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The Newsroom in Brief: Alan Poul

Prop 29: People are Suffering NOW because they Can't Get Treatment

by Maureen Cruise, RN
Prop 29 will unfortunately probably pass no matter what ...Three people ..one MD, one JD and one TV writer ...separately ALL said the exact same thing to me...they "don't care if the money is burned " as long as the tobacco industry gets hurt. Must be a TV ad? .... depressing....

 There is always a larger context.. to No on 29.

I am 100% for extra taxes on tobacco...but Prop 29 tax dollars belong to all the people of California. Public money should go to non profit public institutions for the public good. NOT to a group of unelected, unaccountable appointees in a program to spend almost a billion dollars of public money annually as they please, within some very broad guidelines. Prop 29's program cannot even be amended for 15 years...maybe never with a 2/3 of legislature requirement to amend.

Cancer research currently receives more federal tax dollars than any other disease, $5.4 billion in federal funding. Cancer, lung and cardiovascular diseases together net $8 billion dollars of federal money and receive additional private funding (LAT 4/27/12).

People are suffering because they can't get treatment.... cancer, lung disease, cardiovascular disease treatment ...without becoming bankrupt. We need money to give people healthcare services. It is the people's money and should go to unmet human needs.

Only 20% of the funding goes toward smoking cessation. The funds will dwindle if the prevention part of the program is successful...unless other sources are tapped.

We have information about cancer prevention. It is known that environmental toxins, certain pharmaceuticals, food additives, fossil fuels and chemicals are part of the cancer matrix along with some lifestyle choices. Environmental laws are being ignored by administrative agencies and drug are fast tracked bypassing safety considerations.. Our legislatures would not even ban BPA in baby bottles! BPA is ubiquitous in plastic food containers. We have knowledge about prevention that is ignored.

Prop 29 can outsource jobs, spend millions for over-priced expensive equipment and pay high salaries to people sitting behind desks, while actual healthcare services to people in dire need are being slashed. California's public health institutions funding has been decimated over the past 20 years. ...shuttering the major public health information centers for disseminating prevention information to millions of people.

$ 800 million dollars could be used to expand much needed access to medical services and generate thousands of jobs right here and NOW. We need jobs and we need healthcare. Tax money should go toward alleviating current problems and serve the most urgent needs of California's residents. Investment should be for jobs and access to treatment here in our state.

As LAT reported (4/27/12) " California can't afford to retain its K-12 teachers, keep all its parks open, give public college students the courses they need to earn a degree or provide adequate home health aides for the infirm or medical care for the poor." Now is not the time for billions spent on research. We need healthcare here and now.

Be Well,
Maureen Cruise RN