The quote in the title, "Why are you cutting lives?" are the words of a disabled man who spoke last night at the budget hearing about proposed budget cuts that would affect him directly. The services he receives are a matter of life or death, and they are on the chopping block. The Arizona Republican Party leadership to rush through these cuts by the end of the day TODAY. This means we have to act TODAY. Please take a few minutes from your busy day to help those who cannot help themselves.
The proposed cuts to education have gotten a lot of media attention. AZ Republicans proposed a 35% cut from the operating budgets of the universities, a 10% across-the-board cut from the elementary/secondary school systems, and the elimination of all-day kindergarten.
The Arizona Republican leadership has also put crucial services for the disabled and also much-needed services for children under the care of Child Protective Services. Last night many people spoke about how they would be directly impacted by the cuts. There was not a dry eye by the end of the night.
First, I'd like to share what the Republicans have proposed cutting and some of the stories of the people whose lives will be affected. If you want to jump straight to the action part (if you need no further motivation, THANK YOU), scroll straight to the bottom of this post.
Note: The original Pearce-Kavanagh proposal (the proposal from the Republican leadership in the state legislature) was even worse than what I describe below. Negotiations are currently under way between the Democrats and the Republicans, and the situation is fluid. Calling your legislatures NOW will help!
* SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES*
The Republican proposal would cut or reduce the service that people with disabilities currently depend on.
Robert Hickman, who was the first to speak on this subject last night, had a simple, clear reason not to cut services for the disabled: These services have saved the state money over the long-term by allowing disabled people to live independently.
Katy Griffith bravely wheeled herself to the microphone and told a crowd of several hundred people that she used to be afraid to go out in public because she is unable to go to the bathroom alone. Katy's caregiver is currently funded by DDD, and if it is cut, Kay says she would no longer be able to live independently. In her own words:
Without these services many of us will end up in group homes or hospitals or may not survive.
Katy's caregiver also spoke, saying:
If you cut Katy's services, you cut me. I would have to go on [state funded healthcare] and be dependent on the government for the first time in my life.
And speaking of the cuts to education... Katy's caregiver has 3 children. One attending an Arizona college, one working for an Arizona college, and another who was just laid off.
I wish you all could have been there when Monica Cooper, from the Self Advocacy Council, spoke through the use of an electronic device provided by disability services... It was absolutely heart wrenching when she said this about the Governor's Council on Disabilities, which is on the chopping block:
If the Governor's Council had not helped, people would not be able to speak for themselves.
Then she went on to say,
People need these services to survive. Without transportation services, some of us may not be able to go anywhere. I enjoy being part of the community and would not like that taken away from me.
Andy from Wickenburg said,
Living in a group home keeps me independent. Without the DDD services, we have nothing! No home! Why are you cutting our services?!
Another lady, whose name I missed had an incredible story to tell. It sounds like something from a made-for-tv movie, but this is the real life of a lady living right here in Arizona. Because of an undiagnosed psychiatric disorder, this lady lived on the street for 10 years. During that time, she says that she was arrested 18 times and visited the ER at least once every other month. At some point, she was able to receive help from the state. After 3 years of receiving disability services, she was able to live independently because her psychiatric disorder was treatable. She now has a full-time job, owns a house, has a car, and is involved in community advocacy. Her message to the legislature was simple:
It is cheaper for the state to give me services.
The final speaker of the night was also the most heartbreaking and the most inspiring. Zackary, who lives with severe physical disabilities, spoke about his dreams and hopes for the future and how they would be impacted by the proposed cuts. To understand why his speech was so inspiring, you have to first understand that Zackary has a speech impairment. He was very nervous about speaking in front of the large crowd, and this was a very emotional issue for him. It was difficult for Zackary just to get the words out. When he was finished, there was not a dry eye in the house, and he received the only standing ovation of the night. He began with this:
You are cutting the lives of people with disabilities.
He went on to tell us that he is following his dreams. He is attending college, and he is living independently. He had one question for the people in the legislature:
How many of you up there in the legislature believe that people with disabilities do not deserve every liberty that everybody else has?
We are just trying to survive. We are just trying to survive. And to gain the respect and knowledge that we all deserve.
* EDUCATION CUTS *
Just a note here. Last night we learned that during the negotiations, some areas got better. But for higher education, the situation got worse. That's right, when the Republicans said they'd negotiate, they meant they would go in the opposite direction that we've been asking. The new proposal, as of last night, takes even more money from education.
The effects of the cuts to higher education alone would be tremendous:
--ASU Polytechnic would close (and possibly the West campus)
--NAU would close satellite campuses
--Thousands would be laid off
--Entire departments would be disestablished
--Degree programs would be cut
Quite a few people talked about the effects of cutting education. Janet, from a local church, talked about the inequality in education and pointed out that it will only get worse if we make cuts. Tom, from the Interfaith Project, suggested that we raise money with taxes on tobacco or by leveraging lottery fees.
Several people pointed out that education is also a job engine. The President of the Arizona Federation of Teachers Unions reminded those at the hearing that schools employ more than just teachers.
Several people talked about the elimination of all-day kindergarten. There was agreement among everyone (especially those who have taught kindergarten) that the current requirements for kindergarten cannot be met with a half day program.
* CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES INDEPENDENCE PROGRAM *
Several teenagers spoke about the services they currently receive under the Child Protective Services Independence Program. This program helps foster children transition into adulthood -- children who are often turned out onto the street on their eighteenth birthdays with nothing more than their personal belongings tucked into a plastic garbage bag.
Julie, who is only 19 years old, was the first to speak about this program. She was left alone in the world after her mother's death. She had never met her father, and so she became a ward of the state. Tearfully, she told the crowd that when she was released from foster care, she would have had nowhere to go without the program. Because of the independence program, she was able to pay for a dorm room and attend college.
Daniella, who says she entered CPS at the age of 13, said she would have been on the street at the age of 18. She had no place to go. She had no one in this world to look out for her. The Independence program was her only safety net.
* PROGRAMS FOR THE HOMELESS *
Jackie, from the Coalition to End Homelessness, spoke about the services they provide and how they would be impacted. Right now, they receive funds from unclaimed property. But the legislature wants to take those funds away from the homeless programs and put it into the general fund.
Jackie reminded those at the hearing that we are facing one of the worst housing crises in the country. They have about a third more requests for shelter, but they have almost a 50% decline in the number of beds available. She said,
Women and children are reduced to sleeping in public parks. These [budget] decisions are life and death.
* DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROGRAMS *
Katy Hobbs from the Sojourner Center said they serve 280 women and children but are still forced to turn away 85% of the people who request help. She pleaded for the legislature not to cut their already inadequate funding,
Victims do leave. They just need a place to go.
**** WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP ****
CALL your legislators TODAY. They are working on negotiations right now, as you read this, and they need to hear from you.
Tell them not to cut the services for Arizona's most vulnerable populations. Remind them that the decisions they make today will have lasting effects on the lives of children, the disabled, and the abused.
To find out who your state legislators are and get their phone numbers, simply go to VoteSmart.org and input your zip code. It's that easy.
P.S. I wanted to write this as fast as possible since this may all be voted on today... so please forgive any typos or other errors! I have to leave in half an hour, so I also may not be around to answer comments. I will check back as often as I can to provide updates/etc, but I'm not sure what time that will be.