This decision that we're about to make is dealing with the fate of the most vulnerable Michigan citizens. It's no secret to any of us that too many of our mentally-impaired citizens are incarcerated today, and yet, tonight we would contemplate a money-venturing effort to privatize the lives and the fortunes of our Michigan citizens who are in these dire straits.

There are typically two obligations that a private interest must make that a public interest doesn't. One is that they must pay taxes, and the other is that they have an obligation to make a profit to stay in business. This discussion that we're having tonight is whether we are going to offer privatizing opportunities to private ventures over our struggling Michigan citizens--those most vulnerable; those whom we have left behind for far too long, the mentally impaired.

When you check the population of any facility that incarcerates our citizens, they're ranging 15 percent to 25 percent of those incarcerated suffer mental illness. And yet, we would put that responsibility on a private company to privatize the lives and the fates of these Michigan citizens. I know we're a much better state than saying that we will put profits over those citizens with mental illnesses, and that's what this bill is about.

That's why I'm saying vote "no." Don't make profiteering part of our mentally-impaired citizens' future.