Agenda - 04/19/05 JEO Mtg. - Laserfiche WebLink

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' Of course, in Lane County '. we c.~n't get many of these folks lis as simple as writing a letter into drug treatment, because or making a call. It may seem we can't afford to prosecute silly, but the few people who them properly and, without a regularly gather on the court- functional jarl, we can't keep house steps exert more influ- them clean and sober.long ence on the political system enough to make a clear-headed than the thousands who sit at decision to get treatment, home grumbling but doing Crime also changes the way nothing about the choices made we feel about our community by their representatives. and what it costs to live here. If the apathetic home-sitters How do you feel about your would use their phones, their community as the crime rate computers and their votes, they. increases and graffiti and van-could pitch the politicians mak- dalism become increasingly_, lng irresponsible decisions and commSn? What is the cost of fix these problems quickly. feeling more vulnerable when At $1.25 per $1,000 of as- you leave your house for the sessed property value, Lane weekend? How do you feel County's tax rate ranks 35th when you're walking with your out of 36 counties. Our citizens child and you see a mentally ill may be paying plenty of taxes, man argulng with himself or but the money isn't going to the urinating on the sidewalk? county. We're goii~g to have to Crime drives up our insur. ,put political gamesmanship ance and medical costs. The ~,tside and fix the revenue side costs associated with car theft, of the county financial equa- vandalism and uninsured visits tion, or the downward spiral in to emer§ency rooms are not community safety support will paid through the generosity of continue in Lane County. the insurance companies and Please take the time to study medical providers, we pay them the issues and hold politician~ in the form of higher Premiums accountable. and medical fees. What does it cost to i~nOre those problems? What's it worth to fix them? · Wouldn't we rather live in a community that did so? ' Our law enforcement system works properly only when all of the essential partner-systems are intact. If you don't fund mental health, former patients end up clogging the emergency rooms and the criminal justice system, where, their care costs much more and is much less ef- fective. If we don't fund an ade- quate jail, the police officers end up re-arresting the same criminals over and over again, and without any jail time or drug.treatment, the cycle re- peats itself indefmitely. Right now, we're living the worst possible scenario: None of the component programs are funded to do the job, so we're spending lots of money and making little or no progress. Here's the argument for ade- quately funding the interrelat- ed systems of law enforcement, drug treatment and mental health: 1) It's the morally right thing to do. A society should protect its most vulnerable citi- zens and take care of people who are unable to care for themselves. 2) It's the most effective way to protect and enhance the quality of life in our communi- ty. The cost is worth it because it pays enormous, dividends in quality of life. 3) It saves money. In the long term, it's much less expen- sive to tackle these problems head-on than it is to i~nore them. 4) A safe community pro- motes healthy growth and eco- nomic vitality. The conclusion is inescap- able: Responsible citizens must overcome apathy, become in- formed and act. Sometimes, in- fluencing the political process