Tom Clemmer: Government can help mentally ill

In her Sept. 24 Point of View “Getting the picture,” Donna Kay Smith presented a horrifying example of the tragic and disgraceful consequences of North Carolina’s willful failure to provide adequate mental health treatment facilities.

Who is responsible for this failure? Who has the power to correct it?

Our governor and our legislators. Our legislators, singly and collectively, have chosen (yes, deliberately chosen) to allow this inhumane situation to continue. Some progress has been made, but it has been too little and too late. They find money for all sorts of causes they deem important, but showing basic human compassion toward our friends, neighbors and family members living with mental illness is clearly low on their list of priorities.

If they choose to, they can begin to fix the problem today. Will they do it? Each of them has to look into a mirror and answer that question for himself or herself.

We know what the right choice is. We will also be watching to see how they choose. We can then vote accordingly.

Gov. Pat McCrory can choose to be remembered as a crusader for North Carolina’s mentally ill. Wouldn’t that be a fine legacy?

This story was originally published September 26, 2016 at 5:13 PM with the headline "Tom Clemmer: Government can help mentally ill."