EDITORIAL ROUNDUP
Sept. 10 Johnson City Press (Tenn.)
Seek treatment
September is recognized nationally as Suicide Prevention Month, and, though the serious public health issue can’t be confined to any specific calendar dates, mental health advocates are taking the opportunity to raise awareness.
According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 46,000 Americans died by suicide in 2020 and more than 1.2 million attempted to do so.
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among people ages 10 to 14 and the third-leading cause of death among people between the ages 15 and 24 in the United States.
Most of us know a friend or family member who has committed or tried to commit suicide, and many of us have struggled or are struggling with our own self-harming behaviours or suicidal thoughts.
Often, people experiencing suicidal thoughts try to ignore or hide them from others and are afraid to discuss them with those close to them or professional therapists because they fear they will be labeled as “crazy.”
Mental and behavioral health professionals have fought against the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health treatment and encourage anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts to seek help.
Anyone locally experiencing a mental health crisis may call the 24/7 Frontier Health Crisis Hotline at (877) 928-9062 or call or text 988 to be connected to a professional. The toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is also available 24/7 at (800) 273-TALK (8255).
Like our physical health, our mental health needs regular check-ups and treatment from time to time, and it’s important to recognize and quickly address ailments when they arise.
Sept. 13 The Advocate Wretched roads
Wish you were buying things at the price of 32 years ago? Don’t we all, but we all also know that we’re not going to get as much for our money.
And that goes for road repairs in Louisiana, the Potholes-a-Million State.
To the surprise of no one, a new report from the Legislative Auditor’s Office tells the old story of Louisiana’s neglect in paying for road repairs, not to mention building new roads and bridges.
The state gasoline tax is 20 cents per gallon, which has not been raised in more than three decades. Inflation, not a new phenomenon, has worked its magic during those decades. Unlike Louisiana, 22 states index their gas taxes to price rises. …
Federal aid for major highways does come in, but it requires matching state funds. And Louisiana must maintain the federally funded highways, too. That’s more difficult in many places in southeastern Louisiana because of our alluvial soils deposited from the ancient course of the Mississippi River.
All told, the situation is just about where it always was: Legislators say their constituents don’t want to pay more at the pump, even if the folks back home also complain about the roads all the time.
Only Mississippi and Alaska have gone so long without raising their gas taxes; the latter is heavily subsidized by oil prices. And Mississippi is like us in resistance to taxes, but also has much more robustly funded local governments. People pay there for better roads through local property taxes as well as state transportation funds.
And the auditor’s report does make it clear, as legislators say they understand, that there are problems with overreliance on gasoline taxes in the future.
State Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Shawn Wilson, a veteran DOTD employee put in the top spot by Gov. John Bel Edwards, is an able leader in this arena.
But his agency’s funding prospects are complicated by what he called “changing dynamics” on the roads. Those are outlined in the new report: Legislative Auditor Mike Waguespack said more fuel-efficient vehicles lower consumption of gasoline. Electric vehicles, which won’t be utilizing the state’s gas pumps, must also be taxed somehow otherwise. Waguespack projected that those changing dynamics will lower motor vehicle tax revenues over the coming decade to the tune of $564 million.
Legislators understand the landscape but apparently don’t have the guts to explain realities to their constituents. Although it is a bit like raiding Peter’s purse to pay Paul, they voted instead to divert some vehicle sales tax revenues to road repairs over several years.
Drivers of electric vehicles are relatively few in Louisiana, so lawmakers had no political compunctions about a bill by Rep. Barbara Freiberg, R-Baton Rouge, that will establish an annual fee for hybrid and electric vehicles. Edwards signed the measure into law and the fees go into effect next January.
But baby steps won’t get us new bridges on the interstate highways or build many other roads needed in the state. If we wimp out on gas taxes for decades, that is what happens.