"Freedom's" Just Another Word

(For Nothin’ Left To Lose)

Janice Joplin’s 1971 hit song ”Me and Bobby McGee” includes the words “Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose.” I’ve often contemplated the meaning that the songwriter, Kris Kristofferson, had in mind when he wrote these words. I mean, the words sound good in a sorta romantic way, but I’ve also heard that “freedom isn’t free” as applied to the efforts of the American soldier over the past 230 years.

So which is it? Either way, it sounds to me like freedom is expensive, but it shouldn’t cost you everything you have in life. Which brings me to this morning’s topic--President Bush’s New Freedom Commission on Mental health. I’ve been following this program for the past six months or so and, in my opinion, this program is bad news. Here is why.

This “New Freedom” program study was begun in April 2002 and has since gotten up a pretty good head of steam. Basically, it is a national program designed in theory to improve and standardize the mental health screening and treatment provided to all Americans. Like most Government efforts, it sounds good on paper. But as I always like to say, the Devil’s in the details.

Here is how it will work. In conjunction with the assistance of the pharmaceutical companies, the government is going to begin by screening the mental health of all of the approximately 52 million children in public schools, including preschool aged students. They are not just looking for “stark raving mad,” “crazy as a loon,” or “a few bricks shy of a full load” personalities. They will be evaluating the overall “social and emotional development” of each child. BY WHO’s STANDARDS WILL THE CHILDREN BE JUDGED?

In the beginning the program will be administered by the individual states, and Texas, Illinois, and Pennsylvania are already on the band wagon with their own pilot programs supported by federal funding. In addition to the kids, the six or seven million teachers and other employees of the public school system will be evaluated. As a result of the screenings, anyone determined to have a diagnosable form of “mental illness” will be prescribed one of the latest, state-of-the-art psychotropic drugs like Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor and Remeron. Can you say “massive profits for drug companies?”

What is not clear at the present time is what, if any, say the parents and children will have in submitting to the evaluations and actually taking the prescribed drugs. It appears that at first everything will be voluntary, but you know the government…they believe that they know what is best for you and me.

Here is what disturbes me about this newly found “Freedom.” There is already a great deal of pressure being brought to bear by teachers on the parents of so-called “hyperactive” children to use medications like Riddlin to control behavior that forty years ago was managed with ordinary corporal punishment and a large dose of good parenting. Will this new program not increase the number of kids on psycho-modifying drugs beyond the 9 million already on them?

Further, will the potential mandatory evaluation and treatment potentially infringe on the rights of parents to raise their own children as they see fit? I’m not promoting withholding necessary medical care from anyone, but is the imperial Federal Government the best arbitrator of the administration of these type of critical services?

Maybe, like myself, you don’t have kids or your children are already out of school. Why, you then ask, should I care about the movement to have the Federal government in the business of Mental Health screening? Because the government intends to expand the program to include EVERYONE, including you and I.

Imagine if, in order to get something you need like a drivers license or a business license or some professional license like those for pilots, engineers, doctors, or lawyers, that the government required that you have a mental health screening. OK, that’s not so bad you might say, because you don’t want your airline pilot or your brain surgeon to have too many bats loose in his cranium.

Well, here is the problem. You know the government. It’s just a matter of time until they make your drivers license or your business license contingent on you not only having the screening, but that you also have to take the drugs that they prescribe for you. What would then keep them from coming to your house or your work and hauling you off to JAIL or locking you up in the looney bin, er um insane asylum…er, I mean “Freedom Center” if they find that you have gone off of your meds without their permission?

There is quite a battle going on right now in the congress regarding funding for this program and, like me, a number of individual representatives and senators are fundamentally against it.

All I know is that, in my personal experience, the declaration of sanity or the lack thereof is a highly subjective, widely variable discipline. I hope we can slow this potential monster down, or at least bring it out into the light of day so more parents and regular people can be involved in the decision making process.

Wake up and smell the java!