Make 3 phone calls today!
June 2, 2009
WE NEED TO KEEP UP THE PRESSURE!!! MAKE THESE CALLS TODAY!!!
DO NOT WAIT FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO CALL; EVERY SINGLE PERSON HAS TO MAKE THESE CALLS! ACT NOW!!
The House Budget Threatens Our Lives
The House's proposed budget will destroy the economic fabric of our state. (If you would like to read the proposed budget go to our action alert page at: http://72.167.22.100/action_alert/index.shtml
Our service system will be set back 40 years. The House's proposed budget cuts to Health and Human Services and Medicaid will have a total impact of close to $3.5 billion.
The entire service system will be destroyed. Individuals and families will lose their services. It's not even a matter of trying to send people with developmental disabilities back to institutions - there won’t be institutions and there won't be community supports.
A few of the worst cuts are:
Reducing the budget for state-funded services by over $150,000,000
Cuts all Medicaid service rates by 4% causing salary reductions and layoffs
Cuts Medicaid Personal Care Services by over $50,000,000...reducing the services by over half. This is the only direct service other than case management that is a Medicaid entitlement for people with developmental disabilities
Eliminates continuation increases in Medicaid of over $500,000,000. This cut means serious reductions because any increases in CAP plans implemented during the last fiscal year will be eliminated
Cuts case management services by over $50,000,000 by "consolidation"
Eliminates the Medicaid service called Community Support which is the one Medicaid service that is designed to support people with mental illness in the community.
The House's budget will cause a depression in North Carolina. The massive reduction in jobs in health and human services and education, as well as in other areas, will result in a lower tax base, which in turn will necessitate further budget cuts and more losses in services. It’s a vicious, downward spiraling cycle.
THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW! We must all unite to fight the House's proposed budget, and we have no time to waste. The House may vote on the budget as early as June 8.
No one can afford to sit back and watch this budget debacle play out. The lives of people with disabilities, their families and the entire state of North Carolina depend on everyone getting involved. Don't think someone else will make the calls. YOU must make the calls!
The Arc of NC has a strategic advocacy plan. Today, tomorrow and Wednesday the leadership of the House must hear from you. We will send out an e-alert when it is time for the next steps, but today, you need to make three calls:
Speaker Hackney 919-733-3451
Majority Leader Holliman 919-715-0873
Minority Leader Stam 919-733-2962
Tell them:
The proposed cuts in HHS and education will destroy our state, risking the lives of people with disabilities, our children’s future, cost thousands of jobs and drive our state into a depression! Raise taxes in order to avoid this disaster! We hold the House accountable!
These representatives must receive thousands of phone calls in the next two days.
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