LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Tax funds should go to mental health facilities

In the paper yesterday there was an article about praise from Gerald Greene for past special tax refunds by Gov. Brian Kemp and the further such refunds that Kemp has just proposed.

Cities and counties throughout our state are struggling desperately with gun violence. The gun lobby makes a good case that mental illness is the biggest cause of gun violence in this country.

Over the last 10 years, treatment facilities for mental illness have been increasingly hard to find.

For persons with mental illnesses that do not respond to medication, there are no facilities at all and have not been since the mental hospital system in Georgia was shut down several years ago.

I think it is obvious that Gov. Kemp and his supporters believe that the best way to deal with mental illness is to ignore it, and if persons with mental illness do not get treatment and keep on killing, letting that happen is the price they are willing to pay to be able to give tax refunds to voters.

Michael C. Hall

Albany

Michael C. Hall is a partner in the Albany-based Hall & Williamson law firm.