Be stewards of water

W
ithout water, there is no
life. Speaking in a united
voice as the mayor of
our city and the bishop of this
diocese, we encourage all mem-
bers of our society to have a sense
of respect and stewardship for the
resource of water, which is essen-
tial to us all.
We are grateful for the gift of rainfall in
recent weeks, but because we never know
when the next rain will come, it is our respon-
sibility to exercise caution and foresight in the
way we use it.
Water management and public policy should
be guided by the ethical principles of equity,
stewardship, accountability, respect for human
dignity, the common good and solidarity
among all people, and acknowledgment of the
interdependence between people and the natu-
ral world.
These principles are essential to assure that
there will be sufcient clean water for those
who need it today, as well as those future gen-
erations who follow us. We must teach these
values to our children and set good examples
as adults.
We who believe in God and in the power of
prayer must continue to pray for rain, and in
doing so acknowledge our complete depen-
dence on God to sustain our lives. At the same
time, we must commit ourselves as responsible
stewards of the created world to make proper
use of the water we have been given.
Human beings have been entrusted to take
good care of our planet, not to use natural
resources and living things however we please.
Immediate nancial gain and individual advan-
tage must be tempered by the long-term sus-
tainability of resources for future generations.
A future with sufcient water
depends not only upon technologi-
cal change but also on a change in
our attitudes.
We urge the people of San Ange-
lo and its industry and businesses
to embrace sustainable water use
by practicing water conserva-
tion, rainwater harvesting, efcient irriga-
tion, composting and mulching; by using
drought-resistant plants in landscaping; and
by repairing plumbing leaks and installing
water-efcient xtures.
We urge community leaders to work toward
a public policy that incorporates a diversity
of water sources and conservation programs,
including reclamation, desalination and the
continuing search for new supplies of water.
We urge the people and leadership of San
Angelo to share our concerns about waste, the
pollution of surface water and the contamina-
tion of groundwater.
We need to put forward an attitude of soli-
darity by viewing the use of water as a com-
mon good. All human beings are entitled to the
basic necessities of life, among them food, air
and water. The access to water to meet their
most basic needs is a fundamental right of all
people.
A healthy society looks out for the needs
of its poorest and most vulnerable members.
Therefore, a just water policy should take into
account the special circumstances of the poor.
Our interconnection with our fellow human
beings and with the rest of creation is some-
thing to be celebrated and respected. We all
are in this together, and together we can create
a culture that honors its moral and civic obliga-
tions to care for one another and for our water,
a gift and a precious resource.
Viewpoints
Abilene Reporter-News Abilene Reporter-News
Section D Thursday, July 10, 2014
CANDACE
COOKSEY
FULTON
COLUMNIST
It happens all the time.
The little ahas; the OK,
thats one accomplishment
we can mark of the list
moments; the Ill have to
tell Mom incidents that
bring a smile even after
I remember it is futile to
try (to tell Mom, I mean)
and thread their way
into my life and days.
But Sunday a really silly,
inconsequential some-
thing invaded my psyche
and paired precious mem-
ories with a piece of now.
And oh, how glad I am it
did.
What was it? Youre go-
ing to laugh when I tell
you, but weve got a ways
to go before we get to the
end of this, so of course I
will. The short answer is
sock balls. The long an-
swer? Well, we will get
there later, if not sooner.
My mom has demen-
tia. Her disease has pro-
gressed to a point that
shes been robbed of all
the good thoughts and
happy feelings that de-
ned her. The fear and
confusion that clouds her
eyes and sets her jaw in a
perpetual frown grieves
us more than we can say
and confounds us with its
perplexities.
It is what it is, we
(her six children) used
to say to one another as
a sort of comfort for each
other, but I dont think we
say that much anymore.
Theres not much to say,
and theres not much we
can do except go on and
do for ours like she always
did for us.
OK. Back to the sock
balls.
My granddaughter went
to soccer camp this week.
I helped her pack not
as much as I thought she
needed, but way more than
she thought was necessary.
Anyway, one long para-
graph of the camp bro-
chure was a list of things
each camper should bring.
It just said soccer socks,
but the coaches, veteran
campers and super soccer
moms strongly indicated
she should bring about
four times the number of
pairs of socks as the num-
ber of days she would be
at camp.
Its going to be hot, they
said. Super hot. The long
socks, the running and
intense workouts are go-
ing to make it that much
hotter. Trust us, they said,
a clean pair of socks to
change into every practice
session Well, an ounce of
prevention
So we bought, found,
Sock balls
equate
hope,
comfort
The National Institute
of Mental Health indicates
that mental illness afects
almost 46 million, or ap-
proximately 19 percent of
all adults in the United
States.
One of the tragic conse-
quences reported by the
Center for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention is that
there were almost 40,000
suicides in 2011 and the
rate has been increasing
during the past decade.
In the U.S., someone kills
themselves every 13 min-
utes. In addition, there are
713,000 hospital visits each
year for individuals with
self-inicted injuries. Men-
tal health disease takes a
tremendous toll on Ameri-
cans.
Middle-aged, white
males have the highest sui-
cide rate at 18.6 per 100,000
each year, with men four
times more likely to kill
themselves as compared
to women. Suicide is the
fourth-leading cause of
death for adults under age
65.
In addition to the human
costs, the economic costs
are staggering. Dr. Thomas
Insel of the National Insti-
tute of Mental Health re-
ports that the total costs of
serious mental illness are
$317 billion per year.
Texas is not immune
from mental health dis-
ease and the Texas Depart-
ment of State Health Ser-
vices indicates that 2,857
Texans took their lives in
2010. The Texas Medical
Association reports that
4.3 million Texans sufer
from mental health disor-
ders, including 1.2 million
children.
Unfortunately, people
with mental health dis-
ease are not treated with
the same consistency as
other diseases. People with
cancer, diabetes or heart
failure routinely receive
medical care; however,
surveys indicate that only
39 percent of Americans
with mental health disease
receive treatment. Brendan
McLean, an associate with
the National Alliance of
Mental Illness, indicates
that 40 percent of patients
with severe mental illness
do not receive care.
The challenges with
treating mental illness are
both the cost and stigma
associated with these
diseases. We need to be
willing to help vulnerable
members of society obtain
the care they need and
eliminate the stigma asso-
ciated with mental illness.
The U.S. surgeon gen-
eral indicates that stigma
is a signicant challenge
in mental health and has
had detrimental efects on
self-esteem, treatment de-
cisions and quality of life.
During the 83rd Legis-
lative Session, Texas law-
makers increased funding
for mental health; however,
the funding per person is
still low compared to other
states. The average state
funding for mental health
services in the U.S. was
$121 per person in 2010,
compared to $39 a year in
Texas. Texas was 49th in
funding mental health care
surely the great state of
Texas can do more in car-
ing for individuals sufer-
ing from mental health
Social stigma, limited funding are barriers to treating mental illness
JENNIFER RIOS/STANDARD-TIMES
Danny Valles, 8, searches the Concho River for minnows his family could use as bait at Outdoor Family Fun Day last month. San Angeloans
have become more aware of the need for conserving and protecting water.
The following is an open letter to the people of San Angelo by Michael Sis, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of San Angelo,
and Dwain Morrison, mayor of San Angelo and a member of the Church of Christ, about the citys continuing need to care
for its water.
RICK
PLUM
VIEWPOINTS
DWAIN MORRISON
& BISHOP MICHAEL SIS
VIEWPOINTS
See FULTON, 4D
See PLUM, 4D
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