Columns

ON MENTAL ILLNESS: Politicians' Effects on Mentally ill People

Jack Bragen
Thursday February 14, 2019 - 09:51:00 PM

When Governor Schwarzenegger was in office, he slashed SSI benefits. And it was Pete Wilson who eliminated the California Renter's Credit, which was a few hundred dollars once a year, that meant a lot to us Social Security recipients. 

Politicians in California have also made it impossible for disabled people to get halfway acceptable dental care. The only dentists who take Medi-Cal are the mass-production dentists who are not invested in saving your teeth, and who do not care about your suffering. 

Governor Brown reinstated minimal dental benefits following a time under Schwarzenegger in which the only dental care available for disabled people was emergency extractions. 

President Obama's effects on mentally ill people are a bit harder for me to define. I was heartened that we had a Democrat in office. I was very happy with President Obama's execution of the duties of President, which included militarily defending us against real external threats. I was happy with most of Obama's policies. Did things get better for mentally ill people under the Obama Administration? 

Things were better in the sense that we had a government that played fair for the most part, and that wasn't a looming threat. I appreciate perceiving the government as a friend. Insofar as Obama producing more benefits for disabled people, Obamacare existed--I'll have more to say about that.  

However, an acquaintance who participated in a mental health group felt paranoid about Obama and expressed in group that he wanted to obtain a firearm because he didn't like the direction the country was going. The facilitator, however, was a responsible individual. After the man voiced that threat, I never saw nor heard from him again. I presume that his threat had been reported to the authorities. This happened about ten years ago, give or take a couple years. 

President Trump's effect on mentally ill people includes that of creating widespread paranoia even among people who are not mentally ill. Trump's attitude and his policies have created a toxic environment in the U.S., and numerous Americans feel hopeless. 

Trump has slashed the budget of HUD. He has gutted Obamacare. Obamacare promised to be the great equalizer. If you were living on public benefits and wanted to go back to work, you could be covered by Obamacare. As it now stands, going back to work jeopardizes medical coverage once again. This makes it much harder for disabled people to even think of trying to rise out of poverty through one's own hard work. 

I would not label President Trump as a mentally ill politician. There is a big difference between someone afflicted with a biologically created thought disorder, versus someone who is essentially a "crook," honored with the highest office in the U.S. 

While the Obama Administration produced hope for the less fortunate, the Trump Administration produces hopelessness for disabled people, who would merely like to live under better conditions. 

The government is set up to criminalize and impede disabled people who would like to earn money and/or live under better conditions. For the most part, Republican leaders have made conditions worse for disabled people, and Democrats have minimally made things better. 

Some politicians are aware that mentally ill people are people and would like to have a chance at enjoying a few things, in our short, often tragic lives. 

I would like to see mentally ill people organize, which is something we did in the past, but have been unable to do in recent years, due to numerous factors. One of these factors could be the advent of "atypical antipsychotics" which do more to suppress the function of the central nervous system. 

But also, additional tactics of suppression have been introduced. We are more restricted than we were in the past by means of economic factors. Also, some mentally ill people have abused their independence and their positions of responsibility, and that has ruined opportunities for the next generation of mental health survivors. 


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