On Mon, 10 Dec 2007 10:34:10 -0800, "William Noble" wrote:



it was under Regan, it was conservatives not liberals, and the "no new
taxes" arm of the conservative movement is a strong force in preventing
proper care for mentally ill, so we get to enjoy them as homeless folks
sleeping in doorways downtown - It is most assuredly a bit disingenuous, to
say the least, to blame this on "liberals", though I know that many use the
word "liberal" for any person with whom they disagree. Of course, that not
only prevents communication on issues, but it corrupts the language, we have
already lost the use of the words Christian and Patriot - both now carry
heavily loaded political meanings that neither carried a decade ago - and
both of the overlaid meanings are abhorrent to me at least.

So, please, if you are going to argue politics instead of discussing metal
working, at least make a small attempt to steer towards objectivity and
leave the slathering invective to other venues.

That's good advice. I'll do my best to follow it and I hope that I can follow
it better than you. :-)

Reagan instituted some poor policies, but releasing crazy people isn't
one of them. Edmund G (Pat) Brown Sr. (Democrat) is the California
governor that started the policy of getting crazy people out of
institutions. The policy continues to this day, AFAIK.

From Edmund G Brown's 1963 inaugural address (Reagan was elected in 1967)
at http://www.californiagovernors.ca.gov/h/documents/inaugural_32b.html:

"I ask you today to extend the programs under which we have reduced
the number of mentally ill in our hospitals and increased the number
of patients who are able to live useful productive lives in their
own communities."

From the New York Times: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06EEDB1239F933A05753C1A9629482 60&sec=health&spon=&pagewanted=all

"In California, for example, the number of patients in state mental
hospitals reached a peak of 37,500 in 1959 when Edmund G. Brown was
Governor, fell to 22,000 when Ronald Reagan attained that office
in 1967, and continued to decline under his administration and that
of his successor, Edmund G. Brown Jr. The senior Mr. Brown now
expresses regret about the way the policy started and ultimately
evolved. ''They've gone far, too far, in letting people out,'' he
said in an interview."

Edmund G Brown Jr, AKA Jerry Brown, AKA Governor Moonbeam, is
quite far to the left.

Google the 1957 Short-Doyle Act, passed a whole decade
before Reagan was elected, for more information.

It wasn't until 1967 until the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act
was passed to, among other things, "end the inappropriate,
indefinite, and involuntary commitment of mentally
disordered persons, ...."; a Liberal point of view if there
ever was one. That act is where the term 51-50 (for section
5150) comes from for someone who is raving and crazy.

The Lanterman-Petris-Short Act was shepherded into law by Jesse "Money
is the mother's milk of politics" Unruh, the then Democratic
Speaker of the House. Jesse Unruh was behind several civil
rights bills in those days. NB. In California, the
Speaker has as least as much power as the governor and the
governor usually seems to lose when there is a conflict between
the two.

Bob S