National
Since the inauguration of Barack Obama, American drivers have seen the price of gasoline increase by over 98%. On January 26, 2009, regular gasoline sold at $1.832 per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. By February 27, 2012, the price at the pump was $3.641 per gallon.
That's a 98% increase in gas prices over three years.
It's a political year and increases in gas prices tend to get politicized, with the party in opposition trying to convince Americans that the nightmare at the pump is the fault – at least partially – of the person sitting in the Oval Office.
The silliness of the political season has included promises by former Republican candidate Michele Bachmann and current candidate Newt Gingrich to reduce gasoline prices to $2.50 per gallon or less.
Fuel prices are a big part of our transportation costs. Most of us can't get to work without some motorized mode of transportation. Food is delivered by trucks running on gasoline.
But what can a U.S. president do to lower the price? To answer that question, let's look at the components of pricing gas.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the price of gas contains the following:
• Crude oil;
• Refining costs and profits;
• Distribution and marketing costs and profits; and
• Taxes.
Seventy-six percent of gas prices is due to the average cost of crude oil purchased by refiners. Crude oil is that mixture of hydrocarbons existing in a liquid phase in natural underground reservoirs.
In layman's terms it's the black gold lying beneath the surface.
Refining costs and profits make up 6% of the gas price you pay at the pump. The EIA defines refining costs as the difference between the spot price of gasoline and the cost of oil purchased by refineries. By spot price we mean the price for a one-time open market transaction or purchase of a specific quantity of gasoline which is to be delivered immediately.
Taxes refer to the national monthly average of federal and state taxes that are applied to gasoline. Taxes make up 12% of the price you pay at the pump.
Distribution and marketing costs make up six percent of gas prices. Distribution and marketing costs refer to the difference between the average retail price of gasoline and the sum of refining costs, crude oil costs, and taxes.
It's the crude oil component that gets the most attention during any discussion on gas prices. Critics of Mr. Obama's gas price policies would like to see the President focus on supply and demand of oil. For example, ranking Republican member on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Lisa Murkowski (R-AL), recently expressed that she sees President Barack Obama as just parroting Republican proposals for solving the nation's energy price crisis.
According to Senator Murkowski the problem of rising gas prices is primarily a supply and demand issue and President Obama's refusal to allow for an increase in drilling on federal land and drilling in the non-wilderness areas of the Arctic Natural Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) has led to the high energy prices we are seeing now.
Drill, baby, drill has been the battle cry of Mr. Obama's critics. Does this battle cry amount to good policy?
In a 2008 analysis, the EIA acknowledged that drilling in ANWR would have some impact on global oil prices. The impact, however, would not be a large one.
EIA also expected to see a reduction in the United States' dependence on imported foreign oil, based on its 2008 analysis. Overall American consumption for oil and gas would drop, however, even with drilling in ANWR. The fall in demand would result from a possible reduction in oil exports by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in response to increased production in ANWR. In other words, OPEC would make this move in order to keep oil prices high resulting in reduced demand.
But even if there are some positive benefits, such as a reduced dependence on imported oil, the EIA acknowledged uncertainties with development in ANWR.
For example, there is uncertainty regarding the size of the underlying resource base. We don't know, in other words, how big ANWR's oil reservoirs are.
There is also uncertainty about the quality of the oil in ANWR. This information is necessary to determine at rate i.e., barrels per day, oil could be produced.
In the end, opening up ANWR will not only require approval by the Obama Administration, but also the Congress. While a Republican-controlled House may tend to support opening ANWR as well as other outer continental shelf drilling, a Democratic-controlled Senate and a Democratic president may be more amenable to the environmental concerns held by the left wing of their party. Also, as long as the economic benefits are minimal at best, insignificant impact on gas prices may provide an additional argument for not taking any further action on drilling.
TRENTON, N.J. — U.S. Rep. Donald Payne, a Democrat known his work on human rights and on behalf of the poor, died Tuesday. He was 77.
Payne, the first black congressional member from New Jersey, died at St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, said his brother, William.
The 12-term member of the House had announced in February that he was undergoing treatment for colon cancer and would continue to represent his district. He was flown back home to New Jersey on Friday from Georgetown University Hospital as his health took a sudden turn for the worse.
He had held his congressional seat since 1988 and was elected to a 12th term in 2010. He represented the 10th District, which includes the city of Newark and parts of Essex, Hudson and Union counties.
In Washington, he was remembered for his work as a defender of human rights, both at home and abroad.
President Barack Obama called him a "leader in US-Africa policy, making enormous contributions towards helping restore democracy and human rights across the continent."
Payne was a member of House committees on education and foreign affairs. He also had served as chairman of the House subcommittee on Africa, and had traveled many times to the continent on foreign affairs matters.
During an April 2009, mortar shells were fired toward Mogadishu airport as a plane carrying Payne took off safely from the Somali capital. Officials at the time said 19 civilians were injured in residential areas. Payne had met with Somalia's president and prime minister during his one-day visit to Mogadishu to discuss piracy, security and cooperation between Somalia and the United States.
At home he was remembered as a trailblazer for African-Americans, as an advocate for the underprivileged, and as a gentleman.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker called him a "a humble hero who lived an extraordinary life of contribution and distinction" and "a defender of and advocate for the rights, liberties, equal opportunities, and dignity of all people."
Payne had been chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and a congressional delegate to the United Nations. He also was a member of the Newark City Council from 1982 until 1988 and was a teacher in Newark for 15 years. He also served as president of the national YMCA. He earned a bachelor's degree from Seton Hall University in 1957.
Payne was a widower with three children and four grandchildren. His son, Donald Payne Jr., is a Newark city councilman. Services haven't been announced.
While Payne faced the prospect of a primary challenge from Newark Councilman Ronald C. Rice, his death will open the field in the heavily Democratic district.
The National Urban League is set to release the 2012 State of Black America (SOBA) report at historic Howard University on March 7, launching a yearlong campaign, "Occupy the Vote to Educate, Employ & Empower" at a monumental Town Hall event.
The 2012 State of Black America report includes the Equality Index providing a statistical diagnosis of the status of Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites as well as essays by a host of political, business, and community leaders including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, president and CEO of the National Urban League Marc H. Morial, singer John Legend, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, entrepreneur and author Steve Stoute, and a host of others with prescriptions for the employment and education crisis facing the nation. With new voter ID laws and voting rights under attack, the 2012 State of Black America will inspire you to "Occupy the Vote" in this important election year.
Free and open to the public, the Town Hall will feature community and thought leaders, a coalition of Civil Rights organizations, and YOU, as we "Occupy the Vote to Educate, Employ, and Empower!"
LIVE WEBCAST
If you are not in the Washington D.C. area, you can view the LIVE WEBCAST on www.iamempowered.comand be a part of the national conversation on Facebook and Twitter (#SOBA12, #OccupyTheVote). Be sure to TUNE IN and join the conversation!
BALTMORE, MD -- A coalition of African American Clergy recently announced the launch of a new voting initiative entitled "The Empowerment Movement." The faith-based voting initiative will bring together leaders of the faith based community of all denominations, designed to move the African American Community forward in politics, education and economics with the use of Christian principles.
The Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant, pastor of the Empowerment Temple in Baltimore, has been named president of the organization. Their mission is a massive undertaking, with a goal to register one million voters on one day, Easter, April 8, making Guinness World Book history for democracy, by challenging every black church in the United States to register 20 people on that day.
There are an estimated 500,000 black churches in America, and more than 5 million unregistered voters within the black church. Recently, representatives of leading black Christian organizations held a closed door summit to strategize on a collective effort of the church preparing for the November elections. As a result, the Empowerment Movement was formed.
The Empowerment Movement, a non-partisan organization, was launched with the support of the AME Church, AME Zion, Cogic, Progressive, Bible Way Churches, Full Gospel, Gospel Music Workshop of America, CME, United Covenant Churches, Harvest Churches, Fellowship of international Word of Faith, Church of God, Rep. Elijah Cummings, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the NAACP and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, to name a few.
Bryant, 40, has broken the stereotype of yesterday's clergyman. He is the leader of a new breed of ministers who embrace the idea of capitalizing on the ever- increasing marketplace of Internet and technological innovations to spread the gospel.
With more than 8,000 members, Empowerment Temple in Baltimore, and approximately 35,000 followers on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, Bryant believes that "God is not just in the church; He is also in technology."
As a result, Bryant's mission is to "empower people spiritually, develop them educationally, expose them culturally, activate them politically, and strengthen them economically."
Top 365 as picked by Poltic365's best and brightest in the world of politics . . .
TOP 3 Events:
BLUE COLLAR. President Obama re-energizes his union base at a recent United Auto Workers event and rocks Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum on their auto bailout "revisionism" – on the day of the Michigan Republican primary.
DEMOCRACY ALLIANCE? The donor collaborative decreases support for communities of color. So what gives?
TRAINING DAY. Nothing more blatantly corrupt that Prince George's, Maryland County Councilwoman Karen Toles receiving just a warning from a PG County cop for going 108 mph – in a 55 mph zone.
TOP 6 People
LONE WOLF. Olympia Snowe of Maine becomes one of the last, lone moderate Republicans in the Senate to abruptly resign. Her reason is because of the politics of "my way or the highway." Real reason: primaries are tough and expensive these days.
HANDMAID'S TALE. Sandra Fluke – once an unknown, obscure Georgetown Law School student – is thrust in the "war on women" and becomes the face of controversy over birth control.
EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED. Ilya Sheyman, a 25-year old first-generation Jewish immigrant from the former Soviet Union runs for Congress in Illinois' 10th Congressional district.
EX-PRESIDENTS. Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton wound up at the top of a recent Gallup poll among the best US presidents. Certainly, the official first Black president wants his legacy to match with the first unofficial Black president.
PIMPIN' AIN'T EASY. North Korean leader by default Kim Jong-eun agrees to a nuclear weapons moratorium – in exchange for food aid. We've been down this road before ...
REQUIEM OF A FIREBRAND. Conservative politicos are stunned by the passing of Andrew Breitbart, praising his abrasive style and unleashing a mountain of over the top obituaries. Liberals can't curb their enthusiasm.
TOP 5 Predictions and Trends
NEWT AND THE GIANT PEACH. Newt Gingrich will win home-state Georgia ...
BUCKING IN BUCKEYE. But Rick Santorum, win or lose, will unleash a stunning political storm in Ohio ...
THE MACK IS BACK. But, Mitt Romney will barely claim most of the primaries on Super Tuesday
WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? Sadly, it will be confirmed that Chris Brown and Rihanna are back together again, and millions of clueless fans will celebrate, creating a very serious problem for Black women and girls: the most disproportionately impacted victims of domestic violence
RED STORM RISING. Vladimir Putin will win re-election as President of Russia with – easily – over 50% of the vote, it will be challenged and nothing will happen.
Many young people lack experiential knowledge of sit-ins, stakeouts and boycotts; yet, we come to power and of age with increased access to information, technology and rights. As facades of post-racialism and equality collide with modern reality, today's Millennials (18 to 29 year olds) face harsh economic, educational and political times.
The precariousness of citizen rights is noted in this year's State of Black America report. The National Urban League releases the document annually. It includes statistics on Whites, Blacks, and Latinos, an equality index and essays from activists. High racial disparities are noted in economics, social justice, health and civic engagement.
The report, which is themed "Occupy the Vote to Educate Employ and Empower",
will be released in a town hall meeting at Howard University on March 7 at 7 p.m. The free event, which is at Howard University's Cramton Hall, is open to the public.
The document conveys the importance of minority voting and the need for education. As a Millennial minority woman who recently graduated from a historically black university, I understand the need for my generation to engage in the political process and affirm matriculation through accredited schools to ultimately obtain viable degrees.
SOBA also calls attention to problematic voting trends and voting laws. Numerous states have banned same day registration and voting. Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia have decreased their early voting periods. Florida recently began restricting voter registration drives. Many liken the state of modern voting to the Jim Crow era, as people of color are disproportionately impacted by the changes.
National Urban League President and CEO, Marc Morial, believes that suppression is at play. He critiques the laws, but also connects the need for citizen action (voting) with obtaining education and striving for societal equality.
The SOBA "Occupy" theme acknowledges the peaceful, political efforts of Occupiers worldwide, many who criticize widening wealth gaps and prejudicial government.
A recurring theme in the SOBA report is the validity of higher education. Even as
the nation grapples with everything from achievement gaps to dropout rates and ballooning student loan debt, education still liberates.
But, that does not stop current politicians from negating it, and promoting mediocrity. When GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum recently maligned President Barack Obama for wanting Americans to go to college, risky logic was employed.
Santorum said, "I understand why he wants you to go to college. He wants to remake you in his image. I want to create jobs so people can remake their children into their image, not his."
This kind of anti-intellectual rhetoric is not only troubling in its inherent low expectations, but in many instances, it is also hypocritical, as its authors tend to have distinguishing credentials. Santorum has a master's degree in business and a law degree.
Whether we like school for the opportunities afforded by completion or the classroom experience for its sake, in a nation with an unemployment rate of about eight percent, and a rate of nearly 14 percent for African Americans, money still talks. College graduates generally acquire more lifetime earnings, have lucrative career choices and nab jobs with better benefits. The state of minority communities must include prioritizing knowledge.
For more about State of Black America '12 and to view the live stream of the release:
http://www.iamempowered.com/soba2012
GREENWOOD, S.C. — Edward Lee Elmore glanced at the ceiling when a judge asked him if he was sure he wanted to plead guilty to the murder he has spent decades denying. He whispered to his lawyer, who had told him "freedom is justice," and then looked toward the heavens again.
"Yes sir," he said quietly. With those words, he ended a 30-year stint in prison that saw 30 of his friends on death row die.
Elmore was convicted three times of killing of Dorothy Edwards, with appeal courts overturning each verdict. Elmore lived nearby and did odd jobs for the 75-year-old widow, who was found in the closet of her Greenwood home in January 1982. She had been savagely beaten and stabbed more than 50 times, dying from a loss of blood and blows that caved in her chest, prosecutor Jerry Peace said.
Prosecutors agreed his punishment should be the 11,000 days Elmore spent behind bars, much of it on death row. He got off death row in 2010 when his attorneys argued he was mentally disabled and had a low IQ. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled states can't execute the mentally disabled, and his punishment was reduced to life in prison.
On Friday, prosecutors dropped rape and burglary charges, and an hour after the hearing, Elmore walked out of the Greenwood County courthouse a free man to the cheers of those brothers and sisters.
"What a great day," Elmore said in the parking lot.
Peace said he still thinks Elmore killed Edwards. He said Elmore confessed, telling investigators he may have blacked out as he attacked her. Small spots of the victim's blood were found on Elmore's jeans, Peace said, but he decided to make the deal for two reasons.
First, Edwards' sister asked him to end three decades of uncertainty and phone calls from reporters and other people she doesn't want to talk to. "I want peace, I need peace. Can you get me peace?" the prosecutor recalled her saying.
Second, even if he was convicted and sentenced to life again, Elmore would have been immediately eligible for a parole hearing, Peace said. And with a spotless prison record, his chances could good.
"He didn't even cuss a guard," Peace said.
Elmore's lawyers first asked the judge to throw out the charges. Defense lawyer Diana Holt has pointed out before that investigators found evidence at the crime scene that indicated Edwards fought for her life, but Elmore was uninjured when he was arrested hours later.
A single blond hair was found on Edwards' body. Elmore has black hair, and none of that was found at the scene.
In the courtroom was former New York Times reporter Raymond Bonner, who has followed the case for more than a decade and recently wrote a book about it. He said police were anxious to make an arrest to allay a community's fears that a rapist and murderer was among them and the little evidence that links Elmore to the crime was planted.
"Don't dare call it justice," he said after the hearing. "A man served 30 years for a crime he did not commit."
Elmore's lawyer wanted to see him exonerated. But she told him he could be convicted again in a trial and talking an Alford plea, where he maintains his innocence but admits there is a lot of evidence against him, was the best thing he could do.
"Freedom is justice and that's why he is doing it today," Holt said.
Holt has done this before. In May 2002, she helped Sterling Spann get a similar deal after decades on South Carolina's death row.
"It's so bittersweet," Holt said. "But at least right now, the sweet outweighs the bitter."
Edwards smile rarely faded after his release. When Holt reminded reporters he saw at least 30 of his fellow inmates executed during his 28 years on death row, he dropped his head.
"Great guys in there, some of them," he said.
He also frowned when a reporter asked if he had anything to say to Edwards' family. Holt stepped in and said they would request the family's wishes to not talk about the case. "It was 30 years for them too," she said.
Then the topic turned to lunch, and Elmore's family was taking him to a buffet restaurant where he would have dozens of dishes, many of them greasy and flavorful, to choose from. Elmore said prison was day after day of bland meals like liver or a chicken and gravy mixture.
"That stuff was roadkill," Elmore said.
Elmore's older sister Henrietta Grant smiled. She remembered one of her brother's chief complaints every time she would pile in a van with several of her siblings for the 150-mile trip to see him on death row. "They ain't got no onions," she recalled him saying.
Grant was one of a half-dozen family members headed for the restaurant. Just before she left, she was asked her plans now that her brother was going to be back in Greenwood. She flashed a big smile.
"We're going to take him home and love him," she said. "And I do the cooking, so I am going to fatten him up."
Elmore stood in the parking lot and took a deep breath. This wasn't the way he thought this case should end, but for him, it was justice.
The recent ceremony announcing plans to construct the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall was a nationally heralded event. But the celebration, where President Barack Obama spoke, took an awkward turn after he and the first lady were notably absent from the slate of officials who took up shovels for the groundbreaking.
U.S. presidents are normally provided shovels for groundbreakings, and after Obama delivered his speech, the call was made for participants to assemble.
However the president, who had unbuttoned his jacket -- prepared to participate – returned to his seat alongside Mrs. Obama after an official whispered to him. As a result, the Obamas sat watching as participants, who included former first lady Laura Bush (a member of the museum's advisory council), Congressman John Lewis (D-Ga.) and museum officials, dug in.
A statement released by the White House following the Feb. 22 gathering, explained that everything had been agreed upon beforehand. According to the statement, only museum officials and advisers were scheduled to take part in the shoveling – a decision that was part of a plan agreed upon between the White House and the museum.
The Smithsonian also issued a statement saying that "the groundbreaking ceremony did not call for President Barack Obama to participate in the actual shoveling of dirt. It was intended for members of the Smithsonian family—senior staff and members of the museum's council."
Dee Evans, columnist for Black Voices, was among those who expressed dismay over the president's lack of participation.
"This was a major oversight and one that I think was embarrassing for President Obama because he stood up when they called for the 'groundbreakers' but then sat back down when he realized that he was not included," Evans wrote. "I don't think I can ever recall witnessing a groundbreaking event where the president of the United States was in attendance but was not allowed to participate in the actual shovel ceremony. It seems to me that if the president was there, you would include him just out of a sense of protocol."
To the contrary, Michael Fauntroy, a political analyst at George Mason University, surmised that the decision to exclude Obama was a White House call.
"I don't believe that the president was snubbed or overlooked," Fauntroy told The Washington Informer. "I think there may have been some security concerns and that it was the White House -- and not the museum -- that decided Obama would not to participate in the actual groundbreaking."
A gathering of activists, journalists and voting rights advocates met recently to discuss the growing number of states that have adopted what many see as discriminatory voter registration laws. Such policies, they argue, do more to limit rather than expand democracy, threatening to disenfranchise millions in the lead up to the November elections.
Citizen journalist Faye Anderson was among those gathered at a Feb. 14 symposium, hosted by the Center for American Progress. Recalling the controversy over determining the intent of voters who may have incompletely punched paper ballots during the 2000 presidential race, she voiced the likelihood that voter photo IDs will become "the hanging chads of the 2012 election."
Describing herself as a "chief evangelist" for the Cost of Freedom Project, a grass-roots voting rights initiative, Anderson called for national organizations, community activists and individuals to harness technology and social media to educate voters about how to comply with the new laws.
The Freedom Project is currently developing mobile phone apps in order to inform voters about the ID requirements in the states where they reside.
According to Nicole Austin-Hillery, D.C. Counsel and Director of the Washington, D.C. Office of the Brennan Center for Justice, the dramatic change since before 2011, when only Georgia and Indiana required a voter photo ID, will "seriously impact the next presidential election."
Austin-Hillery estimated that as many as five million Americans – mostly elderly, young and minorities -- may be impeded from voting in November and that the states where more restrictive voting measures have been enacted represent 60 percent of the votes of the Electoral College.
"Nine states will not allow you to vote without a voter ID," Austin-Hillery said, noting that at least 15 states have sought to tighten voting ID laws. Other barriers being erected include: the elimination of early voter periods; shortening the time during which absentee ballots can be filed; and curtailing ways in which voter registration drives can be conducted. Historically, registration drives have been a primary tool for registering minority and young voters.
Nationally known economist and author, Julianne Malveaux has announced she will step down as president of the historically black, all-female Bennett College this year. Malveaux served as president of the college for five years and will end her tenure effective in May.
"Five years is the longest time I've ever held a job in my life," she said in a statement, "and while I remain committed to HBCUs and the compelling cause of access in higher education, I will actualize that commitment, now, in other arenas. I will miss Bennett College and will remain one of its most passionate advocates."
Malveaux called her time as president of the college, "one of the most rewarding experiences" of her life.
Charles Barrentine, chair of the Board of Trustees said this about Dr. Malveaux: "The Board of Trustees respects Dr. Malveaux's desire to pursue her other interests at this time. We have been extremely fortunate to have her at the helm of Bennett College for the last five years. Given her many talents, the college has been enhanced by having Dr. Malveaux as our leader. Under Dr. Malveaux's leadership the college completed an ambitious $21 million capital improvements program that renovated existing facilities and erected four new buildings the first new construction on campus in 28 years.
She increased enrollment to a historic high of more than 735 students in 2009, expanded alumnae involvement, and enhanced the curriculum with a focus on women's leadership, entrepreneurship, excellence in communications, and global awareness. Also, under Dr. Malveaux's leadership, Bennett's accreditation has been reaffirmed through 2014 by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
She also created a 2020 Master Plan, which advocates, among other things, construction of a new high-tech library. Overall, Dr. Malveaux empowered the college to build on its historic legacy. In recognition of her distinguished work, she will be named President Emerita of Bennett College at the May 6 commencement."
The President and First Lady announced that this year's White House Easter Egg Roll will be held on Monday, April 9.
The event will feature live music, sports courts, cooking stations, storytelling and, of course, Easter egg rolling. Tied in to the First Lady's "Let's Move!" initiative, a national campaign to combat childhood obesity, all of the activities will encourage children to lead healthy and active lives.
The White House will open its South Lawn to children aged 13 years and younger and their families. White House Easter Egg Roll tickets will be distributed through an online lottery system, allowing guests from across the United States to participate in a tradition that dates back to 1878.
The lottery will open for entries on March 1 at 10:00am and close on March 5 at 10:00 a.m.
Full ticketing details will be available on March 1 at www.whitehouse.gov/eastereggroll.
For the most up-to-date information on the Easter Egg Roll and other public events at the White House, please visit www.whitehouse.gov/eastereggroll.
New Orleans city officials are aggressively pushing back against a "devastating" proposed $15 million cut to inpatient mental health and substance abuse services now being offered at LSU Interim Hospital.
The cuts were included in Gov. Bobby Jindal's recent budget, and they are part of an effort to close a $251 million state budget shortfall this year. The plan includes a $34 million hit on hospitals statewide.
The proposed cuts at LSU's operations in New Orleans include:
• at least 110 employees,
• the hospital's twenty-bed, inpatient detox unit,
• nine of 38 beds in the psychiatric unit, and
• half of the 20 mental-health emergency room beds.
The Criminal Justice Committee of the City Council met Wed¬nesday afternoon to talk about the cuts and their potential impacts on New Orleans' most vulnerable populations, most of who are not criminals. But many mentally ill people end up in jail when services are slashed.
And a city in crisis "can't go forward" unless critical services kept in place, Councilwoman Susan Guidry said.
Speaking as part of a panel addressing the committee, Muni¬cipal Court Chief Judge Paul Sens said it was already "staggering, the amount of money that is being wasted by not giving these people the services they need."
Sens reported that over a recent 16-month period, he and his colleagues ordered 246 psychiatric evaluations for mentally ill people who came before the court.
"One hundred and sixty of those people were found to be incompetent," he said. "Normally in that situation, they are referred to University Hospital, they stay there three days, and are cycled back into the system."
Twenty-three of those 160, he said, "cycled back through the system 75 times."
"This system is never going to change," without inpatient clinical care, he said.
Paying for that care is another matter in an era of Medicaid cuts from Washington.
Dr. Roxanne Townsend, chief executive officer of LSU Interim Hospital, told the committee that the hospital has already seen its budget shrink by some $150 million since 2009, down from $955 million to $804 million.
"This is the first time we have had to touch behavioral-health services," she said. "We do anticipate that there will be an overflow into the emergency room."
Unfortunately, the emergency room is slated to lose four beds as well.
"These [proposed] cuts are happening to a system that has been on a road to improvement, but it is fragile," said New Orleans Health Commissioner Dr. Karen De¬Salvo.
She cited the "extremely short timeline and somewhat arbitrary nature of the cuts," and noted that the city does not "have room to absorb these cuts," given the various and ongoing post-traumatic disorders and social ills that continue to befall New Orleans.
The Jindal administration has maintained that it did not request or require any specific cuts to mental health or substance abuse programs at LSU Interim Hospital, a point echoed Wednesday by Dr. Tony Speier, an assistant secretary at the state Department of Health and Hospitals.
Speier defended Jindal, who he said heard the "cry for assistance for mental health services" coming out of New Orleans in 2008, and has worked with local mental-health providers to expand the service base for its citizens.
Jindal critics at the Advocates for Louisiana Public Healthcare maintain that the governor essentially raided $50 million in Medicaid money generated at LSU Interim and gave it to his Department of Health and Hospitals to shore up that department's $489 million shortfall.
Those critics argue that Jindal has consistently tipped the scales in favor of reimbursing private Medicaid providers over public and charity hospitals such as LSU Interim.
Councilman Jon Johnson said he invited Jindal to speak at the council's upcoming city Housing and Human Needs Committee meeting. Johnson said he'll urge Jindal to reconsider the cuts.
"This is nothing new for the state," he said. "The state administration has always looked at health care as an area that they will go into and cut because, frankly and honestly, it is one of the areas where the state has the latitude to go in and make cuts. It should not happen... Those mental health beds that were taken out of the city of New Orleans need to be returned to the city of New Orleans!"
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