2009 and beyond

As we leave 2009, I trhought I would take a look at the significant events
of this year and also look at what I think might come next year.

First looking back at 2009, a year of change. We had the inauguration of
the first President of African-American heritage which is a historic event
no matter what your political persuasion is. He spoke of hope and change
but by the end of this year we are seeing anything but hope and change.
We've seen changes in the economy,not all of it for the better either.
Forclosures were up and so were business failures with bailouts going to
these businesses. We have people losing their jobs and states unable to pay
their bills. Many of these things affect those of us who are blind or
deaf-blind as we live our lives as part of a larger society.

We've seen technology for reading books become smaller and smaller with the
advent of the booksense, the plextalk pocket and the Victor Stream. We have
note takers with Braille displays that make reding books portable for those
who must use a Braille display. Reading books on the go is easier than it
was just ten years ago, not to mention at the beginning of this year.

What needs to happen this coming year? There is much that needs to happen
in my opinion but much of what I am going to discuss does not depend on
one's political persuasion. For one thing, no matter what you think about
health care, we do need better access to prescription drug information, not
to mention Medicare and insurance reimbursement for vision services. This
would improve people's lives by allowing them to betther manage their health
through more effectively taking their medication and learning the skills
they will need in order to become contributing members of society after
loosing their vision. Coverage for hearing aids would also improve the
quality of people's lives by allowing them to be part of life rather than
isolated because they can't hear what is going on.

There are a couple of other issues which need to be worked on this coming
year. One of these is H.R. 3101. Technology is changing fast and we who
are blind or deaf-blind cannot afford to be left behind. This is why we
must resolve to work tirelessly to see that H.R. 3101 is passed so that we
can be on an equal footing when it comes to technology. No more being one
or two steps or more behind everyone else in this area.

We also need to work to make the pedestrian environment more accessible.
This means dealing with the quiet car issue once and for all; and this can
be done by seeing that H.R. 734 and S.841 are moved so that we will have a
standard for sound emission for these quiet cars. This will help not only
those who are blind but everyone.

We also need to work toward better access to books right off the shelf. You
are seeing things like the kindle and the knook coming on the market. These
devices have the potential to change how books are accessed, especially in
education. We must not be left out and right now I am not aware of any
access for those who use Braille displays and audio access is limited at
this point in time.

As you can see, much has happened in 2009 and much needs to happen in 2010.
Let's all enjoy the holiday and then be prepared to work to make the above
-mentioned pieces of legislation a reality in 2010 so that access for those
who are blind or deaf-blind will be improved. If this is what you as an
advocate want, then please join me as I do my part to work to make this
happen.

Hey Liberals, it failed

As the title indicates, airport security failed miserably this past weekend
despite what Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said on Sunday.
It failed miserably on so many levels, it's not funny.

First of all, there were so many alarm bells that should have signaled
trouble but did not thanks to the liberals who are clueless as hell on this
stuff. The alarm bells were paying cash for the ticket, having little or no
luggage and having what by all accounts was a one-wayh ticket. These are
alarm bells that should signal additional scrutiny up to and including
failure to fly. How the hell can Napolitano say the system worked when all
of these signals were ignored? She can't and the fuckign liberals know it.

The next failure involves the watch list. He was on it but not on the no
fly list. Hey liberals,if someone's on the watch list, then they should
automatically be on the no fly list no questions asked. If they are
dangerous enough for the watch list then they are dangerous enough to the
safety of the flying public to keep them off an airplane. They can figure
out how the hell they are going to get somewhere. That's not our problem as
actions have consequences, something liberals don't get.

We could learn so many lessons from the Israelis on this subject. The first
one is regarding profiling. The Israelis do it and they haven't had a
hijacking in years and haven't had an incident of this type to my knowledge.
What does that tell you liberals? It tells me thattttttt they're doing
something right. They don't playt games. If they don't like something
about you, you don't fly. It's as simple as that from what I understand of
their methods.

Right now, as someone who flies domestically about 2-3 times a year, I have
absolutely no confidence that I will be safe doing so. I want to be able to
fly knowing that I won't face any additional risk beyond what is normal when
flying.

I certainly hope that the liberals are exposed as weak on terrorism as they
don't understand that a war is fought by the military and not law
enforcement. Liberals don't understand that these animals want us dead pure
and simple. Law enforcement is not equipped to fight a war and the liberals
need to figure this out. These animals don't have rights either, something
else that the liberals don't understand but that's nothing new when it
comes to this subject.

Profiling can be very useful here as the profile of these animals, oh I mean
terrorists, is that of a young, muslum, male. Anyone who fits this profile
should automatically be singled out for additional scrutiny up to and
including denial of boarding privledges. If Obama doesn't figure this out,
then he and his liberal buddies will have blood on their hands and I hope
it's not the blood of anyone I care about, including me.

We got lucky this time but next time we might not be so lucky. I pray that
the liberals are exposed and dealt with before we have another 9-11 on
American soil. Remember liberals,there were people who were sick enough to
celebrate those attacks. Does that tell you about the mentality of the
animals we are dealing with here? If it doesn't, it sure as hell ought to.
Also remember that terrorists understand one thing and one thing only,that
being the business end of a weapon. That is the language they speak. Let's
communicate with them in their language, the business end of a weapon.
Talking to them will do absolutely no good and recent events have shown
this.

Liberals, get a clue or get out of power, something I certainly hope will
happen in November for the sake of this country and the world.

The True Meaning of Christmas

Some think that Christmas means getting presents, Santa Claus and spending
money. They're all into the commercialism that has become Christmas.
Believe it or not, there is another even more powerful meaning of this
holiday. For those of Christian faith, Christmas celebrates the birth of
Jesus our Savior.

The gift of the season is the birth of Christ, not the material things we
are given. It is the gift of his saving grace. It is the gift of rebirth
within our own lives. It is being with family and enjoying their friendship
and love. It is being rededicated to our purpose in life, that being to
help others. It is about the peace that The Lord brings at this time of the
year. It is about making this peace last all through the year. The song
"Let There Be Peace On Earth" says it very well when it starts with the
line "let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.". It must begin
with each of us or there will be no peace.

My wish for everyone is for a joyous and peaceful time with your family.
Look at what matters, the company of those you love. Cherish that time
always and don't be absorbed in the material needs of the season. This
season is far too commercial for me and begins far too early in the
commercial arena. ''Too many forget the true meaning of the season, the
gift of Jesus' birth.

Peace and joy to you and yours.

Jobs over public safety and security

Yes that's right. A decision made today will do exactly as the title
suggests. What is that decision and who is involved in this travesty of a
decision? The decision was made by the Obama administration to have the
Federal government purchase and operate the prison at Thompson Illinois.
/gov. Quinn and Sen. Durbin, Illinois senior Senator are involved in this
travesty which is part of Obama's plan to keep his promise to his liberal
buddies to close Guantanamo and bring the animals held there to Illinois.
You can tell that this is one promise the Democrats intend to keep at all
costs,no matter how high the costs are.

They claim it will create jobs but what kind of jobs are we talking about?
/very likely these would be union jobs. Is that what the government should
be doing? Not in my opinion. There's nothing being said about the enormous
risk to public safety that will result from this travesty. How many lives
is this administration willing to put in danger with this purchase? /Who
knows as this prison is only 150 miles from the nation's third largest
city. There are rich opportunities for a huge body count which is something
that terrorists look for when they plan an attack, something liberals
clearly don't understand. Public transportation and the airports, both of
which I do use, are definitely rich targets. Obama, Quinn, Durbin and
others will have blood on their hands if anything happens as a result of
bringing these animals to Illinois. Obama has betrayed his home state and
needs to be called out for it too.

I hope and pray that there is some way this travesty can be stopped, either
through the legislative process at the state or national level or through
the Federal courts. These animals are just fine where they are at
Guantanamo where they belong. They don't need or deserve access to the
Federal courts. They are animals who only understand the business end of a
weapon, something they have no problem at all using on innocent civilians.

I further hope that this deal shows why all three politicians mentioned
above need to be out of office soon for the safety of this country, not to
mention this great state of Illinois. It needs to be done before there is
blood on the streets, or will they have blood on their hands if this isn't
stopped? It had better not be my blood or the blood of anyone I care
about.

A lifetime of change

Well, on that day that comes only once a year for everyone, I would like to
reflect on the many changes I have seen in my own lifetime.

Let's start with school days. I've seen tapes go from reel-to-reel to
cassette and now to CD and even download from the computer. What a change
just in how we receive information. Then there's the availability of the
computer for doing school work and other tasks.

As you can see, these things go far beyond school and work and enter home
life as well. Just look at how technology has changed our lives. We can
now use a cell phone to make calls, receive text messages and so much more.
Where was that even 10 years ago. I already mentioned the change from
various types of tape technology to CD to download. There's even secured
digital cards which are the size of a postage stamp and hold incredible
amounts of data. There are players which are as small as a cell phone.
There's wireless connection to a computer. There are people who only have
a cell hone for their phone service as they've gotten rid of their land
line.

Other changes are equally amazing. I can make a call to someone who is deaf
using video relay service even though I don't have a video phone. How cool
is that? Video phones didn't even exist about five or so years ago. You
had to use good old-fashioned TTY and relay to make these type of calls.
There's the use of conference calls, with and without video relay service.
Before this, if you wanted to have a meeting, you definitely needed to meet
face-to-face. I still maintain that a face-to-face meeting is the best but
there are alternatives today.

I've seen ATMs with audio assistance (talking menus and the like) so that I
can use one of these ubiquitous machines to carry out financial transactions
independently.

OI forgot to mention that the size of computers are getting smaller all of
the time. Who thought that one would be able to carry essentially a full
computer with them? Certainly not me. Well, it's possible and I'm doing it
through the use of a netbook. There are other small, portable options out
there too. I think we're seeing a change here though too as the note takers
are fast being replaced by the netbooks.

Is all change good? That's probably a debate for another time but I will
say that things do tend to move so fast that a segment of the population is
left behind. What segment of the population might you ask is left behind?
Well, it's the deaf-blind community. We're seeing it right now as note
takers get smaller. The deaf-blind communicator (DBC) just came out in 2008
and already things are moving fast as the platform that this was built on is
fast becoming obsolete. This technology needs to be taken to the next
level, that of the Braillnote apex because if it isn't, then a bunch of
people will be left behind. This technology has opened up so much for so
many people. I know of one person who can make phone calls for the first
time in about eight years. That's saying something pretty powerful.

These and many other changes not spoken of here have happened in my years on
this earth. There will likely be many more too. As I said, things are
moving very fast. There's just not enough time or space to talk about
all of it. That's how much things have changed. To say I've only scratched
the surface would be a major understatement.

Remembering Pearl Harbor

It's a couple of days late but I wanted to remember those who gave the
ultimate sacrifice on Pearl Harbor Day as well as those who lived. They are
the reason we are free today and I salute them for their heroism, bravery
and sacrifice so that future generations can be free.

Many of the survivors are no longer with us. I hear that we are losing more
of these fine men and women each day. Pretty soon we won't have the
pleasure of any of their wisdom and wise counsel. They're part of the
greatest generation and we won't see another one like it I'M afraid.

My parents were young children at the time of Pearl Harbor but it's
something they lived through and grew up around. Thank you to that
generation. I hope we don't squander all that you've given us by doing some
of the questionable things that Democrats would have us do today. That won't
make for a freer society and certainly won't, in my opinion, honor those who
fought and sacrificed to keep this great country free.

Thank you again to the Greatest generation. This is one person who
appreciates what you have done.

One angry taxpaying citizen

You might wonder why I'm one angry taxpaying citizen. Well, it's because
we're paying the price for six years of Blagojevich and the Democrats in the
form of agencies not getting money that has already been appropriated to
them through the budget process. Comptroller Dan Hines is refusing to
release the vouchers for one such agency and the amount of money involve is
substantial. The answer this agency gets when making inquiries is that
there is no money. Come on, the money has been appropriated. Oh, that's
right they used smoke and mirrors to put that budget together. Will
children who really need services eventually pay the price? I hope not.

Then you go to www.illinois.gov and look under the news link under
governor's office and find that Gov. Quinn is spending money for
construction at the U. of I and Southern Illinois and wonder what in the
hell is going on. What is he doing spending like this when agencies whose
money is already appropriated aren't even getting paid? This certainly
isn't the time to be looking for jobs and this is about jobs as much as the
construction spending is about jobs.; but Democrats don't understand that
the economy is cyclical and that jobs are usually the last thing to come
back in a recovery. They want it and want it now and think they can spend
their way into a recovery. This behavior certainly doesn't help agencies
who are waiting for payment of money already appropriated.

Dan Hines is running for Governor next year. Please ask him to define the
following terms: waste and wealthy. He says in one of his commercials that
he will cut waste and make the wealthy pay their fair share, something we've
heard from Democrats before. However, he like other Democrats fails to
define either of these terms. Does cutting waste mean not paying agencies
money they have already been appropriated? I don't think so and this is a
question that he needs to be asked. I like a colleague at work won't ever
vote for Hines for anything.

These games have got to stop. They're playing with people's lives, both
staff and children. This is just one agency. I'm aware there are others
out there with problems getting money they are due.

Veteran's Day Thank You

Today was Veteran's Day. I had the day off of work as my employer gave me
and some other staff this holiday. Others had to work today but got holiday
pay for it. What did I do today? I celebrated this day by taking advantage
of the freedom that I have to get involved in organizations which advocate
for those with disabilities. I took care of some board-related business for
one such organization and was proud to do it. Those who fought and died for
our freedom gave me the freedom to do this type of work. I appreciate it
and want to thank everyone, whether they returned from war or not, for their
service. It is because of your sacrifice that I am able to do what I do.

I am able to advocate for legislation which would benefit people with
disabilities. I have been too /Capitol Hill in Washington to do this
advocacy work; and I always feel honored to do this. I know that not
everyone in this world has the freedom that I have to speak to my elected
officials. In fact not everyone in the world has the freedom to elect their
government, much less criticize it. It's a freedom I cherish now and
always.

Again, to those who have served this country and continue to serve this
country, thank you very much. We would not be free today without your
sacrifice and commitment.

Government-controlled health care no thank you

Lately we've been seeing reasons why the government should and must not
control health care in this country. The current administration can't even
handle a vaccination effort. What makes anyone think they can handle health
care if, God forbid, they get control of that? I have absolutely zero
confidence that they can handle it. Does the media play a role here? You
bet they do because they're whipping up the hysteria over the swine flu.
The regular flu causes people to die but you don't hear about that. Why is
that?

You have a vaccine for swine flu that is being rushed so that this
administration can look like it is doing something about a problem which is
largely, in my opinion, being created by the media. All we've heard about
in the way of health news since last spring is swine flu, swine flu and more
swine flu. The hype has gotten so bad that I avoid listening whenever I
can. I don't need to be reminded every minute of every waking hour about
the precautions I should be taking. There are, however, people who don't
know how to take these precautions or just don't care. Deal with them but
don't force me to do what they won't do because they don't give a damn. You
go into any church or ride any train during the winter months and you will
hear people coughing and sniffling. These are people who should stay home
from work or school. If they did, we wouldn't have some of the problems we
have currently. If some of these people would go to the doctor sooner than
they do, they wouldn't spread their germs to everyone else. I, however,
don't want to pay for their mistakes.

Back to the vaccine for a minute. There is no track record, no research and
nothing to tell us about the side effects of this vaccine. I for one won't
take anything which is as untested as this thing is. Is that the reason
that the Obama administration wants to force it down everyone's collective
throats? Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

?Given all of this, I certainly don't want the government in control of my
health care. Any decisions about my health should be up to me and my
doctor, not some government puke who knows nothing about me. I don't want
to have to play 'mother may I" when it comes to health care. I want to know
that my doctor and I can make decisions about my health care and what's
right for me, not what suits the politicians. If health care does go
through in the way that the administration wants, get ready for rationed
health care because it's coming to a doctor's office near you. Get ready
for the affects of section 1233 of the House bill which mandates end of life
care. People can say whatever the hell they want about that one but it's
there and they can't deny it. It's aimed at the elderly and those with
disabilities in my opinion. If you're not useful to society, then you have
no value. White House Chief of Staff Rom Emanuel's brother has said as much
and this is someone that Obama listens to. BTW you don't hear about him
from the adoring media either. Another form of biased coverage I would say.

Wake up America. We're headed down the path of socialized medicine if this
so-called health care reform passes. Be prepared to wait years for
treatment as is currently done in Canada and Great Brittan. Be prepared for
the government to tell you when you can go to the doctor and what treatment
you can obtain. If you don't want these things, then wake up and take
action to oppose the current administration and what they are trying to do.
Act as if your life depends on it because it very likely does.

they should pay for this one

The whole thing with the "balloon boy" is making me sick. The story gets
crazier and crazier every time these people open their freaking mouths. Now
the sheriff is even having some doubts, or he wants at least to look at it
again. I think that's a great idea and hopefully this will be with an eye
toward making the family pay for the search and rescue as well as the cost
of the investigation.

The fact that these people have been on "reality TV" a couple of times makes
me think they are odd to begin with. You have to crave attention to do that
in the first place.

Not only do I hope that the family will be required to pay for the search
and rescue, not to mention the investigation, but I also hope that the
children will be monitored closely by child welfare authorities to make sure
that they are safe. Why would these people drag the children through the
ordeal of "reality TV "? Do these children have any friends or a chance at
what many would consider a normal childhood? Who knows.

The parents, however, need to be held responsible for what they have done;
and each time the father gets angry about questions means, in my opinion,
that the authorities are getting closer to the truth. I know the media can
be relentless and ruthless at times but his losing his cool shows that they
may be getting close.

Does the media know what reality is on this one and what is fraud? I'm not
sure on that one. What does that say about their coverage of politicians,
especially liberal ones? Not much but that's a subject for another day.

I heard about this late into the story and wasn't fascinated like many
people as I had to get back to work, something which these people disrupted
for many people through the closure of the Denver airport, or at least a
part of it, for a time. I'm glad the boy was found but now let's get
answers to the questions as to why this even happened. The boy got sick
twice on national TV which shows you that someone is getting close to
something as that boy is likely scared and certainly not sure of what is
going on. How can he be at six years old and with the name Falcon? If I
were him, I'd go to court and get my name changed when I was old enough to
do so; and hopefully he will do that if he can.

Once again, what will be uncovered during this investigation? Only time
will tell but getting this out of the news would be a good start toward
starving these people of what they most crave, and that's attention. Making
them pay the costs would definitely go a long way toward that and hopefully
deterring them from ever doing something like this again. It's a strange
one to say the least.

Conservatives need not apply

When it comes to ownership of an NFL team, conservatives need not apply.
Rush Limbaugh found that out the hard way after being asked to be a minority
owner in a group bidding to buy the St. Louis Rams. When word got out,
there was all kinds of furor from the usual suspects and Limbaugh was sacked
from this group. Why? Because he dared to be conservative. There is a
visceral hatred of Limbaugh and anything he says is held against him no
matter the fact that it may be true. The man can't even express a fucking
opinion unless he wants it to come back and haunt him. While I don't agree
with Limbaugh, I also don't think he should be denied the right to own a
team just because of his views.

People like Sharpton and Jackson ought to shut up and get real jobs. Then
they would find out that real employers don't tolerate their garbage. But
like Obama, they've never held a real job. Limbaugh has and is hugely
successful, something these two idiots can't say. All these two idiots can
claim is that they have big mouths and that they are good at forcing their
views down other people's throats. Well not mine as I don't want to choke
to death on that liberal garbage they spew.

Too bad Limbaugh's dream was trashed by these idiots and their cohorts.
Since when does owning a team depend on your political views? It didn't
until now. In other words, conservatives need not apply to own a football
team. What sport will be next? I'm afraid to ask .

Obama has no concept of business

The title once again says it all. Obama has no concept of business no
matter what type of business it is that we are talking about. In the case
of health care, we're talking about the insurance industry which is an
industry that Obama and his liberal friends have nothing but contempt for.
As Obama has never held a real job in his life, he's never had to provide
benefits which include health insurance. He and his friends don't
understand the concept of risk which the insurance industry is based on.
The less risk there is the lower the cost will be. The higher the risk is,
the higher the cost will be. Thus people with preexisting conditions or who
make risky lifestyle choices will be more costly to insure. Anyone who is
fat is at risk for complications from the fact that they are fat.

//requiring everyone to have health insurance isn't the same as requiring
everyone to have auto insurance. As another blogger said, anyone who is
relatively healthy will wind up paying for those who are not. You might not
like to hear that but unfortunately it is a fact of life. Requiring
insurance companies to take people who choose to wait until they are sick to
get health insurance will only increase costs for all of us because these
people will be higher risk.

These are concepts that Obama and his liberal friends don't understand. If
health insurance reform can't be done right, then don't do it. Anyone who
has read this blog knows I don't support the current plan for a variety of
reasons. /with government control of insurance comes government telling you
what you can and cannot do from what you eat to how long you sleep and a
myriad of other lifestyle matters. I don't want that but the liberals do
because they don't like the decisions that we would make on our own.

Also, what if someone legitimately can't work? How are they supposed to get
insurance under the Senate plan? They're screwed too because of the fine
contained in this bogus piece of legislation if they don't have insurance.
It's just another way for liberals to force us to do things that they want
us to do. They can't make a convincing argument so force is the only way
they know how to get their point across. It's all about control and I don't
like it. We need to stop it before we lose control of our lives and the
health care reform, I mean deform, is the first place to stop it. Please
act now while we still can. God knows Obama knows nothing about business
and will continue to shove these bad ideas down our collective throats and I
for one don't want to choke on that piece of horse shit.

Time for parents to be parents

Today there was a summit in Chicago on the issue of school violence. This
was done so that, in my opinion, the politicians could pose for holy
pictures and make it look like they were doing something; when in actuality
they are not. There may be many things which need to be done; but there is
one thing that can have an immediate effect on this issue. What, might you
ask, is that? Well, the answer is that it is time for parents to be
parents.

It is time for parents to actually discipline their children rather than
expecting everyone else to do it for them. It's time for parents to stop
being their children's friend and start being their parents. It's time for
parents to take responsibility for feeding their children rather than
expecting the schools to do it for them. It's time for parents to know who
their children's friends are and what they are doing when the children are
not at home. It is time for parents to set ground rules such as being home
by a certain time. It is time for parents to be involved in their
children's education. It's time for parents to not allow their children to
just hang out whenever and wherever they feel like it. In short, it's time
for parents to be parents. No summit or posing by politicians for holy
pictures will change that. It's time everyone figures that out, the sooner
the better.

By the way a healthy respect for life wouldn't hurt either. Valuing other
people for who they are would be a good thing. Teaching children how to
control their anger and that violence is not an acceptable response would
also go a long way in this matter. The violence won't stop just because the
politicians are meeting to talk about it and just because they want it to
stop. There must be community ownership of the problem and that starts at
the family level. It's time for parents to be parents. It's time for
discipline at school and administrators not being afraid that parents will
get in their way. It's time for parents to allow school administrators and
teachers to exercise discipline.

To be perfectly blunt, if the parents don't want to exercise these
responsibilities, then they should never have had the children in the first
place. That may sound harsh but it's true. If you can't take the heat then
get out of the kitchen. If you can't handle the responsibilities of
parenthood, then don't have children. It's that simple .

A sorry excuse for a football game

The title says it all. What game am I talking about? It is the Monday
night game where Minnesota and Bret the brat beat up on the Pack 30-23.
This wasn't supposed to happen but then Aaron Rogers wasn't supposed to be
sacked about eight times either. The O line was very offensive and
hopefully Allan Barber will be Allen Bye bye this week. He's proven he
can't play offensive line in the pros. Now it's time for him to go out and
get a real job. Good luck as we don't need you around to get Rogers killed
out there.

The defense wasn't real good either as the brat wasn't even harassed let
alone sacked. You can't do that and expect to win the game.

Donald Lee needs to decide whether he wants to play in the pros as well. On
fourth and goal at the one, he needed to catch the ball as any pro tight end
should and even Wayne Laravee made that point.

To say that was a sorry excuse for a game is an understatement. If the team
plays this poorly in two weeks, Detroit could have their second win; and I
don't want to see us play into their hands. We need to play much better and
show those sorry little lions who's really the best; and it aint them,
that's for sure.

Labor Day

It's the day after Labor Day and I will reflect on what this day means to
me. It should be a salute to the real worker, not the greedy overpaid and
highly unnecessary union thugs who call themselves leaders. Those are the
people who are in the game for their own aggrandizement. It's not about the
worker on the lines but rather about support for liberal causes which the
workers on the lines may not support. To these people I say go away and let
the workers on the lines do the work without interference from you. In
other words, get a real job.

A good example of union leaders with screwed up priorities is the whole
Mercury Marine mess up in Wisconsin. There is blame to go around on this
one. There is blame to be assessed to the union who didn't get the fact
that the jobs would move. There is blame to go around to the company who
gave the greedy union too many chances rather than cutting its losses and
moving to Oklahoma as they said they would do. This reveals the squishy
nature of that company's management. Then there are the local politicians
in Wisconsin, a state where regulation is king. These idiots got involved
late in the game and caused problems as well. Then there are the people of
Stillwater Oklahoma who stand to lose the jobs that were destined to go
there. Congratulations everyone involved in this sorry mess. All you did
was make more money for the trial lawyers because this whole sorry mess will
wind up in court where it should because no one seems to know how to do
anything right.

The above situation shows how the workers on the lines are caught in the
middle of disputes like this and further shows how it's not about the
workers but rather about the leaders and how they can make the company look
bad. It's about workers who are being told to vote themselves out of a job,
something which they did in the first vote. It's about leaders who onlhy
care about themselves and don't care about the workers whom their ations
will hurt.

My salute to workers is about those who work to serve the food in
restaurants, those who protect us and keep us safe and those who assist us
when we need help. Thank you for all you do. You may not have gotten a
break in order to spend time with your families but you are appreciated.

A Senate Lion is silenced

Late last might a Senate Lion was silenced forever. However his legacy will
live on for generations. Sen. Edward Kennedy was a statesman despite his
personal problems. He was able to reach across the aisle and many pieces of
legislation which bear his name also bare the names of Republicans as well.
One of these pieces of legislation which I remember is Kennedy-Casabaulm
which dealt with Sen. Kennedy's favorite subject, health care. It barred
insurance companies from turning people down due to pre-existing conditions.
I don't remember if this ever passed but I do remember its existence.

Sen. Kennedy has been mentioned for his involvement with the ADA which
should not surprise you given his family's links to the disability
community. There is his son Edward Jr. who is an amputee and there is his
sister Rose who was developmentally disabled. It was this connection which
got the special Olympics its start in the late 1960s, I believe, in Chicago.
Rose lived at St. Colletta's I in Wisconsin until her death a few years ago.

Sen. Kennedy was involved in many pieces of legislation and championed many
causes in the disability community. He was actually a co-sponsor of S. 841,
the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. He was involved with the
Dear Colleague letter earlier this year for the increase in funding for
Technical Assistance and Dissemination (TA&D) for deaf-blind within the
Dept. of Education. Last I heard, there is likely to be an increase of $1
million which is pretty good in a bad economy.

Sen. Kennedy knew how to reach across the aisle even though he was a liberal
Democrat. This was true when it came to education reform. He worked with
then President George W. bush on that issue.

While I didn't agree with Sen. Kennedy's politics, he did have a way of
getting things done. He fought for what he believed in and he was larger
than life. He will be sorely missed in Washington by those who work in the
Capitol and beyond. A Senate Lion has been silenced forever. Let's all
reflect on the many achievements of this public servant for he knew what
public service was, having served some 47 years in the Senate. Will we ever
see another one like him? I highly doubt it.

Rest in peace. Your fight is over.

Education today what's wrong

As I said in my last post, there are issues in education. I did elude to
some of these issues in my last post but not all of them.

There are many issues today, some go to the way we educate our children and
what is expected of the schools and some goes to how education is funded.
Let's start with how our children are educated.

First of all, you have the self-esteem crap that is so pervasive in the
schools. This shows up in how grades are administered, what constitutes
failure and the like. In one district, the grade was changed, I believe,
from F to E; but who were they kidding? The children still know what it
means. You could get 50% and still pass. What a load of garbage. That's
mediocrity and is not acceptable in my opinion. Whatever happened to
striving to do one's best? It went by the wayside when the touchy feely
folks got a hold of education.

Along with the self esteem crap, you have teachers, some of whom are good,
who get burnt out because they can't control the little darlings because you
can't discipline them anymore or you might be facing the angry wrath of a
parent who is otherwise uninvolved in their child's life. There are parents
who are very involved and who make sacrifices to do that. These parents are
to be commended for they have a tough job and are putting their children
first and setting their priorities. If only other parents could emulate
these parents, the world would be a better place.

You have the fact that subjects are not taught as they should be. History
is but one example of this. There are some who say that one does not have
to know the facts. They just need to think historically or some such
nonsense. How can you understand history if you know nothing about the
facts? You can't and the educrats don't see the problem with their logic or
lack thereof.

As far as discipline you have what I would call liberals who absolutely
abhor anything which might even be remotely violent such as a swat across
the butt; and I'm not even talking about hitting. These pambyies don't even
like yelling as it might be too violent for them. Well, here we go with the
bubble wrapping of our children. We want to protect them from everything so
that they are ill-equipped to deal with the world when they become adults.
And we wonder why they can't handle rejection. Take a look and you will see
why this is. They've never been taught how to deal with rejection at an
early age because they have been protected from it. When everyone makes the
team andyou don't keep score because someone might not feel good about
themselves, then you have a problem. Whatever happened to doing better the
next time? It too went by the wayside along with respect and responsibility
which are not taught by some parents let alone the schools. Don't even get
me started on the subject of helicopter parents as that is a subject for
another day and would further lengthen this post.

Unions are also part of the problem as it is difficult to remove an
incompetent teacher. The administration must jump through an insane amount
of hoops in order to do this. There are also other work rules which must be
followed or the administration could end up having a grievance filed against
them. I work in a facility which has a union and I see this all of the time
with the schedule. The paraprofessional staff does not realize that the
supervisor has other duties over and above the scheduling of the
paraprofessional staff. However, due to the need for heavy documentation of
everything that is done, this can take more time than it should; and the
union and its work rules are the reason for it. Unions, in my opinion, have
largely outlived their usefulness and are relics of a day gone by. There
needs to be a different model but that won't happen anytime soon
unfortunately, especially with the current administration in power in
Washington.

Funding is another issue which must be dealt with and I don't know how to
deal with this one as I don't want my tax dollars going down some black
holes in this state; and there are some districts in this state that I do
consider black holes. That's why the property tax is still used. Yet over
70% of the property tax can be tied to the schools who keep going to the
voters again and again until they get what they want; and that is squeeze
more money out of the taxpayers whom they consider a piggy bank. There was
a recent referendum which I voted for but would not have had I known about
the superintendant's contract. There is another referendum which I did not
vote for but which passed because there were too many gullible people who
voted for it.

Well, I don't know what the answer is totally but teachers do need to be
accountable for what children learn. Parents need to be accountable for
making sure their children are ready to learn which means being properly
fed, clothed and disciplined. The school cannot and should not be expected
to fulfill these rolls. The schools are being asked to babysit many of
these children as parents go off in their own little worlds and go to work
and serve on all of the boards they think they need to serve on and all of
the rest. The schools are expected to feed these children breakfast, lunch
and then keep them entertained after school. It wasn't like that when I was
growing up and I think I am better for it.

Where did we go wrong? We went wrong in a number of places. There are too
many work rules thanks to the unions. There is too much touchy feely self
esteem crap thanks to the administrators and there is a funding crisis
brought on by the fact that taxpayers don't want to see their hard-earned
money go down what they view as black holes of under-performing districts.
I haven't even touched the removal of prayer from the schools and the fact
that someone is always looking for something to be offended about.

There needs to be choice. Parents need to have a choice of where they send
their children; whether that choice is public or private schools, they need
to be able to send their children to the school which will do the best job
of educating their children according to their values. Liberals
traditionally oppose this as they know that people will migrate away from
the public schools which they helped change for the worse. I've heard one
city's system referred to as a jobs program for the union rather than
someplace where children are educated. That's a pretty sad statement.

Will we solve these issues overnight? No we won't but if we don't do
something to regain control from the special interests, we will pay for it
with the loss of tomorrow's leaders today; and I for one don't like the
thought of that.

Kids TODAY

I was recently involved in a discussion of education today and this
discussion has led me to some thoughts about kids today. There are many
differences between kids of today and those of my generation. Some of these
differences are not necessarily for the better either.

First of all, when I was young we could go out and play and in fact were
encouraged to do so. Such is not the case today due to the hyper fear of
kidnapping or sexual predators. While both of these problems are issues, I
believe that the media has overblown these fears to the point of hysteria.
That's possible today with so many sources for news and information and what
passes for same. One must be careful about sources as not everything seen
on the Internet is accurate with some of it being outright false.

Back to the topic of kids today. Many of these kids are in organized sports
and the like so that parents can get them out of their hair. This is not
necessarily good either because there is no time for imagination which
unorganized play allowed for. You can't play cowboys and Indians anymore
because that's not pc or politically correct. Well, in my world PC means
personal computer and nothing more. However, certain groups, mostly
liberal, have shaped our world when it comes to this type of stuff. You
can't play the above-mentioned game because someone might be offended or
something. It might send the "wrong message". Give me a break.

Then we have the self-esteem crap that is peddled in school. This is why
you don't keep score in games anymore and why kids can't play dodge ball.
In both cases, someone might feel bad about themselves if they are on the
losing end of the game and we can't have that. As a result, you have kids
who feel good about themselves and feel entitled as well. Can you say
"cute and authorized"? I can and hate it. This is a lot of what you see
in restaurants these days when you have brats running around sticking their
grimy little hands into everything and the parents not stopping them and the
restaurant staff afraid to do anything due to the fear of being sued for
doing what the parents refuse to do. Anyone who does try to do something is
likely to catch hell from the uninterested parents of these brats. Well,
discipline them and establish control at an early age and you would not have
these problems,now would you? These parents don't get it.

Then you have parents who are too busy and self-absorbed to get involved in
their child's life, a formula which only leads to problems later in life.
Where were these parents when their child was 2? Where were these parents
when their child was 12 and running around the neighborhood totally
unsupervised? How come the parents knew nothing about their child's friends
when the child is 18 and wearing a prison jumpsuit? These are the parents
who have really failed to own the responsibility as some like to call it.

You have good parents who don't give their kids everything they want, who
challenge their kids to do good things, who see failure as a way toward
success by allowing the child to learn from that failure thus allowing for
success the next time around and who teach respect and responsibility.
These are parents and children you don't hear about as good news does not
sell. Bad news, however, does sell and there's plenty of it too.
Unfortunately the bad kids stick out a lot more than the good ones do and
you see examples of the former in the grocery store and the like, more so
than you see the good ones because the good children are quietly doing good
things while the bad ones are making everyone's lives miserable.

Are their bad parents out there? You bet there are and often times bad
parents lead to bad kids. These are parents who don't discipline their
children and let them run wild because they can't be bothered. These are
parents who should have never had children in the first place.

Are there issues in education? You bet there are and those issues are a
topic for another day and another entry.'

Little brat go away

You might ask who I am referring to in the title of this entry. The answer
to that one is Brett, I mean Brat, Favre who is the former QB for the Green
Bay Packers. I say this because he won't just retire and go away. That's
all I want to see him do right now.

As a friend said this morning, Brat has a serious case of Peter Pan Syndrome
meaning he won't grow up. At some point you have to move on to the next
stage in your life but this guy just doesn't get it and he's ruining his
legacy by his actions.

Ted Thompson, Green Bay's General manager, was right to get rid of him last
year after not wanting to put up with his indecisiveness and me, me, me
attitude. The Jets dumped the problem after last season and now Minnesota
has the problem. Well, all I have to say to Childress and the others is
don't cry about it when you have to deal with Mr. indecisive next year. You
can't plead ignorance because He's done it to two teams already. Why the
hell would you want to be the third one? You have to be awfully desperate
and lack trust in your current players, not to mention your own GM. If I
were Rosenfeld or Jackson, I would be wondering what I have to do to get
playing time. Could either one want a trade? We'll have to wait and see
but the Vikings have added an off-the-field distraction to their club if not
an outright cancer to their locker room.

I hope the Packers legally wipe Brat Favre all over the field this year. It
serves him right for what he did. He's hell-bent on revenge against Ted
Thompson and Thompson will be the one who comes out smelling like a rose,
not Favre. Is that how he wants to be remembered? It must be because he's
certainly being a little brat about the whole thing. Just go away little
brat!

One clunker of a program

When the government tries to run something, the outcome usually isn't good;
and cash for clunkers is no exception. There are a myriad of problems with
this program from not knowing how much money is left to what will happen to
all of the clunkers that are traded in. Can you say unintended
consequences? I sure can.

Let's start from the beginning. The deal on this one is that $1 billion
will be spent by the government, who will get the money from God knows
where, to get inefficient vehicles off the road and allow people to trade
them in for more fuel-efficient vehicles. The goal is to get these clunkers
off the road permanently. Obviously the clunkers will be scrapped. The
amount of the rebate depends on the increase in fuel efficiency of the
vehicle purchased vs. that of what is being traded in.

After the first week, dealers are wondering if they will get their money and
there are questions about how these clunkers will be disposed of. I have
also heard about snafus with the government website for this program as
dealers complete mountains of paperwork, with said paperwork being typical
of any government program. Now no one knows how much money is left in this
program and the House was in a hurry to rush another $2 billion down this
black hole. The Senate doesn't want to move so fast which is just fine with
me. Let them ask some tough questions because I am quite certain that the
administration can't answer the questions.

Then there is the disposal of these clunkers. Enter unintended
consequences, something Liberals don't think about. There is a shortage of
the chemical which is needed to kill the engines on these vehicles so that
they will never run again. That's
one unintended consequence. The other is where and how to dispose of the
dead engines and the other parts of these vehicles. I've seen headlines to
indicate that these are not a boon for junk yards either. Can parts other
than the engines be used or not? Likely not as that would defeat the
purpose of the program in the eyes of this administration and its liberal
friends. It's for the environment but they forgot to think about the
environment when they were conceiving this program. If they had been
thinking, this program would have died a merciful death.

You say things would be different in the area of health care. I highly
doubt it as the government has proven before that it can't run other things
well. Take the digital TV conversion which started under a Republican
administration. This one was botched from the start. There was no
consideration of accessibility for people with disabilities to the menus at
all. Heck I can't even turn on the stupid TV at work due to the need for an
analog to digital converter box that is inaccessible to me. People from the
government were clearly clueless on that one as demonstrated by two
underwhelming appearances at ACB functions in 2008.

These are but two programs that illustrate why you don't put anything
crucial into the hands of the government. They will, and usually do, find a
way to screw it up. The two examples given show that in two
administrations. Need I say more? I don't think so.

Let's get to work on H.R. 3101

Well, there's another piece of legislation out there that needs our
attention urgently. What is this legislation, you ask? It is H.R. 3101,
the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act. Right now it
only has two co-sponsors, something which is abysmal to me. We all,
including me, need to get it in gear if we want to see this legislation
passed. I ask this question; do we want access to the latest internet-based
technology? I know I do. What type of access would this legislation
provide? Let's look at some of what is in the bill.

Some of the provisions include:
1. Full hearing aid compatibility for all devices such as cell phones and
Internet-based devices. No longer will you have to wait for your spouse to
get something so you can try it to make sure you can use it. I've been
there with my current cell phone and don't want to have to go there again.
2. Restoration of the modest requirements for video description but also
requiring this for digital TV.
3. Screens smaller than 13 in would have to provide closed captioning and
this does include content that migrates to the Internet. Video description
is also included here.
4. Accessible menus and user interfaces for devices. How many things can
you not access due to inaccessible menus?
5. Nonvisual information regarding emergency warnings. No longer would you
have to go get your radio or ask someone what is going on and hope that the
tornado doesn't reach you before knowing what is about to take place.
6. $10 million worth of funding a year for people who are deaf-blind so
that they can get the communications equipment they need in order to access
communications services such as text messaging, TY and/or TRS as well as
face-to-face communications. This contributes to less isolation, more
independence and better chances for employment for starters.
7. Establish a process for the provision of real-time text capability. No
longer would you have to worry about which IM service you use.
8. Clarification of Life-link, Link-up and relay to relay requirements to
make sure they are relevant to our needs.

These ;are just some of the things which are contained in this huge bill.
This version also enjoys some support from industry. Companies such as AT&T
and Verizon do support this legislation. It's a chance we cannot squander.

What do we need to do? We need to contact our Representative, especially
since they will be back in the districts in August, and let them know how
much this legislation means to us. We need to tell our stories and
encourage them to co-sponsor this legislation. We want access now. We
don't want to be left behind. For one thing, I want to be able to make use
of Instant Messaging but now am limited by the technology I currently have
due to the fact that these things don't work across platforms. There is no
standard for these things, something which I believe this legislation will
address. It's a problem which needs to be addressed too.

If we want access, we need to get to work and seek co-sponsors. We have
approximately 129 co-sponsors on pedestrian safety legislation in the House.
Let's work to get that number on H.R. 3101. Over 4400 of us say we want
this legislation passed by signing the COAT petition. Let's put our words
into action by seeking co-sponsors. I plan to do my part. What about you?

Obama Care no thanks

When it comes to health care reform, I say no thanks to Obama Care. There
is too much not to like about this piece of garbage that is being crammed
down our collective throats. Cost is but one thing. There is stuff
coming out about some provisions too. Just do a Google search on "mandatory
end of life counseling" and you will come up with a bunch of stuff. This
wasn't possible yesterday apparently but is today. That is referred to as
Section 1233 and does exist. Reading the legislation itself is a dry read
so seek summaries elsewhere. From what I have heard about what is in that
section, I want nothing to do with it. It tells certain people that they
should end their lives for the sake of society. That's wrong and this bill
ought to be dead just for that; but that's not the only reason to kill it.

I have also heard that making more streamlined plans available would be
impossible. In other words, new policies of this type would be next to
impossible to write. Is that a good thing? No it isn't because the
government can't run anything. Just look at what they presently attempt to
run. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the financial sector, not to mention
what they currently run in health care. Bureaucracies are by nature bloated
and inefficient. For example if my husband and I see the same provider, his
claim will process sooner because he is not going through a government
program and I am. Does that tell you anything?

The Republicans say this would lead to socialism and they are right. I
don't want what would amount to rationing of health care in this country.
Section 1233 would make some people expendable and I as a person with a
disability resent that very strongly. You don't put decisions about who
lives and who dies in the hands of low-paid bureaucrats. Even Betsy McCoy,
a Democrat herself, did not think this ought to be in the hands of
government.

This bill would also be a jobs killer as it would tax the crap out of the
rich in order to pay for it. Again it punishes success. In the minds of
the liberals, if you are successful, you are evil. Not true and it's about
time that they figure this out. We didn't get to where we are in this
country by punishing success and we won't remain there if we do punish
success.

While saying no thank you to Obama Care, here are some things I would like
to see in a responsible effort to reform health care:
1. No coverage for illegal aliens. This would get some 12 million mostly
uninsured off the rolls. Yes this would mean showing proof of citizenship
but this is necessary to keep those who have already broken the law off the
rolls. Heck, maybe we can actually catch some of these people and send them
back to their country of origin which might save money elsewhere including
law enforcement.
2. Power under Medicare Part D to negotiate for lower prescription prices.
This should have been done in the original legislation but was not due to
who was involved in the writing of that legislation.
3. Coverage for vision-related services. This includes orientation and
mobility, rehabilitation teaching, etc. for someone who is just losing their
sight. People who have a stroke, for example, have the equipment they need
covered. The services of a physical or occupational therapist are also
covered. Vision services and equipment should be covered at the same rates
as for other professionals and equipment.
4. Requirements for standards for independently accessible prescription
information for people who are blind or visually impaired. This would cut
down on health care costs by cutting the number of mistakes and accidents
with medication that is not identifiable or instructions and other
information that is not known to the patient because they can't identify it
or see the instructions. It's better to have the patient properly taking
their medication rather than the patient ending up in the hospital due to
improper use of that medication.
5. Coverage for hearing aids as these are not cosmetic. They help a person
hear better and increase independence thus saving money on health care. If
cochlear implants are not considered experimental, then coverage might need
to be looked at here as well.

These are just a few things I would like to see in any reform package but
Obama Care can die a merciful death for the sake of the country.

To show an I.D. or not to show an I.D.

There has been a lot of discussion on an E-mail list I am on,
both public and private, regarding the carrying of I.D.s for
guide dog handlers. While some say this is not required under
the ADA, I'm not so sure. However, one of those who is saying
this is someone I respect for his knowledge on the law and this
person even thinks that maybe a change is needed.

I have also advocated on and off this list for standardization of
training for other service dogs, something which won't happen
overnight but certainly needs to happen. It didn't happen
overnight with guide dogs either and it won't happen overnight
with other service animals, particularly dogs, but I think it
will eventually happen and needs to happen. There needs to also
be standards and licensure for private trainers. While there
are some private trainers who might be good, there are others who
are horrible and who use this to take their precious little pets
with them everywhere they go. That's an abuse that must be
stopped for the sake of those who use service animals
legitimately.

Standards and licensure are used for other professions and no
one screams bloody
murder about that
but when it comes to
showing an I.D. to
prove your dog is a
legitimate guide
dog, then people
scream bloody murder
and use the law to
hide their laziness
about showing an
I.D. I would think
that you would have
a better case if,
after showing the
I.D., there is
discrimination. How
come people don't
scream bloody murder
about having to have
an I.D. for
paratransit, yet
they scream bloody
murder about having
to show a stinking
I.D. related to
having a guide dog.
What's the big
freaking deal? You
pull out the I.D.,
show it and put the
freaking thing away.
Is that too much to
ask? How do these
screamers do
anything in today's
society where you
have to have an I.D.
to fly, ride Amtrak
and cash a check,
just to name a few
things one must have
an I.D. in order to
do.

Standards and an I.D. will hopefully come sooner rather than
later so that people cannot use private training to take their
precious little pets everywhere with them. Anyone who is good at
training should not mind having to submit to standards to prove
the creditability of their training. Anyone who screams about
this must know that they cannot qualify for licensure, pure and
simple.

BTW this is one of many reasons why I won't get a dog in the
first place.

The importance of access

Once again, the subject says it all; but does the community get it? I'm not
sure about the answer to the second half of that question though. What
might you ask am I referring to? Well, it's that thing called digital TV,
or should I say don't watch TV independently anymore. The latter name
applies if you must use a converter box to convert analog signal into
digital signal. In this case, it is entirely driven by inaccessible menus
so that one MUST have sighted help just to watch a TV show. This has been
illustrated very plainly to me at work the last couple of days when I have
gone on break. Both days, I have had to call someone to help me with the TV
and that's not a good feeling either. I knew the disappearing remote was
going to be a problem; but I did not realize fully the fact that I would
lose independent access. While I'm angry about this one, I'm not in a
position to file a complaint as my employer would have to agree to it and
this is a place that I just won't go. I want to keep my job, especially in
these tough economic times. BTW this is not an issue at home as we have
cable,thank God.

However, those who were in a position to do so should have been filing
complaints long before the conversion happened. How can the government do
anything about a problem if no one files a complaint, especially when there
is assistance available to help with the filing of such complaints. There
is one individual that I know of who has been urged by more than one person
to file a complaint but for some reason, unknown to this author, will not
file a complaint. How are we supposed to get access when people in a
position to do so won't file complaints? Well, don't come crying to me when
you lose access to TV and more because you can't access the menus. Keep in
mind that this is the same issue with the DVDs, not to mention the players
in that case. In case anyone is asking, I do include myself when it comes
to the DVD comments. Also keep in mind that phone service is going digital
through use of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) and the ability to access
it through your cable company; and some of this isn't accessible either.
Then there is the fact that the relay service is going to video as is phone
service for the deaf itself through the use of the video phone (VP). Once
again, this brings up access issues in the deaf-blind community. When will
this community unite and demand access?

I have a question for everyone who reads this. That question is how long
will it take for us to realize the importance of access? Then how long will
it take for us to demand such access? Or, will we continue to be left
behind in this brave new digital world? I'll let the reader decide.

Mobility options cane vs. dog guide

Recently, there has been a discussion of an incident in Texas regarding a
woman and her guide dog. She fussed over the use of the term "seeing eye"
to describe the dog and got into a tussle with the police when she tried to
correct them. She pointed to the harness and tried to show them a book
which had all of the laws in it. It is questionable whether she showed the
actual ID or not.

It has been said that the ADA does not require these IDs and that they are
required only for guide dogs. I hope I am understanding this correctly but
that could be faulty as that has been known to happen. In any case, this
whole thing has led me to some thoughts. Regarding mobility options. I use
a cane and am quite content with it as I don't have the major hassles that a
dog guide team has, the above story being but one of those hassles.

I call it a hassle. Others might call it a responsibility; but either way,
it is a problem or situation I don't want to deal with. There are other
responsibilities or hassles with using a guide dog. You have to take care
of them, feed them, relieve them, make sure their vet records are up to
date, etc. With a cane, you don't have any of these problems and you avoid
the fights in restaurants such as I opened this entry with. You can just
put your cane in a corner and forget about it when you come home, not so
with a dog.

Guide dogs can be a wonderful option for those who are willing and able to
take on that responsibility; but too many think that once they get a dog,
they can just go and go anywhere. Well, you still have to have the mobility
skills necessary to travel well and some of us, myself included, just don't
have the skills for whatever reason. One needs to think about their
lifestyle and whether having a dog would fit into that lifestyle. Quite
frankly, it would not for me as we travel quite a bit. We also live in a
condo which is not fair to a dog.

With regard to the issue of IDs, I think this should be mandatory for all
types of service dogs. This is one way of knowing which ones are legitimate
and which ones are not; and also which people are trying to use this
designation to have their pets ride with them in the cabin of a plane rather
than in the cargo holds where pets ride. We have lisences for drivers. Is
it too much to ask to have official IDs for dog guide and other service dog
teams. I speak of dogs as I believe these are the only legitimate service
animals which will put me at odds with some people for sure. I, however,
can't see letting many other types of animals into public facilities under
the guise of "service animal". I know this is a sensitive issue and just
another reason why I won't have a dog.

In the opening story, I don't have any doubt that the woman's rights were
violated but maybe an ID could have quickly diffused the situation. Only
time and a thorough investigation will tell us for sure whether this is the
case. I don't know whether we have heard the last of this story; and the
issues are certainly ones we have not heard the last of by a long shot.

Politics and nominations

Once again we have a nomination for Supreme Court justice. This
means that the fighting and nastiness will begin. There will be
a fight based on ideology over this nomination. However, the
Republicans need to be careful due to the double standard
employed in politics in this country. There are things that the
Democrats, which usually means liberals, can say and not suffer
any consequences. However, if the Republicans, which usually
means conservatives, say the same thing, then all hell breaks
loose. There is one big reason for this and it has to do with
the fact that the "mainstream media" is biased toward the
liberals or Democrats.

Let me illustrate what I mean. When Robert Bork was nominated to
the Supreme Court, Sen. Edward Kenedy set out to destroy him and
succeeded in doing just that without suffering any consequences
for his actions. Then you had the contentious nomination of
Clarence Thomas. Did the Democrats suffer any consequences for
this one? No they didn't but we sure haven't heard from Anita
Hill thank God.

You have the nomination of Miguel Esttrada to the Appellate Court
and there was a major filibuster in the Senate. Finally Estrada
said enough and withdrew. We haven't heard from him since. He
has the same compelling story that Sotamayor does with a big
difference. Estrada is conservative and Sotamayor is liberal.
which made Estrada "the wrong kind of Hispanic". Alberto
Gonzalez for Attorney General under President George W. Bush is
another example of a Hispanic being destroyed because he was "the
wrong kind of Hispanic".

The Democrats, however, have never suffered any consequences for
trashing these fine people. However, if Republicans did the same
thing, there would have been hell to pay, not to mention
consequences for the actions.

I hope that Republicans will use Sotamayor's words against her in
this process. Obama wanted someone with "empathy" which is a
liberal code word for judicial activism or making law from the
bench. Republicans tend to be what are called strict
constructionists which means they tend to interpret the
Constitution rather than make law from the bench; and tend to
nominate judicial candidates who fit this philosophy. The
Democrats feel the need to make law from the bench because they
can't always get their liberal ideas through the legislative
branch which is where laws are properly made.

We don't need judges making law from the bench and this is an
appointment that will affect the country for decades to come as
it is a lifetime appointment. Let's put someone on the Court who
understands the proper role of the judiciary. That will serve
the country much better than having essentially two legislative
branches. Only time will tell how contentious this one will get.

The change I did not vote for

President Obama has brought change to this country all right; but it wasn't the type of change I voted for.  This is one voter who was not hoodwincked by the mystique that is Obama.  I voted for John McCain and I am proud of that vote.  Many people say they voted for hope and change.  However, is what we are getting right now the hope and change they voted for?  Only they can answer that question but I would venture to say that the answer is probably no in the eyes of some of them.

 

Let's go through the changes that we have seen and decide if they are hope and change or fear, desperation and demogogery.

 

First we have the bailout of the auto industry which is turning out to be more trouble, not to mention a mes, than was first envision before the One Big Almighty Mistake America (OBAMA took office.  We now have government ownership of two automobile companies. Is this what America voted for?  I certainly didn't.  Does anyone think that this will succeed?  I don't because the government and the union each don't know how to run anything.  That not withstanding, we the taxpayers own 70% of GM which I will now call Government Motors as the name fits.  The One Big Almighty Mistake America has seen fit to ride roughshod over the bankruptcy laws; and fortunately, the GM bond holers were not fooled.  They saw what happened to Chrysler and did not want to play the game.  For this reason General Motors is almost certainly headed for bankruptcy and should have been allowed to fail.  The One Big Almighty Mistake America rode roughshod over the bankruptcy laws in the Chrysler bailout and they will do it again if they can get away with it.  What makes anyone think that the government won't meddle in the business of these companies such as firing executives, mandating what materials are used and more.  There is nothing stopping them andyou know they will do it.  Hell,they have already fired Rick Wagner, former CEO at General Motors.  This whole mes falls in the fear, desperation and demogery category.

 

The next change not to be voted for was the huge budget deficits brought on by such proposals as porkulus, spendulus which is better known as the Economic Stimulus bill which only serves to stimulate the spending of taxpayer dollars and not much more.  With this money comes mandates and the heavy hand of the Washington liberals.  The administration is telling states how to spend the money or threatening them with the loss of that money if they do things that the left does not like.  California is a case in point.  They were forced to rescind a pay cut to home health care workers or risk losing their stimulus money.  I thinkyou know what happened there.  Again,, this falls in the category of fear, desperation and demogogery; not to mention intimidation and control, with this administration being one big control freak.

 

Another change that the One Big Almighty Mistake America wants is national health care which is code for rationed health care.    One of the ways that is proposed to pay for this mistake is through a tax on employer health benefits with the claim being made that this will even the playing field as these plans are not currently taxed.  If you believe that one, I have ocean front property in Minesota to sell you.    Once again, we are talking about fear, desperation and demegogery, not to mention intimidation and control as they want to control what you eat through taxes.  The disability community better be real careful here because rationed health care has huge dire implications for our community.  Once again, not much good comes from the Democrats to our community; but this is a subject for another day.

 

Then there's cap and trade which the One Big Almighty Mistake America has already admitted will necessarily jack up your electricity rates.  How does he intend to pay for this?  My answer is he intends to bankrupt the country to pay for all of the unwanted change.

 

This unwanted change comprises three cars on the train wreck that is the Obama administration.  The other car on this train is the ill-thought-out credit card legislation which I spoke of earlier today.  Maybe the massive deficit that this out-of-control administration will run up should be the fifh car on this train wreck that is moving much too fast for my liking. 

 

It is bitterly ironic that some in the foreign pres are asking if we know what we are doing, especially considering how liberal those countries are.  is this administration going further than some of these countries?  Who knows but that's a scary thought that I don't think American voters bargained for.  I haven't even mentioned the weak foreign policy and the dangers posed by both North Korea and Iran.  Can we add three more cars to the train wreck?  I sure can and just did.

 

Will 2010 be too late?  I fear ever more that it could be.  Remember the scale of 0-100 for hope and change, with 100 being all hope and change and 0 being scared to death.  The last time I mentioned this scale, I was at about a 10 from a 60.  Well I aminching ever closer to that 0 mark, placing myself at about a 2 right now.  What a real scary thought.  Can it get any worse?  I think it can and we won't recognize this great country either by the time it's over if we even survive.

Credit card reform was it necessary?

My source of irritation today is the new credit card reform law which was
just signed. Was it really necessary? I am not sure it was but then the
government thinks they can tell any company or industry what to do. Let's
look at some of the provisions of this law as I understand them first.

First of all, anyone under 21 would either have to prove that they can make
the payments or have a parent cosign for the card. That's not a bad
provision in and of itself; but there are issues with this one that I will
discuss later.

Another provision would limit the fees and interest charges on people who
are carrying a large amount of debt, as it is said by liberals that these
people are sinking deeper into debt and the credit card companies won't let
them get out because of all these fees and interest rate hikes and the like.
Once again, there are issues and consequences here that we will get into in
a bit.

The last thing is the one which irritates me to no end as it affects those
of us who are responsible with our credit and pay off our balances on time.
We will see our fees go up. We will lose the rewards and we will be stuck
paying for those who don't know how to handle credit, whether they are over
or under 21.

Now to the provisions of the law and my comments. There are those who whine
about cutting off the under 21 crowd, saying that this will have unintended
consequences. As I understand it, those unintended consequences will be the
inability of people to get credit later. Well, I didn't have a credit card
when I was in college. I had a checking account and had to pay my bills. I
didn't get a card until I got out of school. Even then there were issues
which needed to be looked at and dealt with; and the issues were dealt with
satisfactorily.

Too many people both over and under 21 don't know how to say "no" when they
get some advertisement from a credit card company. People also don't know
that they can opt off these lists. True the companies don't make it easy to
find out this information. How about making that information more readily
available so that the consumer has the choice. That would be a start.
Also, if you are going to require people under 21 to prove they can pay, why
not require everyone to prove they can pay? The liberals won't do this
because the number of people in their core constituencies who would be
affected would be huge. Well then, that shows the need for consumer
education in those communities; and this is something which should start at
home. Unfortunately too many adults don't know how to handle credit either;
and how can they teach their children if they themselves don't knhow how to
do it; but this is a question for another time. The question of the age of
adulthood, which I have heard talked about, is also a question for another
time.

This brings me to my next point about limiting the increase in fees and
interest rates on those who carry a balance. Remember that extending credit
is a risk. Some people are good risks and some people are bad risks. Those
who don't know how to handle credit and get deeper and deeper into debt are
the ones who are crying about it rather than trying to do something about
it. Take responsibility for your actions. If you are having problems,
don't hide. Let your creditors know what is going on. Failing to pay your
bills only hurts you in the long run; but unfortunately in these times we
all pay the consequences of irresponsible behavior. By definition, the ones
who don't pay their bills are bad risks and should be treated as such.
That's why you work to improve your credit, not whine about how bad it is
and run from your responsibility for that situation.

This leads me to my last point about those with good credit paying for the
sins of others. I don't want to pay for the irresponsibility of others. I
and my husband pay our bills off on time. Heck we don't even like debt but
we will be forced to pay for everyone's irresponsibility. There's something
wrong with that picture.

As I said, consumer education begins at home. Should this be shoved off on
the schools much as everything else is these days? I am not sure about that
but maybe here is a place for it. In any case if one is responsible with
credit, they won't have any problems.

Again, this is proof that the future is in the wrong hands. Hopefully the
train wreck can be stopped before it is too late. The credit card reform
legislation is just one car on that train wreck. There are others which
will be addressed separately. Suffice it to say, this train wreck is moving
far too fast for my liking.

memorial Day

What does Memorial Day mean to me? It means plenty more than picnics,
parades and the beginning of summer. It means more than good, bad or so-so
weather and it means more than a baseball game in late may. So you might
ask what this day means to me.

It means remembering those who served our country and gave the ultimate
sacrifice so that we can enjoy the freedoms of this great country. We must
not forget those who gave their lives in order to keep us free. Many have
done this in the name of freedom over the years from the Revolutionary War
to the present wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and every war in-between.

Because these brave men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice, I can
speak out when I disagree with something that the government has done. I
also have the freedom to assemble with like-minded people. I also have the
freedom to write to officials such as Legislators to either disagree with or
advocate for a certain position. I also have the freedom to worship as I
see fit. We also have freedom of the press in this country and don't have
to get our information from just one source. I have the freedom to speak
out about how I feel about issues, such as I am doing on this blog. As a
woman, I have the right to vote, work, play and otherwise participate in my
community, not to mention receive an education. There are women in some
countries who don't have that right; and Afghanistan was once one of those
places.

These freedoms and others I have not mentioned are made possible by the
sacrifices of our service men and women, especially those who gave the
ultimate sacrifice. These are the ones we remember today, Memorial Day.
Let's all take a moment to remember these brave men and women.,

The future is in the wrong hands

President Obama has done more to change this country than anyone
I know of recently; and it's not for the better either. There
are many examples of this fact which lead me to the conclusion
that we surely won't recognize this country when President Obama
gets through; and sadly, I am afraid this will be true and sooner
than we think. This is why I think that the future of this great
country is in the wrong hands.

What are the examples I am talking about. The first one is the
push for health care reform which is nothing more than code for
rationed health care. It is also code for the fact that some
people are just going to be deemed too expensive to have around.
That's playing God and no human should be allowed to do that. It
is telling some Pwd that we are too expensive to have around. I
was with someone yesterday who uses a ventilator; and I resent
the fact that this woman will be told that she is too expensive
to have around. This so-called reform will also hurt seniors as
some of them will likewise be told that they are too expensive or
that they are just getting old and need to live with whatever
they have. It's scary to say the least.

Insurance companies have caved in to Obama on health care reform
for a couple of reasons. the first one is that they don't want
it shoved down their throats. Well, I've got news for you. It
will be shoved down all of our throats likely this year as Obama
has enough votes in Congress to ram this through despite
Republican opposition. The other reason insurance companies
caved in is that they are afraid not to for to oppose Obama
invites retaliation against the business. This behavior has
already been seen nationally. Just look at the wet sloppy kiss
to the UAW that is the auto bailout. Obama has ridden roughshod
over the bankruptcy laws of this country in the Chrysler deal.
Bon holders who own secured debt have been told to accept the
deal with Fiat (Fix It Again Tony) or else. I have heard that
there are some bond holders who are not happy; and I hope they
sue over this as they have legal rights which Obama doesn't give
a damn about. What makes anyone think that the UAW can run an
auto company and produce a product that people will buy? They
can't and that's the problem. Will the government have to buy up
this slop that resembles a car to prop up the company and the
union? God help us all if this happens.

Getting back to health care, we are seeing some vindictiveness
already. I just heard today that California is trying to cut its
budget as it must balance the budget. One way it wanted to do
this was to give a pay cut to home health care workers. There
are about $68 billion problems with that solution though. The
cut was worth $74 million but in a wet sloppy kiss to the Service
Employees International Union (SEIU, California was told by the
Obama administration to rescind the pay cut or lose its stimulus
money which totals about $68 billion. Talk about using a hammer.
The Obama administration will use this stimulus, spendulus,
porkulus to get entities to do what it wan because the Obama
administration thinks it is the only one who knows what is good
for the people and the country. Well, that very far from the
case thank you very much.

Former Vice President Cheeney has spoken out, saying this country
is not as safe now as it was under his and Bush's leadership.
Sadly Cheeney is right about that. Terrorists know we won't get
tough with them and God forbid we have to bring that danger to
the shores of this country because of closure of Guantonimmo .
Do that and you are inviting another terrorist attack in this
country. Lord knows I don't want to see that.

If anyone in the disability community thinks that Democrats and
liberals are our friends, they need to wake up and smell the
coffee. Who cut the federal operating subsidy for mass transit?
It was Clinton who is a Democrat. Why did we not hear about a
recent ADAPT demonstration in Washington where 99 people were
arrested using tactics that ADAPT is famous for? The answer is
that the liberal media did not cover it because it did not fit
their precious little template. Who was President when the ADA
was signed into law? It was George H.W. Bush, a Republican. Who
was President when the amendments to that law were passed? It
was George W. Bush, a Republican. Who was President when the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was signed into law? The answer is
Richard Nixon, a Republican. Who was President when the sit-ins
became necessary in order to get the Rehab Act regulations
passed. It was Jimmy Carter, a Democrat. I think I have made my
point. Democrats are not necessarily our friends. Just look at
the pay cut for home health care workers who were forced to
unionize, at least in Illinois. Their pay is regulated by
liberal Democrats who have forced these people into unions.
Unions are no longer about what they once were which was getting
decent wages and working conditions. Now they are about power
for the overpaid leader and influencing politicians. It's not
about the little guy anymore which is sad. The little guy gets
shafted; but these are the people who helped get Obama elected
and he owes them in a big way and he will pay them back too.
This payback won't be good for the country either.

Remember also that Obama fired the CEO of General Motors, or
should I now call it Government Motors. That is unprecedented
and shows that Obama will do anything to get his way. He wants
us to be more like Europe where companies are run by the
government and where the political system is socialist in nature.
Will we recognize this country when Obama gets done?
Unfortunately the answer to that question is a resounding "no"
and it's happening much too fast too. Will 2010 be too late for
a Republican revolution? God I hope not but at the rate this
idiot is going, it might be too late.

As I said in the beginning of this piece, the future is in the
wrong hand. There's no question about that. I just hope people
realize the mistake before its too late. Oh, I forgot. It's
already too late for that. I just hope this country survives for
the sake of all of us. What are we leaving for the children?
Nothing but a mountain of debt and an administration willing to
do anything to get its way, including committing "generational
theft" as John McCain called it. Can you say worse than Carter?
I sure can and just did and that's a real scary thought.

Well, at least I can make these comments and we had better not
lose that but that's a thought for another day..

Swine flu hysteria

Can you say hysteria over the swine flu? I certainly can and just did. If
one person gets sick at a school, panic mode sets in and the school is shut
down. What does this teach our children? Nothing good, that's for sure.
It tells them that if you don't feel good, you don't have to go into work.
This is not a lesson we ought to be teaching our children. If you are
actually sick, that's one thing but just generally not feeling well without
specific symptoms is quite another. I heard of one area high school that
will be closed until Thursday due to one student having a probable case of
this flu. What a load of crap. Another load of crap is what Chicago
schools are telling parents. This load of crap is that if a student comes
to school with a cough and a temperature over 100 degrees, that student will
be sent home and they must stay home for 7 days. Can you say more hysteria?
I sure can and did. Again, what a load of crap.

I have two words for everyone, including the media and the federal
government, and those words are, "calm down". It's not worth getting
hysterical over. If you take the precautions that everyone should be taking
as a matter of course, you'll be all right. Getting hysterical will only
increase your blood pressure and stress level, neither of which are good for
your health to begin with. Dare I mention that this signals terrorists
that it doesn't take much to scare this country. Once again, this just
proves we aren't as safe as we once were due to projecting an image of
vulnerability. Is that a signal we want to be sending? It's not one I want
to be sending but liberals love a good crisis, don't they?

My advice to the media and the federal government and everyone else is to
take a chill pill and calm down. The world will be better for it.

Green, my least favorite color for political reasons

Green is my least favorite color for some very political reasons.
Green is the symbol of the environmental movement which is
treated as a religion in this country and elsewhere. It's do
this or that for the environment. Go green for the environment.
Ever heard of green technology? Come on, don't make me puke
already.

We are told that we have to be more green. We need to use
compact flourescent light bulbs. never mind that the things are
considered hazardous material for disposal purposes. I shouldn't
have to go down to a site far from my home to dispose of a damn
light bulb, the use of which has been shoved down my throat by
the government and an industry who couldn't sell the damn things
without a freaking mandate to buy them. The reason the damn
things are hazardous material is that there is mercury in them.
You're also not told what to do if one of these little buggers
breaks. That's also a situation that's not ordinary. Can you
say mess in the name of green? I sure can.

Then there is the issue of hybrid buses which I have heard cost
more to purchase and either cost more to operate or don't deliver
the promised energy savings, both of which scenarios are not
good. Will this be the next thing that is shoved down our
throats in the name of green, not to mention a product that the
industry can't sell without a mandate to buy it? Lord I hope not
or the taxpayers will certainly pay big time.

Don't talk to me about green. It's the liberal mantra and
they'll shove it down our throats if we let them. They can stuff
their carbon footprints where the sun don't shine. Obama is real
good at creating such a stinking footprint.

Then, there's the global warming crowd. Don't get me started
there because the science is, shall we say, questionable on that
one., Gor not withstanding. Talk about a hypocrite. Gor owns
stock in oil companies which doesn't make him very green, putrid
or otherwise.

So what about the color green. Don't shove it down my throat
politically. I'd rather not choke on it or gag on it.