Tuesday, July 21, 2015


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sen-lindsey-graham-to-donald-trump-stop-being-a-jackass/

Lindsey Graham to Trump: "Stop being a jackass"
By JEAN SONG CBS NEWS
July 21, 2015

Presidential candidate and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham has "had it" with Donald Trump.

After Trump undermined the military service of Graham's longtime colleague Sen. John McCain, Graham had a clear message for his GOP rival.

"I don't care if he drops out. Stay in the race, just stop being a jackass," Graham said Tuesday on "CBS This Morning."

Graham, who recently retired from the Air Force reserve, said the attention surrounding Trump is "turning into a circus."

"I'm looking for him to be a responsible member of the 16-person primary and stop saying stuff like this," Graham said. "The world is falling apart. We're becoming Greece. The Ayatollah's on the verge of having a nuclear weapon, and you're slandering everybody and anybody to stay in the news. You know, run for president, but don't be the world's biggest jackass."

The controversy over Trump's comments started Saturday at the Iowa Family Leadership Summit when the billionaire said McCain was "a war hero 'cause he was captured." Trump was responding to McCain's comments last week when the Arizona senator said the real estate mogul "fired up the crazies" at a rally in Phoenix earlier in the month. Since then, the two have been exchanging insults through the media.

John McCain responds to Donald Trump on "not a war hero" comments
Trump says he doesn't owe John McCain an apology
"John's my friend. He's not a perfect person. He was tortured for five and a half years. When you ask Trump, 'Do you know what he went through in jail?' 'No, it doesn't matter.' Yeah, it does matter. It really does matter," Graham said.

While Trump is leading in polls among Republican candidates, Graham said Trump has now crossed a line with Americans that will not be tolerated.

"This is the beginning of the end of Donald Trump," Graham said.

On Tuesday, the Des Moines Register called for Trump to "pull the plug" on his presidential campaign, saying, "If he were merely a self-absorbed, B-list celebrity, his unchecked ego could be tolerated as a source of mild amusement. But he now wants to become president."

"It ends when the American people say, 'enough,'" Graham said.

Graham, who was with McCain at a New York town hall discussing the Iran nuclear deal, said the Trump sideshow is distracting from more pressing issues.

"The president went to the U.N. instead of his own Congress. That's a sign of weakness, disrespect and a bad deal. [Qasem] Soleimani, the head of the Quds Force that killed 500 Americans at least with copper-tipped IEDs has been taken off the sanctions list, and we can't talk about that because of Donald Trump," Graham said. "To the American people: This is a bad deal. It's going to lead to a nuclear arms race. Let's please move on to things that matter."

Graham went on to slam President Obama over the nuclear deal with Iran, which Congress has until Sept. 18 to review.

"He's the Neville Chamberlain of our time who believes that over the next 15 years, Iran is going to change their behavior, because this deal doesn't require them to do anything to change their behavior," Graham said. "At the passage at the end of 15 years, all inspections are lifted. Here's this bet. I don't think he's a bad man, I think he misunderstands the world and the Mideast."

Graham said he thinks there will be enough votes in Congress to override the presidential veto that President Obama threatened in his announcement.

"A 'no' vote ensures that the next president, whoever he or she may be, will have leverage. If Congressional sanctions are left in place, then the next president can get a better deal. We can get a better deal, we must get a better deal. A 'yes' vote take the Congressional sanctions off the table. The next president has no leverage, and it's very bad for us and Israel," Graham said.




“Trump was responding to McCain's comments last week when the Arizona senator said the real estate mogul "fired up the crazies" at a rally in Phoenix earlier in the month. Since then, the two have been exchanging insults through the media. John McCain responds to Donald Trump on "not a war hero" comments. Trump says he doesn't owe John McCain an apology. John's my friend. He's not a perfect person. He was tortured for five and a half years. When you ask Trump, 'Do you know what he went through in jail?' 'No, it doesn't matter.' Yeah, it does matter. It really does matter," Graham said. …. On Tuesday, the Des Moines Register called for Trump to "pull the plug" on his presidential campaign, saying, "If he were merely a self-absorbed, B-list celebrity, his unchecked ego could be tolerated as a source of mild amusement. But he now wants to become president." …. Graham said. "At the passage at the end of 15 years, all inspections are lifted. Here's this bet. I don't think he's a bad man, I think he misunderstands the world and the Mideast." Graham said he thinks there will be enough votes in Congress to override the presidential veto that President Obama threatened in his announcement. "A 'no' vote ensures that the next president, whoever he or she may be, will have leverage. If Congressional sanctions are left in place, then the next president can get a better deal.”

“ …merely a self-absorbed, B-list celebrity” pretty much says it all. Some Americans are drawn to Trump’s over the top statements, but few would really vote for him for president. His obvious egotism shows his lack of competent judgment. He’s, in the words of Sen. Graham, a “jackass.”





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/uncovering-the-real-pioneer-of-filmmaking/

Uncovering the real pioneer of filmmaking
CBS NEWS
July 18, 2015

For more than a century, Thomas Edison and the Lumiere brothers of France have been celebrated as the creators of motion pictures. But a lesser-known Frenchman working in England made the world's first film years before them, CBS News' Jonathan Vigliotti reports.

In the English city of Leeds, Louis Le Prince is an icon, a French engineer, who as filmmaker David Wilkinson explains, made history.

"'In 1888, he patented a one-lens camera with which he filmed Leeds Bridge from this British Waterways building,'" Wilkinson reads from a plaque. "'These were probably the world's first successful moving pictures.'"

In his new documentary, Wilkinson hopes to tell the world what his hometown of Leeds already knows: Le Prince was the first man to make a movie.

"He beat all the others," Wilkinson said. "He beat Thomas Edison, he beat the Lumiere brothers by several years."

Edison and the Lumiere brothers have long been considered the pioneers of film and cinema.

In 1894 in New York, the Edison company premiered their first publicly shown film, "The Blacksmith Scene," and went on to produce such crowd-pleasers as "Cats Boxing."

One year later in France, Louis and Auguste Lumiere filmed and released a movie of workers leaving their factory in Lyon. Edison and the Lumieres gained worldwide acclaim, despite the evidence that shows Le Prince created his films several years earlier.

The proof is the date of the death of one of his main characters, Sara Whitely. Wilkinson tracked down her grave: Oct. 24, 1888.

"And that to me is concrete proof because you can't fake a death," Wilkinson said.

All Le Prince had to do to secure his place in history was show his film to an audience. Le Prince was set to premiere his film in New York, but in the weeks leading up to his trip, he left London to visit family in France, and he would never return.

Le Prince was last seen on Sept. 16, 1890, boarding an express train to Paris.

But when his train arrived at its final destination, Le Prince never got off. He and his bags seemingly vanished into thin air.

"There is a great conspiracy theory," said Bryony Dixon, a silent film historian at the British Film Institute. "We'd all love to believe that early cinema was so important that somebody would have gone to the lengths of murdering somebody."

Dixon isn't buying that conspiracy but says Le Prince did show a cinematic eye that was way ahead of his competitors.

"He understands instinctively to take, on the Leeds bridge film, a high point to look down on lots of different people moving," Dixon said. "And this is what excites people about early film."

And it's what got Wilkinson hooked 30 years ago when he first began researching Le Prince. Along the way, he's made major discoveries, like blueprints for a theater.

Le Prince's films and groundbreaking cameras only got as far as the National Media Museum in Bradford, where they are today.

Though a list of his film ideas owned by his great-great-granddaughter show that, had he lived, Le Prince may have produced the blockbusters of his time.

Now Wilkinson wants to give Le Prince the audience he deserves.

"I think it's very important if somebody does something that improves the lot of mankind, and film certainly has done that, that the person that's responsible for that, all people who are responsible for that, should be acknowledged," Wilkinson said.

In November, on what would have been the 125th anniversary of Le Prince's New York screening, Wilkinson hopes to show his film in Harlem.

It will be the final act in cinema's first story.




“In the English city of Leeds, Louis Le Prince is an icon, a French engineer, who as filmmaker David Wilkinson explains, made history. "'In 1888, he patented a one-lens camera with which he filmed Leeds Bridge from this British Waterways building,'" Wilkinson reads from a plaque. "'These were probably the world's first successful moving pictures.'" …. In 1894 in New York, the Edison company premiered their first publicly shown film, "The Blacksmith Scene," and went on to produce such crowd-pleasers as "Cats Boxing." One year later in France, Louis and Auguste Lumiere filmed and released a movie of workers leaving their factory in Lyon. Edison and the Lumieres gained worldwide acclaim, despite the evidence that shows Le Prince created his films several years earlier. The proof is the date of the death of one of his main characters, Sara Whitely. Wilkinson tracked down her grave: Oct. 24, 1888. …. All Le Prince had to do to secure his place in history was show his film to an audience. Le Prince was set to premiere his film in New York, but in the weeks leading up to his trip, he left London to visit family in France, and he would never return. Le Prince was last seen on Sept. 16, 1890, boarding an express train to Paris. But when his train arrived at its final destination, Le Prince never got off. He and his bags seemingly vanished into thin air. "There is a great conspiracy theory," said Bryony Dixon, a silent film historian at the British Film Institute. "We'd all love to believe that early cinema was so important that somebody would have gone to the lengths of murdering somebody." …. . Along the way, he's made major discoveries, like blueprints for a theater. Le Prince's films and groundbreaking cameras only got as far as the National Media Museum in Bradford, where they are today. Though a list of his film ideas owned by his great-great-granddaughter show that, had he lived, Le Prince may have produced the blockbusters of his time. Now Wilkinson wants to give Le Prince the audience he deserves.”

“In November, on what would have been the 125th anniversary of Le Prince's New York screening, Wilkinson hopes to show his film in Harlem. It will be the final act in cinema's first story.”

This story is not merely interesting, but exciting! Murdered for his film techniques and equipment? Whatever happens, I hope the film which he completed will be shown in theatres around the country rather than merely on Cable TV or National Public Media (Is that still their name?) The research by David Wilkinson also should be shown alongside the first movie, along with Edison’s early films “Cats Boxing” and “The Blacksmith Scene.” A cat fight is a really impressive thing to see.
I have a great photo on my computer of three kittens jumping into the air and flailing at each other. It is called “And everybody was Kung Fu fighting.”





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/treatment-or-lockup-criminal-justice-system-grapples-with-mentally-ill/

Treatment or lockup? Criminal justice system grapples with mentally ill
By INES NOVACIC CBS NEWS
July 21, 2015

Video -- Violent minds: Standing at the crossroads of mental health, public safety
Photograph -- Handcuffed men appear in Leifman's menthal health court. CBS NEWS
Photograph -- Martin Guthman chooses Leifman's jail diversion program instead of jail. CBS NEWS

On a hot and humid May afternoon in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, Officer Marco Caceres was about to take a coffee break halfway through his 11-hour shift. Pulling up in front "Pastelmania" Cuban bakery, Caceres, who has been with the Miami Police Department for eight years, smiled in anticipation of "the best Cuban coffee in the city."

Caceres kept one ear on his police radio throughout the short break. He is one of the only officers in his department trained in a special kind of program called crisis intervention team policing, or CIT, so if a call comes in requiring his attention, he has to be ready to jump on it.

CIT programs are designed to improve the way law enforcement responds to people suffering from mental illness. CIT is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1988 by Lt. Sam Cochran in Memphis, Tennessee. So far, around 3,000 law enforcement agencies across the country have sent at least one officer to participate in the 40-hour training course.

"Our instructor calls it judo talk - you talk to them like you've known them your whole life," said Caceres, glancing at the built-in laptop in his car, which flashed a description of each call streaming in. It wasn't long before he responded to a couple labeled CIT, including the last call of his shift, which involved a young woman whose father had called the police because he believed her mental illness was causing erratic, suicidal behavior. Caceres and a colleague handcuffed her and she was taken to a crisis intake medical facility.

"You're taking that extra step. Instead of just 'Grab him, handcuff him, put him into your car,' you actually tell him it's gonna be okay. You're there to help him out, take him somewhere where he could get medicine or see a doctor," said Caceres. "So yeah, we take a little extra step into the danger zone. They don't want us sometimes to even pull our taser out so yeah, there's a little more danger when you respond to one of these calls."

In Miami-Dade county, CIT is a key part of a criminal justice reform program called the Jail Diversion Program. It was set up 15 years ago to help tackle the problem of mental illness engulfing the community. Officials there estimate that almost 1 in 10 people in Miami-Dade suffer from serious mental illness.

"What you realize when you're doing all this, is that the system is so painfully and horribly fragmented that, even if you didn't have a mental illness, it's impossible to access services for so many people," said Miami Dade County Court Judge Steven Leifman, who presides over the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Criminal Mental Health Project, which champions the Jail Diversion Program. It's the largest court in Florida and the fourth largest trial court in America.

screen-shot-2015-07-15-at-9-02-14-pm.png
Judge Leifman presiding over mental health court in Miami. CBS NEWS
Leifman was taking a break following a morning court session in May, during which he presided over about a dozen cases exclusively from the mental health docket. The defendants had all worn orange jumpsuits, most were handcuffed, and some, according to the judge, showed "very clear" signs of hearing voices.

The people in handcuffs ranged slightly in age and gender, but they were mostly black men between the ages of 30 and 50. As Leifman called each case, he asked each person if they minded him asking a series of personal questions. No one did. Most answered his questions - about their mental health history, whether they were homeless, on medication, details of their criminal history - candidly.

He explained that what the jail diversion program really does is "connect the dots" for people to be able to access services that they need for recovery:

"It's just so damn hard for them to access it [services], that they end up only getting it when they get arrested, which is a horrible way to get treatment. So we try to put that all together and ... really tailor it to what [their] needs are," Leifman said.

screen-shot-2015-07-15-at-8-59-10-pm.png
"One guy came in, he had a crack addiction along with serious mental illness, so the first thing I'm going to have to do with him is try to get him detoxed on the crack so we can start to work on his mental illness."

Miami-Dade County jail - where the dozen-or-so mentally ill defendants appearing on the morning in question were transported from - now essentially serves as the largest psychiatric facility in the state. A similar phenomenon exists across the country: nationwide, there are 10 times more people with mental illness in jail or prison than in the hospital, according to a study published by the Treatment Advocacy Center.

"This particular program you saw today has reduced the recidivism rate for the misdemeanor mental health population from about 72 percent to 20 percent," said Leifman.

"What generally happens in most jurisdictions in the U.S., they don't do any of this," he said. "A person gets arrested, they'll try to deal with the charge, they resolve the case, the person walks out the door just as sick, or usually more sick than when they came in. And then they get re-arrested and they keep going on and on again."

Overall, the prison system costs American taxpayers at least $39 billion and every year about 2 million people with mental illness are incarcerated. At a given time at least 400,000 people with mental illness are behind bars. They account for roughly one-fifth of America's overall jail and prison population, yet it costs roughly twice as much to keep someone with mental illness behind bars, compared to other inmates or prisoners.

screen-shot-2015-07-15-at-8-59-26-pm.png
Handcuffed men appear in Leifman's menthal health court. CBS NEWS
"I started the jail diversion program ... after I had a really difficult case," said Leifman, recounting how a middle-aged couple came into his chambers desperate to get help for their son, who they said was a Harvard-educated psychiatrist and former employee of Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida.

"I didn't know anything about the system, and I made the mistake of promising I could help," Leifman said, shaking his head.

"He kept insisting there was nothing wrong with him in court, and he was in jail on a really silly charge - and it was something like a local county ordinance violation. So I asked him: 'I just don't understand one thing - why would a Harvard-educated doctor be homeless, and cycling through the criminal justice system?'"

The tone, he said, shifted drastically at that moment.

"All of a sudden he got a look on his face - almost like a wounded animal. ... It was how you'd imagine someone would look when they know they're about to die."

Leifman described how the man started screaming at the top of his lungs, hands over his ears - a sign that someone is hearing voices - and, repeating everything six times, shouted that he wanted his parents thrown out of the courtroom because they were CIA agents out to kill him.

"At the end of his rant all you could hear was his mother crying," said Leifman. "I'll tell you, you don't become a judge or a police officer, or anyone in this system, to become part of the problem. I was determined never, ever to be in that position again. It was just horrifying."

Although Leifman ordered three psychiatric evaluations, all of which found the man incompetent to stand trial and in need of immediate hospitalization, a Florida Supreme Court case had ruled that county court judges had no jurisdiction to involuntarily commit anyone so the only option was to release him out to the street, "floridly psychotic," as Leifman puts it. After that, he said he immediately set out making calls, consulting with experts on the mental health system.

screen-shot-2015-07-20-at-3-32-17-pm.png
Judge Leifman plans to expand the jail diversion to make more meaningful change. CBS NEWS
"I firmly believe 80 percent of the solution rests with the community. I think 20 percent rests with the state and federal government. Part of the problem is how and what they finance - and in some ways they contribute to the problem because they finance things that are very expensive, and they don't finance the things that would keep people from ever getting here. They inadvertently push more people into the system."

As an example, Leifman pointed to the fact that Florida spends more than $210 million a year to ensure that seriously mentally ill defendants are competent to stand trial. According to a recent Florida Senate report, that's one-third of the state's entire adult mental health budget, spent on just 3,000 people.

State funding for basic mental health services in Florida ranks 49th in the nation per capita. The bulk of treatment and recovery costs fall on various nonprofits, who provide $506 million in mental health and substance abuse services to the state's uninsured population.

"In some ways it meets the definition of insanity: we keep doing the same thing again and expecting different outcomes," said Leifman. "So one of things we've done in Dade County, is we've come up with an alternative system ... that instead of just focusing on restoring them, we're focusing on reintegrating them into the community."

Across the country, state budgets cut over $4 billion in public mental health spending between 2009 and 2012. Just two percent of adults with serious mental illness receive comprehensive services - such as housing and employment support - available through programs like Leifman's, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Almaleidys Valdes is among this 2 percent.

The Cuban-born 36-year-old was arrested in March 2014 by two officers not trained in CIT. According to the police report, the officers found her "banging a broom on the railing of the third floor walkway" in her building in Hialeah, about 12 miles north of Miami, in Miami-Dade County. The report describes how she struck one officer in the face with a closed fist and then scratched the other officer.

screen-shot-2015-07-20-at-3-33-17-pm.png
Valdes works as a volunteer receptionist as part of her recovery plan with the jail diversion program. CBS NEWS
"Before I was arrested, I wasn't in my mind. I don't remember, not even when I got arrested. I don't remember nothing," said Valdes.

A court-appointed social worker was able to get her into the Jail Diversion program shortly after her arrest. He now oversees her recovery, doing things like ensuring Valdes takes her medication, and coordinating tasks for her to do with the assisted employment training she's receiving in downtown Miami, at a facility called the Key Clubhouse.

"What I do I answer the phone calls, I open the door, I make sure people here sign the sheet," Valdes explained, as she sat at her desk in the Clubhouse entryway. She's been working there for five months.

"I love talking to people, I love seeing people, I like to deal with people," she smiled. Her spirits were high because she was set to make her final court appearance as part of the Jail Diversion Program.

"Tomorrow I finish, I feel happy," Valdes giggled. She said she plans to continue working at the Clubhouse, take her medication, and spend time with her family.

In May 2015, the Council of State Governments named Miami-Dade one of the four sites in the U.S. that should serve as a model for mental health and criminal justice reform- to make jails a last resort, rather than a first step, for the mentally ill who are on the brink of entering the corrections system.

Around the same time, the culmination of the work of the Jail Diversion program entered a new phase.

A short drive from both the Miami police headquarters and the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Criminal Mental Health Project, there is a imposing, gray building. Formerly a psychiatric facility for restoring competency among the criminally insane, the building's eerie, abandoned corridors still reveal fragments of the 1970s mental health landscape most people working in field today would rather forget, like prisoner's creative homemade shanks (among other weapons) and plastic defense shields once used by guards.

"It's very creepy. It's an old state hospital, so you get to see some really weird stuff in here," said Leifman as he walked through the facility's 18,000-square-foot grounds. He frequently gestured toward certain rooms, mapping the remodeling project that was about to start: "We're going to tear all this area down and make it a kind of open area."

"This building is going to be for the people who get arrested the most and who have acute mental illness," said Leifman, explaining how he's converting this into a forensic diversion facility.

"This will be the first of its kind in the country," said Leifman. "A facility that will have all the essential services that people need for recovery, in one place."

The services he listed include a crisis care unit, a courtroom, a short-term residential facility, a primary health care unit, and a supported employment and culinary program.

"We apply a criminal justice model to a public health problem and it doesn't work. It's a disaster," said Leifman. He hopes the rest of the nation looks to his court, to the Jail Diversion Program, and eventually to the forensic diversion facility to see that a new approach is possible.

"I learned that this is not just a local problem, but a state and national one. Our numbers are bigger (in Miami-Dade), but it's still a problem everywhere," said Leifman. "If I know that I could improve the public safety and save taxpayers money by doing it the right way, and I could help people get into recovery, I can't imagine not doing it, given the privilege of the job I have.

"I think it's part of all of our responsibility to do the right thing."



http://cit.memphis.edu/sam.html

Welcome to The University of Memphis cit-logo
CIT CENTER
A Resource for CIT Programs Across the Nation!

Major Sam Cochran (retired)

Sam Cochran was the coordinator of the Memphis Police Services Crisis Intervention Team (CIT). He retired from the Memphis police department after over 30 years of service and now provides consultation to CIT programs throughout the nation. He holds a Masters degree in Political Science from the University of Southern Mississippi. In addition to his nationally recognized work with the CIT program, Major Cochran was a coordinator for the Hostage Negotiation Team and the Critical Incident Services (CIS) for the Memphis Police Department. During his time as a law enforcement officer, Major Cochran (ret.) served in uniform patrol, the investigative division and was been an instructor at the training academy.

Sam Cochran is nationally known for his work in the field of crisis intervention. In addition to receiving the City University of New York (CUNY) John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement News Person of the Year Award (2000), the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill (NAMI) has named their annual law enforcement advocacy award after Sam Cochran. He has worked with police departments throughout the nation as well as departments in Canada, Australia, and England.




“Caceres kept one ear on his police radio throughout the short break. He is one of the only officers in his department trained in a special kind of program called crisis intervention team policing, or CIT, so if a call comes in requiring his attention, he has to be ready to jump on it. CIT programs are designed to improve the way law enforcement responds to people suffering from mental illness. CIT is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1988 by Lt. Sam Cochran in Memphis, Tennessee. So far, around 3,000 law enforcement agencies across the country have sent at least one officer to participate in the 40-hour training course. …. "You're taking that extra step. Instead of just 'Grab him, handcuff him, put him into your car,' you actually tell him it's gonna be okay. You're there to help him out, take him somewhere where he could get medicine or see a doctor," said Caceres. "So yeah, we take a little extra step into the danger zone. They don't want us sometimes to even pull our taser out so yeah, there's a little more danger when you respond to one of these calls." …. In Miami-Dade county, CIT is a key part of a criminal justice reform program called the Jail Diversion Program. It was set up 15 years ago to help tackle the problem of mental illness engulfing the community. Officials there estimate that almost 1 in 10 people in Miami-Dade suffer from serious mental illness. …. "It's just so damn hard for them to access it [services], that they end up only getting it when they get arrested, which is a horrible way to get treatment. So we try to put that all together and ... really tailor it to what [their] needs are," Leifman said. …. Miami-Dade County jail - where the dozen-or-so mentally ill defendants appearing on the morning in question were transported from - now essentially serves as the largest psychiatric facility in the state. A similar phenomenon exists across the country: nationwide, there are 10 times more people with mental illness in jail or prison than in the hospital , according to a study published by the Treatment Advocacy Center."This particular program you saw today has reduced the recidivism rate for the misdemeanor mental health population from about 72 percent to 20 percent," said Leifman.”

In the 1980s Ronald Reagan the great leader deregulated the government to meet the Republican ideal of fewer restrictions on business people. The two things that I remember from that time was when he deregulated the Air Traffic Controllers producing more people who would work cheaper and required less training. The idea that preventing air crashes would be important enough to maintain sufficient regulations didn’t occur to him. The other thing he deregulated was the number of people who were required to live in mental hospitals. I think there was a civil rights argument made that those with mental illness should have freedom of movement and life management, but within a year or so it was noticed that the number of homeless people had increased alarmingly. I lived in DC at the time, and some streets and parks were full of people in their blankets. Some people are incapable of caring for their basic needs due to their mental condition, not to mention the greater likelihood that certain individuals may become violent toward themselves or others. Those people almost inevitably come in contact with the police.

In the years since, we have continued to have increases in homeless people and mentally ill people encountering police officers, and unfortunately with fewer intelligent attempts to reduce the often heartless friction that affects these police encounters. Our society is relatively careless about what happens to such people as the homeless, the drug addicted, the painfully poor and the mentally ill, because they have no voice when issues are being decided. They “fall through the cracks.” Since Ferguson, MO’s outrageous incident of brutal policing last year there has been an increased awareness of racial and cultural bias, mental illness and poverty based problems with the nation’s police forces.

Probably due to increased awareness of the matter the press now reports a great deal more of such cases. Only three or four that I’ve seen have been positive and hopeful stories. This is one of those exceptions. I believe this man of unusual perspicuity and gentle temperament should be considered a hero. Thank goodness some 3000 police departments -- hopefully three million in the future – have followed the lead of CIT, his non-profit organization that fosters a police-generated attempt to improve how cops do their jobs.

I report this story with great pleasure and a good deal more hope about the future. Unfortunately we need more full service mental health hospitals so the number of people who need one can find a bed there. They may have to be federally subsidized because who is going to pay the cost for extended patient care? Insurance certainly won’t. I know many health professionals do prefer that the mentally ill be put on appropriate and effective medication and allowed to live at home. If it works, it’s the best idea. There is a time period when they are in the throes of a severe episode of some sort that they aren’t yet competent to do that, however, and they need hospital space. Besides, so many of them are homeless and they either forget their meds, can’t afford to buy them or simply refuse to take them – “it makes me sleepy.”

I don’t personally believe that continuing to allow them to wander the streets is acceptable. Some folks say they should be "free" to do that, but I disagree. It just amounts to a lower standard of living for those who can't afford to pay for housing and food. I would like to see this taken up as an issue by our politicians, as it is a basic societal need. A good police officer will take a very “wet” drunk to the local detox unit, but there are too few hospitals for the mentally ill. Building more of those would create more jobs for our workers in this country just as building roads and bridges does. We should be doing it now! I haven’t heard anyone mention it, either, not even good Democrats. Hopefully something will be done in the coming months and years. President Obama and Sen. B. Sanders, I hope you’re reading this blog!





http://www.cbsnews.com/media/9-industries-with-the-biggest-slumps-in-pay/

9 industries with the biggest slumps in pay
AIMEE PICCHI MONEYWATCH
July 21, 2015

The past 10 years represent a lost decade for many workers, thanks to stagnant and evening declining real wages.

Not all industries are hurting to the same degree, however. A majority of the 22 major occupation groups tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics witnessed declines in their annual average pay between 2004 through 2014, according to an analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Some of the declines were quite sharp, while other occupations saw just a moderate slip in annual income, which nevertheless can feel painful to workers given a rising cost of living. Only eight occupations benefited from wage increases during the past decade.

Stagnant and declining pay has been a hallmark of the post-recession years, leaving economists to puzzle over the causes. Higher-income workers have seen boosts to their paychecks, but the vast majority of Americans say their family's income is falling behind the cost of living, especially as the costs for services such as health care rise faster than inflation.

"Measuring from the end of the Great Recession, real wages have barely risen -- real compensation per hour has risen only by 0.5 percent, much less than at this point in past recoveries," wrote the bank's senior research economist Filippo Occhino and research analyst Timothy Stehulak in a recent publication.

One reason for the stagnant pay could be a shift in the composition of hours and jobs, with lower-paid work proliferating, lowering the country's average wage. But such a shift was small, the researchers point out.

Longer-term economic changes may be more to blame, such as a slowdown in labor productivity and the advancement of technology to produce goods and services, which has caused labor's share of income to decline at a faster rate since 2000, they added.

Regardless, American workers are feeling the pain when they sit down to pay their bills. For workers in the hardest-hit occupations, juggling their finances may be harder than ever.

On the other hand, some occupational groups have come out of the last decade with higher wages. The best performing field is health care practitioners and technical workers, who are making 5.8 percent more than in 2004, with average annual pay of $76,010 in 2014. Other groups that saw increases include architects and engineers, management, business and financial operations, and computer and mathematical professions.

Read on to find out the nine industries with the biggest declines in pay during the past decade.

9. Education/Training/Library: -1 percent

Workers in the education, training and library fields saw their real average annual wages decline by 1 percent during the past year. That means these employees were making an average of $52,741 in 2004 and only $52,210 in 2014.

Technology may be having an impact on these industries, with librarians facing job growth of 7 percent through 2022, lower than the 11 percent rate for all occupations, according to the BLS. The increased usage of electronic information and resources means fewer librarians will be needed, while budget cutbacks in local governments and educational services are taking a toll.


8. Farming/Fishing/Forestry: -1.2 percent

People working in the farming, fishing and forestry professions saw their real average annual wages decline 1.2 percent during the past decade. That means these workers were making $25,160 in 2014 compared to their average wages of $25,455 in 2004.

Agricultural workers, for one, are increasingly feeling technological changes as advancements in farm equipment lead to lower demand for workers. Those in the fishing industries have been hurt by catch limits, as well as competition from imports and farm-raised fish. Loggers are also facing foreign competition and limits on cultivation.

All farming, fishing and forestry occupations are projected to employ 3 percent fewer workers by 2022, compared with an 11 percent rise for all occupations, the BLS notes.


7. Transportation/Material moving: -1.4 percent

Workers in transportation and material moving have witnessed a 1.4 percent decline in real average annual wages. In 2004, these workers were making an average of $34,943 annually, which had declined to $34,460 by 2014.

These industries include truck drivers, taxi drivers, railroad workers, airline workers, bus drivers and more. Some segments within this industry are projected to have good growth opportunities, such as tractor-trailer drivers, but others, such as railroad operators, are facing some headwinds. In the rail industry, employment is expected to decline 3 percent by 2022 as freight companies find ways to increase capacity by running longer trains or double-stacking, according to the BLS.


6. Building/Grounds cleaning/Maintenance: -2.1 percent

Buildings, groundskeepers and maintenance workers are making 2.1 percent less than they did a decade ago. These workers made an average of $26,370 in 2014, compared with $26,934 in 2004, according to the study.

This group, which employs more than 4.3 million Americans, includes janitors, maids and housekeepers, pest control workers, and grounds maintenance workers. While all these jobs are expected to add workers at the same rate or even faster than average, low-wage professions in general haven't seen pay gains during the past decade.


5. Office/administrative support: -2.3 percent

Office and administrative workers are earning 2.3 percent less than they were in 2004. In dollar terms, that means the average salary last year was $35,530, compared with $36,372 a decade earlier.

This group includes office clerks, postal service workers, receptionists, administrative assistants and bank tellers, among other professions. Some of these jobs are at risk because new technologies are able to replace human workers, such as how ATMs and mobile banking can reduce the need for tellers.


4. Installation/maintenance/repair: -3.1 percent

This group, which employs 5.2 million Americans, has seen average annual wages slip 3.1 percent during the past decade. In 2004, these workers were making an average of $46,650, but that had declined to $45,220 by last year.

Workers in this group include a wide range of occupations, from watch repairers to truck mechanics. While each profession has its own outlook, some workers may face continued speed bumps, such as office equipment repairers, given that the lower cost of equipment means it may be cheaper for companies to replace computers than getting them repaired, the BLS notes.

In other fields, equipment is becoming more reliable, which is lowering demand for repair people.


3. Production: -3.3 percent

Production workers are earning 3.3 percent less than they were in 2004. That translates to an average annual wage of $35,490 last year, compared with $36,698 a decade ago.

Production occupations include everything from bakers to welders, according to the BLS. Many of these jobs are facing slower-than-average growth, while metal and plastic machine workers will see employment decline by 6 percent through 2022 because of a technological shift in factories that requires fewer low-skilled workers, the BLS says.


2. Sales and related fields: -4.2 percent

Salespeople haven't necessarily sold their employers on higher salaries. The average worker in this occupational group earned $38,660 last year, down from $40,370 in 2004.

Retail companies have been adding low-wage jobs, including salespeople, but workers may be suffering from stagnant wages given a federal minimum wage that hasn't changed for six years. At the same time, the cost of living has continued to rise, putting a damper on household finances for this group.


1. Personal care/service: -8.6 percent

The worst-performing industry over the past decade is personal care and service. Workers in this group earned $24,980 on average last year. That's down 8.6 percent from $27,323 in 2004.

These workers include child care workers, personal care aides and hairdressers, among other occupations. Many of these groups offer low-pay or even the tipped minimum wage (in the case of hairdressers), which has been stuck at $2.13 an hour since 1991. Tipped workers are more likely to live in poverty and rely on government aid.

Other groups, such as home health aides, have seen their hourly wages decline during the past decade, despite higher demand for their services. Wages have suffered because, in the case of home health aides, workers are excluded from wage protections and lack union representation. A number of low-skilled workers are also are employed in a number of these fields.




“The past 10 years represent a lost decade for many workers, thanks to stagnant and evening declining real wages. Not all industries are hurting to the same degree, however. A majority of the 22 major occupation groups tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics witnessed declines in their annual average pay between 2004 through 2014, according to an analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. …. Higher-income workers have seen boosts to their paychecks, but the vast majority of Americans say their family's income is falling behind the cost of living, especially as the costs for services such as health care rise faster than inflation. "Measuring from the end of the Great Recession, real wages have barely risen -- real compensation per hour has risen only by 0.5 percent, much less than at this point in past recoveries," …. Longer-term economic changes may be more to blame, such as a slowdown in labor productivity and the advancement of technology to produce goods and services, which has caused labor's share of income to decline at a faster rate since 2000, they added. …. On the other hand, some occupational groups have come out of the last decade with higher wages. The best performing field is health care practitioners and technical workers, who are making 5.8 percent more than in 2004, with average annual pay of $76,010 in 2014. Other groups that saw increases include architects and engineers, management, business and financial operations, and computer and mathematical professions.”

9. Education/Training/Library: -1 percent -- The increased usage of electronic information and resources means fewer librarians will be needed, while budget cutbacks in local governments and educational services are taking a toll. ….
8. Farming/Fishing/Forestry: -1.2 percent -- All farming, fishing and forestry occupations are projected to employ 3 percent fewer workers by 2022, compared with an 11 percent rise for all occupations, the BLS notes. ….
7. Transportation/Material moving: -1.4 percent -- These industries include truck drivers, taxi drivers, railroad workers, airline workers, bus drivers and more. Some segments within this industry are projected to have good growth opportunities, such as tractor-trailer drivers, but others, such as railroad operators, are facing some headwinds.
6. Building/Grounds cleaning/Maintenance: -2.1 percent -- This group, which employs more than 4.3 million Americans, includes janitors, maids and housekeepers, pest control workers, and grounds maintenance workers. While all these jobs are expected to add workers at the same rate or even faster than average, low-wage professions in general haven't seen pay gains during the past decade.
5. Office/administrative support: -2.3 percent -- . Some of these jobs are at risk because new technologies are able to replace human workers, such as how ATMs and mobile banking can reduce the need for tellers.
4. Installation/maintenance/repair: -3.1 percent -- While each profession has its own outlook, some workers may face continued speed bumps, such as office equipment repairers, given that the lower cost of equipment means it may be cheaper for companies to replace computers than getting them repaired, the BLS notes.
3. Production: -3.3 percent -- . Many of these jobs are facing slower-than-average growth, while metal and plastic machine workers will see employment decline by 6 percent through 2022 because of a technological shift in factories that requires fewer low-skilled workers, the BLS says.
2. Sales and related fields: -4.2 percent – Retail companies have been adding low-wage jobs, including salespeople, but workers may be suffering from stagnant wages given a federal minimum wage that hasn't changed for six years.
1. Personal care/service: -8.6 percent -- Many of these groups offer low-pay or even the tipped minimum wage (in the case of hairdressers), which has been stuck at $2.13 an hour since 1991. Tipped workers are more likely to live in poverty and rely on government aid. Other groups, such as home health aides, have seen their hourly wages decline during the past decade, despite higher demand for their services. Wages have suffered because, in the case of home health aides, workers are excluded from wage protections and lack union representation.

I see certain things in the information above – First, Education and library services are desired by all, but given priority by few. Their usefulness is not usually to the pocketbook but to the inner satisfaction level of the user. I read books because I like to and want to learn things. Many of the wealthiest people aren’t intellectually curious at all. Donald Trump, I would bet, is one of those people – at least he shows no other sign of intelligence. Teachers, though absolutely necessary to a civilized society -- have been low paid since I was getting out of school in 1970 and long before. I remember many of my teachers with great personal fondness; so though it won’t improve their financial situation any, they are highly valued individuals. I would also like to say that the cleaning people and taxi drivers are also very important individuals. If you don’t believe it, read one of the news articles from some years back when the NYC garbage workers went on strike. That was on the news for days on end until the strike ended. My Palestinian hairdresser Sami is much missed, too. She retired for health reasons recently. Right now I’m growing my hair long, but sooner or later I’ll have to find someone else. I accidentally ran into her cousin who runs a gas station where I stopped. I asked him to tell her that I miss her. He did write my name down, so I think he will do it. Certain of the jobs like fishing and forestry jobs are being controlled by laws now and by other business endeavors such as the farming of fish rather than catching them from the ocean.

So, in general, it’s technology and the failure of the minimum wage to rise along with the cost of living. President Obama, some states and even city governments and Senator Bernie Sanders have been outspoken for a much higher minimum wage which will produce an income for all covered workers that is a living wage. We also need to get rid of the laws which allow tipped workers to subsist on the very low minimum that is currently allowed. There has also been a rise in interest in unions and striking. Some of these low wage situations have always been and will be dependent on a good strong union to provide sufficient income, and unfortunately many of those people will be black, Hispanic or very undereducated workers. There’s no substitute for a high school diploma or GED. The minimum wage needs to be raised to $15.00/hour as Obama and others have suggested, with no workers exempt from that including healthcare, sales and restaurant workers. Commission should be outlawed as a means of allocating a worker’s pay. They should be paid as all other workers, and at the minimum wage. All those workers are human beings, members of our society, and they should all have a living wage. We should have no expendable people here in the USA.