Mike Reynolds in the current issue of The Nation magazine (16 June 2007), pens an investigative piece exposing the ineffective pork-barrel industry, sprouting from conservative Christian policy as advocated by Bush and Co., concerning abortion, abstinence-only contraception and HIV disease prevention — among other sexual health-oriented, government-funded programs and agendas.
Appropriately titled: The Abstinence Gluttons, Mr. Reynolds follows the money and the players, while documenting the usual rush to profit, that often underlines SOP behind Republican party platform to privatize government agencies, like our national Health and Human Services Administration.
Under the guise of family values, decency, etc., the religious right reaps financial gain with the expressed invitation of this administration, to promote faith-based strategy for health and welfare management of public agencies — all at taxpayer expense with minimal regulation or accountability.
Excerpts:
“One of the chief cooks is a media-shy 63-year-old Catholic multimillionaire, welfare privatizer and Republican donor named Raymond Ruddy. With close ties to the White House, federal health officials and Republican power brokers that date back to W.’s days as Texas governor, Ruddy has leveraged his generous wallet and insider muscle to push an ultraconservative social agenda, enrich a preferred network of abstinence-only and antiabortion groups, boost profits for his company and line the pockets of his cronies–all with taxpayer dollars.”
Fortunately, Democrats now control some of the purse strings and can expose these cash-rich, ineffective schemes.
“At press time, Democrats are poised to cut off one $50 million abstinence-only funding stream, through Title V, which requires renewal by June 30. Henry Waxman, the California Democrat who chairs the House government reform committee, is considering hearings on Bush’s abstinence programs–hearings that could expose the conservative pork barrel they’ve become.”
We must promote Congressional hearing to examine health care policy that allows spending large sums of taxpayer money without oversight and accountability, while concurrently advocating for effective results-based performance.
Tags: abortion, abortion rights, faith-based, family values