it gave the Housing Corporation of Greater Houston last year to convert the motel near the University of Houston into 220 housing units.

David Turkel, director of Harris County’s Community Services Department, said federal deadlines for using the money forced him to withdraw the grant. He said he would be happy to award another grant if the organization persuades the city to contribute its $4 million share.
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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6407758.html

But when you think they are not taking care of the veterans either, you really have to wonder what it is exactly they do think is valuable enough to fund.

Trying to make do
Homeless vets await reopening of Ike-damaged housing
By LINDSAY WISE
Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
May 4, 2009, 9:17PM
From the window of the bedroom he shares with another homeless veteran at Houston’s VA hospital, James Brooks can see the gutter alongside Almeda Road where his life almost ended five months ago.

The 53-year-old Navy veteran had been swilling a bottle of gin at an abandoned building on Thanksgiving Day when his chest seized in agony. He staggered to a bus stop and boarded the No. 11 to the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, but the pain became unbearable and he begged the driver to let him off early. “I didn’t want to die on the bus,” Brooks said.

He collapsed by the edge of the road, where a hospital worker found him praying. After an emergency angioplasty unblocked the flow of blood in Brooks’ heart, his case worker suggested he apply for a bed at the VA’s domiciliary, a short-term residential rehabilitation program for veterans suffering from psychiatric problems and substance abuse. Brooks has been clean and sober ever since, one of 30 homeless veterans temporarily living in a ward of the VA hospital after Hurricane Ike wrecked the original domiciliary — a newly renovated apartment complex at 7329 Fannin — within weeks of the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Nearly eight months after the storm, the facility still isn’t habitable.

“We prepare for the worst possible situation, but we can’t control Mother Nature,” said Luis Paulino, director of the VA’s Homeless Veterans Program.
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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6407744.html

When it comes to mental health, they dropped from a C grade in 2006 to failure!

Grading the States 2009 Report Card: Texas
Texas’ mental health care system is dwindling and faces a multitude of challenges. In 2006, it received a C grade. Three years later, it has dropped to a D. Greater investment is needed in order for the state to truly transform and move toward an evidence-based, cost-effective mental health system. Full narrative (PDF).


Grades by Category Detailed Score Card (PDF)
Health Promotion and Measurement: F 25% of Total Grade
Basic measures, such as the number of programs delivering evidence-based practices, emergency room wait-times, and the quantity of psychiatric beds by setting.

Financing & Core Treatment/Recovery Services: D 45% of Total Grade
A variety of financing measures, such as whether Medicaid reimburses providers for all, or part of evidence-based practices; and more.

Consumer & Family Empowerment: F 15% of Total Grade
Includes measures such as consumer and family access to essential information from the state, promotion of consumer-run programs, and family and peer education and support.

Community Integration and Social Inclusion: D 15% of Total Grade
Includes activities that require collaboration among state mental health agencies and other state agencies and systems.
Grading the States 2009 Report Card: Texas

Military Bases Texas
Major Installations

Army
Fort Bliss
Red River Army Depot
Fort Hood
Fort Sam Houston/Camp Bullis
Ingleside Army Depot

Navy & Marine Corps
Corpus Christi Naval Air Station/Naval Hospital/Naval Station
Kingsville Naval Air Station

Air Force
Randolph AFB
Brooks City Base
Lackland AFB
Sheppard AFB
Air Force Plant 4 (formerly Carswell AFB)
Dyess AFB
Goodfellow AFB
Laughlin AFB

Coast Guard
Group Corpus Christi
Group Galveston
Marine Safety Office Galveston
Marine Safety Office Houston
Marine Safety Office Port Arthur
Air Station Corpus Christi
Air Station Houston
Vessel Traffic Service Houston/Galveston

Personnel Totals
Army 60,945
Navy & Marine Corps 6,909
Air Force 40,981
Coast Guard 1,409
Active Duty Military 108,835
Reserve and National Guard 84,721
Total Personnel 194,965
Above Information Courtesy of American Forces News Service

General Information – Texas
Number of veterans: 1.7 million
VA expenditures in Texas: $6 billion
Compensation and pensions: $3 billion
Readjustment benefits: $298 million
Medical and construction programs: $2.2 billion
Insurance and indemnities: $97 million
Number of veterans and survivors receiving disability compensation or pension payments in Texas: 318,647
Number of Texas veterans using GI Bill education benefits: 42,173
Number of veterans owning homes backed by VA loan guarantees: 261,501
Value of Texas home loans guaranteed by VA: $8.3 billion

Health Care
One of the most visible of all VA benefits is health care. VA has 153 hospitals, 732 community-based outpatient clinics, 232 Vet Centers, 135 nursing homes, 47 residential rehabilitation treatment programs and 121 comprehensive home care programs. To improve patients’ ability to access care, VA has changed from a hospital-based system to a primarily outpatient-focused system over the past decade. Veterans will make more than 60 million outpatient visits to VA health care facilities this year.

Health Care - Texas
o Inpatient admissions, statewide, fiscal year 2007: 47,603
o Houston: 13,275
o Central Texas (Temple and Waco): 6,032
o North Texas (Bonham and Dallas): 13,485
o South Texas (Kerrville and San Antonio): 11,130
o Amarillo: 2,889
o West Texas (Big Spring): 792
o Outpatient visits, statewide, fiscal year 2007: 4,333,582
o Outpatient clinic locations

Abilene
Austin
Beaumont
Beeville
Bridgeport
Brownwood
Cedar Park
Childress
College Station
Conroe
Corpus Christi
Denton
Eagle Pass
Fort Stockton
Fort Worth (2)
Galveston
Granbury
Harlingen
Laredo
Longview
Lubbock
Lufkin
McAllen
New Braunfels
Odessa
Palestine
Paris
San Angelo
San Antonio (7)
Sherman
Stamford
Stratford
Texas City
Tyler
Victoria
Wichita Falls

Post-Conflict Care - Texas

Number of veterans from the Global War on Terror seeking treatment in 2007: 20,875
Houston: 2,935
Central Texas: 5,851
North Texas: 3,345
South Texas: 5,962
Amarillo: 666
West Texas: 615
El Paso: 1,501

Veterans Readjustment Counseling Centers (Vet Centers) Locations:

Amarillo
Austin
Corpus Christi
Dallas
El Paso
Fort Worth
Houston (2)
Killeen
Laredo
Lubbock
McAllen
Midland
San Antonio

http://www1.va.gov/OPA/fact/statesum/docs/txss.doc

There are 233 funded beds for homeless veterans but according to the National Coalition for Homeless veterans, the state of Texas has 15,967 homeless veterans. With all the military bases, (federally funded) and all the veterans facilities (federally funded) and all the veterans on disability (federally funded) you would think that when officials talk about "socialism" they would have some clue what they are talking about. Senator John Cornyn and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson should be beating down doors to make sure the veterans were taken care of in Texas. They both received a B grade from the IAVA, so you know they do care about our veterans and that's a good thing. So what's going on in Texas when it comes to the state elected?

This is from Governor Perry's site "Principles For A Stronger Texas" but it does not include anything about veterans.

Encouraging Stronger Families and Healthier Citizens
Gov. Perry is committed to building a stronger, healthier Texas with a citizenry that enjoys a fit, healthy, and safe lifestyle. Acknowledging that the family is the essential building block of a strong state, Gov. Perry has advocated strongly for a number of initiatives that protect marriage, strengthen parental rights and provide children the best opportunity to succeed in life. Although the state can never assume responsibility for an individual’s lifestyle choices, government can and must encourage Texans to make healthier, more responsible choices.

Does Governor Perry realize that taking care of the veterans should be a priority in Texas considering how many veterans and families they have? Do you think that would build stronger and healthier families? Do you think taking care of the homeless, especially when they are homeless thru no fault of their own, it would actually show where Perry's values are? When people complain about "socialism" they are also complaining about taking care of our troops and veterans but they don't seem to understand this.

We owe them. Why can't we ever seem to live up to the claim of being a "grateful nation" when it really matters?