I noted on the news recently that the United States has lost approx. 3,000,000 jobs since 2003. These jobs were in the tech world, manufacturing, some service businesses, and at all levels of skill and quality. What is little known or even of interest to most people is what is happening in all governmental systems, especially within the State.  What we are witnessing at the State level in Missouri (Department of Mental Health,MRDD, prime example) is the further erosion of job stability, quality, and in turn, loss of loyalty to leadership. It is an epidemic of disillusionment. For the social worker types, the State has offered the summit of advancement in the field. Some may find that hard to believe. Social workers generally are not considered of any real value until a family needs one. After all, they serve in a people business; generally not very profitable.

What we are witnessing now through the downsizing and outsourcing by DMH’s Keith Schafer and Bernie Simons, is the ending of the progressive, philosophical concept of person centeredness for person's with developmental disabilities, the ideal of consumer choice, and in the end, the loss of trust and belief in people. Too dramatic sounding? Maybe, but the experience is real none the less. Outsourcing has proven to be a false god in the governmental world, although it is a principle of the neo-cons and used as a weapon.  They hate government. Mr. Bernie Simons was brought in from out of State for that specific purpose; an instrument. What we have witnessed in the past few years is the loss of basic and steadfast belief in the leaders and the outright loss of quality, throughout the systems. This is not an accident. It is the loss of belief in our government for good works:  FEMA, the USDA, the FDA, and on down the hill to Missouri’s DMH, Senior Services, Division of Family Services, etc….[Four out of five Americans believe things are "on the wrong track" in the United States, the gloomiest outlook in about 20 years, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll released on Thursday.4-3-08] It is delusional thinking that the change these people are forcing will somehow lead to a better world. No person with a disability believes that. So to fulfill and complete the cultish neo-con nightmare of the past few years, with the hope to effect deep, irreversible cuts (i.e. 200 service coordinators-DMH statewide) and changes, the department level true believers are inflicting as much damage as they can before (potentially) sweeping change comes next year. An incredible amount of damage has already been done in Joplin and Springfield. Look for future headlines. They will be there! Then we will see people looking at the State and asking them where was the oversight and responsibility? Where were you?? The response will be: Oh. Yeah. We outsourced it under Mr. Keith Schafer and Mr. Bernie Simons.