This is a time that we should reflect on the events
affecting our community. There is a lot of discussion about community, harmony
and love of country. We as a people tend to respond to crises in a very
emotional way. We are torn between the haves
and the have-nots. Generally
speaking, those who have assets are trying to protect their assets and allow
them to grow. This is the foundation of the capitalist society. It is designed
for the individual to do what is best for him and for his family. It infers that
I must do everything I can to ensure that
my children and family live in the best neighborhood and obtain the best
education so that they can move upward successfully. If this goes too far,
it is possible to lose respect for the overall community and in this particular
case the public health of the community. I have not heard anyone say that they
do not respect the flag, love our country or support our troops. As you all
know, we have an all-volunteer military, and many of you have no connections
with anyone who serves in the military. Since there is a disconnection, many of
you for economic reasons choose not to take TRICARE because of its pay scale
associated with Medicare rates. This makes great sense as an economic decision;
but it is a hard ball to swallow for the soldiers, the sailors and the airmen
who defend this country.
It is well-accepted that for the best public health, we
need an educated population. An educated population allows the patient a better
overall comprehension of their health. They are better prepared to understand
the disease process and its treatment plan. They can better understand the
types of medicine and the potential complications of the medicines that they are
taking. They are more likely to understand what they hear and read about regarding
their medications and medical treatment plan. We also know that the information
source for many of our patients, which they readily trust, is obtained from
television info-commercials, from conversations held at beauty parlors or
barbershops, on the sports fields, at an activity event or at other social
gathering events. As you all know, the funding for education in the state of
Texas was struck down by a court order when the two richest communities in
Texas challenged the funding of public education. This was when the haves did not want to share with the have-nots. It was a great economic
decision, but it was a poor decision for the greater community of the state of
Texas. The legislature and the governor have not figured out an adequate replacement
system for financing the state's education, which, by the way, directly affects
the state’s public health. Unfortunately, we and the rest of the United States
had a financial setback that has lasted a couple of years. This is the devastating
consequences for our state budget. Currently, our legislators are faced with a
state budget deficit of somewhere between $15 and $28 billion.
The current philosophy in Austin is to cut services across
the board. This is a straightforward approach, which implies you only eat what
you can kill. There are some consequences to this approach. Physicians’
Medicaid pay will be cut approximately 10%. This will cause some physicians to
stop seeing Medicaid patients, and thereby reduce the quantity of access to
health care for the poor. Public education will be cut by 15%. Health and Human
Services will be reduced by 22%. Higher education will be cut by 17%. Public
safety/criminal justice will be cut by 14%, and Others will be cut by 18%.
When you look at the public education cuts, it has some
camouflaged problems. What will not be funded is enrollment growth over
approximately 80,000 new students annually. State funds will not offset the
loss of property taxes resulting from the decline in value per student. Teacher
incentive pay, student success initiatives, the technology allotment, and pre-
kindergartens are not funded. Financial aid funding is limited to students who
are currently receiving it; no additional students will be able to receive
funding. It is estimated that approximately four community colleges will be
cut. These decisions and proposed cuts will be difficult for Texas to execute.
The Golden Rule is that those who have the gold make the
rules. This community was founded on Judeo-Christian values. Other religious
values have been added. They all talk about the need of taking care of all of
society, particularly those who are disenfranchised, disabled, displaced and disease-stricken.
If the lack of community concern continues to permeate our legislative process
in Texas, we will continue to have the highest reproductive rate in the U.S. With
the lack of adequate educational funding, we will have the largest,
unsophisticated, uneducated community in the U.S.. This data is not new; it has
been known for a long time; but no crisis has arrived. Is this a lack of
political will, or is it just a lack of foresight and leadership?
There are a couple of examples of a lack of foresight and leadership
and these dire consequences are now on display in the news every day. For
example, Egypt's dictatorship is being challenged by the people of Egypt. Unemployment,
lack of advancement, lack of education, and lack of hope are the driving
forces. Now, let us look historically at Egypt. They were clearly a community
of the haves versus the have-nots. Is this a lack of
understanding of the needs of the whole community, a lack of knowledge of what
the community wants, a lack of vision by its leaders, or was it arrogance with
a lack of leadership? Is it one of these items that we can define or is it a
combination? My last question is: Was it a surprise that the citizen of Egypt
became rebellious?
I realize by the time this goes to print many of my
questions will be answered, but I just could not resist the temptation to
discuss them.
Sincerely yours,
Jesse Moss Jr. MD, PA
U.S. Senate
John Cornyn
(202) 224-2934 (210)
224-7485
http://www.cornyn.senate.gov/
Kay Bailey Hutchison
(202) 224-5922 (210)
340-2885
http://hutchison.senate.gov/
U.S. Representatives:
Charles A. Gonzalez, District 20
(202) 225-3236 (210)
472-6195
http://www.gonzalez.house.gov/
Lamar Smith, District 21
(202) 225-4236 (210)
821-5024
http://lamarsmith.house.gov/
Francisco “Quico” Canseco, District 23
(202) 225-4511 (210) 561-8855
http://canseco.house.gov/
Henry Cuellar, District 28
(202) 225-1640 (210)
271-2851
http://cuellar.house.gov/