We have thoroughly studied
the Initiative that is going to be on the ballot in November. It is
crucial for everyone to read as this is a brief of what was found.
1. The proposed Initiative attempts to turn fraudulent statistics into
law. Listing percentages of people suffering from mental illness (based on
estimates by mental health proponents) has no basis in fact. These
statistics have never been proven.
2. The Initiative alludes to programs, as yet to be drawn up the
California Department of Mental Health and County Departments of Mental
Health, which will in fact increase the number of children on drugs. This
is especially true for children from low-income areas. Targeted groups are
those of color, Blacks and Latinos.
3. The initiative alludes to programs, as yet to be drawn up by the
Department of Mental Health and County Departments of Mental Health, which
will target adults and seniors through Medicare and low-income groups
through MediCal for treatment.
4. The initiative sets up a 1% tax on personal incomes of over $1 million
taxable income, for an estimated 1+ billion dollars in 2006. This tax
money is to create a slush fund for the Department of Mental Health. The
definition of a slush fund from Websters New World College Dictionary is
money used for political pressure or other corrupt purposes.
5. The money raised by the special tax is not to be used by the
legislature or any other agency. This money does not appear as such in the
budget.
6. There is no oversight committee to review the use of these funds or to
determine if the money will be properly disbursed or pocketed by someone
for an illegal purpose. Since the legislature does not have the right to
see where the money went, nor does any citizens group, it goes into a
black hole.
7. The supposed Oversight Committee is a rubberstamp group that only
decides if a program is okay, not the amount of funding it gets.
8. The initiative is to be implemented regardless of whether or not it
violates any laws. The Department of Mental health shall have the
authority to immediately make any necessary expenditures and to hire staff
for that purpose.
9. The initiative sets up emergency regulations as yet to be drawn up
and which bypass the one agency in the State that has the jurisdiction to
determine if a regulation is legal and in the interest of the people.
These emergency regulations can be immediately put into effect and must
be funded by the State Treasury. The emergency regulations can not be
repealed by the Office of Administrative Law, the agency set up to protect
the public from unscrupulous agency regulations, thus putting the
Department of Mental Health outside of the law.
10. The Mental Health Services Fund is to be funded without regard to
other programs. If money is not available from the special tax, other
non-mental health programs in the budget are to be cut to get the money
for this Fund.
11. The initiative will set up a scene that mental health funding can
never be cut in the future, no matter the budget scene in the State. The
Department of Mental Health is to get the same amount of money allocated
by the budget in 2003 2004 forever and other programs are to be cut to
ensure this fact. The money from the proposed tax cannot ever be used in
the general funds to balance the budget!
12. Matching funds from the Federal Government are to be sought for all
monies collected in the State for the mental health industry. This in
effect increases the tax burden of everyone who pays federal income tax.
Thus, this is a tax on everyone under the guise of taxing only a few.
13. The probability exists that because the State must fund the mental
health industry regardless of the amount of tax revenue, the burden will
ultimately fall on all of us, as the State will have to increase taxes to
meet the demand for services. This is the major fallacy of the idea that
this is to tax a special group only.
For more information go to
www.noprop63.org .
