From the July 2004 Idaho Observer:

British Medical Journal article foreshadows Bush mental health plan

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- President Bush plans to unveil next month a sweeping mental health initiative that recommends screening for every citizen and promotes the use of expensive antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs favored by supporters of the administration.

The “New Freedom Initiative,” according to a progress report, seeks to integrate mentally ill patients fully into the community by providing “services in the community, rather than institutions,” the British Medical Journal reported.

In the state of Oregon, “special” students -- those with neurological problems and behavior disorders -- are placed in the classroom with regular students. The policy is extremely disruptive and, according to one teacher who stated that 30 percent of his 4th grade class is considered “special,” “The learning process has slowed to a crawl. What I used to cover in less than a quarter now takes half the year.”

Expanding the fourth grade model above to encompass an entire society has ominous social implications.