It’s not like the “budget deal” hasn’t already accomplished some sort of dark goal of letting a large group of Californians float in the wind. Clearly, the “deal” will result in the untimely deaths of hundreds, but more likely thousands, of Californians.
We’ll get more details of the cuts up as soon as we can. But here is what the Bee has for now:
Line items totaled $656 million, including cuts in the Office of Aids Prevention and Treatment. (SacBee 7/28/09)
What does this mean? Well, it means more Californians will get HIV. Some will die young, and others will chronically take HIV meds for the rest of their life. This is just one more profound failure in an administration that has been one big disaster after another.
In case you are wondering what exactly the Office of AIDS does, here is the official Office of AIDS website. Because clearly this goal is just a waste of money:
OA is committed to assess, prevent, and interrupt the transmission of HIV, and to provide for the needs of HIV-infected Californians.
Oh, never mind actual statistics showing overall rebounding rates of seroconversion and skyrocketing HIV rates among minorities, especially African-Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders, and young people.
No, we need to “live within our means” aka dying without them.
UPDATE: Over $52 million of the cuts were from the Office of AIDS. I wonder how his good buddies in Hollywood feel about this.
$52,133,000 General Fund for various programs administered by the Office of AIDS:
Education and Prevention, Therapeutic Monitoring, Counseling and Testing, Early
Intervention, Home and Community Based Care, and Housing
Not mentioned in this coverage is that these cuts may also endanger more than $120 million dollars in federal AIDS care funding that presently goes to the state of California through the Ryan White CARE Act.
The problem relates to a provision of the CARE Act that requires states to “to maintain State expenditures for HIV-related activities at a level equal to the 1-year period preceding the fiscal year (FY) for which the grantee is applying to receive a Title II grant.”
This “maintenance of effort” is required if a state is to receive a grant for the next year.
California state government received more than $122,936,034 in Title II funding (in 2007, the last year I could find data for).
These massive cuts in state funding for AIDS care clearly are in violation of this requirement. As a result, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) may have no legal option under existing law other than punishing the state of California (and, in reality, people living with HIV/AIDS in the state) by making drastic cuts or even completely denying federal Title II funds to the state.
This is an extremely dangerous and short-sighted action on the part of the Governor.
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“The CARE Act requires Title II grantees to maintain State expenditures for HIV-related activities at a level equal to the 1-year period preceding the fiscal year (FY) for which the grantee is applying to receive a Title II grant. In order to receive a Title II award, States must comply with maintenance of effort requirements, which include: a signed assurance that maintenance of effort has been maintained, a description of a consistent data set of local government expenditures for two previous years….. To demonstrate compliance with this provision, States must maintain adequate systems for consistently tracking and reporting on HIV-related expenditure data from year-to-year. Grantees are accountable to ensure that Federal funds do not supplant State spending but instead expand and enrich HIV-related activities.”
they really could give a flying rats ass to the welfare of the State and it’s citizens.
In their minds, f you are not rich and/or Republican…”Just go die.”