Major frustration of small device resolved

The little device that caused major frustration has been fixed.
All that needed to happen was that the hearing aid needed to have
its tube replaced. The tube broke in three places in the ear
mold. I don't want to see that trick for a long time, that's for
sure.

While that time of isolation is over for me, it is not over for
many of you in the db community because of lack of services.
This is why we must all fight hard for services and that means
working together, whether we come to the community from the deaf
community or the blind community. Each group must work with the
other if we are to get anything done. It was Abraham Lincoln who
spoke about a house divided will fall. I don't remember the
exact quote right now; but it fits here.

Has this been the first experience with isolation for me? No it
has not. I experienced this last spring when I attended the last
face-to-face board meeting for a national organization of the
deaf-blind. We met at a location which is a heavy signing
environment. As I do not sign, barely knowing the alphabet let
alone many signs, I felt very much isolated and looked forward to
getting home where I was on more familiar ground. I did get
there and was thankful for it. However, the experience showed me
what isolation is and how it is so potentially devastating if
you let it be so. It is understandable that this can happen
because, as I said, I had problems with one day. Just imagine
how someone who goes through this constantly feels. It's not
pretty and this is why we must advocate for services such as SSP
services so that the grip of isolation can be broken. There must
also be opportunities for vocational training and employment.
Only then will we break the rip of isolation. This means that
the entire community must work together as one. Remember that we
must be united, not divided because if we are the latter, we will
surely fall; and I don't want to see that.

Here's to working to end isolation and increase productivity and
participation in communities where we all live and work.

The auto industry time to let go

I hear about the auto industry and what the administration did and want to
say just let go. Let them go into chapter 11 which is something that should
have been done a long time ago. However, GM has been given 60 more days to
come up with a more acceptable plan and Chrysler has been given 30 days.
The feeling is that Chrysler is less viable than GM. However I am not sure
about that one. It's time to stop throwing tax money at bad investments and
these companies as presently constituted are bad companies and thus bad
investments. If chapter 11 was good enough for the airlines, then it is
good enough for the auto companies.

Obama says that we should not, must not and will not allow these companies
to go away, or maybe he was talking about the U.S. auto industry. However,
when a politician uses words like that you should know that the opposite
usually happens. Just look at any Democrat who says that about a tax
increase. Hold on to your wallet as a tax increase is very likely coming.

Obama and the government know nothing about the auto industry just as they
know nothing about the financial industry. What makes anyone think they
know what is best for these companies? They don't and that is a huge
problem. Besides, I don't want the government in the business of running
auto companies. I was never a supporter of the financial industry bailout
and I was not a supporter of the auto bailout either.

In the case of the financial industry, many companies who did not want the
bailout money were forced to take the money even if they did not want or
need the money. This bailout was about taking control of the financial
industry, not bailing it out so that it could stand on its own once again.
The same is true of the auto industry if the government doesn't just get out
of the way and let the bankruptcy laws work as they are supposed to work.
That's the course of action which should be pursued. How many more
bureaucrats will get a job as a result of today's announcement? Several I
fear. Will the government mandate the colors of the cars? Who knows
because they can mandate whatever they want to if they are not stopped and
stopped now.

What I believe is the proper role of government is a subject for another
blog entry which will not happen today. Suffice it to say, government
control is not free enterprise where companies can and do fail. The auto
companies are going down that road of failure which happens when companies
use an outdated business model and deal with irrelevant unions. Again, the
unions are a subject for another day.

One small device causes major frustration

The title says it all. One small device has caused major frustration. I am
thankful for sick days and the fact that I have a lot of them. I just wish
I didn't have to use one of them for this purpose. What you ask is the
problem and the small device?

The small device is a hearing aid and it broke over the weekend while I was
out of town at a meeting. It picked one of the worst times in the world to
do what it did, that's for sure. I called the audiologist's office today to
see if I could get in to get it fixed and the soonest I could get in was
tomorrow morning. That didn't make me happy but it was the best I could do
under the circumstances. Thankfully it will be fixed tomorrow and all will
be back to normal.

I didn't go into work today because with only one hearing aid functioning, I
cannot be as effective as I would be with two of them functioning. My
mobility is also not good because of problems with directionality, that is
telling what direction sound is coming from, and veering.

For this reason, I am staying very close to home and not going anywhere.
It's a rotten way to spend a forced day off. I'll be glad when this day is
over and I can once again return to the world I know and love.

This day, however, is making me aware that isolation is an all too common
thing for many people with a combined vision and hearing loss. Isolation is
not a pleasant thing either. At least I have some means of communication
which is more than many people have. My means of communication may not be
as efficient without both hearing aids but it does work. Isolation makes
the days longer, or so it seems. You just want the day to end so that you
can go on to the next day and hope it is not the same as the previous day.
I personally don't know how long I could live like that either. If short
amounts of isolation can drive me crazy, I don't want to know what a long
period of isolation would do to me.

This is why there must be services for those living with a combined vision
and hearing loss no matter what the level of that loss. Being able to work,
do business in and participate in one's community is something we all need
to work toward.

While I can rejoin my world tomorrow, for many it wil take more than just
the fixing of a small device for them to join their world and make it a
world where they can be an active part of the community, of their family and
whatever other group they choose to be part of. This is why advocacy is so
important and why I stress it so much. We all need to do what we can to
make the powers that be understand the importance of providing services to
members of the db community so that we can all take our place in society.
Isolation is a nasty thing and must be brought to an end. The time is now.

No reason to trust Geithner or Emanual

Today I heard about some rather distressing information regarding Rom Emanual, Chief of Staff to President Obama.  According to an article in the Chicago Tribune published, I believe, today Rom Emanual sat on the Board of Freddie Mac for 14 months while Freddie Mac was melting down.  Apparently Mr. Emanual received some $320,000 over that 14 months for little or no work.  Does that surprise you? It doesn't surprise me, especially since he comes from Illinois which is, unfortunately, known for questionable politics which does get downright dirty.  I guess Mr. Emanual made money as an investment banker some years ago according to the article which I heard about on a conservative talk show.  The Chicago Tribune is known for usually getting it right too.  There was an accounting scandal going on with Freddie Mac at the time I believe.

 

In any case, given this information, do you really want Mr. Emanual handling the economy?  I sure don't.  He watched while Freddie Mac burned and what makes anyone think that he won't do it again?  Freddie Mac was making questionable loans and Mr. Emanual watched while this was happening.  What does that say about the effort he will put into his present position?  It doesn't say much to me.  Can you say a very cushy job without a lot of work?  I sure can; but that shouldn't surprise anyone.  As I said last fall, Obama is no reformer.  It will just be Illinois politics on a national scale and boy are we seeing that now.

 

As for Geithner, he doesn't even know how to pay his taxes, let alone come up with a coherent policy on the so-called toxic assets.  In fact, I heard a story recently that if Geithner doesn't start doing better, there is a prominent congressman who will be calling for Geithner's resignation.  That should happen because a tax cheat should not be in charge of the IRS which is under the Treasury Dept.    I thought at first that Geithner's tax problems were an honest mistake but I am beginning to wonder about that one.  Can you say politial rewad?  I sure can with both of these idiots.

 

These two idiots want broad powers to shut down financial companies that get too large.  Come on, that's like asking the fox to guard the hen house.  No way these two should have power like that as they have proven they can't handle what they have now, let alone what they have done in the past.  How much worse will they make things?  I shudder to think about that and hope we never find out.  Unfortunately we just might though. 

Universal health care or newspaper bailout run from both as fast as you can

Recently you might have heard talk about a newspaper bailout.  You might also have heard that President Obama wants to "reform" health care.  The latter is a code for universal health care and the former will trample on first amendment freedoms.  both of these ideas need to be dead  on arrival.      If they show any signs of life run from both of them as fast as you can.

 

I will first deal with the issue of newspaper bailouts.  This is a glaring intrusion on first amendment freedoms as the government would control the content of those newspapers.  At first it will control how the paper should be laid out and how much news content it should have and how much can be made by ad revenue, all of which have been discussed.  Then the control will shift to the actual news content.  In other words, there will not be content which criticizes people such as Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA).  Their funding would be threatened.  In other words, the newspapers would be giving control of the paper to the government and this is something I do not want to see.  We see it in radio with the librals wanting to bring back the Fairness Doctrine which is a code word for knocking conservative talk radio off the air.  They want this because liberal talk shows cannot make it on their own.  Well I am one person who does not want to see them go on the air with government help.  If they can't make it on their own in a free market, then so be it.  It means they don't have a viable product to sell.  The same, unfortunately, is true of newspapers in their current form.  However a government bailout is something which everyone ought to run from as fast as they can.  We need many sources of information, not just one.  You see what happens in places where there is one absolute source of information and I don't want to see this country go there even remotely.

 

The other thing to avoid fervently is universal health care as this is nothing more than rationed health care and PWD will be adversely affected by this as we will be seen as costing too much, a notion which I as a PWD resent strongly.  Under universal health care, we wil be told when we can see the doctor and for what.  Excuse me but I don't want to deal with some government bureaucrat in order to make a doctor's appointment.  Decisions about my health care should be between me and my doctor and there should not be a government bureaucrat involved in that decision.  I work in a facility which serves severely disabled children.  These children deserve a chance to meet their maximum potential which I believe won't happen if we have universal health care.    They will be considered "expendable", something which I strongly resent.

 

Universal health care means waiting months for procedures.  If you don't believe that, just look at Canada or Britain, both of which have major problems. 

 

There are somethings which could be done in this country.  The first thing that ought to be done is allow Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices, something which was not done in the original legislation which I will maintain was largely written by the pharmaceutical companies and insurance industry.  Another thing that could and should be done is a ban on advertising of pharmaceuticals such as nexium, Spereva, Boneva, Lipotor and others.  These drugs ought to be dispensed by doctors, not advertised on TV. 

 

The long and short of the matter is that I want to be able to get information without the government telling me what information I can have and how to think about that information; and I also want to make health care decisions free of government control.  Newspaper bailouts and universal health care are two liberal ideas that scare me to death and ought to be run from as fast as you can possibly do so.  They will change the country forever and not in a positive way either.  Heck, we won't even recognize the country anymore, soemthing which also scares me to death.  I, unfortunately, think we ar eheaded down that socialist path.

Time for madness and escape

We're at the time of year when March madness begins and this year it will
likely be a welcome escape to all of the economic bad news. It's a time to
get away from it all for just a little while. If you don't know what March
madness is, you haven't been paying much attention to sports this time of
the year. March madness is the NCAA men's college basketball tournament.
There, by the way, is a women's version as well. This weekend will feature
game after game after game which will likely culminate in some upsets as is
often the case with this tournament. Can you quarrel with some of the
selections? Yes you certainly can with the most notable one of those being
Wisconsin who got in ahead of Northwestern even though Northwestern did much
better than Wisconsin this year. Well, the riggers of the tournament will
straighten this one out as they usually do because Wisconsin will be one and
done.

The play-in game will give the winning school the right to be throttled by
Louisville later this week, and throttled they will be. Three number ones
out of one conference is highly unusual with one of those three being the
weakest number one. Who might you ask is that weak number one? It is UConn
who I predict will be gone early; but that's the beauty of the tournament
because one never knows about these things.

Let the madness begin so that we can escape for just a while from all of the
bad news that permeates the world today.

The latest outrag3e

The subject line says it all. What might you ask is the latest
outrage? It is the obscene bonuses being paid out by AIG even
though the company had to be bailed out by the government which
means the taxpayers., Why the heck does a company pay bonuses
when it needs a taxpayer-funded bailout? It does so because it
has no values at all. It doesn't care about what the taxpayers
think. All it cares about are the fat cat executives that drove
it into the ground. They did not foresee the outrage this would
cause. How insulated or stupid do they have to be to not see the
outrage coming over this one? Can you say pretty stupid and
clueless? I sure can and just did.

I wasn't for the bailout of AIG either. I would have preferred
to see them go under or at least forced into Chapter 11 which I
still think would be the best remedy for them. However, there
are those who have said that the consequences of AIG going under
and failing would be much more disastrous for the world economy.
I am not sure about this as I don't fully understand the enormity
of the impact such a collapse would have; but I do understand the
outrage about the bonuses and agree with president Obama on this
point. This will be one of the few times I agree with him on
anything though.

While we are at it, let's make sure that the auto executives at
Gm and Chrysler don't get bonuses either as these executives have
caused their companies to come to the taxpayers for a bailout.
If anything, they should lose their jobs for running the
companies into the ground. Since when is poor performance
rewarded? It shouldn't be and this is only part of the outrage
over AIG. How can these companies turn to the taxpayers for a
bailout and then turn around and pay out bonuses? The answer is
because they can. This has got to stop and stop now. When you
take a bailout the rules change and bonuses become unacceptable.

Should bonuses be limited? I think so but that is a subject for
another day. I do hope though that the AIG bonuses are fully
recovered. What a stinking outrage this company has perpetrated
on the taxpayers.