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Show 5 Friday, March 14,2008 OPINION • www.dailyutahchronide.com Wellstone Act a step for the mentally ill from schizophrenia and chemical fter more than ten years of addiction and was also a diabetic. attempts, on Wed., March 5, Disabled and unable to work bethe U.S. House of Representativesfinallypassed legislation that cause of complications from these conditions, I saw my uncle get the would require equivalent health help he needed from the governcare coverage (or non-coverage) ment to treat for mental and his diabetes but physical illnot his mental nesses includillness or chemiing chemical . cal addiction. addiction: The ANASTASIA Unfortunately, Paul Wellstone NlEDRICH my family was Mental Health too poor to and Addiction afford private Equity Act. treatment and Since the Senate has also passed a similar version eventually, the latter overcame him of the legislation, elimination in the and he passed away at just over 40 disparity between mental and phys- years old. It was a sad and unnecesical health care funding could soon sary end to a good man's life. be an actuality. Equal treatment of It's outrageous and imprudent the mentally Ul and chemically adto provide health care for people dicted, as required by the Wellstone with physical illnesses but not those Act, could soon be a reality. with mental illnesses—especially The Wellstone Act is named after when a persdn is afflicted with both as my Uncle Richard was. What the late U.S. Senator Paul Wellsense is there in treating someone's stone, D-Minn, who had a mentally diabetes, for example, but not their ill family member and fought for schizophrenia or chemical addic- • years to require insurers to provide benefits to assist tion? Even if persons affected ~~ . you could cure by mental illthe diabetes, nesses. It's outrageous and the chemical The act is addiction or imprudent to provide health schizophrenia being hailed by supporters as a up killing care for people with physical ends civil rights bill the person, so for people with what use was illnesses but not those with mental illnesses there in funding and chemithe diabetes mental illnesses. cal addiction, — treatment in the requiring insurfirst place? ance companies to treat people sufNAMI and other supporters of fering from these problems as they the Wellstone Act agree with this treat others. However, not everyone logic. Further, proponents of the is in favor of treating the mentally Wellstone Act say even though ill the same as the physically ill. Op- the Congressional Budget Office ponents claim the Wellstone Act's estimates very low cost increases requirements could drive up health for implementing this legislation, care costs and force some employit might actually end up saving the ers to drop insurance coverage. Or U.S. government and taxpayers worse yet, technically under the act, money in the long run. so long as a health care provider If health insurance companies gives equal funding to both, they and health care providers provide are in compliance—and that could equal funding for physical and menmean no coverage for either mental tal illness as well as chemical addicor physical illnesses. tion, it is estimated that costs from unnecessary disability, unemployWhile these are always possibiliment, substance abuse, homelessties, with any new mandate placed ness and suicides will decrease by upon our already costly health more than $100 billion each year in care system, those outcomes are the United States. Just examining unlikely in this case. The Congresone of these aspects—the proporsional Budget Office has estimated tion of prisoners in U.S. jails for that the bill would only increase drug-related offenses—makes this group health insurance premiums estimate look very realistic. by an average of four-tenths of one percent. The low cost and savings I laud Congress for taking this from preventative, consistent treatimportant policy step toward treatment versus long-term, emergency ing all ill people equally. Tens of treatment may be enough of an millions of Americans may soon incentive for health insurance com- have the resources they need to panies and others to sign on to the finally start fully living and enjoyproposal. ing their lives. While this legislaAside from the afflictions military tion will not immediately change the stigma our society has against personnel experience when they the chemically addicted and those return from combat, the National Alliance on Mental Illness estimates suffering from mental illnesses, it is an important first step in this directhat mental illness affects at least tion. Now it's up to the insurance one infiveAmerican families. companies, health care providMy family is one of those. ers and employers to make sure My Uncle Richard was a wonthat both, rather than neither, get derful, kind and caring man that funded. most everyone enjoyed spending time with. Uncle Richard suffered tetters@chronicle.utah.edu A PHIL CANNON/^ Dafy M Hillary needs to quit before she ruins the race for Obama But their fight might show that a Republican would be better I love the thrill of afight—agood hair-pulling, object-throwing, Insult-hurling, full-on fight scene. Late-night television used to fulfill my embarrassing fetish for degradingfightscenes, but I've recently found a new, publicly accepted venue for my guilty pleasure: news circuits reporting on-the presidential race. This race has turned into a version of "Cops" covered in a thinly veiled act of diplomacy as Hillary claws her way to thefinishline. •News stations are even announcing play-by-plays of the headbashing action in an increasingly tabloid-like fashion. Many of the arguments are reminiscent of little kids tattling on each other on the playground. . "He's copying me!" "He doesn't know what he's doing!" "Nuh-uh!" "Yeah-HUH!" It's enough to want to grab both of them by their ears and make them sit this race in opposite corners and think about their actions. .The Democratic Party usually prides itself on portraying the humane characteristics of responsibility* integrity and peace loving—all core characteristics the nation needs over the next four years as w.e arefinallycoming to the end of obvious both are lacking the characteristics needed during the next four years. One of the most imporJANICE tant needs of this nation is to be out of the war. How are we supposed KOPAUNIK to believe that they are capable and willing to'engage in respectable relations with people of different beliefs and nationalities when they can't even get along with a member this war and brainless presidency. of then* own party? There has been a general consensus that we will have a Democrat While Hillary and Obama are at for president, and, until recently, I each other's neck, Republicans are believed this to be sitting ringside true. But the recent ~"~* enjoying the degrading activaction. Each low ity between the two I here has been a blow places the Democratic frontGOP further runners is making me general consensus that ahead in the runquestion my ballot. ning. McCain is we will have a Democrat beginning Despite her losto look ing streak, Clinton like a relative for president, and until continues to battle saint. her way through ' Hillary needs recently, I would have thefight.Where is to quit now. Her the adviser for her believed this to be true. campaign to ruin campaign to tell _ — the credibility of her to throw in the Obama is worktowel? Her actions have done nothing well, but she is still not going to ing to help her campaign", and she is win. Now they both look pathetic, significantly weakening the entire and I am beginning to wonder Democratic platform. about the fate of our nation over the I am really beginning to wonder next four years. why I would vote for either of the tetters@ Democratic candidates when it's chronicle.utah.edu Buttars isn't the only corrupt politician in Utah's Legislature G hris Buttars uttered a racial slur on the Senate floor. He also castigated a judge who ruled against one of Buttars1 biggest campaign contributors. The subsequent outcry was muted from Utah's majority party. This could be the case of a lone wolf within the legislature—Chris being Chris, as one representative put it. Or it could be a signal that something is seriously wrong with Utah's politics, that the canaries in the People's House have all withered away, and no one took notice. ; Faced with a su- permajority—the ability to override all legislation from the opposing party—since before many U students were even born, Utah's GOP doesn't have to bow to its constituents, but it does to its own vested interests. Just look at Rep. Aaron Tilton, R-Springville. Tilton is the vice chairperson of the Public Utilities and Technology Committee, which could provide the authorization for the construction of nuclear power plants. Not a problem, except Tilton is also the CEO of Transition Power, which is seeking to build nuclear JOSEPH BATEMAN power plants in Utah. Oh, and while working with Gov. Jon Hunstman Jr.'s energy advisory panel, he tried to convince members to support nuclear power. Yet, Tilton pledged to The Salt Lake Tribune that he didn't have any interest in nuclear development. Could this be a glaring conflict of interest or business as usual in the Utah State Legislature? It gets better. Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, not only chairs the same committee as Tilton but also sits as director of the Kane County Water Conservancy District. Working in cahoots with Tilton's Transition Power, Noel signed a multimillion dollar deal to provide water for the proposed nuclear plant. The water district has already received a $10,000 signing bonus, and once the water starts flowing, the deal would be worth up to a million a year. What kind of bonuses and raises could Rep. Noel expect for securing a also arranged for a technical colcontract like that? lege to build a float for the Utah House Speaker Greg Curtis, RCounty Republican Party. Salt Lake, has been mute on these The reality is that Utah has and other conflicts of interest. one of the weakest conflict'ofMaybe Rep. Curtis is afraid that interest laws in the country. While his representation of Anderson 35 states require legislators to Developments ^^_ _ abstain from voting during planning on conflict-of-intermeetings isn't the est legislation, Utah spotlight he wants procedure forces to appear under. legislators to vote, supermajority, Utah's The answer that regardless of the beehive citizens GOP doesn't have to bow conflict. Utah legneed to know is islators are, howwhen Curtis is to its constituents, but ever, required to . a legislator and declare a conflict, it does to its own vested but when he's not. enforcement is Senate Malax. If Utah's majorinterests. jority Leader ity leaders won't Curtis Bramble is " • " • • ~~ wash their hands of seemingly trying a bigot like Chris to oust these conflicts of interButtars, then it's unlikely targetest. "What we're trying to deal ing conflict of interests with the with on conflicts of interest is Legislature will gain any traction. creating a quantifiable bright line What's worse is that with majority for recusal," Bramble said. Only leaders like Curtis and Bramble, it it's hard to tell if the bright line is as if the wolves are guarding the Bramble is looking for is the glare . henhouse. Elections are around of dollar signs. Last summer—on the corner, though, and voters the payroll of the national waste have a chance to send a clear messervices company, Allied Wastesage that corruption is no longer Bramble approached Orem's welcome in the People's House. mayor about selling the city's letters@ waste transfer station. Bramble chronicle.utah.edu Send your letters to )etters@chronicle.utah.edu^ \r Witha |