Bush Administartion To Remove Funding

[Pat Marquez]

Please help keep 1-800-SUICIDE (http://www.hopeline.com/) alive. The following story was taken from PunkNews.org:
1-800-SUICIDE, the non-profit suicide hotline supported by the Take Action Tour (http://www.takeactiontour.com/) is in danger of losing all federal funding. The organization has to date, accepted calls from more than two million individuals. At the heart of the issue is the confidentiality of callers; currently, the organization maintains a strict privacy policy while the government is seeking to obtain these records.

Substance Abuse & Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), a division of the federal government's Health & Human Services, has decided to create their own government-run system because that the management of 1-800-SUICIDE has refused to turn over the control of the National Hopeline Network to the government.

This is not the first attempt of the administration to influence the hotline, which earlier (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27202-2005Feb15.html) tried to force the charity to remove all references to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals from a recent conference as well as add session on "faith-based" suicide prevention.

The government has also not lived up to previous comittments to the charity to provide more than $266,000. Conversely, both Mike Park's Plea for Peace and Louis Posen's Take Action Tour have privately raised that amount.

For more information please visit Save1800suicide.org.

[xeightoh3xx]

Wow; seems like Fred Phelps has come into play somehow here.

[irthesteve]

uhhh. wtf?

[Punkdc]

Such bad news. I support those tours just for the cause. Even worked with it once. Going to give some money to keep this open

[helikopter]

i can't stand the bush administartion. they always make so many mistakes... ;)

[aminorthreat55]

That's bullshit.

[Tony]

Pulling funding from a suicide-prevention hotline? This administration has truly lost touch with humanity.

[PaintTheTarget]

fuck that, bush can go eat a dick. not only for dropping the program, but trying to make it anti-gay and pro-christianity. way to fuck up a great thing, you asshat.

[MattRM]

That's horrible. I did a research project in school last year about the Take Action Tour, and all about Hopeline. Suicide's a horrible thing, and for the government to take away something that may change someone's mind about committing it is awful.

[xPaulWallx]

where in there does it say it is bush's fault???? it just seems like the government's fault, i love how everything pertaining to government is automatically blamed on bush. he is only one person and i doubt he himself did this. there are 2 whole other branches of government you know and a shitload of people in general involved with the government....

[preppyak]

That's horrible. I did a research project in school last year about the Take Action Tour, and all about Hopeline. Suicide's a horrible thing, and for the government to take away something that may change someone's mind about committing it is awful. What's scary is how the numbers of teen/in general suicide will change if this disappear's. I'd like to see the stats on how talking to someone while you think about suicide lower's your likelihood of doing it, it's probably a very large number of lives saved as a result...

But of course, it does cost over $200,000, which our government can't possibly expect to foot the bill for.

[Ruggiero2oo8]

bullshit.

[melvicious]

dear bush,
:efu:

[A picasso blue]

where in there does it say it is bush's fault???? it just seems like the government's fault, i love how everything pertaining to government is automatically blamed on bush. he is only one person and i doubt he himself did this. there are 2 whole other branches of government you know and a shitload of people in general involved with the government....
note the word "Administration" after Bush. as in, more than one person

More than anything else, my biggest problem with this administration is their connection to the faith-based community of the Moral Majority.


and on another note, get rid of the x's in your name. you look like a pretentious ass

[girlsroxboys]

where in there does it say it is bush's fault???? it just seems like the government's fault, i love how everything pertaining to government is automatically blamed on bush. he is only one person and i doubt he himself did this. there are 2 whole other branches of government you know and a shitload of people in general involved with the government....

First of all, it says administration.

Second, decisions like these fall solely on the responsibility of the presdient. That is the point of being a figurehead for an administration. He comes under scrutinty whether the decision is for the better, or worse.

[Of Machines]

This is not the first attempt of the administration to influence the hotline, which earlier (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27202-2005Feb15.html) tried to force the charity to remove all references to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals from a recent conference as well as add session on "faith-based" suicide prevention. [/fs]

wow this is really fucked up. they don't seem to realize that a lot of people in the world aren't conservative christians. I hope the hotline is still able to hold true to its roots and help millions of people like they have before

[PaintTheTarget]

where in there does it say it is bush's fault???? it just seems like the government's fault, i love how everything pertaining to government is automatically blamed on bush. he is only one person and i doubt he himself did this. there are 2 whole other branches of government you know and a shitload of people in general involved with the government....


If it was made by the "Administration" that means it was made by Bush and his cabinet and advisees, those people who he appointed himself. Bush has the right to allocate funds to organizations, so yes, it is mainly placed on him and why you see drastic differences between the way different administrations allocate money.

[Shoes]

I think this is terrible, I hope they sort out funding and continue to be up and running.

[xPaulWallx]

note the word "Administration" after Bush. as in, more than one person

More than anything else, my biggest problem with this administration is their connection to the faith-based community of the Moral Majority.


and on another note, get rid of the x's in your name. you look like a pretentious ass

well the word administration in the title is not spelled correctly for one. and the article to me seems pretty vague about who is responsible and just basically references the governement. i agree with your opinion on the administration being too into the whole faith thing though. also doesnt it say the government will make their own organization to basically do what 1800SUICIDE or whatever is doing??? so then its not like the free service is really going away? they just want more control over it. and fyi, the X's are clearly a joke, as is the whole paul wall thing, sorry i thought it was really apparent but i guess not. forgive me if i dont change my username because you asked me to. now that makes you seem like an ass...

[xPaulWallx]

note the word "Administration" after Bush. as in, more than one person

More than anything else, my biggest problem with this administration is their connection to the faith-based community of the Moral Majority.


and on another note, get rid of the x's in your name. you look like a pretentious ass

well the word administration in the title is not spelled correctly for one. and the article to me seems pretty vague about who is responsible and just basically references the governement. i agree with your opinion on the administration being too into the whole faith thing though. also doesnt it say the government will make their own organization to basically do what 1800SUICIDE or whatever is doing??? so then its not like the free service is really going away? they just want more control over it. and fyi, the X's are clearly a joke, as is the whole paul wall thing, sorry i thought it was really apparent but i guess not. forgive me if i dont change my username because you asked me to. now that makes you seem like an ass, as does your whole reponse full of sarcasm and snide remarks. you truly are the kettle calling the pot black, or whatever that old fashioned phrase my grandma uses is...

[PaintTheTarget]

well the word administration in the title is not spelled correctly for one. and the article to me seems pretty vague about who is responsible and just basically references the governement. i agree with your opinion on the administration being too into the whole faith thing though. also doesnt it say the government will make their own organization to basically do what 1800SUICIDE or whatever is doing??? so then its not like the free service is really going away? they just want more control over it. and fyi, the X's are clearly a joke, as is the whole paul wall thing, sorry i thought it was really apparent but i guess not. forgive me if i dont change my username because you asked me to. now that makes you seem like an ass...

Read my above post for one. And secondly, its not easy to start a new group that many people are aware of, so its a major blow to the cause. This is an established organization and has support from many groups and people. A new organization would take a long time to become effective and well-known and would likely be a more faith-based and anti-gay group if thats something they asked the previous group to do.

[girlsroxboys]

well the word administration in the title is not spelled correctly for one. and the article to me seems pretty vague about who is responsible and just basically references the governement. i agree with your opinion on the administration being too into the whole faith thing though. also doesnt it say the government will make their own organization to basically do what 1800SUICIDE or whatever is doing??? so then its not like the free service is really going away? they just want more control over it. and fyi, the X's are clearly a joke, as is the whole paul wall thing, sorry i thought it was really apparent but i guess not. forgive me if i dont change my username because you asked me to. now that makes you seem like an ass...

Well the word government in your post is not spelled correctly for one. If this administration creates their own version of a program that already works, and axes the privacy of the caller, the entire function of the program is lost. Injecting religion into this also doesn't help. That is point...

[dpotts]

I posted this on digg a while ago to try and get it spread around more. You can find it at http://digg.com/politics/Bush_wants_to_cut_funding_to_1_800_ SUICIDE.

[enj0i29]

well the word administration in the title is not spelled correctly for one. and the article to me seems pretty vague about who is responsible and just basically references the governement. i agree with your opinion on the administration being too into the whole faith thing though. also doesnt it say the government will make their own organization to basically do what 1800SUICIDE or whatever is doing??? so then its not like the free service is really going away? they just want more control over it. and fyi, the X's are clearly a joke, as is the whole paul wall thing, sorry i thought it was really apparent but i guess not. forgive me if i dont change my username because you asked me to. now that makes you seem like an ass, as does your whole reponse full of sarcasm and snide remarks. you truly are the kettle calling the pot black, or whatever that old fashioned phrase my grandma uses is...

Way to start your argument based on a typo. That's not retarded at all.
The administration wants it so it can control it, yes. They're intending it to be anti-gay, and faith-based. The original helpline is neither of those.
and fyi, using fyi in an argument makes your case 10 times gayer.

[pasthefence49]

lol who cares let them die less trouble for everyone els ein the world, not like they were going to amount to anyhting else

[ResideInMyMind]

who cares?

[parallelism]

Wow, that's pretty ridiculous.

As far as this discussion is going, I don't know where I stand yet. However, as time goes on, the government fight for Christianity to influence political matters is becoming increasingly obvious. It's seriously getting really out of hand.

[PassedOut]

thats pretty crazy, this is an amazing service that helps out a ton of people. i dont want to think about how many people might give up if something happens to the hotline.

[xPaulWallx]

Way to start your argument based on a typo. That's not retarded at all.
The administration wants it so it can control it, yes. They're intending it to be anti-gay, and faith-based. The original helpline is neither of those.
and fyi, using fyi in an argument makes your case 10 times gayer.
be pro gay by complaining about something becoming anti-gay and then use the word gay as an insult. nice.

and since when is it the government's job to help pay for help for depressed people so they dont kill themselves? thats what antidepressants are for. people need to go see doctors.

[crazycatlady]

that's fucking stupid.

[cahrishurr]

be pro gay by complaining about something becoming anti-gay and then use the word gay as an insult. nice.

and since when is it the government's job to help pay for help for depressed people so they dont kill themselves? thats what antidepressants are for. people need to go see doctors.

but if they could be helped without drugs..wouldnt that be a whole lot better?
2 million callers have reached help over the last 8 years

[Of Machines]

who cares?

idk ask the 2 million people who have called....

[xPaulWallx]

idk ask the 2 million people who have called....

2 million over 8 years does not seem like alot to me, i mean think about how many friends some people have gotten on myspace in only a few years. think about how many people there are in the world. that just seems like not that many. and how many of those people who called and were saved just ended up killing themselves anyways. i dont see any negative effects to just taking antidepressants. they are pretty good at doing the job and helping people out and tons of people take them.

[TENCopeland]

First of all, it says administration.

Second, decisions like these fall solely on the responsibility of the presdient. That is the point of being a figurehead for an administration. He comes under scrutinty whether the decision is for the better, or worse.

this is merely conjecture, but i actually highly doubt Bush has ANYTHING to do with this. i do agree, it's his administration so it is his responsibility, but do you really think every issue like this hits his desk? doubtful, as shitty as it is, this isnt a pressing issue for them, which is made clear by the fact that they're cutting funding.

[B-rad]

...anti-deppressants are a misnomer. These drugs should be called emotion depressants as they have that effect on a lot of people who take them. This isn't a matter of popping a pill and everthing becomes happy, it simply numbs the person's feelings. Everyone I know who has ever taken them sudders at the thought of doing so again.

The whole point of the suicide line was so that people could call in an be anonymous, and the reason funding is being pulled is because they won't share information with the government. That is why the governtment setting up a new one is bullshit.

All the anti-gay/pro-christ stuff in this thread is irrelevant bullshit.

[myworstmistakes]

i love how people defend bush when decisions like this are made.
like how could it possibly be HIS fault? i mean he's JUST the president for fucksake.
it's his fault because it is him, it is his government and for the time being there are many people in the government who believe in the same things that he does.
like forcing religion on people and taking away their privacy.

just add this to list of things that he's done while in office in an attempt to catapult us back into the distant past. and also add it to the list of reasons why people (especially young people!!) should vote for people who are not looking to do this while in office.

...and so now my (important) rant ends.

[Alex DiVincenzo]

Fucking bullshit indeed.

[asdfjkl]

i dont see any negative effects to just taking antidepressants.
then you're not looking hard enough.

[Freud]

lawlz. i made a post about this on another forum i frequent rather often and my thread got closed because the mod's thought "i was advertising other people to go to websites to sign a useless petition".


****.

[jfs008]

im really perplexed. first off, government=gay. secondly, the insincerity. nobody can feel good about asking for medication if theyre feeling depressed. its like a failing alternative. people want to feel like it shouldnt have to reach that stage; thus, wonderful hotlines like these exist. or are trying to. there's no good reasoning that the government should have records of the confidential callers. and i dont want to jump the gun, but i wouldnt be surprised if the goal was for marketing to individuals in some twisted way.

[mogwaifearsatan]

This is legitimately skewed. For once, there is no two sides. This is just wrong no matter which way you look at it.

[mylastbreath13]

In my opinion I don't think it's the governments job to make taxpayers foot the bill so that there can be a hotline to protect people from themselves. According to my psych professor, suicide is almost always about attention and when there are programs such as this hotline or the take action tour it can sometimes make things worse by placing the idea of suicide in people's minds. Whenever he would counsel somebody and they would threaten suicide in a session he would firmly tell the patient that if suicide was even mentioned again he would not counsel them anymore. He never had anyone he was counseling commit suicide or drop the sessions. I'm not trying to step on any toes here but I just think our whole approach to the suicide issue needs to be reconsidered. I also think that the government should just drop it instead of trying to re-make it in their own image.

[xPaulWallx]

then you're not looking hard enough.
how about you name one then if its so easy to find one? i take them and contrary to what someone above you said, i think they work pretty well. i dont see how they can sedate someone so much that they have no feelings, they frankly are not that strong, unless paxil is one of the weaker ones or something and the person's friends are taking crazy strong ones.

[xPaulWallx]

im really perplexed. first off, government=gay. secondly, the insincerity. nobody can feel good about asking for medication if theyre feeling depressed. its like a failing alternative. people want to feel like it shouldnt have to reach that stage; thus, wonderful hotlines like these exist. or are trying to. there's no good reasoning that the government should have records of the confidential callers. and i dont want to jump the gun, but i wouldnt be surprised if the goal was for marketing to individuals in some twisted way.

so you are saying that people are too scared to reach "the stage" of going to a doctor to get medicine to help them but arent too afraid to call a number to talk to someone??? i mean granted the phone is less personal and more anomynous or whatever but whats the difference between letting a doctor, one person who is by law made to keep your shit confidential, know your problems and letting a complete stranger on the phone your problems??? plus lets not forget that the medicines prob help people more than just talking to someone on the phone...

[sdbrown]

In my opinion I don't think it's the governments job to make taxpayers foot the bill so that there can be a hotline to protect people from themselves. According to my psych professor, suicide is almost always about attention and when there are programs such as this hotline or the take action tour it can sometimes make things worse by placing the idea of suicide in people's minds. Whenever he would counsel somebody and they would threaten suicide in a session he would firmly tell the patient that if suicide was even mentioned again he would not counsel them anymore. He never had anyone he was counseling commit suicide or drop the sessions. I'm not trying to step on any toes here but I just think our whole approach to the suicide issue needs to be reconsidered. I also think that the government should just drop it instead of trying to re-make it in their own image.

Well maybe your professor never had someone commit suicide because they were already getting help. This hotline is for the people who are too ashamed or too scared to even go that far. That's why it should remain anonymous.

And I don't think the government should make taxpayers foot the bill for a lot of things. If the governemnt can spend BILLIONS on a fucking war in Iraq you cannot tell me they can't afford a fraction of a fraction of that to support a cause that is promoting life. (If you have an issue with me using the war, then take something else just as stupid- the government wastes our money all the time)

[xPaulWallx]

...anti-deppressants are a misnomer. These drugs should be called emotion depressants as they have that effect on a lot of people who take them. This isn't a matter of popping a pill and everthing becomes happy, it simply numbs the person's feelings. Everyone I know who has ever taken them sudders at the thought of doing so again.

The whole point of the suicide line was so that people could call in an be anonymous, and the reason funding is being pulled is because they won't share information with the government. That is why the governtment setting up a new one is bullshit.

All the anti-gay/pro-christ stuff in this thread is irrelevant bullshit.

for one maybe i am wrong here but to me and how i understand the word misnomer i dont think you used it correctly, but whatever that is totally irrelevant here. i dont see how antidepressants can be so strong that they numb someone out. i take them and it doesnt do that to me at all, for one they are so weak i dont think its possible for them to make you totally numb and with no emotions. shit ive had allergy medicine fuck me up more and make me more out of it. so unless the people you know are taking some hardcore antidepressants than maybe they are exaggerrating. or maybe they could be taking xanex, i guess that could make you a little numb, especially with alcohol, which they shouldnt be taking anyways...and its funny to me you talk so much about them but yet you never said youve taken them, just "people you know have". plus i doubt they really shudder at the fact of taking them. your friends sound like people who love to exaggerate and seriously to reiterate, antidepressants arent strong enough to make you totally numb and emotionless, they are so weak compared to most other drugs on the market, some that are even over the counter. the govt shouldnt have to pay for people's cries for help. people should take their lives into their own hands more and go out and do something about it like go see a doctor.

[xPaulWallx]

In my opinion I don't think it's the governments job to make taxpayers foot the bill so that there can be a hotline to protect people from themselves. According to my psych professor, suicide is almost always about attention and when there are programs such as this hotline or the take action tour it can sometimes make things worse by placing the idea of suicide in people's minds. Whenever he would counsel somebody and they would threaten suicide in a session he would firmly tell the patient that if suicide was even mentioned again he would not counsel them anymore. He never had anyone he was counseling commit suicide or drop the sessions. I'm not trying to step on any toes here but I just think our whole approach to the suicide issue needs to be reconsidered. I also think that the government should just drop it instead of trying to re-make it in their own image.

i totally agree with you 100%. i took several psych classes in college and heard many things along the same lines, such as a professor who did tons of counseling and used a similar method when it came to clients and suicide and also had great results that i am sure are way better than that hotline.

[xPaulWallx]

This is legitimately skewed. For once, there is no two sides. This is just wrong no matter which way you look at it.

there are two sides to basically anything...

[asdfjkl]

how about you name one then if its so easy to find one? i take them and contrary to what someone above you said, i think they work pretty well. i dont see how they can sedate someone so much that they have no feelings, they frankly are not that strong, unless paxil is one of the weaker ones or something and the person's friends are taking crazy strong ones. http://www.clinical-depression.co.uk/Treating_Depression/side_effects.htm

Some of the various side effects from the different antidepressants are:
Dry mouth

Urinary retention

Blurred vision

Constipation
Sedation (can interfere with driving or operating machinery)

Sleep disruption

Weight gain

Headache

Nausea

Gastrointestinal disturbance/diarrhea

Abdominal pain

Inability to achieve an erection

Inability to achieve an orgasm (men and women)

Loss of libido

Agitation

Anxiety


so tell me, how are those not negative effects? google "side effects of antidepressants" and you will literally find thousands of cases. it's great that you found something good for you but just because your medication works doesn't mean everyone else's is going to as well. considering how many different types of antidepressants exist these days, there are always going to be people who react badly to the drugs they are taking. both my parents have been on a couple different types of medication, and believe me, i've SEEN the negative effects. and your suggestion that people "just go see doctors" if they're depressed - how about people who can't afford doctors? how about people who can't afford meds?

[N8IVIin0rity]

suicide is lame. choose life.

[SlackerSS23]

And I don't think the government should make taxpayers foot the bill for a lot of things. If the governemnt can spend BILLIONS on a fucking war in Iraq you cannot tell me they can't afford a fraction of a fraction of that to support a cause that is promoting life. (If you have an issue with me using the war, then take something else just as stupid- the government wastes our money all the time)

Two wrongs don't make a right, though. Suicide prevention should be something funded by a charity organization, not the government.

[miltownrob]

bummer

[MattRM]

lol who cares let them die less trouble for everyone els ein the world, not like they were going to amount to anyhting else

Fuck you. You don't even deserve an opinion if you think that way.

[sparksfly]

the govt shouldnt have to pay for people's cries for help

I want you to think for a moment about all the things the government pays for to help people. Your taxes, the governments money, pays for things like welfare to work, food stamps, WIC, public housing, etc. Before you get on about how they are underfunded and whatnot I am not here to argue about that. I am just saying that they are paid for (no matter how little) by the government. They are there to HELP people who (may or may not actually) need the help.

Should we get rid of these programs? Tell people to just go out and get a job like you're telling people to go out and see a doctor. There is so much more to this you''re not even thinking about. There are a lot of things about our government I would change if I could. We have a lot of messed up programs that don't do what they're set up to do and a lot of people abuse the programs.

This is a weird situation and I don't know where I stand. From what I notice 1800SUICIDE already gets funding and exists because of funding from the government. Okay, so in theory they should be able to ask for records since they're paying for it. Giving out records would violate the privacy of those calling - and I am sure the reason many are calling is because of the privacy. I believe the government should maintain a strict seperation of church and state and so to make 1800SUICIDE more faith based would just go against what I believe. I also believe that 1800SUICIDE should begin looking for alternative funding methods so they don't have to be dependent on the government.

My political philosophies are based on choice. I believe that the most important thing to do is to give the people the information and options then let them decide what they believe is best for them. There is so much we could change to provide funding for both 1800SUICIDE, as a nonfaith based hotline, as well as start a faith based hotline for those who want that kind of guidence. Unfortunately...this will all never happen.

[w00t_man]

If you guys knew anything about the government, you'd know that financial decisions like this are made by Congress. Bush has no control over Congress. It's not even part of his administration. It's the legislative branch.

[xPaulWallx]

If you guys knew anything about the government, you'd know that financial decisions like this are made by Congress. Bush has no control over Congress. It's not even part of his administration. It's the legislative branch.
thats exactly what i was trying to tell the lame ass ignorant bush bashers who watch jon stewart way too much. hes got people thinking that anything that deals with govt and is bad is something that the horrible george bush is responsible for. there are 2 whole other branches people.

[xPaulWallx]

http://www.clinical-depression.co.uk/Treating_Depression/side_effects.htm

Some of the various side effects from the different antidepressants are:
Dry mouth

Urinary retention

Blurred vision

Constipation
Sedation (can interfere with driving or operating machinery)

Sleep disruption

Weight gain

Headache

Nausea

Gastrointestinal disturbance/diarrhea

Abdominal pain

Inability to achieve an erection

Inability to achieve an orgasm (men and women)

Loss of libido

Agitation

Anxiety

so tell me, how are those not negative effects? google "side effects of antidepressants" and you will literally find thousands of cases. it's great that you found something good for you but just because your medication works doesn't mean everyone else's is going to as well. considering how many different types of antidepressants exist these days, there are always going to be people who react badly to the drugs they are taking. both my parents have been on a couple different types of medication, and believe me, i've SEEN the negative effects. and your suggestion that people "just go see doctors" if they're depressed - how about people who can't afford doctors? how about people who can't afford meds?

omg. like those are serious side effects. weight gaining and losing drugs have more serious effects for an easy example. lets see would your parents rather gain weight (or any one of those other ones)? or be severely depressed all the time? its not a hard decision. its not like they give people heart attacks and risk their health. if those side effects scare you away from taking them then you prob arent really depressed enough to be taking them and i doubt you will be calling a hotline about suicide unless you just want attention. and people that cant afford doctors, well they need to learn to handle their shit on their own. call me heartless, but people need to learn how to stand on their own two feet without getting handouts from the govt. millions of people live on their own daily in the u.s. without the govt's help.

[xPaulWallx]

I want you to think for a moment about all the things the government pays for to help people. Your taxes, the governments money, pays for things like welfare to work, food stamps, WIC, public housing, etc. Before you get on about how they are underfunded and whatnot I am not here to argue about that. I am just saying that they are paid for (no matter how little) by the government. They are there to HELP people who (may or may not actually) need the help.

Should we get rid of these programs? Tell people to just go out and get a job like you're telling people to go out and see a doctor. There is so much more to this you''re not even thinking about. There are a lot of things about our government I would change if I could. We have a lot of messed up programs that don't do what they're set up to do and a lot of people abuse the programs.

This is a weird situation and I don't know where I stand. From what I notice 1800SUICIDE already gets funding and exists because of funding from the government. Okay, so in theory they should be able to ask for records since they're paying for it. Giving out records would violate the privacy of those calling - and I am sure the reason many are calling is because of the privacy. I believe the government should maintain a strict seperation of church and state and so to make 1800SUICIDE more faith based would just go against what I believe. I also believe that 1800SUICIDE should begin looking for alternative funding methods so they don't have to be dependent on the government.

My political philosophies are based on choice. I believe that the most important thing to do is to give the people the information and options then let them decide what they believe is best for them. There is so much we could change to provide funding for both 1800SUICIDE, as a nonfaith based hotline, as well as start a faith based hotline for those who want that kind of guidence. Unfortunately...this will all never happen.
youve said one of the most intelligent things in this thread, but where we differ is i dont think the govt should be helping people as much as they currently are and wasting so much money on stuff people should be able to do on their own, like wic, welfare, etc. the govt isnt supposed to hold citizens' hands and guide them through life, people need to learn to live life on their own and not take the easy way through life by getting govt handouts. thats just my thoughts though and i am sure most people on this site disagree with me, call me heartless, whatever.

[harlequingirl87]

That's horrible. To think that this hotline could save lives, yet we pull the funding? It's insane how many people are going to die at the hands of this man and his doings. And I'm just so sick of the government trying to force religion upon us all. In everything we do. I'm not against religion at all...I just believe in a seperation of church and state. And it seems we've lost that.

[rockingsteady]

there are 2 whole other branches of government you know and a shitload of people in general involved with the government....

the article said this has to do with HHS, an executive department. so obviously this is the work of the executive branch and bush's administration.

[asdfjkl]

omg. like those are serious side effects. weight gaining and losing drugs have more serious effects for an easy example. lets see would your parents rather gain weight (or any one of those other ones)? or be severely depressed all the time? its not a hard decision. its not like they give people heart attacks and risk their health. if those side effects scare you away from taking them then you prob arent really depressed enough to be taking them and i doubt you will be calling a hotline about suicide unless you just want attention. and people that cant afford doctors, well they need to learn to handle their shit on their own. call me heartless, but people need to learn how to stand on their own two feet without getting handouts from the govt. millions of people live on their own daily in the u.s. without the govt's help.
that was ONE list of side effects, i told you that if you wanted to find more you could google it but you are obviously too ignorant to even look into what you're arguing. when i told you i have seen the negative side effects i wasn't telling you i have seen my parents lose weight. i saw my dad literally unable to leave his house for a full week because of the withdrawal symptoms when he was getting off his meds. if that is not a serious side effect, how about you tell me what is? not to mention the fact that when someone is experiencing a symptom from that list, they are hardly ever just experiencing one symptom. imagine half of those combined. i sure as fuck wouldn't want to deal with that every day.

so people who can't afford doctors need to "handle their shit on their own?" wouldn't calling a suicide hotline for help be doing EXACTLY that?

[sparksfly]

youve said one of the most intelligent things in this thread, but where we differ is i dont think the govt should be helping people as much as they currently are and wasting so much money on stuff people should be able to do on their own, like wic, welfare, etc. the govt isnt supposed to hold citizens' hands and guide them through life, people need to learn to live life on their own and not take the easy way through life by getting govt handouts. thats just my thoughts though and i am sure most people on this site disagree with me, call me heartless, whatever.

Well, thank you. :)
One thing I would change if I could completely revamp the system would be a better safety net for people. While a welfare to work, WIC, etc program is needed it is very hard to get off the system if the person is only working minimum wage, low to no skill jobs. Often times they are working two to three of these jobs just to support themselves and their family. That leaves no time for them to get an education. Education needs to be put in place in conjuction with the welfare to work programs to make it so people who fall are only in the system for a few years at the max. Our welfare state isn't a healthy one. People abuse it because it is so easy to do so. They see that they can live rather comfortably while leaching off those of us who do work hard to make a living. It's a sad state our country is in.

[screamoutmyname]

So basically the Bush Administration is promoting suicide?

Way to go, guys...:thumbup: