As if our mental health system isn’t bad enough, Bridge Magazine is reporting that Michigan has been forced to close 77 beds at state-run psychiatric facilities since April, largely because the system lacks enough staff to care for severely mentally ill patients. The situation may get worse in the near-term: Health officials say hundreds of job openings have failed to draw applicants. That has reduced the number of beds available at state facilities for severely ill patients by about 10 percent. The largest cut was at a facility in Kalamazoo, which has taken 50 in-patient beds offline in recent months.
Money isn’t the problem. Michigan’s investment in its state psychiatric hospitals has grown significantly in recent years. “I’ve got the budget to hire staff,” said Dr. George Mellos, deputy director at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services for the state hospitals that offer behavioral health services. “I don’t ever remember a time having to close beds because no one was applying for jobs.”
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Since January of 2021, I have been railing about the political prosecution of Nick Lyon, former governor Snyder, and others in the Flint Water Crisis. In Nolan Finley’s daily newsletter today, he summed up the follies of AG Nessel on this case perfectly. Here are his comments.
| Genesee County Judge Elizabeth Kelly handed Dana Nessel’s Flint prosecution team its latest beat down by dismissing charges against 7 of the defendants in its Flint water crisis witch hunt. |
| The judge acted after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled the attorney general’s hand-picked squad of special prosecutors violated the constitution when it used a one-man grand jury to bring the felony charges against members of Gov. Rick Snyder’s team. |
| Chief Justice Bridget McCormack compared the AG’s tactics to a Star Chamber for its attempt to use secret evidence to deny the defendants their due process rights. |
| The flawed prosecution as of July had cost Michigan taxpayers $53 million. |
| You’d think Nessel’s squad, which included Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy and Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud, would be humbled by their colossal failure. |
| Nope. In a statement, they said: “Despite the prosecution’s tireless pursuit of justice for the victims of the water crisis, the courts have once again sided in favor of well-connected, wealthy individuals with political power and influence instead of the families and children of Flint.” |
| What a load of garbage. For the most part, the targets of the prosecution are government workers, bureaucrats who don’t qualify as fat cats. (The misdemeanor charges against Snyder were not dismissed). |
| The team then twisted reality to say the one-man grand jury was a well- established practice that had been upheld by the courts, and accused the Supreme Court of misinterpreting the law in its decision. Actually, it had never been given legal sanction by the courts and had been rarely used until the Flint case, and not for this type of prosecution. It was Worthy who popularized its use to deny defendants a fair trial. |
| The court’s ruling came on a 6-0 vote. Nessel’s fellow Democrats accounted for four of those justices. |
| The AG’s office screwed up royally and were caught. And still the team is promising to pursue what now is clearly a politically motivated vendetta, despite the multiple rebukes by the courts. |
| It would be nice if Nessel had an opponent in the upcoming election who could hold her accountable for this costly mess. |
Hopefully this is the last time I mention anything about this political prosecution.
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Mercifully, the Detroit Tigers’ season came to an end today as they lost to the Seattle Mariners 5-4. The last inning pretty much summed up the whole season. You cannot make this up.
In the bottom of the ninth Seattle is batting with the score tied 4-4. The Tigers bring in their closer Gregory Soto. Here is the play by play.
- Toro flied out to center. One out.
- Casali walks. Runner on first.
- Crawford grounds one back Soto who throws it into the dirt at second, both runners are safe.
- Kalenic now batting. Soto throws a wild pitch allowing Casali to take third. Runners now on the corners with one out.
- Manager A.J. Hinch calls time and brings right fielder Davis in to play the infield. Tigers now have five infielders and only two outfielders. It is all for naught as Soto walks Kalenic to load the bases.
- France comes to bat with the bases loaded. Davis returns to right field and A.J. Hinch indicates the Tigers are to play for the double play, with the corners in. France singles to right for a walk off victory for the playoff bound Mariners.
I wish I could have taken a screen shot of the Tigers defensive shift for prosperity. Beginning in the 2023 season, shifts such as the Tigers used are prohibited.
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Elections Matter. Pray for peace and tolerance. What are you doing to stop the violence and mass killings?
Quote of the Day: “Kelly’s ruling “validates that this case was always a political prosecution, with the phony indictment of Agen only secured through illegitimate and unethical means. We appreciate the multiple judges that have ruled against Attorney General Nessel’s failed train wreck of a case against her political opponents,” Charles Spies, counsel for Agen, said in a statement to Bridge Magazine.
Orchid of the Day: Nick Lyon, for the way he has handled the last six years in the face of a political prosecution.
Onion of the Day: A.G Nessel, who wants to continue to pursue the prosecution in the Flint Water Crisis, in spite of her latest beatdown by Judge Elizabeth Kelly and the Michigan Supreme Court.
Question of the Day: When are we ever going to get serious about addressing the serious mental health issues facing so many of our citizens?
Video/Image of the Day: Incredible footage of Hurricane Ian.