-about a week ago. My ballot is already in the office of the County Registrar. I have been voting by mail since the mid 90's and can't imagine doing it any other way. The last time I used a voting booth, it was for a national election and that voting 'booth' was a cheap cardboard and canvas affair that offered no real privacy; no space or time to contemplate the decisions I was about to make. This 'booth' was located in the garage space of the local volunteer fire department for Janesville California; a town with no traffic signals and most houses had no number addresses. Okay, it was quaint, I will give you that, but after watching the election officials at work, I was in no way certain that my vote would ever be counted correctly or...at all. The officials were all close to the age of 90 and they seemed to be struggling with the process. By the time another election rolled around we had moved and I was able to use an 'Absentee' ballot. I continued to do that for many years, even when I was at home.
Before retiring, I worked for a large international construction company, with headquarters in Lenexa KS. I had to visit there quite often as our small group was headquartered nearby at Bonner Springs and over time I became well acquainted with that part of Kansas/Missouri; especially Johnson County KS. And that County impressed me because of their voting rules. Voting was actively encouraged! Voters were given a week or more to cast a ballot...I just checked with the Johnson County website and voting began Oct 22nd and will end on Nov 3rd. Then one day of voting again on Nov 6th. That adds up to 2 weeks of voting opportunity.
Before giving me grief because of my criticism of 90+ year olds and their abilities, please know that I am 78 years old and I don't believe that I should be entrusted with anyones ballot. Vote by mail and a clerk in the Registrar's office will handle the process competently. Please, don't trust me or anyone older than I am to handle your ballot.
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Monday, October 8, 2018
Independent
Independent. That's me. I may have said this once before but since I am unable to dredge the memory up...it didn't happen. Now that I'm in my late 70's, memory denial is handy!
Back to being independent; I have been an independent voter for at least 20 years. I became independent after many years of watching the ever increasing antics of both parties. My reasoning is this; if I were to remain a Democrat, I would be subscribing to the party and all of it's faults as well as any good it might do. Those faults were embarrassing to me and I had no part in them. It was the same with the Republicans, and the Peace and Freedom party, the Socialists and...all of them. None of them were even close to being squeaky clean!
After watching that Kavanaugh debacle I can only conclude that I had made a good choice. Was there even one good actor amongst the lot of them? I believe Dr. Ford was the only one. And I do not know if she belongs to any Party...Judge Kavanaugh was the one that was screaming out his Party affiliation.
What I saw reinforced my conclusion that there must be an age limit for these clowns. 65 should be the age for mandatory retirement for Senators and CongressClowns, and their brethren in black robes, the Justices. Or tie their retirement age to that of Commercial pilots. We mandate a certain retirement age for pilots because they have the health & safety of 100's of passengers resting on their shoulders. And our lawmakers? They have the health & safety of millions depending on them.
Back to being independent; I have been an independent voter for at least 20 years. I became independent after many years of watching the ever increasing antics of both parties. My reasoning is this; if I were to remain a Democrat, I would be subscribing to the party and all of it's faults as well as any good it might do. Those faults were embarrassing to me and I had no part in them. It was the same with the Republicans, and the Peace and Freedom party, the Socialists and...all of them. None of them were even close to being squeaky clean!
After watching that Kavanaugh debacle I can only conclude that I had made a good choice. Was there even one good actor amongst the lot of them? I believe Dr. Ford was the only one. And I do not know if she belongs to any Party...Judge Kavanaugh was the one that was screaming out his Party affiliation.
What I saw reinforced my conclusion that there must be an age limit for these clowns. 65 should be the age for mandatory retirement for Senators and CongressClowns, and their brethren in black robes, the Justices. Or tie their retirement age to that of Commercial pilots. We mandate a certain retirement age for pilots because they have the health & safety of 100's of passengers resting on their shoulders. And our lawmakers? They have the health & safety of millions depending on them.
Saturday, October 6, 2018
A quiet Saturday
My sister and brother in law have made their way back to their home in Cave Creek AZ where once more they will be surrounded by Trump-ites. They must grin and bear it. Since we live in a 'Red' county, it was a pleasure for us all (4) to be among like minded folks. It doesn't happen often enough.
I'm still in 'recovery mode' after my last hospital stay. I only use use oxygen at night, piped into my CPAP machine. I use a nebulizer 2 or 3 times a day and I keep an eye on blood oxygen levels. I hope to be able to get back to the gym next month. My pain situation hasn't changed much and that's a good thing only because my opioid consumption is still legal...but barely. I just read that the Congress, in their infinite wisdom, wishes to stop all opioid consumption. Some doctors are touting a plan called Pain Acceptance. Here is a description of this marvelous therapy.
Pain acceptance is the process of giving up the struggle with pain and learning to live life despite pain. Acceptance is associated with lower levels of pain, disability and psychological distress. Relatively little is known, however, about how patients arrive at a state of acceptance without the aid of therapy.
"Relatively little is known" ? And this is how they expect to treat patients? People without pain get to walk around that way, live their life, 24 hours a day, with no pain except for the usual headache now and then...while I am supposed to just accept my lot in life? Even though there is an imperfect drug to give me relief? A drug I have been managing safely for close to 11 years now? If that becomes reality I will have to do something other than Accepting it. I don't know what it will be. It won't be heroin or Fentanyl, (a doctor gave me Fentanyl once...never again!) although I would bet the sales of those two drugs will skyrocket, as well as arrests for possession. Prisons will have to learn how to manage prisoners with severe disabilities and pain. But, here is the good part; Doctors and Congress will be able to congratulate each other on another job well done.
I'm still in 'recovery mode' after my last hospital stay. I only use use oxygen at night, piped into my CPAP machine. I use a nebulizer 2 or 3 times a day and I keep an eye on blood oxygen levels. I hope to be able to get back to the gym next month. My pain situation hasn't changed much and that's a good thing only because my opioid consumption is still legal...but barely. I just read that the Congress, in their infinite wisdom, wishes to stop all opioid consumption. Some doctors are touting a plan called Pain Acceptance. Here is a description of this marvelous therapy.
Pain acceptance is the process of giving up the struggle with pain and learning to live life despite pain. Acceptance is associated with lower levels of pain, disability and psychological distress. Relatively little is known, however, about how patients arrive at a state of acceptance without the aid of therapy.
"Relatively little is known" ? And this is how they expect to treat patients? People without pain get to walk around that way, live their life, 24 hours a day, with no pain except for the usual headache now and then...while I am supposed to just accept my lot in life? Even though there is an imperfect drug to give me relief? A drug I have been managing safely for close to 11 years now? If that becomes reality I will have to do something other than Accepting it. I don't know what it will be. It won't be heroin or Fentanyl, (a doctor gave me Fentanyl once...never again!) although I would bet the sales of those two drugs will skyrocket, as well as arrests for possession. Prisons will have to learn how to manage prisoners with severe disabilities and pain. But, here is the good part; Doctors and Congress will be able to congratulate each other on another job well done.
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