Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the House on March 1, 2006, an "omnibus" multidepartment Fiscal Year 2005-2006 House budget, which contains virtually all state spending except K-12 School Aid. Notable features include a lifetime four-year cap on cash payments to able-bodied welfare recipients, increasing some co-pays from Medicaid recipients, increasing Medicaid reimbursements to doctors, revising and increasing university funding distributions, and no increased taxes. Analysis from the non-partisan House Fiscal Agency is here and here. In total, the budget appropriates $29.925 billion in gross funding (including federal money), of which $9.195 billion is from the general fund (state taxes but not fees and other state revenue)

The vote was 60 in favor, 46 opposed and 1 not voting

(House Roll Call 583 at House Journal 51)

Click here to view bill details.

Rep. Bieda, having reserved the right to explain his nay vote, made the following statement: "Mr. Speaker and members of the House: This amendment, offered for the first time at 11:50 pm, is a anti-worker protection measure that will do nothing to improve the state's business climate or competitiveness, and much to restrict the valid operation of state governmental efforts to improve the health and safety of workers in this state. Thus I voted 'no' on record roll call vote 581."

He and Meissner proclaim that California employers just love that state's ergonomics mandate (the only one in the nation), because it saves them tons of money on workplace repetitive use injuries, and so greatly improves their "profits." "Who could oppose increasing profits in this way" they sanctimoniously declaim on the House floor. Of course it's all BS, trumped up and fed to them by their union boss puppet masters. How do I know this? If it was such a money saver they wouldn't need a government mandate to jam it down employers' throats - businesses would do it voluntarily. Two points: First, without the heavy hand of government mandates to stifle innovation, the private sector is making tremendous progress in this area already, thank you. Second, what kind of self-serving demagogic charlatans are these guys, and their governess, that they would impose a monstrous new job-killing mandate on Michigan employers when the state is already on the threshhold of massive depopulation and income loss? Do the union goons really hate Michigan that much?

"A key part of our economic plan is ensuring that every person in MI has the skills they need to get a good job," said Governor Jennifer M. Granholm. "This program provides that opportunity for thousands of people currently dependent on welfare while saving the state money." The DHS plan includes expansion of the Jobs, Education and Training (JET) pilots. JET was developed jointly with the Department of Labor and Economic Growth (DLEG) to help welfare recipients become self-sufficient and permanently attached to the labor force. The DHS plan, which includes projected cost savings of $12 million, enlarges JET pilots already underway as part of the FY 2006 budget and becomes part of the department?s fiscal year 2007 budget propose"

It's good stuff, just America is not quick to embrace it.

Use the money WISELY. Those people would be THRILLED TO FINALLY GET THE HELP THEY NEED and probably be off before 4 years.

Link between lead and VIOLENCE

Wednesday :: January 08, 2003 New Study: Lead Poisoning Linked to Juvenile Crime From Ross over at Bloviator, a new study shows there may be a link between lead exposure and juvenile delinquency: Researchers tested the lead bone concentrations of 194 youths aged 12 to 18 convicted in the Allegheny County Juvenile Court in Pennsylvania and 146 students in regular high schools in Pittsburgh who did not have behavioral problems. The study found delinquent children were four times as likely to have elevated concentrations of lead in their bones. The mean concentration of lead in the convicted youths was 11.0 parts per million, compared to only 1.5 parts per million among other high schoolers. Based on their findings, researchers attribute an estimated 11 percent to 38 percent of juvenile delinquency in Allegheny County to lead exposure. "This study suggests a substantial proportion of delinquent behavior is due to a preventable cause -- lead," says Dr. Herbert Needleman, lead author of the study and a University of Pittsburgh professor of child psychiatry and pediatrics. "Very small amounts of lead are associated with toxicity." The study appears in today's issue of Neurotoxicity and Teratology. Ross has more on this.

A Stranger Ignorance (Chapter 3 of A Strange Ignorance) On the website of the Gruter Institute there is a Report of a Symposium on Biology, Behavior, and The Criminal Law held in April of 1997 (Reported by Oliver Goodenough). After Roger D. Masters presented his association between lead and crime (noted below): "Professor Deborah Denno drew on her Philadelphia data once again to argue for The Unfamiliar Link Between Lead and Crime. Her work also shows a highly significant link between observed lead toxicity and the likelihood of criminal activity. The rich nature of the data allowed her to explore some 3,000 factors for links to criminal behavior in 1000 children who were followed from birth to age 22. The researchers found that the best predictor (when the children are 7 years old) for aggressive behavior in school, juvenile delinquency, and eventual criminal violence is the degree of lead poisoning. The second best predictor was anemia, which, being related to deficits in calcium, zinc and other essential minerals, is associated with uptake of toxins from the environment." Of course, anemia itself is a common symptom of lead poisoning. Denno, a law professor at Fordham University, conducted her research in the 1970s and in 1990 published her findings that concluded most criminal and violent behavior can be prevented because they have environmental origins that can be eliminated ("Biology and Violence : From Birth to Adulthood" November 1990, Cambridge University Press; ISBN: 0521362199). It is difficult to understand why educators seem unable to comprehend that misbehavior in school is only the tip of a lead-induced iceberg of violence that extends far beyond classrooms. But people in other professions have been noting this for years. Researcher Roger D. Masters and his co-workers attempted to explain the wide discrepancy in crime rates among cities by performing statistical comparisons of EPA records of toxic metal releases and FBI data on violent crime in all U.S. counties. They found a strong correlation between violent crime and toxic metal pollution. Masters was quoted in a New Scientist magazine article titled "Pollution May Lead to a Life of Crime" (154:2084, May 31, 1997, pg 4) as attributing violent crime to brain damage from neurotoxins: "It's the breakdown of the inhibition mechanism that's the key to violent behavior." He was referring to the "breakdown" of the biochemical "inhibition mechanisms" in the frontal lobe of the brain that control behavior. One section of the brain stimulates excitement and impulsiveness while another section of the brain inhibits actions on those stimuli. Normally the brain balances those dynamic pressures but in brains damaged by lead poisoning, they become imbalanced. In a study published in the May 2000 Environmental Research Journal (Vol. 83, No. 1, pp. 1-22), Rick Nevin performed a statistical analysis of childhood lead exposure and violent crime rates and unwed pregnancies. Childhood lead exposure explained 88% of the variation in the violent crime rates from 1960 to 1998. Childhood lead exposure explained 90% of the unwed pregnancy rates for women aged 15 to 19. Nevin also demonstrated that childhood lead exposure explained the so-called "Flynn Effect" of changing IQ scores in twenty nations during the 1900s. In May of 2001, the American Medical Association published a study titled "The Relationship Between Lead Exposure and Homicide" by Paul B. Stretesky, PhD. and Michael J. Lynch, PhD. (Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2001;155:579-582) which reported: Numerous behavioral, neuropsychological, and biological studies suggest that sufficient exposure to lead, a metallic neurotoxin, can promote brain dysfunction. Called the neurotoxicity hypothesis, this position states that lead exposure alters neurotransmitter and hormonal systems and may induce aggressive and violent behavior. …. The major finding of this study is that there is an association between air lead concentrations and homicide rates in the contiguous United States in 1990. At this time, however, it is not possible to say that the observed relationship is causal. Nevertheless, the finding of an association between lead exposure and homicide is consistent with the few individual-level studies examining the role of lead exposure in delinquency and aggression. Moreover, the results of this study contribute to the emerging and controversial issue concerning the role of lead exposure in predisposing some individuals to committing crime and displaying violent behaviors. …. For much of the 20th century, lead’s deleterious effects on health were widely accepted. Often, however, these affects were only associated with extreme cases of lead exposure that occurred through occupational exposure or lead paint ingestion by children. In recent years, research has pointed toward the neurotoxicity and behavioral effects of lead at subclinical levels and through a variety of environmental mediums. The results of our ecological study indicate that these additional environmental pathways may be more ubiquitous than imagined, affecting patterns of serious forms of violence such as homicide. The Canadian website for the organization "Lead Environmental Awareness and Detection" has several pages on violence associated with lead. The webpage titled "Urban Crime Versus Rural Crime" (linked from http://www.nrtco.net/~lead/bbhead.htm#Urban), which references the Masters research, notes: Another interesting finding is the fact that crime rates have always been "higher in urban areas than in the countryside, and … higher within central cities than in the suburban towns surrounding them." Or as the US Bureau of Justice Statistics reports, "Central cities, particularly those with populations between 250,000 and 499,999 have the highest per capita rates of violent crime." For the first time in three decades, however, United States homicide rates fell to their lowest level (1999), and much of this decline occurred in the most heavily populated areas. Those cities with more than 1 million inhabitants saw the homicide rate fall from 35.5 per homicides per 100,000 people in 1991 to 20.3 murders per 100,000 people in 1997. The reason for this decrease, as offered by the US Department of Justice is, "The sharp increase in homicides in the late 1980s and much of the subsequent decline is attributable to a rise and fall in gun violence by juveniles and young adults." A more likely explanation for the diminishing crime rate is a rise and fall in urban blood lead levels. The fall in urban blood lead levels resulted primarily from the ban on leaded gasoline, due in large part to the research of Dr. Needleman and others concerned about the toxic effects of lead in the environment. As leaded gasoline was phased out in the heavily commuted cities, blood lead levels of their denizens declined dramatically, and violent crime declined at the same time. The connection between lead exposure and violence is not something educators can afford to ignore. The slogan "All Children Can Learn" seems to eerily replicate the misperception of behavior explained in a speech given by William Walsh at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association on May 9, 1996 (as summarized by a 1996 Crime-Times article: Volume 2, No. 3, pg 6): In 1975, William J. Walsh and fellow energy researchers at the Argonne National Laboratories organized an ex-offender program for prisoners leaving Statesville Penitentiary. The effort, undertaken as a community service, wound up changing Walsh's line of work - and his beliefs about crime. "We did the usual do-gooder things," Walsh said later, "believing as most people did at the time that criminals were the product of their past life and family nurturing." But, Walsh says, it didn't take long for him to realize that the group's efforts were misdirected. "After we had spent a year or two working with dozens of violent people," he says, "we discovered that we were completely wrong about our basic beliefs. We realized that these people were different from the rest of the population, and the difference is physiological." A controlled study by Walsh et al of 192 violent and non-violent males found the same pattern: 92 of 96 violent subjects had type A or type B biochemical profiles, while only five of the 96 non-violent subjects had abnormal profiles. Both the type A and type B profiles in the Walsh study included "elevated lead levels" differing primarily in their copper-to-sodium ratio. Type A "was seen in subjects who exhibited episodic violence" while type B "was found in psychopathic subjects who showed no conscience or remorse." "Exposure to lead ... has been associated with ADHD." -National Academy of Sciences report The connection between lead poisoning and violence has become apparent to nearly everyone except educators. Investigators seeking the bio-chemical origins of criminal behavior frequently point to the clear involvement of lead poisoning as a contributor to, if not a cause of, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A National Academy of Sciences report titled "Understanding and Preventing Violence, Volume 2: Biobehavioral Influences" issued in 1994 by the Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education linked lead exposure to both ADHD and juvenile delinquency. The section of the report titled "Nutrition and Violent Behavior" (Page 535) reads: It has recently been found that lead poisoning during childhood can have long-term detrimental effects on behavior. Exposure to lead, which most frequently occurs when young children consume lead-based paints, has been associated with ADHD. As previously mentioned, ADHD is a well-established risk factor for later antisocial behavior. … The relation between lead exposure and delinquency has not yet been systematically studied, but clues suggest that this relationship should be given serious consideration. (see: http://books.nap.edu/books/0309046491/html/535.html#pagetop) That was in 1994, but now the systematic studies have started to come in. In the journal Neurotoxicology and Teratology (Volume 23, No. 6, November-December 2001, 511-8), a study team led by Kim N. Dietrich of the Department of Environmental Health, Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, reported on a cohort of 195 urban, inner-city adolescents recruited between 1979 and 1985. Their report titled "Early exposure to lead and juvenile delinquency" confirmed earlier clinical observations and recent retrospective studies that have linked Pb exposure with antisocial behavior in children and adolescents and stated: "It appears that the neurodevelopmental effects of this avoidable environmental disease of childhood may not be limited to declines in IQ or academic abilities." More importantly, from an educational point of view, Crime-Times, an Arizona based national newsletter devoted to "Linking Brain Dysfunction to Aberrant/Criminal/Psychopathic Behavior," reported in 1996 (Volume 2, No. 4, pg. 7): A new study by Robert Tuthill links even slightly elevated lead levels to attention deficit disorder, itself a strong risk factor for criminal behavior. Tuthill analyzed lead levels in the hair of 277 first-graders from eight Massachusetts schools, and found a striking dose-response relationship between hair lead levels and symptoms of attention deficit disorder as reported by teachers. This relationship remained strong, he says, even after age, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status were taken into account. "An even stronger relationship existed between physician-diagnosed attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and hair lead in the same children," he adds. Tuthill also found that "there was no apparent `safe' threshold for lead," with even low exposure increasing the likelihood of attention deficits - a disturbing finding, since approximately three million children in the United States are estimated to have at least mildly elevated lead levels. ("Hair lead levels related to children's classroom attention-deficit behavior," Robert Tuthill, Archives of Environmental Health, Vol. 51, No. 3, May-June 1996, pp. 214-220) Notice that Tuthill's work found "a striking dose-response relationship between hair lead" and teacher reported ADHD but "an even stronger relationship" with "physician-diagnosed" ADHD. In simple terms, this means the more certain they were of ADHD the more certain they were that lead was involved. And although this is only a correlation, the fact that "even after age, ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic status were taken into account" the ADHD relationship to lead remained, is extremely suggestive that ADD and ADHD may simply be symptoms of brain damage from exposure to lead in the early years of a child's life. A 2000 Crime-Times newsletter (Volume 6, No. 3, pg 5) states: Research shows a strong link between childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and adult violence and social failure, even when ADHD is not accompanied by conduct problems. While the causes of ADHD remain unclear, new research points to brain abnormalities early in life. F. Xavier Castellanos et al report that large-scale brain imaging studies of ADHD children reveal reduced cerebral volume compared to control subjects. … Comparisons of medicated and unmedicated ADHD subjects indicate that the changes are not due to stimulant medications but rather most likely stem from genetic, prenatal, or early-childhood environmental insults. Lead is easily the most widespread "early-childhood environmental insult" linked to brain damage and therefore the most likely culprit in causing ADHD. The affects of ADD and ADHD are very commonly misunderstood and their impact on classroom performance seriously underestimated. Dr. Joseph Biederman and Stephen Faraone, Ph.D., both of Massachusetts General Hospital, wrote in the Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute Letter (Winter 1996): ADHD children with learning disabilities showed motor impairment and had extremely slow reading speed, suggesting irregularities in communication between brain structures that deal with reading material. (See at: http://www.med.harvard.edu/publications/On_The_Brain/Volume5/Number1/ADD.html) In 1996, Eric Taylor and colleagues reported in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Volume 35, No. 9, September 1996, pp. 1213-1226) on a nine-year follow-up study on children between 16 and 18 years old who had previously been categorized either as not having Conduct Disorder but having ADHD, having Conduct Disorder but not ADHD, those with both, and those with neither. (errata: first category originally mis-stated) They reported that ADHD … is predictive of violence, both by self-report and parental account, and of defiant and disruptive behaviors; and it is often followed by poor relationships with age peers, a lack of involvement in social activities, a lack of engagement in constructive activities generally, and poor academic achievement. (See: Crime-Times Volume 3, No. 3, pp. 1&2) There seems to be a common misconception that ADHD is merely an excuse concocted by teachers with poor classroom management skills or that it's only a new name for rambunctious children. Both are erroneous. Children with ADD/ADHD are not simply 'rambunctious.' Their brains are unable to concentrate and they suffer from uncontrollable impulsiveness. In addition, it doesn't only affect children. Many adults struggle with ADD/ADHD, often unaware that it exists in adults. Indeed, the American Psychological Association recently published a book "The Hidden Disorder" (by Robert J. Resnick, PhD) about adult ADHD. In the Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute Letter (Winter 1996) Dr. Joseph Biederman and Stephen Faraone, Ph.D., both of Massachusetts General Hospital, reported on a follow-up study four years after a previous study of ADHD in male Caucasian children. They reported For many years ADHD was considered a childhood diagnosis that was outgrown in adulthood. … we demonstrated the validity of adult ADHD by showing: 1) that its psychiatric and neuropsychological features mirror the well known correlates of childhood ADHD; 2) that the children of ADHD adults are at very high risk for ADHD; and 3) that in carefully designed studies, adult ADHD shows the same therapeutic response to ADHD medications as does the childhood form. (See: http://www.med.harvard.edu/publications/On_The_Brain/Volume5/Number1/ADD.html) In the book "ADHD in Adulthood: a Guide to Current Theory, Diagnosis, and Treatment" (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999) the authors note: The vicissitudes of the degree of impairment resulting from adult ADHD vary enormously, dependent on numbers of symptoms, severity of symptoms, and the nature of comorbidity. The most disabled individuals are in jail, abuse drugs and/or alcohol, or are living isolated lives on social assistance. There is also strong evidence that some use of illegal drugs is simply self-medication by undiagnosed ADHD sufferers. An article in the National Institute of Drug Abuse Notes Research News (Volume 14, Number 4, November, 1999) titled "Medications Reduce Incidence of Substance Abuse Among ADHD Patients" reported on a study that compared children previously diagnosed with ADHD who had received medication with those who had not received medication and a control group: While 75 percent of the unmedicated ADHD boys had started abusing these substances [marijuana, alcohol, hallucinogens, stimulants, or cocaine] in the previous 4 years, this was true of only 25 percent of the medicated ADHD boys and 18 percent of the boys without ADHD. The researchers calculated that treating ADHD with medications reduced the risk of substance abuse or dependence by 84 percent. (See: "Pediatrics" 104(2):e20 1999 "Pharmacotherapy of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder reduces risk for substance use disorder") The NIDA article's author, Steven Stocker, stated Other researchers have reported that some adult cocaine abusers with childhood histories of ADHD state that when they first started using cocaine, the drug initially improved their ADHD symptoms. Their concentration improved, they were less impulsive, and they felt calmer. This would suggest that young people with ADHD who abuse cocaine and other stimulants may be doing so to self-medicate their ADHD symptoms rather than to treat depression resulting from rejection and failure. Frances R. Levin, M.D., in an article titled "Substance Abuse and Adult ADHD" in Psychiatric Times (Volume XVII Issue 2, February 2000) wrote: Another possibility is that some individuals may use cocaine or other substances to self-medicate their ADHD symptoms (Khantzian, 1985; Weiss et al., 1988). … Even if cocaine or other substances initially alleviate ADHD symptoms, however, this effect often does not last. Instead, continued use of these substances tends to exacerbate ADHD symptoms. (see revised link: http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p000260.html) A study by B.R. Horner and K.E. Scheibe in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Volume 36, No. 1, January 1997, pp. 30-36) indicated … that drug abusers may be alleviating symptoms rather than seeking a 'high.' Of 30 adolescent drug abusers studied, fifty percent exhibited hyperactivity and attention deficits. The report was quoted by Crime-Times (Volume 3, No. 3, pg 4) as stating those fifty percent … began drug use at an earlier age, had more severe substance abuse, and had a more negative self-image prior to drug use and improved self-image with drug use. The researchers concluded these adolescents began "drug use for self-medication." Another study by neuropsychiatrist Sydney Walker III and colleagues at the Southern California Neuropsychiatric Institute (as reported in the same Crime-Times issue) compared 20 drug abusers between the ages of 20 and 35 with 20 drug-free adults matched for age, sex, and social class. None of the drug-free adults reported chronic childhood physical symptoms and none had a history of childhood prescription drug use for behavioral symptoms. Nineteen of the 20 drug users were using drugs to treat physical symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and fatigue and fifteen of the 20 had serious criminal records, often stemming from crimes linked to their drug abuse. All reported having the same symptoms as children, and many had been prescribed Ritalin or similar drugs for behavioral symptoms such as hyperactivity, inattention, or impulsiveness. …. When they discontinue these drugs, they then, as teenagers, turn to other remedies such as street drugs and/or alcohol to relieve their symptoms. The researchers concluded "a large percentage of drug abusers appear to be self-medicating undiagnosed physical disorders." Biederman and Faraone (see above) also participated in a study by Timothy Wilens, published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease (Volume 185, No. 8, August 1997, pp. 475-482) which studied 120 adults diagnosed with ADHD in childhood. According to a 1997 Crime-Times newsletter (Volume 3, No. 4, pg 7), that study reported ADHD substance abusers tend to develop drug or alcohol problems about three years earlier than non-ADHD substance abusers. Wilens et al say that because early-onset substance abuse is the hardest to treat, and because the onset of hyperactivity generally precedes the development of drug problems by many years, "our findings highlight the importance of targeting preventive and early intervention strategies at children with ADHD." … The researchers suggest that individuals with ADHD or other psychiatric disorders "may have less appreciation of the consequences of substance abuse, more difficulty in the cessation of substances, poorer judgement in peer group selection, and more tendency to self-medicate." Crime-Times also reported in 2000 (Volume 6, No. 4, pg 5) that a study by D.G. Amen in the Journal of the Psychoactive Drugs (Volume 31, No. 4, October-December 1999, pp. 389-393) of a 20-year-old man who "frequently became violent after drinking alcohol" concluded This man may have been 'self-medicating' an overactive brain, but in the process induced a state that increased the likelihood for aggressive violence. lead poisoning may ultimately be behind much of the plague of drug abuse and alcoholism in public schools These studies show that lead poisoning may ultimately be behind much of the plague of drug abuse and alcoholism in public schools that parent and non-parents specifically identified in polls as one of the biggest problems facing public schools. To the extent that research shows ADHD symptoms are actually symptoms of brain damage initiated by early age lead poisoning, the problems of drug abuse and alcoholism in "failing schools" are strongly linked to sufferers who are self-medicating ADHD symptoms. Even low levels of lead poisoning are known to cause reductions in physical stature, to cause brain damage, and to be implicated in ADHD and criminal behavior in humans. Experiments show significant brain damage in rats from "low doses of lead" as well. One website about ADHD reported: For the experiment, researchers added low doses of lead to a mother rat's drinking water for 10 days after she gave birth and examined structural changes in the brains of the nursing rat pups. Compared with a control group, the rat pups exposed to low doses of lead showed up to 12% diminished size in barrel field area - the basic information processing units. The larger the dose of lead, the more this area of brain development was stunted. (See: http://www.healing-arts.org/children/ADHD/lead.htm) Similarly, Idit Trope, et al, reported in the June, 1998, Pediatrics Journal (Vol. 101, No. 6, p. e7) that a magnetic resonance comparison of the pre-frontal brain structure of a normal ten-year-old boy with a similar child exposed to lead showed of the lead exposed child: … the lowered NAA/Cr ratio in MC is suggestive of significant neuronal loss in the region examined. There is no indication in MC's developmental history of any event other than lead exposure that would result in loss of brain neurons. Therefore the reduction in NAA/Cr ratio may be a direct result of his elevated lead levels. The irreversible brain damage caused by exposure to environmental lead was also recently linked to violent criminal behavior. The prefrontal cortex of the brain is known to be damaged by exposure to lead in the first three years of a child's life. It has long been known that traumatic brain damage is associated with violent criminal behavior. Wired Magazine touched on this in a 1999 story titled "Inside the Mind of a Criminal." Wired quoted assistant professor of neurology Antoine Bechara at the University of Iowa: Now, researchers at the University of Iowa have found that damage to the prefrontal cortex early in life could be the reason behind antisocial behavior such as delinquency, irresponsibility, and criminal activity. The Iowa team found that children who suffered damage to that region of their brains before the age of 16 months were unable to learn and follow social and moral codes of conduct through adulthood. "This is going to shed new light on the underlying basis of these abnormal behaviors," said assistant professor of neurology Antoine Bechara, who helped conduct the study. "It does not explain the cold-blooded killer, but it does explain a lot of antisocial behavior." Though the research is still in its early stages, Bechara said that the origin of antisocial or criminal behavior could be linked to a dysfunction or biochemical abnormality present in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. "This area of the brain makes the link [for] how we develop our social and moral values. When this area is dysfunctional, you never form that link," he said. (see at: http://www.wired.com/news/print/1,1294,31989,00.html) On July 21, 2001, the New York Times reported ("Damaged Brains and the Death Penalty" by Laura Mansnerus) on research by a professor of psychiatry at New York University, Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis: Almost without exception, Dr. Lewis has found in evaluating dozens of death-row inmates, they have damaged brains. Most were also the victims of vicious batterings and often sexual abuse as children. … She concludes that most murderers are shaped by the combination of damage to the brain, particularly to the frontal lobes, which control aggression and impulsiveness, and the even more complex damage visited by repeated, violent child abuse. Not only is lead poisoning implicated in "damage to the brain, particularly to the frontal lobes," but lead poisoning has also been found to be complicit in child abuse. The Department of Pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of the Harvard Medical School found (J Pediatr 1993 May:122, pp. 719-720) that Children suspected of having been physically abused had significantly higher venous blood lead levels than a comparison group. Abused children were 27-fold more likely to have lead levels greater than 20 micrograms/dL. Suggestively, Biederman and Faraone, in their report on ADHD noted: We also found that chronic family conflict, family disunity, and exposure of children to parents' mental illness were frequent in ADHD families. (See at: http://www.med.harvard.edu/publications/On_The_Brain/Volume5/Number1/ADD.html) The National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health reported on a study (cited as: http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/107/5/e81) in their May 25, 2001, MCH Alert newsletter (see: http://www.ncemch.org/alert/alert052501.htm) that At 19 to 24 months, 53% of all children with initial lead screening before foster care placement had blood lead levels greater than or equal to 20 micrograms/dL, compared with 12% of those tested after foster care placement. Paradoxically, the MCH Alert newsletter authors concluded "The study suggests that removing children from unfit home situations and placing them in foster care may reduce their risk of lead exposure." They seemed oblivious to the concept that removing the lead from the lead-laced environment of both the poisoned parents and the children might obviate any need for foster placement. A Research report titled "Dysfunction in the neural circuitry of emotion regulation—a possible prelude to violence" by Richard Davidson, et al, published in the July 28, 2000, issue of Science (Volume 289, No. 5479, pp. 591-594) was summarized by Crime Times: The researchers analyzed data from brain imaging studies involving more than 500 violent subjects, including convicted murderers, people with childhood brain injuries, and people with aggressive personality disorders. The evidence, they say, indicates that defects in neural circuitry involving the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and amygdala may cause some people to commit violent assaults for little or no reason. "Normal individuals are able to voluntarily regulate their negative affect and can also profit from restraint-producing cues in their environment, such as facial and vocal signs of anger or fear, that also serve a regulatory role," the researchers say. "We suggest that individuals predisposed to aggression and violence have an abnormality in the central circuitry responsible for these adaptive behavioral strategies." Davidson et al. hypothesize that the prefrontal cortex normally inhibits violent responses by modulating the activity of the amygdala, a brain region activated in response to fearful or emotional situations. The ACC plays a role as well, by recruiting other brain areas to respond during conflicts. Defects in any of these areas, they say, could lead to impulsive violence. (See: Crime-Times newsletter Volume 6, No. 4, 2000, Pg. 4) Crime-Times (Volume 6, No. 2, 2000, pp. 1&2) also reported on a study linking anti-social disorders to minimal brain damage (Archives of General Psychiatry, Vol. 57, No. 2, pp. 119-127) People diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder (APD) fill thousands of America’s prison cells, and even those who aren’t convicted of crimes cause serious problems due to their deceitfulness, recklessness, impulsiveness, irresponsibility, and lack of remorse and empathy. For decades, psychiatrists and sociologists blamed APD almost solely on sociological influences including poverty and poor upbringing. A new study by Adrian Raine and colleagues, however, adds to a growing body of evidence implicating brain abnormalities as a primary cause of APD. Raine and colleagues used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study the brains of 21 non-incarcerated men with APD, 34 healthy male controls, and 26 male controls with substance dependence. In addition, they compared APD subjects to individuals in either control group who had been diagnosed with psychiatric illnesses other than APD. The researchers also evaluated subjects’ autonomic nervous system function by measuring skin conductance and heart rates during a stressful activity (preparing and giving a speech). The researchers report that the APD group showed an 11 percent reduction in prefrontal gray matter volume, when compared with normal controls. This reduction could not be accounted for by substance abuse or mental illness. In addition, APD subjects showed significantly reduced autonomic activity compared to the control groups. While prior research has demonstrated a link between prefrontal damage and antisocial or psychopathic behavior, Raine et al. say their findings extend this research by showing that even slight, visually imperceptible reductions in prefrontal gray matter volume can cause antisocial behavior. The "11 percent reduction in prefrontal gray matter volume" corresponds to Idit Trope's confirming a "… loss of brain neurons" in the pre-frontal brain structure in lead exposed children and is remarkably similar to the "12% diminished size in barrel field area - the basic information processing units" in the brains of rats exposed to "low doses of lead." Lead causes brain damage. When that damage occurs, the brain does not function correctly, possibly because of chemical imbalances between offsetting sections of the brain that control behavior. Research clearly shows that damage to the prefrontal cortex of the brain is a critical influence in violent criminal behavior. There is mounting evidence, however, that the "even slight, visually imperceptible reductions in prefrontal gray matter" necessary to trigger this violence may be a consequence of lead poisoning. In the Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute Letter (Winter 1996) (See: http://www.med.harvard.edu/publications/On_The_Brain/Volume5/Number1/ADD.html) Dr. Joseph Biederman and Stephen Faraone, Ph.D., both of Massachusetts General Hospital, wrote: Although we do not know from what specific parts of the brain ADHD arises, current hypotheses associate it with abnormalities of connections in the outermost layer at the front of the brain; it may involve faulty regulation of certain brain chemical messenger systems, predominantly those that use dopamine and norepinephrine. In the brain, ADHD is commonly associated with malfunction of frontal networks, but research on its underlying neuropsychology has so far failed to produce consistent results. Our studies found that boys with ADHD were significantly more impaired on neuropsychological tests that explore frontal lobe functioning, and those with a family history of ADHD were most impaired. The ADHD children performed worse on various tasks of attention, executive function, learning and memory. ADHD children with learning disabilities showed motor impairment and had extremely slow reading speed, suggesting irregularities in communication between brain structures that deal with reading material. These neuropsychological impairments in the children we studied could not be attributed to co-morbid psychiatric conditions, learning disabilities or medication, and we concluded that they were features of ADHD and not of its complications. The role of lead in damaging "the frontal lobes, which control aggression and impulsiveness" provides an intriguing explanation for many of the puzzling misbehaviors noted in society. For example, a Malaysian New Sunday Times columnist who referred to the role of lead poisoning in juvenile delinquency also ranted in the same column against violent video games. Defenders of the games cite the huge numbers of people who play them without aggressive violence. But if children exposed to lead at an early age suffered damage to the portion of the brain which regulates aggression, meaning "certain brain chemical messenger systems" (per Biederman and Faraone) that suppress violence, then the virtual violence of video games would have no effect on normal children whose frontal lobes would regulate the violence stimulated by the games, but lead-damaged brains would be unable to suppress the stimulated violence. As researcher Roger Masters concluded about finding a correlation between lead pollution and violent crime: "It's the breakdown of the inhibition mechanism that's the key to violent behavior." Crime-Times (Volume 6, No. 3, 2000 Pg 5) also reported on a study linking post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and violence to minimal brain damage (Archives of General Psychiatry, Vol. 57, No. 2, February 2000, pp. 181-186) While PTSD is becoming a common defense in the courtroom, however, it remains a medical mystery: why do some people develop severe psychiatric symptoms following traumatic experiences, while others weather them well? New research hints that many PTSD sufferers may be inherently vulnerable, well before suffering trauma or abuse. Tamara Gurvits and colleagues studied 21 adult women who were sexually abused as children, and 38 veterans of the Vietnam War. Each group contained subjects with and without symptoms of PTSD. When the researchers performed neurological and psychological tests on their subjects, they found that "subjects with PTSD reported more neurodevelopmental problems and more childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms and had lower IQs, all of which were significantly correlated with neurologic soft signs." These results remained true after the researchers accounted for alcoholism or head injury. Thus the puzzle of why identical stimuli would trigger violence in some people but not in others was specifically linked to "childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms and … lower IQs" that are symptoms suggestive of lead poisoning. Compare that with the puzzle of why seemingly identical poverty would trigger academic failure in some students, but not in others, and why many imprisoned for violent crimes have learning disabilities and poor academic records, and the role of lead poisoning becomes even more suggestive. If early-age lead poisoning is known to cause prefrontal brain damage even in extremely low doses, and "even slight visually imperceptible" prefrontal brain damage is known to cause antisocial behavior, then a causal chain explaining the violent consequences of low-level lead exposure has been established to explain Denno's research findings that the presence of lead in children at age 7 is the best predictor of violent crimes in later years (as noted above). It also explains the incessant violence and poor academic achievement of children in "failing schools" located in lead-laced low-income neighborhoods. Recall also that researchers reported "that drug abusers may be alleviating symptoms rather than seeking a 'high.'" Combine that with the researchers that reported "some adult cocaine abusers … state that when they first started using cocaine, …. Their concentration improved, they were less impulsive, and they felt calmer." The evidence becomes clear that students with "asymptomatic" lead poisoning account for virtually all of the classic symptoms of "failing schools." Mystery solved. The only remaining mystery is why educators and politicians continue to chant that "All Children Can Learn." It's as if they can just ignore these brain damaged children, as if they don't exist, as if their brain damage has no consequences, as if the children can just ignore their suffering from the brain damage induced by early exposure to lead. Why do educators and politicians continue their strange practice of willfully ignoring an entire spectrum of research by medical and psychiatric expertise? A very strange ignorance indeed. < Previous | Table of Contents | Next > Top of Page Last Updated: 06/14/2005 20:42:41 Copyright © 2002 by the Arizona School Boards Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Links to other websites do not constitute an endorsement by ASBA

and i thought i was long winded.

Violence is up in lansing. Corrections budget is big. Fix the root of the problem. LEAD. HELLO.

Rep. Tobocman, having reserved the right to explain his nay vote, made the following statement: "Mr. Speaker and members of the House: I voted against this omnibus budget bill because of the language relating to the Detroit River International Crossing study of the need and potential location of an additional border crossing between Southeast Michigan and Ontario. While conversations between those involved with the conference committee make clear that the language will not inhibit the current DRIC Environmental Impact Statement from going forward (because the EIS process does not involve design or acquisition activities), the language in the conference report suggests we are not serious about doing all that we can for our struggling economy. The DRIC study is the first binational, comprehensive, pro-active and coordinated effort to ensure that our border crossings between Michigan and Ontario are safe, secure and efficient for years to come. Our border crossings are critical infrastructure that carry some $150 billion in trade between Michigan and Ontario. This makes Michigan the largest Canadian trading partner of any state and reflects the fact that we do more than twice as much trade with Canada as the entire country does with Japan. The Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, Michigan's automotive manufacturers and other representatives of industry and commerce have made clear that they support additional capacity at our border. The DRIC process has respected local border communities, as well as provided a comprehensive and scientific/research-based analysis of these issues. While today's language will not impact the DRIC going forward over the coming year, it sends the wrong message to our trading partners and our federal government that the Michigan Legislature is not serious about providing adequate infrastructure at its borders. In a global economy, such a message could be fatal to our economic success."

Rep. Green, having reserved the right to explain his nay vote, made the following statement: "Mr. Speaker and members of the House: Although I support the majority of the programs outlined in the Omnibus budget before us today, I feel that I must stand in opposition to this budget. The budget plan agreed to by legislative leadership and the Governor does not provide sufficient funding for revenue sharing. The House Republicans proposed increasing revenue sharing funding by approximately $15 - $20 million. With no increases in the last three years, revenue to cities, towns and villages has actually decreased due to the cost of living. For many cities and townships, revenue sharing is a major source of funding for public safety services such as police and fire fighters. These individuals risk their lives to help make our communities safe places to live and raise a family. As a former Wyoming City Council member, I realize first hand the impact that a lack of revenue sharing has on the day-to-day operations of a city. This is why I must stand behind my promise to fight for revenue sharing increases for Michigan cities and townships until we see a significant increase. I take this issue very seriously, and will work with my colleagues to develop an appropriate and fiscally responsible solution that will give Michigan municipalities the funding they need to continue to provide our communities with the exceptional service we have come to expect from our local public safety professionals. My community has been forced to make the difficult decisions of closing a fire station and eliminating special policing units that focused on gang and drug related activities. My vote on this legislation does not indicate a lack of support for the other programs in the budget. My vote reflects my steadfast commitment to providing the residents of my district with sufficient police and fire protection. Improperly funded public services are a danger to communities and the public servants who place their lives on the line to protect our homes and businesses."

Senator Scott asked and was granted unanimous consent to make a statement and moved that the statement be printed in the Journal. The motion prevailed. Senator Scott's statement is as follows: As the minority vice chair for the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Human Services, I was happy to sign the conference report that appropriates funds to the Department of Human Services for the fiscal year that begins October 1. I want to thank the chair of the committee for his leadership and his unique ability to work so well with all vested parties. The inclusion in the final budget included several of my amendments: to increase funding for the Michigan Coordinated Access to Food for the Elderly (MiCAFE), a food assistance program for seniors; provided a $2 million allocation for the Wayne County juvenile justice/abuse and neglect programs; give an increase to providers who assist runaway and homeless youth; and will provide additional administrative dollars for the Children's Trust Fund. I was pleased to see that my colleagues recognize the importance of protecting our youth and seniors. We are talking about groceries for people who often cannot afford them and help for families who might not otherwise be able to stay together. What greater need? So, again, I thank the chair and my colleagues for their support of these initiatives and for final passage of the DHS conference report.

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