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Resolved Question: apartment mold in texas.?
I have a bad mold problem in my apartment and i can not get my landlord to take care of it. i have verbally requested it as well as sending a letter certified mail return receipt requested. they "inspected" the apartment and found no mold, yet if i walk into my closet there is mold about 1 foot high along the edge of the wall. also there is mold growing in the carpet, and they are now saying that its not mold its animal urine (i don't even own a pet), and i am responsible for the carpet. it has been about two weeks since i sent the letter and there still has been no resolution.i am in montgomery county texas and i have contacted our health department and they say they don't deal with it, i also contacted TCEQ and they referred me to health department. and i spoke with the code enforcement here and they said they don't deal with mold either and to call the tenants counsel in austin, which only services travis county. so i have no idea who to report my apartment to since everywhere i go i get sent somewhere else. so my question is, is there a state agency that protects us or can help us in this? and should i consider suing them, i don't really want to do that but they are being so unreasonable that it seems to be the only option.so i have to pay to prove there is mold when it can be seen growing on the wall?it is not a tenant issue, they are replacing all the piping in the complex and the unit above mine had a pipe burst before they could replace it which ruined my ceiling, covered all my walls in water along with my floor. when they called they told me they could not take care of it because they needed me to move my furniture out even though i was out of the state at the time, so they let my apartment sit for over a week until i got back to do anything, so no it is not a mildew problem
moreResolved Question: Are Hospitals secretly taking your kids blood for the govt?
"When state health officials were sued last year for storing infant blood samples without parental consent, they said it was for medical research into birth defects, childhood cancer and environmental toxins. They never said they were turning over hundreds of dried blood samples to the federal government to help build a vast DNA database — a forensics tool designed to identify missing persons and crack cold cases.
A Texas Tribune review of nine years' worth of e-mails and internal documents on the Department of State Health Services’ newborn blood screening program reveals the transfer of hundreds of infant blood spots to an Armed Forces lab to build a national and, someday, international mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) registry. The records, released after the state agreed in December to destroy more than 5 million infant blood spots, also show an effort to limit the public’s knowledge of aspects of the newborn blood program, and to manage the debate around it. But the plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit never saw them, because the state settled the case so quickly that it never reached the discovery phase."
http://www.texastribune.org/stories/2010/feb/22/dna-deception/
Welcome to America!
We own you, and your child!
Please wait in the next available line for your government benefits.
Psshhh....that's just "tinfoil".
Oh wait.
moreResolved Question: Is a food handlers card i get online accepted when i go apply for jobs at fast food places?
It says its accredited by the department of state health services and lasts for two years. Is this accepted like if i went downtown and did the whole thing? I'm in texas.
moreResolved Question: Do you believe community drug use data should be made available to the public?
Dallas-based non-profit says state agency refuses to make community drug use data available online
DALLAS — Craig Johnson, executive director of the drug prevention nonprofit ProtectYouth.org, called on Commissioner David Lakey of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to authorize the publishing of local school district results from the Texas School Survey on Drug and Alcohol Use to a document-sharing website Scribd.com and link the reports to their state website. In an October 30th email refusing Johnson's request, DSHS General Counsel Lisa Hernandez stated on behalf of Commissioner David Lakey..... read more:
http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2009/nov/09/dallas-based-non-profit-says-state-agency-refuses-/
moreResolved Question: Need to find employment in Springfield Missouri?
Hi my family and are moving to Missouri at the end of October.
This is not up for debate, we have to move because of a sever medical allergy that my wife has. She is allergic to fire ants which are everywhere here in Texas. She got bit at the first of September and I watched her almost die in my arms.
Anyway Missouri does not have these fire ants. This is the only thing she is allergic to.
Anyway I need to find me a job, otherwise I will be forced to come back to Texas and leave the family in Missouri. I do not want to do this.
Anyway here is my resume, if you know of any manufacturing, machine shop in the area that is looking for someone please let me know. I am also open to ideas.
Here is my work history.
EFCO Machine and Welding Shop
Manual machine shop lead man.
Job description
As lead man of over the manual machine shop I work one on one with engineers from companies that we provide services to. I have direct contact with other customers that have parts in need of repair.
In every case I discuss the best way to repair or to build what the customer needs.
I design fixtures for the CNC production department. This is done by keeping two important things in mind, quality and cycle time.
I conceive an idea; draw up prints for the parts that will be needed to make the fixture. I draw the prints using AutoCAD.
I delegate work to employee’s if the employee’s are busy I will machine the parts myself.
I perform the task needed using Drill presses, manual lathes, break presses, welding, CNC equipment, hydraulic press, AutoCAD, manual mill, and other hand tools.
1997-2001 Henley Healthcare ( no longer in business)
Job title Fabrication department supervisor
Supervised 18 employees. From a forecast I planned work for employees. Also served as quality control for the department. When I took the department over the quality of the parts and the rejects went down by 25%. I improved proscess to increase effeciency and quality. Machinery in department include manual mills, manual lathe, break presses, tubing bender, punch press, and welding. Set up maintenance schedules for all machinery in the plant to comply with ISO 9000 certification and made sure the schedules were carried out.
Performed maintenance through the plant to include mechanical repair, electrical troubleshooting, plumbing, saws, painting, drywall and other. I maintained employee records for vacation, sick time and submitted weekly employee hours.
I did all the purchasing of supplies for the department. I interviewed new employees and was also responsible for termination of employee’s if needed.
1996-1997 Manor Care Health Services Job title Maintance Director
Performed maintenance for the nursing home facility to include, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, drywall, painting, and mechanical repair. Inspected the facility to make sure state standards were being met. Co-person on safety committee. In charge of purchasing supplies and new equipment for facility.
When state inspection was done the maintenance through the facility had zero faults.
1994-1995Texas Hydraulics Job title CNC machinist
Ran production on CNC lathe’s using morsiki lathe’s SL25, 35, 40 and 60
Used calipers, tweezer gauges, bore gauges, micrometers to insure the parts were within tolerances.
1989-1994Scott & White Hospital
Job title Shift lead man
Performed maintenance as needed through out the hospital. Equipment to include, dietary equipment, laundry equipment, pneumatic tube system, fire alarm system and other equipment though the hospital.
Troubleshoot electrical problems, plumbing, on the fire and rescue team.
Attended to any and all maintenance problems in the hospital.
moreResolved Question: If you are military retired or headed that way, do you know about this? Is this what you were promised?
CITIZEN JOURNALISM
Tricare Benefits - Medical Care Sought for Retired Military
By Brenda Hurley SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES | Thursday, August 27, 2009
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Heather Fazio (left) and Cathy Renfroe (second from left) hear a different point of view from Irene Glass as they demonstrate against President Obama's health care plan outside a Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Austin, Texas. Ms. Glass and Austin Adams both support the plan.
President Obama and his party have endorsed legislation that would drastically cut the Tricare for Life benefits of retired and veteran service members. If it is approved by Congress in a vote next month, retired and veteran service members will be obliged to pay high deductibles and co-pays. Military treatment facilities currently do not charge eligible persons co-pays for medical services or pharmaceuticals.
The concept of providing medical care for families of active-duty members of the uniformed services dates back to the late 1700s. In 1884, Congress declared that "medical officers of the Army and contract surgeons shall whenever possible attend the families of the officers and soldiers free of charge." There was very little change until World War II, when family members could not be treated. Most draftees in that war were young men who had wives of childbearing age; the extremely large number of babies being born caused a burden on the system. The Korean War again strained the capabilities of the military health care system, and it was not possible to provide free medical care for military families.
On Jan. 1, 1967, Congress passed legislation giving military retirees, their family members and qualified surviving family members of deceased military members free medical care. That promise was broken in the 1980s, when Congress revoked the legislation in order to cut the budget.
Tricare for Life was instituted by Congress in 2002 to reinstate the broken promise that military retirees would receive free health care coverage for life. It was introduced as a supplement to Medicare for military retirees and their family members who are eligible for Medicare. The program pays nearly all medical costs not covered by Medicare.
Now, however, the benefits of retired service members and veterans are in danger again. Tricare comprises three options: one similar to a health maintenance organization, called Tricare Prime; an option with a preferred-provider network, called Tricare Extra; and a traditional fee-for-service plan, called Tricare Standard. Military retirees who are not yet eligible for Medicare may enroll in Tricare Prime by paying an annual enrollment fee of $230 for individual coverage or $460 for family coverage.
In addition, those enrollees in Tricare Prime make a $12 co-payment for each outpatient visit to a civilian physician or other civilian health care provider; visits to military providers are free. Those who do not enroll in Tricare Prime may receive benefits under Tricare Extra or Standard. Beneficiaries who use either of those two plans must pay an annual deductible of $150 for individual coverage or $300 for family coverage. The Tricare enrollment fees, co-pays and deductibles have remained unchanged since 1995.
A Congressional Budge Office study states that "... if the savings that would accrue from reduced spending for Medicare were included, the introduction of cost sharing under this option would reduce the federal spending devoted to Tricare for Life beneficiaries by about $14 billion through 2014 and by about $40 billion through 2019. Approximately 22 percent of those savings would come from a reduced demand for medical services rather than from a transfer of spending from the government to military retirees and their families.
"An advantage of this option is that greater cost sharing would increase Tricare for Life beneficiaries' awareness of the cost of health care and promote a corresponding restraint in their use of medical services. Research has generally shown that introducing modest cost sharing can substantially reduce medical expenditures without causing measurable increases in adverse health outcomes. Among its disadvantages, this option could discourage some patients, particularly low-income patients, from seeking preventive medical care or from managing their chronic conditions under close medical supervision, which might negatively affect their health."
If this change is approved by Congress in September, the first curtailment of benefits would occur in 2011. Cost sharing would require retirees to pay the first $525 of medical costs and 50 percent of the next $4,725 for a first-year cost of at least $2,888 per person. The new charges would be indexed to increase with inflation.
The CBO report (which can be found at ht
moreResolved Question: getting certified to be a firefighter?
My area is now hiring for firefighters and want to join but I dont have these certifications how do I get them? or find out how to get them
-Basic Structural Firefighter from the Texas Commission on Fire Protection Certified
-and-
-certified as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) –Basic from the Texas Department of State Health Services?
moreVoting Question: What are people's feelings to this?Michelle Malkin:Free, unlimited health care for illegal aliens?
Michelle Malkin:Free, unlimited health care for illegal aliens
http://www.modbee.com/opinion/national/story/792477.html
Big Nanny Democrats want to ration health care for everyone in America — except those who break our immigration laws. Last week, the House Ways and Means Committee defeated an amendment that would have prevented illegal aliens from using the so-called public health insurance option. Every Democrat on the panel voted against the measure.
Nevada GOP Rep. Dean Heller's measure would have enforced income, eligibility and immigration verification screening on all Obamacare patients. Unlike most everything else stuffed into the House Democrats' plan, the citizenship vetting process would not have required building a new bureaucracy. Heller proposed using existing state and federal databases created years ago to root out entitlement fraud.
If the congressional majority are truly committed to President Barack Obama's quest to wring cost savings from the system, why won't they adopt the same anti-fraud checks imposed on other government health and welfare beneficiaries?
The Democratic leadership denies that an estimated 12 million to 20 million illegal immigrants will receive taxpayer-subsidized health insurance coverage. But Obama lit the fuse in February when he signed the massive expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program. That law loosened eligibility requirements for legal immigrants and their children by watering down document and evidentiary standards — making it easy for individuals to use fake Social Security cards to apply for benefits. In addition, Obama's S-CHIP expansion revoked Medicaid application time limits that were part of the 1996 welfare reform law. Immigration activists see the provisions as first steps toward universal coverage for illegals.
Immigration analyst James R. Edwards Jr. reported last week in National Review that "no health legislation on the table requires federal, state or local agencies — or private institutions receiving federal funds — to check the immigration status of health- program applicants, so some of the money distributed via Medicaid and tax credits inevitably would go to illegal aliens." Moreover, the Senate Finance Committee plan creates a new preference for illegal aliens by exempting them from the mandate to buy insurance.
That's right. Law-abiding, uninsured Americans would be fined if they didn't submit to the Obamacare prescription. Law-breaking border-crossers, visa- overstayers and deportation fugitives would be spared.
The solution is not to give them health insurance, but to turn off the magnets that draw them to enter illegally in the first place.
For years, advocates of uncontrolled immigration have argued that illegal aliens are not getting free health care, and that even if they were, they would not be not draining government budgets. The fiscal crisis in California gives lie to those talking points. In March, the Associated Press reported that Sacramento and Contra Costa counties were slashing staff and closing clinics due to the prohibitive costs of providing nonemergency health services for illegal immigrants.
"The general situation there is being faced by nearly every health department across the country, and if not right now, shortly," Robert M. Pestronk, executive director of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, said. The Texas state comptroller put the price tag for illegal alien hospital care at $1.3 billion in 2006. USA Today reported that from 2001 to 2004, spending for emergency Medicaid for illegal immigrants rose 28 percent in North Carolina alone. Clinics across the Midwest have also been closed under the weight of illegal immigrant care costs.
At a time when Democratic leaders are pushing rationed care in a world of limited resources, Americans might wonder where the call for shared sacrifice is from illegal immigrant patients like those in Los Angeles getting free liver and kidney transplants at UCLA Medical Center. "I'm just mad," illegal alien Jose Lopez told the Los Angeles Times last year after receiving two taxpayer- subsidized liver transplants while impatiently awaiting approval for state health insurance.
Now, multiply that sense of entitlement by 12 million to 20 million illegal immigrants. Welcome to the open-borders Obamacare nightmare.
Malkin's e-mail address is malkinblog@gmail.com.
moreVoting Question: What is a certification of vital records?
I ordered my sons birth certificate online and I received a certificate that does not say birth certificate it says department of state health services vital statistics unit,
On the very top it says
state of texas certification of vital record....
Is this a birth certificate????
moreResolved Question: Is it normal for pregnancy medicaid process to take this long?
Its going on 19 days and my application should have been processed by now according to "House Bill 2896, adopted by the Texas Legislature 76th Legislature, directed the Texas Department of Health and Human Services and Texas Department of Health, to devise new policies to promote early access to prenatal care. "
Its supposed to be processed by the 15 day!
I have already missed a check up and don't know when I will get to the next one.
What can I do?
source:
http://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/Medicaid/mc/proj/preg/preg.htmlI just quit my job to take care of my diabled son who is having major surgery on his legs. If I don't take care of him during this time than who will? My husband is working the only job he can get right now and unfortunately that puts us needing this type of assistance.also I need this computer to go to school. or else you tax payers could be paying for me forever.thanks for defending me guys. I kind of expected at least one negative response.
I am going to call monday morning.
moreResolved Question: why should we let them go early just to save a few bucks?what do you think?
By DON THOMPSON, Associated Press Writer Don Thompson, Associated Press Writer – Fri Jun 19, 4:44 pm ET
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – With California slipping into a financial sinkhole, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing to save more than $180 million by cutting short the sentences of thousands of immigrants in the state's prisons and turning them over to federal authorities for deportation.
The idea faces certain hurdles — for one thing, commuting some sentences will require court approval — and immigration authorities warn that a mass release of inmates from California and other states could swamp the federal system, which is already at capacity.
But Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Lisa Page said: "Every dollar not spent to house an undocumented immigrant inmate is a dollar that can be spent on health care services and education and other important programs to Californians. These inmates are the federal government's responsibility and California taxpayers shouldn't be paying the bill."
In recent years, other states have struck agreements with federal authorities to deport some inmates before their sentences were up, but those releases were done on a much smaller scale than what California is proposing.
The state's plan would involve as many as 19,000 inmates. Those among them who committed sex offenses or violent crimes would not be eligible for early release, Page said Friday.
Nearly 65,000 immigrants — most of them in the U.S. illegally — are serving time in the U.S. for state crimes.
Once immigrants have done their time in state prison, the federal government takes custody of most of them and begins deportation proceedings against them, either because they are illegal immigrants or because they committed crimes while in the U.S. legally.
The government reimburses states for some of the expenses involved in imprisoning immigrants, but states say the money is not nearly enough to cover their costs.
Schwarzenegger is proposing to commute the sentences of thousands of immigrants and transfer them to federal custody over the next 12 months to help close a state budget gap projected at more than $24 billion.
The savings would be a pittance for California — just $182 million if all 19,000 inmates now being held for immigration authorities were released — but Schwarzenegger is looking to save every dime he can. He already has proposed eliminating health care for poor children.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Virginia Kice said the 33,000 federal detention cells across the country already are full, and immigration judges could be overloaded if the number of deportation cases balloons.
California Corrections spokesman Seth Unger said that to avoid overwhelming the federal system, the state would keep its inmates behind bars until their deportation hearings were over and their appeals exhausted. In that way, they could be deported almost immediately after being turned over to federal authorities.
Since more than 70 percent of California's immigrant inmates are from Mexico, deporting them would typically involve putting them on a bus.
Officials in other states, including Oregon and Washington, are considering similar moves.
"The fiscal realities that Florida and California and other states are facing will probably put great pressure on trying to reduce the prison population," said Michael Ramage, general counsel for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. "Why should the state be saddled with the expense of having to provide a place for these people to be incarcerated while they wait to be deported?"
Most of these released inmates are unlikely to serve additional time once they are home. That is one reason governors of some states are not about to follow Schwarzenegger's example.
"That's just not happening here in Texas," said Katherine Cesinger, a spokeswoman for Republican Gov. Rick Perry.
Officials with the Mexican consulate in Sacramento expressed concern that thousands of ex-convicts could be deported to Mexico.
"In the event that this happens, we will make sure that it takes place in an orderly and safe manner, and that the rights of all deportees, regardless of their migratory status, are observed and respected unconditionally," Consul General Carlos Gonzalez Gutierrez said.
Schwarzenegger can single-handedly commute the sentences of 3,200 of them who were convicted of nonviolent, non-sexual offenses. Releasing more serious and repeat offenders early requires approval from the state Supreme Court.
For weeks, the Schwarzenegger administration left open the possibility that violent and sex offenders could be released too. But on Friday, in response to inquiries from The Associated Press, Schwarzenegger's spokeswoman said the governor has ruled that out.
Schwarzenegger's proposal was prompted in part by President Barack Obama's May budget proposal to end the $400 million program that pays states and counties for holding illegal
moreResolved Question: college appeal letter...your opinion please?
I have to write an appeal letter because I was denied readmission. The story is below in my appeal letter, but I need to know if it is too much or what? I'm confused on if I need to add more or take some away. Does it sound like I'm begging??? I haven't edited any so there may be some gramatical errors.
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter is to appeal the denial of my re-admission to The University of Texas at San Antonio. It has come to my attention that I was denied admission due to my low GPA at The University of Oklahoma Norman Campus. I would like the admissions department to reconsider their decision once they have reviewed the situation that resulted in the low GPA at the previous University.
I was a student at UTSA for four years, and was an average student. My cousin and I are the first of my family to attend college, and UTSA is the college we both chose. I greatly enjoyed UTSA and would love to attain my bachelor’s from such a well known university. I have confidence that the great faculty and staff can guide me to the career I desire as I experienced straight out of high school. In return, I will devote my studies and strive to be a better student than before.
I married a US Navy petty officer which resulted in us moving to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where he was stationed at Tinker AFB. I was granted admission into The University of Oklahoma Norman Campus for the fall semester of 2007. I was excited, and relieved that I had no issues continuing my education. However, it was disappointing that nearly half of my credits did not transfer. I decided to take only once course. We were in the process of buying our first home together, and adjusting to the state. I found a job working at OU Health Science Center in accounting department, which I extremely enjoyed working in the field I desired to study.
It was not long before my husband and I found out we were expecting. It was very hard for me to cope with everything, as this was the first time I was away from home. Soon after, my husband told me had he decided to stay in the service he would be deployed on a ship for an unknown amount of time. This took a toll not only on the future of my family, but also my marriage and the health of my unborn baby and me. We soon decided that my husband’s presence for the birth of my daughter and her life was much more important. It was at that time that we decided we would separate from the military and start our family and future back in San Antonio, Texas. We thought that would be the answer to all our problems, but we were mistaken. At that time, I missed the deadline to drop my course by a day or two. I was told it would not transfer back to UTSA, and I felt that I did not need to complete the class. I thought the payment of the course and time was all that I lost. Now, that I know that was not all that was lost, I deeply regret taking the easy way out.
We moved back to San Antonio in the summer of 2008, and are completely settled in. I wished to take classes as soon I returned San Antonio. I had to be honest with myself, and decided I needed to wait. I knew I could not take on more than I could handle, as I learned my lesson last time around. It has now come my time to continue my education and plan a better life for my family. I now have a bigger and better reason to accomplish my life time goal, and “failure is not an option” is my motto.
I am grateful for the work experience in Oklahoma, because I realized that is something that I do not want as my career. I have now decided that I will follow my dream as a child to pursue my education as a math teacher.
I have the potential and desire to be that student that the university will be proud of. With the universities assistance I would like to accomplish my life time goal and attain a bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas at San Antonio. With all do respect, I would like the university to reconsider my application once more.
moreResolved Question: Will the Swine Flu Be the Earth's Sixth Extinction: Homo-Sapiens?
4/29 Swine Flu Update
With 14 confirmed cases of the swine flu illness in California, state health authorities have taken several preventive steps to mitigate the impacts and slow the spread of the virus. In the United States, there are 91 confirmed cases and one death in Texas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in conjunction with state and local health officials, are in California providing assistance and closely monitoring the ongoing swine flu situation.
In addition, California has activated the Joint Emergency Operations Center (JEOC) of the Department of Public Health in coordination with the California Emergency Management Agency and expanded public health laboratory testing of potential flu specimens.
On Thursday, the Senate Committee on Health and the Select Committee on Disaster and Emergency Response will be holding a joint hearing to discuss issues related to the swine flu.
International Swine Flu Outbreak: Assessing California's Preparedness and Response to this Potential Flu Pandemic
WHEN: Thursday, April 30, 2009; 12:00 noon
WHERE: State Capitol, Room 4203; Sacramento, CA
This hearing will be webcast. You can watch it live at http://192.234.214.75/SenCh1 (via Windows Media) on Thursday.
Individuals should take the following precautionary measures:
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
If you become ill with flu-like symptoms, including fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea, you may want to contact your health care provider, particularly if you are worried about your symptoms. Your health care provider will determine whether flu testing or treatment is needed.
If you get sick with the flu, it is recommended that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
For more information and the most up-to-date information, please visit:
The California Department of Health: Swine Influenza (Flu)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Swine Influenza (Flu)
National Institutes of Health: Swine Flu
PandemicFlu.gov
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
World Health Organization: Swine influenza
California Department of Food and Agriculture: Swine Influenza Virus (SIV) Update in California
California Emergency Medical Services Authority: Swine Flu Guidance
moreResolved Question: What do U think of this latest study : Illegal immigrants' care costs state $677 million ?
AUSTIN — The State of Texas and local hospital districts spent an estimated $677 million to provide health care to illegal immigrants in a year, a new study says.
The survey, issued by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, said that most of the money — $597 million — was spent by local hospital districts for the immigrants care during the state's fiscal year that ended on Aug. 31, 2007.
Lawmakers from both parties said they were not surprised by the millions spent and expressed hope that the report, required by the 2007 Legislature, will help prompt Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation.
State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, said the study only tells half of the story. He noted that the immigrants contribute to government coffers by paying sales and property taxes.
The report said the state spent $80 million under the Texas Emergency Medicaid program, which pays hospitals to provide life-saving care, including labor and delivery services, to patients living here illegally. The state also paid $1.2 million to provide services to undocumented immigrants in family violence shelters.
About 1.6 million illegal immigrants were living in the state in 2007,the report said, citing a federal Homeland Security Department estimate. Federal law requires hospitals and ambulance services to provide care to anyone needing emergency treatment regardless of their citizenship, legal status or ability to pay.
The Harris County Hospital District provided $203.5 million in uncompensated care to illegal immigrants in 2007, the report said.
But county hospital district officials disputed the report's numbers, noting that they were calculated on the basis of charges instead of costs. They said charges are inflated, typically double the actual costs of services to taxpayers.
So if an illegals contribute to government coffers by paying sales and property taxes does this mean they do not have to pay any medical bills ? Why is it every illegal does not make any effort to pay their medical bills, do illegals feel paying sales and property taxes is doing their part ?http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6160505.html
moreResolved Question: Does the Shadow Govt really exist? Is this article valid? What are your opinions?
A friend sent me this article and I would like your opinions of it. It's long so it may only be for those who are interested in the ways that Bush enacts laws WITHOUT Congress. Why are the American people NEVER informed of these actions, like NAU? Please, your comments:
THE NEW WORLD DISORDER
Documents disclose 'shadow government'
Indicate U.S. far advanced in constructing bureaucracy united with Mexico, Canada
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
Government documents released by a Freedom of Information Act request reveal the Bush administration is running a "shadow government" with Mexico and Canada in which the U.S. is crafting a broad range of policy in conjunction with its neighbors to the north and south, asserts WND columnist and author Jerome R. Corsi.
The documents, a total of about 1,000 pages, are among the first to be released to Corsi through his FOIA request to the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, or SPP, which describes itself as an initiative "to increase security and to enhance prosperity among the three countries through greater cooperation."
"The documents clearly reveal that SPP, working within the U.S. Department of Commerce, is far advanced in putting together a new regional infrastructure, creating a 'shadow' trilateral bureaucracy with Mexico and Canada that is aggressively rewriting a wide range of U.S. administrative law, all without congressional oversight or public disclosure," Corsi said.
Among the initial discoveries, said Corsi, is the existence of an internal Intranet website that never has been revealed to Congress or the public.
"This private internal website," he claims, "undoubtedly contains a wealth of documentation that the FOIA request has so far intentionally excluded."
Corsi told WND the documents reveal hundreds of internal meetings, memoranda of understanding and other referenced agreements that have not been disclosed.
"We have here the beginnings of a whitewash," he said, "in which SPP evidently thinks the public will be hoodwinked by a 'Myths vs. Facts' document posted for public relations purposes on their public website."
Among the documents is an organizational chart accompanied by a listing of trilateral Mexican, Canadian and U.S. administrative officers who report on multiple cabinet level "working groups."
The government watchdog Judicial Watch announced today it has received some of the same documents, including the organizational chart, which can be seen in this pdf file, on page seven.
"There is no specific authorization for this massive administrative-branch integration with Mexico and Canada other than what amounts to a press conference jointly issued by President Bush, Mexico's President Vicente Fox, and Canada's then-Prime Minister Paul Martin on March 23, 2005, at the end of their summit in Waco, Texas," Corsi said.
Corsi added that even the "Myth vs. Facts" blurb on the SPP.gov website admits the SPP is neither a treaty nor a law.
"The Bush administration is trying to create the infrastructure of a new regional North American government in stealth fashion, under the radar and out of public view," Corsi claims. "Where is Congress, asleep at the wheel?"
The SPP organizational chart Corsi obtained shows 13 working groups covering a wide range of public policy issues, including Manufactured Goods; Energy, Food & Agriculture; Rules of Origin' Health; E-Commerce; Transportation; Environment; Financial Services; Business Facilitation; External Threats to North America; Streamlined & Secured Shared Borders; and Prevention/Response within North America.
U.S. administrative-branch officers participating in these working groups are drawn from the U.S. departments of State, Homeland Security, Commerce, Treasury, Agriculture, Transportation, Energy, Health and Human Services, and the office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
The released documents affirm that counterparts from official governmental agencies in Mexico and Canada are combined with the U.S. administrative branch to form new trilateral "working groups" that actively rewrite U.S. administrative law to "harmonize" or "integrate" with administrative law in Mexico and Canada.
"What we have here amounts to an administrative coup d'etat," Corsi told WND. "Where does the Bush administration get the congressional authorization to invite two foreign nations to the table to rewrite U.S. law?"
moreResolved Question: Is Bush secretly Gay?
Bush In Bed With Homosexuals
1.Candidate George W. Bush appointed four openly homosexual, gay-rights advocates to his presidential campaign steering committee. According to the homosexual group, Log Cabin Republicans, "scores" of Bush state steering committee members and campaign volunteers were homosexuals.
2.Perhaps this explains why hundreds of homosexuals gathered in Washington, D.C., last weekend to "celebrate the achievements and leadership of George W. Bush." It also helps to explain why Rich Tafel, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans, said, "We want the country to know that we are behind our president and administration."
3.On Dec. 21, 2001, President Bush signed a historic bill, which "for the first time allows the District of Columbia government to fund a program that will give domestic partners of city employees access to health benefits." Remember, Bush insisted that openly homosexual Congressman Jim Kolbe of Arizona be given a prominent speaking role at the Republican National Convention. It was Kolbe who introduced the amendment lifting the ban on gay partner benefits in D.C.
4.Bush named Scot Evertz, a prominent homosexual activist, to head the White House AIDS office even though he had absolutely no experience dealing with public health issues.
5.Bush appointed another homosexual activist, Donald Cappoccia, to the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts.
6.Bush appointed openly homosexual, Michael Guest, as Ambassador to Romania. Since then, Bush has decided to leave in place a Clinton policy that calls for supporting the "unmarried partners" of U.S. Foreign Service workers. This allows Guest's live-in lover to live in the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest and allows him to join Guest at official embassy functions.
7.Bush presided over the appointment of homosexual activist, Stephen Herbits, to oversee the choice of civilian personnel at the Pentagon.
8.Bush has not reversed a single pro-homosexual policy instituted by former president Bill Clinton. Not even one!
9.The Bush administration posted a job for what is called a "gay and lesbian program specialist" at the Department of Agriculture.
10.Bush appointed the ardently pro-homosexual Governor of Massachusetts, Paul Cellucci, as U.S. Ambassador to Canada.
11.Bush appointed Lewis Eisenberg to become the new GOP chief fundraiser. Eisenberg has a long history of supporting pro-homosexual and pro-abortion candidates.
You're a good-looking guy. Better looking than my Scott anyway.”
Bush to Canada's Prime Minister Paul Martin assistant.
January 16, 2004 The Globe and Mail
"It's been a fabulous year for Laura and me."
-- George W. Bush., three months after the World Trade Center towers went down.
"Karyn is with us. A West Texas girl, just like me"
-- President Bush, May 27, 2004
"And we'll prevail, because we're a faaabulous nation, and we're a faaabulous nation because we're a nation full of faaabulous people."
-- George W. Bush., Atlanta, GA, January 31, 2002
His whole Cabinet ("I put together a fabulous Cabinet");
House Speaker Denny Hastert & Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist ("It is a joy to work with these two fabulous Americans");
His whole administration ("I put together a fabulous team"):and
Writing in NEWS1652, we reported that the Concerned Women of America (CWA) had raised the highest alarm possible on April 18, 2002, saying that the policy toward Gays and Lesbians in his administration was identical to the policy of Bill Clinton!
http://mindprod.com/politics/bushismsgay.html
http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/671835/posts
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/7/14/193750/666
STOP REPUBLICAN PEDOPHILIA
http://www.armchairsubversive.com/
Evidence Bush Enjoys Kinky S&M and Gay Sex
http://mindprod.com/politics/bushismsgay.html#GAY
Bush Advisor Says President Has Legal Power to Torture Children
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/january2006/090106torturechildren.htm
moreResolved Question: Still wondering how many there are...?
I asked this earlier and didn't get any replies aside from Lieberman SO...
With the following incomplete and constantly growing list of high profile Republicans supporting Obama it makes me wonder, Are there any high profile Democrats supporting McCain?
Incomplete list:
Colin Powell, Secretary of State under Bush 43
Douglas Kmiec, Head of the Office of Legal Counsel under Reagan & Bush 41
Charles Fried, Solicitor General of the United States under Reagan
Jackson M. Andrews, Former Counsel to the U.S. Senate, & 1986 Republican Senatorial Nominee for Kentucky
Susan Eisenhower, Granddaughter of President Eisenhower & President of the Eisenhower Group
Francis Fukuyama, Advisor to President Reagan
Rita Hauser, Former White House intelligence advisor under George W. Bush
Larry Hunter, Former President Reagan Policy Advisor
Scott McClellan, Former Press Secretary to President George W. Bush
Bill Ruckelshaus, Served in the Nixon and Reagan administrations
Ken Adelman, Served in the Ford administration
Lilibet Hagel, Wife of Republican Senator Chuck Hagel
Bruce Rabb, Served in the Nixon administration
George C. Lodge, Assistant Secretary of Labor under President Eisenhower
William B. Ewald, Jr., Special Assistant under President Eisenhower
Robert R. Bowie, Assistant Secretary for Policy Planning, Department of state 1953-1957
Jarold Kieffer, Assistant Secretary, Health, Education & Welfare, 1959-61
Roswell B. Perkins, Assistant Secretary, Health, Education & Welfare, 1954-56
Timothy Ashby, Served in the Reagan and Bush 41 administrations
Richard S. Seline, Finance Director, Republican Party of Texas
David Caprara, Faith-Based Initiatives Director, Federal Volunteer Service Agency under Bush 43
John Perry Barlow, Former Dick Cheney Campaign Manager
Again, my question is are there any high profile Democrats supporting McCain?
Clinton supports Obama and is Dem..
I'm looking for High profile Dems endorsing McCain.
moreResolved Question: Military providing free healthcare But does that job include protecting foreigners at the expense of American
BROWNSVILLE, Texas—The Air National Guard at Ellington Field stands ready to protect our borders both on land and at sea.
Part of that duty includes providing free medical care to everyone.
That is evident at a school in Brownsville where soldiers along with our state’s health and human services department help those in need.
“We’re protecting our people and that’s our job,” said Master Sgt. Marcus Falleaf who is with the Air National Guard.
But does that job include protecting foreigners at the expense of American taxpayers?
That’s what some want to know.
Some claim that more than 5,000 people have received medical care at the Brownsville facility in three days.
The military doesn’t know how many people are getting served because they don’t require documentation and don't ask questions.
One woman who spoke to 11 News said she lives in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. It's a city across the border form Brownsville.
She said that she received a health screening, including blood work and a physical exam. It was all free.
In fact, anyone who comes to the facility can get vision checks, dental and hearing work, even free medications. why we’re giving foreigners free medical care when an estimated 40 million Americans struggle along without health insurance.”
http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou080807_jj_operation_lone_star_houston.242a2114.html
moreResolved Question: School went "out of business" needing transcript?
I am a Licensed Massage Therapist, State of Texas. Where on the Texas Department of State Health Services web site do I go to for getting a copy of the transcripts (classes taken, grades) that would have been submitted by the massage school?
My timing was AWFUL. Just had it verified by a competitive school that Texas Massage Institute went out of business "about a month ago" the person told me...
Here is the home link for Texas DSHS...I just can't figure where to go from here.
Thanks!
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/massage/defa...
071608 6:55
moreResolved Question: School went "out of business" needing transcript?
I am a Licensed Massage Therapist, State of Texas. Where on the Texas Department of State Health Services web site do I go to for getting a copy of the transcripts (classes taken, grades) that would have been submitted by the massage school?
My timing was AWFUL. Just had it verified by a competitive school that Texas Massage Institute went out of business "about a month ago" the person told me...
Here is the home link for Texas DSHS...I just can't figure where to go from here.
Thanks!
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/massage/default.shtm
071608 5:55
moreResolved Question: What do you think More candy from Mexico recalled due to elevated lead levels?
BROWNSVILLE — Concerns about lead contamination have prompted a San Antonio import company to expand its voluntary recall of Mexican candy, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Villa-Mex Imports Inc., the company responsible for importing Tarritos, has agreed to voluntarily recall the candy, but state and local officials say it could take weeks before the item is completely removed from store shelves.
Tarritos is the second brand of Mexican candy to be recalled this month after testing revealed elevated lead levels in the products.
Productos Avila S.A. manufactures Tarritos and is also responsible for Barrilito, which was recalled at the beginning of December.
“We can’t provide an exact timeline for the recall,” said Carrie Williams, a spokeswoman for the Texas state health department. “It’s going to boil down to how efficient the recall is and the communication that goes into it. We do hope that most is already recalled.”
But a week after the department’s Dec. 14 announcement of the Tarritos recall, the candies were still on the shelves of several Brownsville stores. And employees seemed unaware or unconcerned about the risk.
George Lopez is the owner of Lopez Food Store, which had several of the Tarritos mug-shaped glass jars with the dark, reddish-brown paste for sale.
He said he receives recall notices for so many products that he was unaware of the Tarritos recall or if his store even sold the product.
“I’ll check on it and if there is a recall we’ll take it off the shelf,” Lopez said.
And Lucky Mart Convenience Stores on Southmost Boulevard had a full box of Tarritos, which it sells for $1.39 per unit.
The owner of the store was unavailable for comment, but one of the clerks said she was familiar with the recall but wasn’t sure why the product had not been removed.
Both stores later removed the Tarritos candy from their shelves.
Candy can be contaminated in a variety of ways, including ink from the candy wrapper seeping into the product or from lead-based solders. The glass container was responsible for contaminating the Tarritos candies, according to state authorities.
Eating products contaminated with lead can lead to delayed mental and physical development and learning deficiencies in young children, the state health department reported.
The amount of lead found in the Tarritos was as high as 0.125 parts per million. Anything above 0.1 parts per million is considered dangerous.
Villa-Mex Imports will be given an opportunity to voluntarily recall Tarritos from its distributors before the state health department begins targeted inspections, Williams said.
Dr. Brian Smith, regional director for the state health department, said Mexican candies have posed a health concern in the Rio Grande Valley for a long time.
“There are a number of different concerns with Mexican candy,” he said. “Rat feces, bugs are common of tamarindo products. Personally, I don’t eat Mexican candy.”http://www.themonitor.com/news/tarritos_7591___article.html/recall_candy.html
So, Mexico is outsourcing candy production to China, now?
moreResolved Question: Your opinion Congressional study shows illegal immigrants sap tax dollars ?
A study by the U.S. Congressional Budget Office released Tuesday backs up the view that undocumented immigrants sap more tax dollars than they provide, especially in education, health care and law enforcement.
The study pulled together reports from the past five years, using data from sources including the Pew Hispanic Center, the Rand Corp., the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and various universities. The Congressional study also incorporated facts from states, including Arizona, but its authors acknowledged there was no aggregate estimate that could be applied to the entire country.
The report says that in 1990, 90 percent of undocumented immigrants primarily were in six states: California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Texas.
By 2004, undocumented immigrants had increased tenfold in other states, most notably Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee, according to statistics from the Pew Hispanic Center.
The report estimates there are 12 million undocumented immigrants nationwide. Of those, 60 percent are uninsured and 50 percent of the children are uninsured. Again using 2004 statistics from the Pew Hispanic Center the average income of undocumented immigrants was $27,400 while Americans earned $47,800. The difference puts undocumented immigrants in a lower tax bracket, thus reducing the amount of federal and state income taxes generated.
The study also showed that while undocumented workers represented just 5 percent of state and federal service costs, their tax revenue did not offset the amount spent by government. The authors of the study stated that, "the general consensus is that unauthorized immigrants impose a net cost on state and local budgets. However, no agreement exists as to the size of, or even the best way of measuring, that cost at a national level."
In education, which the study notes is the largest single expenditure http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2007/12/17/daily19.html
moreResolved Question: Is there truth to this article about blacks hurting blacks?
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/09/05/destruction_in_black_america_is_self_inflicted/
DEBATING capital punishment at an Ivy League university a few years ago, I was confronted with the claim that since death sentences are more often meted out in cases where the victim is white, the death penalty must be racially biased. It's a spurious argument, I replied. Whites commit fewer than half of all murders in the United States, yet more whites than blacks are sentenced to death and more whites than blacks are executed each year. If there is racial bias in the system, it clearly isn't in favor of whites.
But if you choose to focus on the race of victims, I added, remember that nearly all black homicide is intraracial - more than nine out of 10 black murder victims in the United States are killed by black murderers. So applying the death penalty in more cases where the victim is black would mean sending more black men to death row.
After the debate, a young black woman accosted me indignantly. Ninety-plus percent of black blood is shed by black hands? What about all the victims of white supremacists? Hadn't I heard of lynching? Hadn't I heard of James Byrd, who died so horribly in Jasper, Texas? When I assured her that Byrd's murder by whites was utterly untypical of most black homicide, she was dubious.
I thought of that young woman when I read recently about James Ford Seale, the former Mississippi Klansman sentenced last month to three life terms in prison for his role in murdering two black teenagers 43 years ago. The killing of Charles Moore and Henry Dee in 1964 was one of several unsolved civil-rights-era crimes that prosecutors in the South have reopened in recent years. Seale's trial was a vivid reminder of the days when racial contempt was a deadly fact of life in much of the country. His sentence proclaims even more vividly the transformation of America since then. White racism, once such a murderous force, is now associated mostly with feeble has-beens.
Yet many Americans, like the woman at my debate, still seem to view racial questions through an antediluvian haze. To them, white bigotry remains a clear and present danger, and the reason so many black Americans die before their time.
But the data aren't in dispute. Though outrage over "racism" is ever fashionable, African-Americans have long had far less to fear from the violence of racist whites than from the mayhem of the black underclass.
"Do you realize that the leading killer of young black males is young black males?" asked Secretary of Health and Human Services Louis Sullivan 16 years ago. "As a black man and a father of three, this really shakes me to the core of my being."
From Georgia Congressman John Lewis, a veteran of the civil rights movement, came a similar cry of anguish. "Nothing in the long history of blacks in America," he lamented in 1994, "suggests the terrible destruction blacks are visiting upon each other today."
Happily, crime rates have declined from their 1990s peak. But it remains that the worst destruction in black America is self-inflicted.
In a new study, the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics confirms once again that almost half the people murdered in the United States each year are black, and 93 percent of black homicide victims are killed by someone of their own race. (For white homicide victims, the figure is 85 percent.) In other words, of the estimated 8,000 African-Americans murdered in 2005, more than 7,400 were cut down by other African-Americans. Though blacks account for just one-eighth of the US population, the BJS reports, they are six times more likely than whites to be victimized by homicide -- and seven times more likely to commit homicide.
Such huge disproportions don't just happen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously warned 40 years ago that the collapse of black family life would mean rising chaos and crime in the black community. Today, as many as 70 percent of black children are born out of wedlock and 60 percent are raised in fatherless households. And as reams of research confirm, children raised without married parents and intact, stable families are more likely to engage in antisocial behavior.
High rates of black violent crime are a national tragedy, but it is the law-abiding black majority that suffers from them most. "There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life," Jesse Jackson said in 1993, "than to walk down the street and hear footsteps . . . then turn around and see somebody white and feel relieved."
It isn't an insoluble problem. Americans overcame white racism; they can overcome black crime. But the first step, as always, is to face the facts.
Jeff Jacoby's e-mail address is jacoby@globe.com.
moreResolved Question: Do you feel this a good program for our nation?
BROWNSVILLE, Texas - The strip mall storefront of International Educational Services opens up into cheerful offices and classrooms decorated with American flags. Open a classroom door, and dozens of smiling children look up from their workbooks for a heavily accented group "good morning."
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The children are illegal immigrants, and all but one are from Central America. In the afternoon, they will go to foster homes, where they will live until they can be united with a "sponsor" — a parent, relative or family friend within the United States.
It's a better scenario than they would have faced in the past, when children caught crossing the border were locked up like adults. But critics say the majority will eventually fade into the nation's illegal immigrant subculture, easily becoming lost in a maze of homeland security and social service agencies.
In fact, 68 percent of the juveniles never appear in court, according to a 2004 analysis by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Carl Rusnok said it was up to the sponsor to bring children to their proceedings.
"This is fraud-prone and this is an inducement to illegal immigration," said Don Barnett, a fellow at the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies. "There's no question that smugglers are totally aware of this program and know how to use it."
Barnett found that some children are being turned over to non-relatives because their blood relatives are illegal immigrants who fear being deported if they present themselves.
Smugglers are telling parents to separate from the children once they cross the Rio Grande, he said. Even if they are caught by the Border Patrol the children are all but guaranteed to be in a safe, comfortable home within a day or so and placed with a relative or friend within a few weeks or months.
The parents can meanwhile seek "voluntary departure," which means they can leave without a deportation order on their record — which would prohibit them from entering the United States within the next 10 years and subject them to jail time if they are caught. They can then try to qualify for a visa or attempt to sneak in again.
If they were caught together, the entire family would be detained at one of the federal government's new family facilities, such as the T. Don Hutto facility in Taylor that has been criticized for prison-like conditions. There would be no chance of avoiding removal proceedings.
Sandra De La Garza, lead case manager at the International Educational Services foster program, said she had heard of families purposely breaking up to avoid Hutto. And staffers said there was no doubt the smugglers and immigrant families knew about their agency.
Children at the Brownsville facility seemed upbeat about the whole process, saying they were happy at their temporary homes.
One, a 13-year-old from Honduras, said she thought the journey was fun.
The foster care programs emerged from the 1997 settlement of Flores vs. Reno, a class-action lawsuit against the former Immigration and Naturalization Service. The suit argued it was wrong for children caught by the Border Patrol to be treated punitively like the adults.
Under the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which abolished INS and created the Department of Homeland Security, the care and placement of illegal immigrant children was transferred to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Children would fall under the purview of social service and not federal law enforcement officials.
"The government felt DHS was doing it from a legal authority perspective," said Teresa Brooks, an Office of Refugee Resettlement official responsible for overseeing immigrant foster care programs in the Rio Grande Valley. "They're law enforcement, and that's the way they are."
International Educational Services, which is a nonprofit agency, is one of more than 30 under contract with the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement.
Since January, the agency has received $5 million in federal money for two foster programs and the detention center where teens are housed a few miles away in Los Fresnos.
Foster parents are reimbursed for costs of feeding their charges and ensuring they experience "environment" — which can mean trips to parks and malls. All homes are equipped with cribs for the many teenage girls arriving with babies or in advanced pregnancy. Eventually the children will be on their way to a relative or family friend's home — somewhere on the felt map of the United States that hangs in the agency's hallway.
"We don't have contact with them after that," Brooks said. "It's up to the sponsors to see that they attend court sessions to see if they can stay or not."
Kathleen Walker, a longtime immigration lawyer based in El Paso, said such programs should be embraced for treating children like children rather than prisoners.
She said the government had records of every sponsor and should have no problem following up on cases.
"In this case you have citizens and legal permanent residents providing you with all kinds of information about where they are and where the person is going to be. So if there's a problem it's not like ICE can't go and do something," she said.
"I think what we're trying to do is be humane," she said. "Is the objection here that we want to make sure that children are behind bars and behind concertina wires?"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070721/ap_on_re_us/immigrants_foster_care
moreResolved Question: Can someone please explain this to me - Undocumented Aliens qualify for medical services in Texas?
"The Texas Department of Health and Human Services (HHSC) administers several programs which provide medical care for...."
Read #4 (under 'Introduction' on their website -- link below) and tell me if I'm understanding this right. Are illegal immigrants really receiving this? Or am I reading it wrong?
http://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/programs/TexasWorks/medicalprograms.htmlThe reason I am asking is because I applied online and didn't qualify. And I'm a legal US citizen! It just doesn't make sense to me.Kinda funny how all the "pros" on the immigration section scream at us that illegals can't get these benefits...and whoa, what do you know, they DO......here it is in black and white! Amazing.
moreResolved Question: what's your opinion on homelessness??
744,000 Are Homeless in U.S.
Quote
(AP) - There were 744,000 homeless people in the United States in 2005, according to the first national estimate in a decade. A little more than half were living in shelters, and nearly a quarter were chronically homeless, according to the report Wednesday by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, an advocacy group.
A majority of the homeless were single adults, but about 41 percent were in families, the report said.
The group compiled data collected by the Department of Housing and Urban Development from service providers throughout the country. It is the first national study on the number of homeless people since 1996. That study came up with a wide range for America's homeless population: between 444,000 and 842,000.
Counting people without permanent addresses, especially those living on the street, is an inexact process. But the new study is expected to provide a baseline to help measure progress on the issue.
"Having this data brings all of us another step closer to understanding the scope and nature of homelessness in America, and establishing this baseline is an extremely challenging task," HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson said. "Understanding homelessness is a necessary step to addressing it successfully."
HUD is preparing to release its own report on homelessness in the coming weeks, Jackson said. In the future, the department plans to issue annual reports on the number of homeless people in the U.S.
Some cities and states have done their own counts of the homeless, providing a mix of trends, said Nan Roman, president of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. For example, New York City and San Francisco have seen decreases, while the number of homeless in Washington, D.C., has increased, Roman said.
"In the last 12 to 18 months, the homeless population has essentially exploded in Philadelphia," said Marsha Cohen, executive director of the Homeless Advocacy Project, which provides free legal services to the homeless in Philadelphia. "We are seeing big increases in singles and families, both on the street and attempting to enter the homeless system."
"It's a whole influx of new people, and that's the really scary part," Cohen said.
In Columbus, Ohio, workers are scrambling to help an increasing number of people living under bridges and in wooded encampments near rivers and streams, said Barbara Poppe, executive director of the Community Shelter Board.
"We're very concerned about the health and well being of those people being out in the elements," Poppe said. "We had an encampment set on fire, and we had a woman struck by a train."
California was the state with most homeless people in 2005, about 170,000, followed by New York, Florida, Texas and Georgia, according to the report.
Nevada had the highest share of its population homeless, about 0.68 percent. It was followed by Rhode Island, Colorado, California and Hawaii.
"The driver in homelessness is the affordable housing crisis," Roman said. "If we don't do something to address the crisis in affordable housing we are not going to solve homelessness."
She said many of the chronically homeless have mental health and substance abuse problems. Others, she said, simply cannot afford housing.
moreResolved Question: Texas Department of State Health Services Retail Food Establishment Inspection Report?
How to find online a retail food establishment Inspection Report from Texas Department of State Health Services
more
Top Texas Department Of State Health Services Links
| The home page for the Texas Department of State Health Services |
| Texas Department of State Health Services Certificates and Licenses |
| Texas health and human services agencies submitted their response to the January 15 ... Department of Family and Protective Services; Department of State Health Services |
| The Texas Department of State Health Services offers tips for families, school and health care ... Texas health and human services agencies submitted their response to the January ... |
| DSHS Substance Abuse Services. The Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (TCADA) became part of the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Mental Health and Substance Abuse ... |
| HOUSTON DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ... of Texas School of Public Health - Evaluation of the Food Service ... and health care. Harris County (Gold Card) State of Texas ... |
| The Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation (TDMHMR), which was created in 1965, ceased operations on Sept. 1, 2004. The department has worked to improve the ... |