Savings way too costly

My fervent prayer is that the recent assassination attempt on Congesswoman Giffords will focus a necessary bright light into the dark corner where our current mental health care system resides. We need to talk about mental illness in public, advocating for humane and effective care with safety for all including the mentally ill.

The cold fact of our state Legislature and governor removing that part of our health care system from coverage and pitching folks to the ditch yet again is a shameful thing. There is still time to reverse that fateful group of decisions.

We are better than this. We can afford to care for mental illness at least as well as physical illness. We can’t afford not to for a panoply of powerfully important reasons.

We cannot ignore people’s overt symptoms and whistle in the dark when we suspect someone is mentally unstable and just assume it is “all going to be OK.” Often it is. Too often it is not.

John A. Olsen

Spokane