You probably know how I feel about this:
President Donald Trump campaigned across the country promising to fix the opioid crisis, but public health advocates say his early moves are poised to make it far worse.
The newest development — a proposed 95 percent cut to the office leading the opioid fight — sparked concerns from within the agency and longtime addiction advocates.
“It’s devastating,” said Kevin Sabet, who worked in the decades-old Office of National Drug Control Policy, advising the Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama administrations. “It’s the biggest cut I’ve ever seen or had to deal with.”
Supposedly, Trump is trying to stand something up that will be led by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who is one of the better Republicans in the nation on this issue. Maybe that effort will yield something worthwhile, but let’s keep things in perspective:
Since taking office, the Trump administration has fought to pass an Obamacare repeal bill that would result in millions more without coverage; fired a surgeon general who led an unprecedented study of the opioid crisis; proposed billions of dollars of cuts to public health funding; and signaled a return to the tough-on-drugs approach to fighting addiction.
Obviously, having a history of substance abuse is a pre-existing condition, and depending on a final health care bill’s details, treating mental illness at parity with other illnesses could become optional, making it harder to get treatment or pay for counseling. On the whole, the only thing Trump has attempted so far that might move things in a positive direction is a pointless effort to prevent Mexican heroin from getting into the country by building a giant wall on the border. If that would work, it might be worth the expense and effort, but it wouldn’t work.
In any case, he isn’t getting his wall.
People are pretty desperate that something be done to combat the overdose deaths that are now claiming over 47,000 American lives per year. A wall might sound better than nothing. But nothing is better than what Trump is doing with his other proposals.
He’s a fraud. He never cared about the people he promised to help or anyone other than himself. There is, however, growing awareness on a bipartisan basis that steps must be taken to stop this scourge. It’s going to be up to Congress to lead, though, because the administration, on their own, is going to make a terrible problem immeasurably worse.
The Parties are not the same.
As one of the many Americans in recovery and with my many heartbreaking experiences with family and friends who have been addicts, I share your disappointment and fury about this, Martin. The cruelty makes decent people sick at heart.
I hope you are right that there is “…growing awareness on a bipartisan basis that steps must be taken to stop this scourge.” I would love for you to share evidence that this is true. The conservative movement and Republican Party have gone mad with power and white hot hatred, though.
It certainly doesn’t appear to me that the Republican Congressional caucuses are up to the task here, leaders like Governor Kasich are better in their rhetoric but not much better in their policy preferences (he led support for a Federal Balanced Budget Amendment, for fuck’s sake), and the Frums and Sullivans of the world have lost the argument on their side. The House’s ACHA vote makes it clear that Trump apostates are in the wilderness.
Someone wrote online recently that it took about two years from the Watergate scandal to the resignation of President Nixon. That reminder is encouraging. But Congress was under Democratic Party control in ’73-’74 and there were true moderates in the Republican Congressional caucuses. Now we have a sociopathic GOP in full Congressional control, and the Committees appear worthless. Even the Senate Intelligence Committee, the supposed bipartisan body pledging integrity, is establishing itself as a joke. Senator Warner is getting his ass rolled over there; time for him to learn to become shrill.
It appears to me it’s up to the Judiciary and the voters, two groups I lack confidence in right now. At least the prospect of the voters pulling us back out of the soup seems possible and keeps me hopeful and motivated to do better.
I’ll concede my confidence is shaken. I will not abandon hope or allow others to do so without response, though.
I like to keep my stats updated, because I sometimes refer to stats on the USA as I instruct college students in Japan. That 47,000 overdose deaths is higher than the 35,000 I’ve been quoting, Booman. While updating my stats I came across newly revised data:
Number of deaths per year in the USA: 2,473,018
Cancer deaths: 564,800
Automobile accidents: 35,000
Gun deaths 33,636
Opioid deaths have outpaced guns and cars, so there is a very real epidemic taking place. Still, Peter Pumpkin Head and his minions will bleat on about all those “immigrants,” you know the ones who will take the demeaning jobs, and still have three to four kids per family to keep the U.S population at some sort of stasis.
New research identifies a `sea of despair’ among white, working-class Americans
Research by two economists….
It has much to do with level of education and affects the American WWC.
(article was written in March)
The problem with this explanation is that the working class is in similar, and often worse, situations in many other countries. Employment opportunities for young people are worse in Portugal or Spain and arguably even France. But it’s only here that the death rate is soaring. The same issue shows up if you compare US whites to most US ethnic minorities.
No check out the link. This is unique to the US WWC with high school or lower education.
The death rates are specific to US less-educated whites. The difficulties in getting work and life prospects aren’t, and the article doesn’t even claim that. All they say is “Offering what they call a tentative but “plausible” explanation”. It is plausible when compared to better educated US whites, but not other groups
Yes, that was the point of the study. Some other article called it something like sickness of despair. It may be useful to contemplate what is happening here and to what extent this leads votes to Trump. The despair is the result of their economic situation, opioids addiction, alcoholism and family dysfunction, and it is killing them. This particular reference updates an earlier one from a few years ago and the trend continues.
“It’s going to be up to Congress to lead.”
The 21st Century update to the “nine most terrifying words in the English language.”
Trump and his party have no empathy for human suffering and if there is a price tag for programs that help those who need help the most, forget it. The Republicans will ignore the quickly snowballing numbers of people caught up in the opioid scourge and let them suffer, struggle, and die.
If Republican representatives can watch Jimmy Kimmel”s recent heartbreaking plea for decent health care for everyone and make rude comments and mock him for reaching out, then getting help for drug users is impossible. Republicans made fun of and made hateful comments about an infant with a heart defect! I wonder if Mrs Kimmel had decided to have an abortion would have changed their outcry.
When a political party dismisses an epidemic, it’s a sign that they concede that money wins over human care and compassion. They will allow families to see their beloved children, sisters, brothers and friends die. Trump made the promise and he’s ignoring it. We have to make ourselves heard, because the situation and the numbers are devastating.The Republican Party does not care.
What happens when a significant chunk of the electorate values vicarious participation in a grand tribal victory over the lives of their neighbors and loved ones?
What incentives do voters like that respond to?
It’s the Masada stage of white resentment politics.
Congress is going to treat this as a combined law-enforcement and immigration problem. With special emphasis on colored people. And no naxolone for you, unless you pay for it.
Governer LePage, Trump’s John the Baptist, shows the way.
Of course he did.
He’s a junkie himself.
An ego junkie. A power junkie.
He’s found the imagined paradise of all junkies, the 24/7 high.
I have been living cheek to jowl with junkies during my entire career as a musician who plays mostly Pan-American styles. Heroin junkies. Alcohol junkies. Cocaine junkies. Marijuana junkies. Sex junkies. Power junkies. Success junkies. Money junkies. The works.
The one thing that holds them all together…the one characteristic that they all share? They are all serial liars. It is only when they start telling…and facing…the truth that they have any chance whatsoever of kicking. Until then? Lie after lie after lie after lie.
Expect nothing more from Trump. He’s mainlining his drug and has been doing so successfully for decades. His jones has grown with time, as does every addiction. He’s reached the end of the line as far as upping his dose again. Now comes the fall. Watch. The only question is, will he take us all down with him. Most junkies will unquestioningly do just that to get just one more high. It’s up to others to save themselves if they can’t save the junkie. We’d better hurry, though. He’s headed for his own “Made It ma! Top of the world! ” moment.
Bet on it.
AG
P.S. “New Jersey Governor Chris Christie…one of the better Republicans in the nation…?” At anything? I disagree. Another serial liar/power junkie. He could care less about anyone but himself. All talk, no walk other than Bridgegate-style.
And
“It’s going to be up to Congress to lead…?”
Booman!!! Have you taken a good look at Congress? Lead? They only follow. They follow power; they follow the money and they follow false statistics and polls.
Lead?
Please!!!
AG
. . . Sun Rises in East Today.
Color me utterly unsurprised.
Opiod epidemic? A rising leader in the cause of deaths in the USA.
For the 1%, that’s called a BONUS!
Less useless mouths to feed.
Why anyone in the so-called WWC would believe that a 1% constantly lying con-man would seek to help them is beyond me.
Nah gunna happen.