s the grease as the saying goes. This has not happened yet because the public and government sectors supposedly have more important issues on the agenda. The reality is that there are only so many public dollars available for the specials needs of the mentally ill. Private funding is also limited, as people, as I said at the beginning, are more inclined to pay attention to more esthetically pleasing issues like the campaign for Ducks Unlimited. Millions of dollars are raised each year for them with little effort and major organization. It seems like our priorities have been shifted causing detrimental outcomes for our communities. Political election and re-election campaigns are based on giving the haves of our society all the more security and arguably, false assurance that any one individual will do the most for them. We are constantly inundated with the information supporting defense and military issues, and thus we shift our public dollars in that direction. Many millions of dollars are directed to capitol gain, when about 2% of the true money makers are obtaining upwards of 80% of the countrys income, leaving the rest of the money to be sparingly doled out to the rest of society. There is a growing gap between the rich and poor and the prediction is that things will not be changing anytime soon. This means that funding for programs affecting issues like the mentally ill will continue to put strains on mainstream society, an be put to the back burner. In closing, there is no easy solution to creating change and growth regarding such issues. Social workers can help by educating and empowering people, but in the end, issues like the Calgary Case Study will continue to unfold in our country. The reality is that social workers will be more needed than ever in the changing face of todays socio-economic climate of the new millennium...
