Governor to AIDS Advocates: Screw you very much!
The AIDS Foundation of Chicago has been one of the most vocal and consistent supporters of Governor Blagojevich's "Illinois Covered Plan."
They've got to be wondering why they went out on a limb for the Governor, after learning that his budget vetoes included nearly $700,000 in cuts to HIV/AIDS prevention, in addition to more than $6.6 million in cuts to funding for substance abuse treatment. Drug addiction remains one of the largest underlying causes of HIV/AIDS. (Hat Tip to CapitolFax, for going to all of the trouble of summarizing these cuts.)
Of course, this is not the first time that Blagojevich has put HIV/AIDS patients on the chopping block.
Back in 2003, Blagojevich reneged on a promise to the Latino Caucus to provide $3 million in additional funding to expand HIV/AIDS prevention in minority communities, vetoing that money from the budget.
When is the AIDS Foundation of Chicago going to wake up and smell the backstabbing?
