XPost: alt.privacy.anon-server, misc.consumers, alt.society.homeless   
   XPost: alt.politics.republicans, alt.atheism   
   From: counter-point@socal.mess   
      
   In response to Mr. Robert Kahn's June 27 letter on homelessness in the   
   Conejo Valley, I would like to correct one glaring error that he made.   
   Mr. Kahn states: "The Reagan administration closed all mental   
   institutions."   
      
   I've heard this myth stated by some politically motivated individuals   
   before. However, this statement is patently false.   
      
   In 1980, under Jimmy Carter, the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980 was   
   passed. This bill provided federal grants to local community mental   
   health centers. One year later, the 96th Congress, with a Democratic   
   majority in both houses, repealed the act.   
      
   Reagan signed the repeal, which was placed on his desk by Congress, but   
   he was merely following the wishes of the elected representatives of his   
   constituents.   
      
   Reagan agreed with the majority of the Democrats that it was better to   
   allow the states to retain control of funding and operations in mental   
   health institutions.   
      
   What Reagan did do, as governor of California, was to sign the   
   Lanterman-Petris-Short Act in 1972. That bipartisan legislation made   
   mandatory institutionalization of mental health patients by family   
   members and civil courts illegal. That way a bad judge or vindictive   
   relative couldn't have you locked up indefinitely at a state hospital.   
      
   The result of that humanitarian legislation was that populations in   
   state hospitals dropped, but Reagan didn't directly oversee, direct or   
   cause any hospital closures.   
      
   The majority of mental hospitals in California were actually closed in   
   the late 1990s, when Pete Wilson formed a task force to examine state   
   hospital operations. The task force found that the populations of many   
   state hospitals had dropped dramatically and the per-capita costs had   
   skyrocketed to $114,000 per year.   
      
   This led to closures of several facilities, including Camarillo State   
   Hospital.   
      
   So while Mr. Kahn may ask residents to stop demonizing homeless people,   
   I would in turn ask him to stop demonizing Ronald Reagan.   
      
   https://www.toacorn.com/articles/reagan-didnt-close-institutions/   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)