Put Me In The Pokie?

You may have noticed by now that my mind sometimes meanders around some pretty strange corners when it's aimlessly pondering some things. This happened again last evening when I was once again wondering just how those of us who survive off disability incomes are supposed to make basic ends meet, let alone cover the various extra expenses these illnesses require. Heck the amount they pay doesn't even cover basic rent costs let alone anything else. What is one to do?

We would surely much rather be able to support ourselves if we could. However, obviously if we could hold down a job we wouldn't be considered disabled in the first place nor would we need any help! Why on earth would any sane person wish to live on poverty level incomes? To want that one would have to be insane, and isn't insanity a disability? Hm......

Necessities: Rent, utilities, food, car insurance, gasoline... Luxuries: Internet, TV, supplements, chiropractic and other treatments (which are actually the only things that help me), clothing... As hard as I've tried to stretch, fold and manipulate the Basics list I just can't whip it past the rent. Believe me I've tried every which way to make it happen but it's just impossible unless they'd rent a closet somewhere to three people... It's more than frustrating and stressful going over and over it days on end trying to find the impossible solution.

As my thoughts rolled down this rocky road I dreamed of television, as in wishing there was some way to afford cable. Now you noticed I placed in on the Luxury list because to those of us living on such limited income it is indeed a luxury item along with so many other things we won't die without. But I must inform you that for those of us who are unable to go out, who have little connection to the world out there due to health, television is like a big window to that big world out there that we have little way to be in--- along with the internet which is perhaps even a better medium for connection. So how sane can we stay without cable connections? And how the heck can we have one?

Then my mind did a bit of a hiccup. It does that some time. I guess it was in thinking about rent costs and how much even the tiniest of spaces cost that I recalled a recent photo of my granddaughter who's just starting university this fall, sitting in her small dorm room. The first picture, before she fixed it up with her personal touches, made me think of when my brother was on an aircraft carrier years ago when he was in the marines. He had described the room that he shared to me which in turned made me think of scenes I'd seen in old movies of sailors and ships or submarines and those tiny little rooms with the bunks that the men lived in ---- plain, small, metal looking spaces, rather bland. That in turn made me think of pictures of prisons I'd seen which were similar in size and plainness.... except for some in recent years that seemed more like luxury hotels where you'd expect room service.... and Hey! They had work out rooms and court yards.... and.... Yes! Televisions! And some, even computers and internet!

Hey! And that is when it dawned on me--- It wasn't too long ago when I'd seen an article on what we are spending to keep one man in jail per year and that amount was waaaay more than what we on disability have to live on! And they even get TV! Of course they don't want prisoner's lives to be too cruel, right?

Maybe we should go to the pokey? They even get three squares a day, I think....


I warned you my mind sometimes takes a strange turn or two.


Zona #36985
SunnyBlock Prison
Block C
Cell 3

Sherrif Wolfgang Wisenheimer in charge

Stimulated Right Off The Deep End !

Well they did it. Congressmen and Senators (in the good ol' US of A) voted for a 1100 page "stimulus" bill they didn't even bother to read. Can you believe it? And boy am I stimulated! (which isn't such a good thing for those of us with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome who often suffer from being over stimulated by ordinary sensory input.) I want to scream---- so I'm going to scream right here to you and hopefully someone will hear me, though, sadly it's a bit late.

Did you know that hidden in there somewhere between saving the mice and keeping toilet artists funded (of the National Endowment for the arts type--- hey, I'm an artist and yes of course I'm for artists. Real artists. Not toilet painters.) is a section on health. But wait! Don't get too excited for it is NOT good news, especially for those of us with these wierd, misunderstood, under researched chronic conditions that are hell to live with. You see besides setting up electronic medical records it also calls for setting up some kind of Big Brother Health Overlord who will determine when a treatment is not in line with their opinion of good value for the buck spent.

We already have a dickens of a time affording those 'alternative health aids/treatments', like the suppliments that help some, various types of therapies like chiropractics, massage therapy, muscle testing etc. which typically come out of pocket. I know many people with CFS, FM and MCS who are like me and react to most prescription drugs and survive off these alternatives. Some people are lucky enough to have a doctor who prescribes or recommends, at least, using some of these. With the lack of decent research it's no wonder that all these years later they're (the medical doctors) are still wandering in the dark. But then of course we have the wonderful CDC still intent of pushing the "it's all stress" theory.

Now think about that for a minute. For twenty years the government agency has move at rocket speed from denying this is a real illness to acknowledging there are these sets of symptoms, but they are caused by not being able to handle stress. And now the government in their supreme wisdom believes that they are better able to manage the whole health care industry by supervising what doctors are doing for their patients AND determining when what they're doing is too expensive, not correct etc. Much like they run medicare and the post office. ARGH.

Here's a hint of what might happen to our health care. Ruin Your Health With the Obama Stimulus Plan: Betsy McCaughey and Health Care That Kills . While some may say this is just bloviating I think those of us familiar with what has happened, or should I say what hasn't happened in all these years in acknowledging these illnesses, let alone treating them, by our dear governments wouldn't doubt for one moment that it's not going to get any better now!

Makes me think about those $50 "do it yourself suicide" pills they're now handing out in Oregan. It's pretty pathetic that they're so worried about patients getting addicted to pain meds that doctors are intimidated, but seem not at all concerned about prescribing DEATH. Hmmm let's see... addicted or dead... hmmmm. Ya, right. We can't have people running around out of pain. I fear this may become the way of thinking with this new board too, considering after all this was placed in a 'stimulus package' aimed at our economic situation supposably...

Some folks out there who have heard about this are worrying about Grandma and what this may mean for her in the near future. And yup that's ugly. Take a gander at this quote for the article---

Daschle says health-care reform “will not be pain free.” Seniors should be more accepting of the conditions that come with age instead of treating them. That means the elderly will bear the brunt.

Do you think there would be any difference in attitudes towards chronic illness/conditions?

For the life of me I can't believe that any sane "representative" of we the people would vote for a bill they didn't even read. But worse yet, I can't believe that any sane voter would reelect the buggers either! (yet they probably would). Heaven help us!