I receive a daily newsletter about psychiatric and other mental health news. I can't give you a direct link for today's quote because you must be a member of the American Psychiatric Association, but here is a link to the news service itself:
http://www.psych.custombriefings.com/

California governor seeks to cut mental health services for the homeless.

In continuing coverage from a previous briefing, the Los Angeles Times (7/14, Romney, Gold) reported, "A nationally lauded program that has helped thousands of mentally ill homeless men and women break the cycle of psychiatric hospitalization, jail time and street life is now on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) list of budget cuts." Schwarzenegger "has proposed eliminating Integrated Services for Homeless Adults With Serious Mental Illness, which receives $55 million annually, as part of his attempt to close a budget gap estimated at more than $3 billion." The Times continued, "Mental health advocates, clients and concerned legislators are lobbying fiercely to save the program, which served as the blueprint for California's ongoing efforts to radically retool the state's mental health system. They have pledged to sue the administration if they fail, contending that the cut would violate the 2004 voter-approved Proposition 63, which aimed to remake the state's mental health system in the image of the homeless program's 'whatever it takes' style of treatment, and prohibits the state from reducing mental health funding below its commitment at the time the measure passed."
This is very bad news for both the homeless mentally ill and the already overburdened prison system in California. So many mentally ill people end up in prison because there is no other place for them. Last time I checked, there are large populations of illegals in our prisons, contributing to the overburdening.

The moral, ethical and LEGAL thing Ahnuld needs to do is shut off the spigot in the social services agencies which are forbidden by law not to provide for non-citizens. You know as well as I do that so many of them do the "wink, wink" dance. Instead he is balancing it on the backs of those least able to take care of themselves. It is astounding what the provision of case management and medication can do for many of the mentally ill homeless and it is cost effective. What he is saying is that sick Americans' quality of life is less important than tending to the needs of aliens.