Elton John is arguably the most prominent voice on fighting against, fundraising for, and educating on AIDS, at least in terms of celebrity cachet. He just got done making headlines last week in a renewed call for AIDS advocacy. Too bad California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't hear him.
Facing a massive $24 billion state budget deficit — with cash expected to run out by July — Schwarzenegger is cutting costs wherever he can. And you know what that means: Take your tired, your weak, and your poor … and find somewhere else to put them.
That includes those in need of AIDS treatment.
Schwarzenegger is hoping to slash the entirety of a $96 million AIDS program that provides care to 35,000 patients, according to an alert from the Los Angeles County Commission on HIV. This is the same governor who, back in 2005, declared December 1 would be California AIDS Day in conjunction with World AIDS Day. And yes, for the Independent's "Red Issue," it was Schwarzenegger talking about how "we are also fighting AIDS in California, providing nearly $300m to provide life-saving medicine to low-income persons with the disease."
How's that lip service paying off now?
Schwarzenegger has already run into trouble with California's HIV/AIDS community. In December, the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles ordered "California’s Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to implement a landmark 2002 law intended to extend Medi-Cal (Medicaid) coverage to HIV-positive Californians" after Schwarzenegger's administration failed to do so. Oh, silly California: Letting the courts decide everything.
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That's cool with me. Most new HIV cases in CA are not gay men. Hasn't been for about 3 years. If prop 8 taught me anything, it's to care about me and only me. I don't have HIV, I don't need state funding of HIV services, and therefor I don't give a rats ass.
The voters of California said don't raise my taxes and don't cut any programs or services. So, what do they want? Do they expect the other 49 states to come and bail them out? Unlike the federal government, California can't just fire up the printing presses and print money. CA is required, like most states, to have a balanced budget. The Governator's biggest job will now be to balance out the screaming of offended, because programs will have to be cut to match revenues as the state constitution severely restricts the Legislature's ability to raise taxes or fees without voter approval.
@ksu499: They'd better not expect a bailout. Their failure to address systemic budget shortfalls by raising taxes or cutting spending is their own damn problem. If they expect us to subsidize their lifestyle they're crazy.
Fortunately, Obama has said that no add'l funds are coming from the feds. I hope he sticks to that.
@Oaklander: wow. that is realy sad. so jus cuz your not affected by it personaly you shouldnt care or have to deal with it..
what happens if your friend, family or a random person gets it and cant afford treatment. shouldnt you care??
@alejandro: It is the typical response from younger white males who did not have to sit back and watch their friends die in front of their eyes and have grown up thinking the only thing that matters are 6 pac abs and the lateset butt highlighting underwear International Male has to offer.
The religious right could not have prayed up a better ally than those self centered, spoiled rotten gay children of the rich who presently sit on the board of the Human Rights campaign. Gay men ARE still dying and many do not remember that disease has a incubation period of 10 years. It doesn't matter to them that many of the infected do not have high incomes nor mommies and daddies who can pay the bills when/if they become to sick to work. It doesn't matter that social security can kick them off and make them take whatever minimum wage job that comes along as long as they can breathe while woke.
I applaud everytime this gay marriage B/S is shot out of the sky. I am more concerned about health issues than joining a segment of society who on average call it quits after 5 years.