Misguided Austerity Could Literally Hurt Our Brains and Our Future

[earcandle]

Source: Fire Dog Lake

With Congressional Republicans almost giddy about cutting programs designed to help struggling people and even President Obama proudly showing what a “super serious person” he can be by cutting home heating assistance for poor people, it’s important to reflect on what the latest research says about the long-term damage the extreme stress of poverty and joblessness can cause. From Seed Magazine:

Gould’s insight was that understanding how stress damages the brain could illuminate the general mechanisms—especially neurogenesis—by which the brain is affected by its environ-mental conditions. For the last several years, she and her post-doc, Mirescu, have been depriving newborn rats of their mother for either 15 minutes or three hours a day. For an infant rat, there is nothing more stressful. Earlier studies had shown that even after these rats become adults, the effects of their developmental deprivation linger: They never learn how to deal with stress. “Normal rats can turn off their glucocorticoid system relatively quickly,” Mirescu says. “They can recover from the stress response. But these deprived rats can’t do that. It’s as if they are missing the ‘off’ switch.”

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Our president is going to stress out the poor more than they are with his budget cuts. This is cruel.
Is he trying to get us to move our butts into the street, just to see if we would dare?

Are we that easy to dismantle? Throw our values into the toilet while they do doublespeak?

[Poll_Blind]

1. As critical as I am of Obama, I haven't looked over the budget yet so I don't know how bad it gets..

...but I worry there's too much in there to help big business NOW and too little to help the little folks LATER.

PB

[eilen]

2. A traitor to democratic values. nt

[eilen]

3. Effect of some of the cuts in my town

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2011/02/central_new_yorkers_will_see_e.html

“The block grant is really the only source of funding in the city for our housing stock,” Driscoll said. “It’s an aging housing stock.”

He said the federal money includes $500,000 the city set aside this year for agencies to help the “housing vulnerable” — people who have setbacks that put them in danger of losing their homes because of the downturn in the economy.

The federal grants also provide $1.2 million for the city’s housing rehabilitation program, which helps pay for repairs to keep houses occupied by low- to moderate-income residents.

“It’s the unglamorous stuff that goes on day to day that keeps our housing stock vital,” Driscoll said.

The cuts also would hit hard at Home HeadQuarters, the Syracuse nonprofit housing and community development organization that has been trying to revitalize city neighborhoods. Kerry Quaglia, the group’s executive director, said the needs for programs run by his agency have only grown during the recession.
“Any cut to Community Development Block Grants would be unfortunate,” Quaglia said. He said the program locally has helped maintain Syracuse’s deteriorating housing stock, especially through a home-improvement program that provides loans and grants for owner-occupants to fix leaky roofs or heating systems or make other emergency repairs. “The last thing we need are any more vacant properties,” Quaglia said.

[applegrove]

4. If the GOP has its' way and undoes Health Care Reform the poor will

be traumatized and not have access the doctors and psychologists who can help them.

[Javaman]

5. I'm so glad the tax breaks for the rich were extended. nt