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<p>Dear Mr. Maio:</p> <p>Thank you for writing to express your concerns. We think this is an important story that the public has the right to know about and there is no way to tell fully convey what happened without quoting what Walker's staff said.</p> <p>As the inspiring Senator Paul Wellstone said:</p> <p>We must "help those with chronic mental illnesses, those with acute depression, anxiety, or PTSD resulting from the trauma of September 11, children with autism or eating disorders, and the millions of other Americans with mental illness. Without treatment, mental illness can worsen, and can even lead to death. We cannot as a country allow people with mental illness to be treated as second-class citizens any longer."</p> <p>And: "The basic scientific facts of mental illness are straightforward, but the difficulties encountered by those who want to eliminate the cruel and unjust stigma that surrounds diseases like schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder and others have been monumental. Mental illnesses represent a major portion of the disease burden in the United States and worldwide; depression is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and throughout the developed world. And yet, our efforts to reduce stigma and provide fair treatment for people with mental illness are still needed. Parity for mental health treatment is a civil rights issue, and the fight for the rights of those with mental illness will not be stopped."</p> <p>And: "It is difficult to believe . . . there is a whole class of citizens--probably well over 20 percent of the families in this country have a loved one who struggles with mental illness--certainly, all of us know someone who does--and they face discrimination. There still is a tremendous stigma attached to people who struggle with mental illness. . . .[It] does not know any political party boundaries. It does not know any economic boundaries."</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>