Honestly, can any Republican in the House of Representatives actually think?
Cutting Poison Control
Since the total 2010 deficit is $1.1 trillion, this program's $29 million cost is the equivalent of a flyspeck on a Supersaurus. But the Repooks* don't care about that. Instead, they would rather all but eliminate the program and send people to the emergency room rather than spring for the cost of a phone call.
As the article points out:
"While a single visit to an emergency room can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars (often paid for by the government), a call to a poison center costs the government only $30 or $40. A study in the Journal of Medical Toxicology estimated that the poison centers saved the State of Arizona alone $33 million a year. Louisiana eliminated its centers in the 1980s but restored them when it realized how much money they saved.
The centers, which collect poison reports, can also act as an early warning system for pandemics or large toxic exposures, allowing a quick response."
So this program does double duty: it prevents wasting the government's money and protects the public.
Naturally, the Republicans want to get rid of it.
Their idea of a "budget process" reminds me of evil, cackling children throwing darts at a dartboard and eliminating whatever they hit. It has about as much common sense and reasoning behind it. Obviously John Boehner has lost control of his squabbling little pack of brats, and just as obviously they're prepared to do severe damage to the country.
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*Repooks: Radical Republican Kooks.
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