A Tax By Any Other Name Is Still A Tax

A couple of things have really interested me about the raging health care reform angst. President Obama made the rounds of all the networks except FOX posturing about what the bill would contain. The problem is there is no bill other than the one the house passed out of committee which bears little resemblance to what Obama touting. Having not been voted on, it's currently in limbo.

I'm wondering why, on all those shows, not one anchor asked Obama of which bill he was speaking. The Wyden-Bennet bill, the Dodd-Kennedy bill, the Baucus bill or that House bill?

Beyond that state of confusion is his insistence that the fine to be levied on those not signing up for insurance would not be a tax. Funny, the Baucus bill states it differently:

Excise Tax. The consequence for not maintaining insurance would be an excise tax.

I am also of the opinion that anyone who is required to pay into a government fund that is mandated in order to share the burden across a wide range, is in fact a tax. George Stephanopolis checked with Merriam Webster; I settled for the dictionary on my Mac:

tax |taks|
noun
a compulsory contribution to state revenue, levied by the government on workers' income and business profits or added to the cost of some goods, services, and transactions.

Fining or penalizing people for not buying into a government program for which they have no need does not mesh with my idea of reform. Nor the American way of doing things. But then, most of Obama's programs, along with his methods,do not mesh with my way view of the American way of doing things. What he's doing with his heavy handed intrusions is no better than waging a war of choice rather than one of need.

As with the situation in Afghanistan where his hand picked General is at odds with him over man power, he's found himself boxed into a corner and is now going to see if we indeed have the right strategy. He's a day late and a dollar short.

So it is with health care. He's out making promises about a bill that as of yet does not exist. He's making points of things that are in direct contradiction of what's in the bills working their way through committees.

This is why people like me, and there are many, have lost confidence in this man who would reshape the country into one beyond recognition. I worry; not about the people, they're beginning to see what others have for some time. I worry because the hope and change we're seeing is so far from what we visualized. I worry because the opposition party remains weak and rudderless; without leadership. I worry because politics is the reason.

For all the talk about changing the way health care is managed for the good of the people, it reality it's for the good of the special interests both inside and outside the government. It's a wolf in sheep's clothing. And the sheep would be?

"Stimulating" Pawtucket

I was listening to Obama extolling the health care public option before a hand picked crowd of union members last evening when he came forth with a over used mantra. "If you have a better idea, where is it?" Well, there are better ideas out there. The Wyden Bennett Health Reform Plan for one. I would throw a question back at him, "Why is it being ignored?"

The push for a "public" (read government run) option confounds me. So many people are against it. The reason goes far deeper than the plan itself, but the apparent idiosyncrasies of other government plans the Obama administration has come up with. Like the "stimulus" bill.

Also on last night's news, regarding government run plans, is $550,000 in stimulus money that must be spent on a "shovel ready" project in the city of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. It is going to be used for a skateboard park! It will employ contractors and laborers, materials will be purchased and lunches eaten at local eateries. My question is then what? How long does it take to build a skateboard park in the grand scheme of creating jobs? Sustainable jobs.

A story in the Providence Journal, by Michael McKinney, points out Pawtucket has one of the highest home foreclosure rates in Rhode Island not to mention a $10 million budget deficit.

They've wanted a skateboard park for the kids for years. One has to wonder how many of them still have homes. The stimulus money can only be used for Community Development grant projects. While both the police and fire departments have needs, they cannot get a piece of the pie.

Were cities given the flexibility to spend dollars on their most pressing needs, I'm sure there would be abuses, but still...

The city is facing a $5.2 million school budget deficit and with a $4.8 million shortfall on the municipal side, 40 city jobs have been lost.

$550,000 may not sound like a lot, but I can't help wonder if it could be better used to maintain those 40 city jobs that are probably full time and long term, not to mention the needs of the fire and police departments. Are they not worth saving compared to the 30 to 40 jobs estimated to build the skateboard park that are project specific?

I understand trying to create jobs for those who sorely need them; I'm just not convinced make work on a temporary basis is the way to do it.

The inflexibility is what concerns me. Will it be the same in government run health care? I would guess so. Patient needs will be at the mercy of those setting the rules. Congress no doubt. If that doesn't frighten you nothing will. Should it become reality we won't be skatingboarding in a park built with stimulus dollars, we'll be skating on thin ice!

The Government Doesn't Need "Death Panels"

I'm beginning to think we elderly are going to be unwittingly endangering our own longevity without being pushed by the government. Though inadvertently they will be responsible with Medicare functioning ( I use that term reluctantly) the way it is.

There is a guest opinion in this morning's Spokesman Review by Dr. Donald F. Condon telling why has is opting out of Medicare. It's nothing we don't already know. The reimbursement schedule is forcing Doctor's out of the program.

That isn't the only problem Doctors face, either. Among those Dr. Condon innumerated are the professional disagreements Doctors have with what some obscure committee deems appropriate as far as what's to be covered. The patient loses because Medicare wins.

Late payment of claims is another problem that parallels the problems car dealers are currently having with the Cash for Clunkers program. This puts the car dealers in the same boat as Doctors. This puts everyone in the Doctor's chain in peril from office staff, mortgage on his practice, even into his personal financial well being. Who can blame them for wanting to opt out? Who can blame the car dealers for hanging on to the Clunkers until they get paid? They at least can sell off the Clunkers; Doctors have no such option. Government efficiency is an oxymoron.

Here's the way the old Dogwalker sees it. Right now it's difficult to find a Doctor that will accept a new patient who is on Medicare. When you do find one, you're treated in assembly line fashion. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I've tried to discuss more than one issue and have been told there is no time. It matters not that no one was in the waiting room when I arrived nor when I left. Fifteen minutes. That's it. There is no thorough discussion of a condition what-so-ever.

It's usually pop a pill and see you in a week or ten days. If you're persistent enough they may refer you to a specialist who really doesn't want to see you either. I've run the course with the back Doctor. I've had two shots, neither of which did anything, and now we're experimenting with medications that are to change how the brain perceives pain. To no avail. Up the dose. To no avail. Instead of seeing him in ten days now it's call him. I'm sure I've run through the allowable office visits for which Medicare will pay.

I have no idea what all this experimentation is doing to my liver and kidneys. Actually I don't want to know. But here's the point.

Doctors who are now merely reluctant to accept you will begin to opt out. What then? Where do you go for your prescriptions? The emergency room? We'll begin not to take them because we won't put up with the waits. Our cholesterol will soar along with our blood pressure not only from not taking our meds but also because of the added stress. Don't even think of the things that will go undiagnosed thus untreated.

The "death panels" will have no one to counsel because we'll not be patients. What's more, we'll all be dead! Well, that's one way to bring the costs down. All we have to do is go belly up! I wonder if it's what they've had in mind all along!

Camel's Milk

Well, here we are. Day two of my promise to stay away from politics for awhile. At least in a sense.

I'm finding as I take a step back, some realities about our world become more focused. For instance, I'm finding, just like the health care reform issue that's raging, everyone is talking, shouting and screaming yet no one is listening, what's more, hearing.

That brings me to my topic for today. Camel's milk. According to the Wall Street Journal Camel's milk is going to be the next rage in health food. In some parts of the world it already is and an enterprising lady from North Carolina wants to bring it to the states. Big time. Why? It tastes good and it's better for you than cow's milk.

It is not only more nutritious than cow's milk, it's said to be an aphrodisiac, and help everything from diabetes to autism. The pharmas are going to hate it! Especially the makers of Cialis unless they consider filling those bathtubs with milk! Then the beauty industry, too, will hate them!

There is a market for Camel milk in the states. The entrepreneur, Millie Hinkle, gets nearly daily calls from a Somali shop keeper in Minneapolis who tells her he has at least 70,000 Somalian customers who would buy it immediately. Wow. One shop keeper with 70,000 customers! Great.

There are always problems with new ventures. Ms. Hinkle's main one would be the lack of camels on U.S. soil. There are a few around outside of zoos and circuses but they aren't exactly the ideal backyard pet. They aren't called ships of the desert for no reason. They're as big as one! There are risk factors too. It's said they can be ticklish around the udder and unless whoever is doing the milking is experienced, he may just find his subject laying down mid-milking. That could slow what is already a laborious task.

The United Nations along with many European, Asian and Middle-Eastern countries are already studying ways of increasing camels and the production of their milk. Biomedical research is being done for development of drugs based on antibodies found in camels called nanobodies. These wondrous creatures are a treasure trove, indeed! It would be fun to see pastures full of camels dotting the hillsides. They have a charm about them if you don't mind their spitting in your face should you get too close.

But whoa! Wait a minute. This is where the fact that everyone is talking, planning and researching and no one is listening comes in. Camels, just like cows and goats and llamas, and other produce methane! They are larger than cows. More methane? Now, here's where two diverse sides need to get together. They need to weigh whether a more healthy product that is a staple in a world wide diet, milk, is more important than the amount of methane that would enter the atmosphere as herds increase.

Whoops!

Fat Chance!

It's hot and I'm getting cranky as the temperatures continue to rise. I'm tired of politics. I really am. Especially since I've been preaching to the choir lately and it seems I'm the lone member. So. It's time for a change of pace for at least a few days. As difficult as it may be, I'll look for some positives.

With all the focus on health and health care, let's begin with our new Surgeon General, Regina Benjamin. Those who can be nothing but negative, no matter what, have been all over the fact that she is - uh - chunky. What kind of an example is that?

We women tend to obsess over our weight but that she is chunky never crossed my mind when she was nominated. I looked at her background and felt she was an excellent choice, but then I do march to a different drummer.

We've all been told there is an epidemic of obesity in this country. Yes. At least an epidemic of overweight by some criteria other than your mirror. So just what constitutes overweight and obesity from a more scientific point of view? BMI, Body Mass Index.

Knowing I'm on the heftier side of normal I wanted to see if I was merely overweight or really, actually obese. So I followed the link, plugged in my height and weight and found that, alas, I was merely overweight and not badly so. I consoled myself that this little test does not take into account age, bone structure or any of that good stuff. Just plain and simple, height and weight.

Now the good news! According to a story in this morning's Spokesman , being overweight may not be so bad! It informed me that two recent studies have shown overweight and obese people can expect to live as long as "normal" people while underweight people are at increased risk for premature death!

Take that all you skin and bones super models and movie stars! Ha!

Sure, those who are a tad more than pleasingly plump are ripe for various ailments less likely for their thinner counterparts. Yet the skinny on that is plumps don't suffer from anorexia or bulimia, for example. Nor do they cause all sorts of system wide upsets from restrictive and crazy diets that rob a body of basic nutrition!

So here I am. A senior with weight settling in places I wish it wouldn't. So be it. One thing with having a pet who is not well, I'm learning how to control my penchant for obsessing. That it's carrying over to other aspects of my life has to be good - for my anxiety level, my eating patterns and even how much wine I consume to ease the frustration.

I've accepted the idea I can wear a size larger on the bottom than on top. I've accepted I can wear a larger size period! And still look good! Now I can dress for dinner in something nice and come home satisfingly full and not feel the waist line cutting into me!

So those of you in Mississippi who are fat and happy as number one for the 5th year in a row on the fattest state competition, enjoy. Careful with your kids, but enjoy. And you Colorado folk, who rank the lowest, with your lean and sinewy bodies, don't you drink too many Coors. It could add some fat to the meat on your bones! Oh, woe!

As for Dr. Bengamin, she looks good to me. I just can't build up a trust in those who have that lean and hungry look!

But The Tip Of The Iceberg

Have any of you ever wanted to change doctors after you've turned 65 and are on Medicare? It's no easy task. If they take Medicare patients at all, they take limited numbers. Why?

Medicare reimburses them very little and wants to cut even more. This is also the reason Family Practice physicians are in short supply and dwindling. They can't afford to be in practice. This is an ill wind for seniors. If the government increases it's role in determining how much should be paid out for treating an ailment, it is of concern. I do not, under any circumstance, want Congress involved in this. Insurance companies are bad enough since they've forgotten what insurance is supposed to be other than profit centers for their own gain.

Have you noticed that there has been no mention of offering the same health care packages available to government employees in the current discussions? It was a big part of Obama's campaign rhetoric. One way to level the playing field might be to drop government plans for themselves and make it mandatory they participate in those available to us. Then there may be hope.

As an example of how bad it is for the doctors I am going share with you an example. I had a cyst removed from my finger a month or so ago. For the initial exam/consultation and office x-ray the doctor billed $331.00. What was not approved by Medicare is the issue. $260.89. Approved was $70.11 of which Medicare paid $56.09. The remaining $14.02 would have been on me had I not had a supplemental that picked it up. The doctor had to absorb the rest.

This is not financial incentive for the doctor, now, is it!

The total for the complete procedure including the anesthesia was around $4000. For one little cyst. You can imagine, without my spelling it out, the hair cut the doctor will take on that!

That health care reform is sorely needed is not the argument. That government should be involved as an incentive for action seems to be needed. My nagging fear is the rush to legislate without adequate input from all aspects of the medical community. Not Congress and not insurers, but medical professionals who understand disease, injury and treatment.

I don't believe it can be done by August, 2009. If it is, the excess senior population will be remedied. We will be expendable.

And Now I Wait...

You who have been long time readers have listened to my complaints about an extremely painful lower back. It has taken four years to reach the point I came to this morning.

First I had an x-ray which indicated a slight bulge and deterioration of the L5-S1 area of my spine. I went to physical therapy. A lot of good things happened except for the pain. I became more flexible and my balance improved. Then came acupuncture to no avail. We investigated the bursitis issue of my hip which showed some "shredded" muscle in my gluteus medius and minimous. More physical therapy with the addition of deep tissue massage and chiropractic. Again, other things got better but the pain remained and was getting worse. At least I needed more pain killer to tolerate it.

Finally, my doctor suggested I might need to see a back doctor. Physical therapy shouldn't hurt! Well, DUH!! Finally. Finally.

Last Monday I went to see one. It took him about 32 seconds to spot the inflamed nerve root. The joy of going to a specialist! I knew he was going to suggest the "shot" which I had been dreading. "All I've heard," I told him, "is that they are extremely painful."

"Not so" he said emphatically. "It depends on how it's done. We numb you up then give the shot and you'll feel little if anything."

I nodded, wanting to believe him but not really doing so. But, after four years this was my last hope. My back is a pretty good back for one my age. There is nothing structurally the matter with it. But the inflammation can cause fits. Tell me!

So today was the day. Hub drove me because I was told my legs would be numb for a time and I shouldn't drive. Off we went for my Epidural Steroid Injection. The link shows exactly how it's done.

I should know in about three days if it's working. In two to three weeks we'll know how well. Hopefully I'll not need another. But on the bright side, if I do I won't hesitate. The doctor was a man of his word.

Did I feel anything? Yes. I felt it when they injected the laticane on each side of my spine. It was no worse than having an acupuncture needle inserted except for a slight burning sensation which was gone as quickly as it came. I was aware of the other needle being inserted but it didn't hurt as much as when you have blood drawn!

So, today, rather than feeling the dread that fills anticipation, I'm filled with cautious optimism. Gosh, if I could only translate that same optimism to my political observations I might again be a happy person!

What Happened to The "Marlboro Man"?

Those of you my age remember him. The incredibly handsome, rugged cowboy with the cigarette dangling from his lips. The ads that conjured up images of the romance of the west. Back when cigarettes were advertised with impunity.

I smoked in those days. And I was thinner. To use that as a correlation about good health is of course nonsense and also why you don't see those ads any more!

But look what's happened to us since! We've ballooned! In the last year, according to myway the obesity rate this past year has gone up in 23 states and down in 0! Who's to blame? Well, I'm not one to point fingers, but the obesity rate for the oldest boomers, the 55 to 64 year olds, is higher than we who are over 65! Maybe it's all that physical therapy many of us do to just to keep mobile! It has become a concern in the health care field because as we live longer, it's getting more expensive Naturally keeping the obese healthy is more difficult and even more costly.

It's partially a regional problem but not entirely. The fattest states seem to trend southern with Mississippi getting top honors. Alabama is a close second followed by West Virginia and Tennessee.

What really surprised me however, is how many of the states where one would expect to find Mr. Rugged were not included in the least obese category. The only ones that were, actually, are Montana, Utah, and Colorado as the most lean. Others cross the country including four New England states. They probably shiver it off during their winters!

But, oh my. Even the cowboys are getting fat, or at least not slimming down! The Dakotas came in at 22 and 20. Wyoming was good at 38, but to be beat by Washington D.C. and New Jersey? They should be ashamed!

And Texas! Fourteen! Maybe it's due to the popularity of Tex-Mex cuisine. Not exactly low calorie fare.

Ah, well. I haven't smoked for over 40 year. My weight is higher than I'd like but then I'm a woman. If I weighed 98 pounds soaking wet I'd probably still be dissatisfied. I live in Idaho. We ranked 33. Pretty near the middle of the pack.

Maybe as those boomers retire, they'll move west like we did. Maybe they'll buy some acreage and maintain it themselves like we do. That'll slim them down! After all, we westerners can't let all those big east coast city folks steal the march on us. Listen up now. New York is 37!

Maybe The Stars Need "Dr. Do Little"

There have been times I've complained about my doctor being stingy with medications to ease my back pain. I'm beginning to think I need to give her a huge hug the next time I see her!

Look at that cocktail of Michael Jackson's! Think about Heath Ledger and Anna Nicole to name just a couple of more celebrities that have succumbed to too many drugs.

I take three prescription medications on a regular basis and one "as needed". All are prescribed by the same doctor. No matter that they are few, if I don't pay attention and overdose it could prove lethal. It's not how I care to go so I have a system so that if my mind is elsewhere I can check to see if I, in fact, took them when I was supposed to. You know, yakking with Hub or some such while popping pills. Or thinking of something I have to do and going off to do it without finishing taking my pills. Simple lapses we all have on occasion.

My doctor has made it perfectly clear to me that what is written on the label is exactly the way she wants me to take the medications. I know, for instance, the pain killer is far below the maximum safe dose. What I don't know is if I'm having a bad day and am tempted to up it a bit then have a glass of wine or two in the evening just what would happen. So I listen to her and have a discussion if the dose isn't sufficient on a regular basis.

Michael was taking at least eight drugs according to the Sun. That's tough on the body. Your liver suffers, your kidneys suffer, why would you not be concerned about your heart?

I wonder at how many drugs people pump into their systems. I wonder about the doctors who prescribe them freely. Surely they must know they are putting their patients at risk.

Perhaps it's easier to pop a pill than deal with the problem. I don't have that mind set. I want to fix what ails me rather than mask it unless fixing it is impossible.

I'm glad, when it comes right down to it, that my doctor is as conservative in her prescribing practices as I am in my willingness to take them.

I'm not living in nirvana. My back hurts and tracking down why is a work in progress. We take the edge off so the process can continue. As uncomfortable as I am, I'll stick with my doctor's way.

I am, at least, still here to talk about it.

Animal Fare

Saturday morning I was in the bathroom splinting my finger when I glanced out the window and saw a deer staring back! Wow. Our yard is fenced and Bacchus was out there somewhere. It was really cool.

I miss seeing deer in the yard. When we lived in Rochester we had them all day every day. I never tired of seeing them. Here, we live on the prairie and while deer are plentiful they like more cover than we have. She was back yesterday morning too though I'm sure she'll move on soon if she hasn't already. Oh, yeah, Bacchus was sound asleep at the end of the deck and never moved.

When he did move he was snorting and coughing so hard I was afraid he'd have a heart attack. Hub assured me it was just allergies. It continued all day, getting worse, and I was becoming quite concerned.

By Sunday morning I was so concerned I suggested calling WSU to see if it was really allergy or a combination of that and his heart. They had us bring him in and since it was a group of new people unfamiliar with Bacchus and his problems they were at a loss as to what to think. They sent us home to follow up with our vet. 200+ miles and several hours later I'd decided having a medical emergency on Sunday does not bode well. Fortunately Hub was correct; I was the one being paranoid.

Today we had the follow up x-rays done and his heart is fine. Well, let's just say his condition is stable. The allergy issue was just that. We're trying a new medication to see if it will make him more comfortable. Other than that Benedryl will do. I did get the "I told you so" when I got home.

All this got me to thinking, the last time I posted about visiting Ollie I alluded to a goose that had come in for treatment while I was there. My blogging friend Linda wanted to know about him so this one, once again, is for Linda! Uncle Raymond, the goose, is doing just fine. They pinned his leg and it's expected he'll make a full recovery.

Back to business as usual. My finger splint is history, and the stitches removed. With that in mind I'm ready to tackle Obama's health care plans! Maybe tomorrow.

This Is How I Came Home

My hand is still numb. The sling comes off Thursday. Hunting and pecking with one finger is proving difficult. Besides I'm still groggy. All for that little cyst! Can't wait to see what's underneath all this swathing! See you Thursday or Friday.

The Cyst Has Got To Go!

I've had this nuisance factor for about eight years now and it's coming off tomorrow! When it gets aggravated it hurts; it's gotten infected more than once and snags on everything! Though I couldn't find anything about stress causing it to act up, just after Bacchus's initial diagnosis it flared to about twice what is now. It may have gotten aggravated from giving him his pills in a less than delicate manner. It's time for it to go!

What is it?

According to E Hand.com it is a ganglion. I love the explanation of how it can be this or that and caused by this or that and may or may not be an issue. I may or may not lose my finger nail. I can't help but laugh. I do figure I may or may not survive the procedure but will take a wild chance and say I will! Who knows, I may or may not be back as soon as tomorrow afternoon! More likely Tuesday, however.

This is how E Hand explains it:

In the hand, a ganglion is a particular type of lump which shows up next to a joint or a tendon. Inside, it is like a balloon filled with a thick liquid. It may be soft or hard, may or may not be painful, and may get bigger or smaller on its own. It may also be referred to as a mucous cyst, a mucinous cyst or a synovial cyst.

What caused it?

Normally, joints and tendons are lubricated by a special liquid which is sealed in a small compartment. Sometimes, because of arthritis, an injury, or just for no good reason, a leak occurs from the compartment. Now, the liquid is thick, like honey, and if the hole is small, it can be like having a pinhole in a tube of toothpaste - when you squeeze the tube, even though the hole is small and the toothpaste is thick, it will leak out - and once it is out, there is no way it can go back in on its own. It works almost like a one way valve, and fills up a little balloon next to the area of the leak. When we use our hands for normal activities, our joints squeeze and create a tremendous pressure in the lubricating compartment - this can pump up a balloon leak with so much pressure that it feels as hard as a bone.

The lubricating liquid has special proteins dissolved in it which make it thick and also make it hard for the body to absorb it when it has leaked out. The body tries to absorb the liquid, but may only be able to draw out the water, making it even more thick. Usually, by the time the lump is big enough to see, the liquid has gotten to be as thick as jelly.

I'm seeing more of my Doctor these days than Bacchus is his. I'm using the time for a bit of a tune up. After this little snippet is over, we tackle the arthritic back. One more time. Sigh.

Have You Hugged Your Hog Today?

Just yesterday I was complaining about the lack of hard news in newspapers. Today, I have to bring you proof positive of what should be the biggest non-story of the week and it's only Sunday!

First, I had to laugh at the picture I found when looking for a huggable "swine". What better than one hugging a little Chinese girl. Think Hong Kong, where the current Director General of the WHO, served as a civil servant. Think Hong Kong where masked police (I love the irony) were holding guests captive in their hotels because one guest had flu symptoms.

Now we're being told the pandemic is easing, people are on the mend. Take an aspirin, drink plenty of water and rest. Go ahead and have pork chops for dinner tonight.

Wait! Are Canadian pork chops safe? Hmmm. According to an AP story in today's Spokesman Review pigs on a Canadian farm may have been infected by.......a farmer!

The poor pigs can't win! The farmhand had been vacationing in Mexico and obviously came back with the bug. He's recovering nicely, no doubt after having taken his aspirin, water and rest. If no one panics the pigs should too recover. According to Slate, pig mortality rates from the flu are far lower than human.

I got to thinking we should treat our snouted friends with a bit more respect. After all, many tests are done on pigs before humans because of similarities between the species. How many of us have heart valves from pigs pulsing away in our chests? At times I am ashamed that I so love bacon and ham!

This is the time to put the media to the test. Slate tells us pigs get the flu much like we humans do - from sneezes and coughs from other pigs. They get a fever, cough, their eyes and noses run; they sneeze. They just plain don't feel good and are put in isolation where they'll recover in about a week with proper rest and hydration. Sound familiar? We could pop them an aspirin to speed up recovery but we really need to keep the farmhands out of the pen!

We are told the WHO insists there is no evidence pigs are passing the virus to humans or that eating pork products puts anyone at risk so basically this should be a non-story. That it made the paper, however, makes it a story. It will be interesting to see if it remains an AP filler story on page 5 or if it becomes headline news!

How's Old Fuzzy Face?

You may have noticed the lack of an update last week. I have gotten to the point where these weekly reports on his condition have become too difficult. He's still doing relatively well; he's eating, he's getting his meds and he still climbs onto my lap in the evenings to watch television. We don't walk so much any more.

He's slowing down. Heart problems aside, he's an old man and doesn't always feel like romping. So he sleeps. For those of you have been so kind and care about him, I'll keep you posted as to how he's doing. Whether or not there will be any more videos remains to be seen and the updates will no longer come every week. When things are going bad for him, I'm worse. Trying to mask anxiety is becoming too difficult.

Next week we go to WSU to have his monitor read once again and see if his meds need to be adjusted. Other than that we just serenely drift through our daily routine. A neighbor visited last Sunday and he nearly had another episode. We calmed him down but it took him time to recover. It took me longer. Therein lies the problem. The roller coaster ride is not one I handle well.

So Friday I'm off to a hand surgeon to see about getting a cyst removed from a finger on my "mouse" hand. It has had a spurt of growth and snags on everything. Yuck! I have to start taking better of myself to better care for the men in my life. For all they've both given me, it's the least I can do!

In lieu of my usual video of a raptor from WSU I've been alerted to this one. An eagle's nest in BC with live video. One egg has hatched, by the time you watch maybe both. It's heartwarming and beautiful. Bookmark it or whatever if you like this sort of thing and come back often.

The Great Equalizer!

I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon looking for an illustration of the Swine Flu virus. Variations of the same theme kept coming up - a combination of the swine flu paired with the avian flu. It also illustrates when you should take this post seriously.

The poor maligned pig. For some time now pigs, along with their fellow barn yard companions, are being blamed for our noxious gas problem. Now they carry a flu strain, along with one carried by another of it's barn yard companions, that's creating havoc around the world. In the name of differentiating it from the "bird" flu, researchers dubbed it the "swine" flu.

Who ever would have thought a name would cause such an uproar! Even more, who would ever have thought doing so would have given the United States common ground with both the Muslim and Jewish communities! An Israeli health official wanted to rename it the "Mexican" flu, not so much because it has been the area hardest hit, but because both the Jewish and Muslims consider pigs unclean and are forbidden to eat it. This was perceived as an insult! I don't quite get the connection, but then, that's me! Needless to say the Mexicans weren't too keen on the idea; they're taking it on the chin pretty hard as is with their drug wars.

Then the good old US of A chimed in. Realizing it was not a good idea to besmirch entire nations, they found themselves in a quandary. You see, by calling it the swine flu it could have devastating effects on our pork industry especially when people are having a hard enough time bringing home the bacon. What to do!

In their infinite wisdom they cam up with a pretty innocuous identifier. H1N1 . There is an H and an N in all flu viruses and the fact that there is already a human strain H1N1 makes things a little confusing, but then who's asking?

Maybe I've been underestimating the power of the Obama administration's silvery tongue. Change the name, fuzzy up the context and put everyone at ease. I expect it will work as well as changing the term "Global War on Terror" to the "Overseas Contingency Operation." Change the name, fuzzy up the context and put everyone at ease.

Nope. Won't work. Think "Freedom Fries"!

Dread, The Book, Versus Fear

On April 22 Jon Stewart's guest on The Daily Show was a mild mannered professor from Hunter college by the name of Philip Alcabes. As with many of Stewart's guests, he was there to promote his book, Dread.

Mr. Alcabes specialty is Epidemiology, the study of controlling infectious and communicable diseases. His book is about how our complacent, easy lifestyles has led to our susceptibility to over reaction of happenings in our lives. It could not have been a more timely interview had only the administration watched the show or read the book prior to the outbreak of the new strain of swine flu. It exemplifies perfectly his premise.

I'm not downplaying the seriousness of the flu. I am saying the government and the media are creating a frenzy regarding an outcome that has yet to be known. Consider how much of the news is filled with nothing but people walking the streets wearing masks. How many news cycles will this last?

Realizing we have yet to have a new Secretary of Health and Human Services, I do have to ask why the Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, has been the designated spokesperson. Is it because the disease has had a huge impact in Mexico? Is the implication that it is being carried across the borders by the illegals? This woman who misspeaks on so many issues, from returning veterans being potential terror threats to thinking the 9/11 bombers entered this country through Canada, is not the person I'd have put forward. What she knows about homeland security is questionable at best. What she knows about health issues is even more suspect! Why not someone from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)? At least I'd be more comfortable thinking they may actually know the facts.

The military is monitoring the situation, we're told. Should they or should they not release their stockpiles of vaccine? Should the border be closed? The EU is advising against travel to the U.S. and Mexico, Russia is going to check every incoming flight from the U.S., and on and on it goes.

The fact that three strains of flu virus have morphed into a new one is true. Testing has really just begun on people who have the flu to see which strain they actually have. At the moment there is no definitive answer.

You have to listen closely to learn that only 40 cases have been identified in the United States. You have to listen even more closely to hear that only one has been hospitalized and that all the others have recovered. There are no details about the one hospitalized either. Old, young, frail? What?

We criticized the Bush administration for governing by fear. This one is doing the same thing on an even larger scale. Fear that the banks will fail, fear that the auto companies will fail, fear that if we aren't already we'll soon be out of our homes. And yes, fear that we all are going to perish. It's almost becoming the "Fear of the Week" administration.

We all might do well to curl up with a nice warm cup of tea and read Mr. Alcabes book. Don't forget to first wash your hands.

Footnote: For those of you interested in this, follow the link to Philip Alcabes Website. You'll find it interesting reading. Thank you to Judith Baumel for the heads up!

I'm Killing Our Planet!

Hub came into the kitchen at lunch time and took a sandwich out of my hand. "Serious diet time," he says, "You (me) have to get down to 150 and I have to get to 180."

"Where are you taking me?" Now isn't that a logical question? Who'd have thought it was in response to the latest studies showing fat people are making global warming worse. Okay, I thought, we move more slowly and sweat more. Maybe that does add to the heat wave. Dumb me.

We've now joined livestock as the villains in our own earthly scenario! Actually it has not so much to do with the fact that the populations of all but the poorest of countries are getting fatter with each generation as much as what it takes to get us that way. Food. It's because we eat more food. Food production produces major CO2 emissions and the more we eat the more is produced.

Okay folks, here comes another Dogwalk solution. We need a cap and trade policy for eating. Those of us who over indulge on prime beef and fine wine buy credits from the poor starving people in the many third world countries we never seem able to elevate. They'd get money to plant crops and buy their own livestock and gain weight and improve their standard of living. When they're equal with the rest of the world, we'll be out of funds from buying credits, the roles will reverse and the cycle will start all over again. They've made global warming simple. I've made solving it simple.

Never mind matters of health ranging from stressed joints to heart disease. Never mind what it will do the retail market for women's sizes! What about the medical professionals who treat us - family practice physicians and all the specialists, physical therapy after the hip and knee replacements, chiropractic to straighten out those old bent bones. The pharmaceuticals who produce all those pills we pop for blood pressure, cholesterol and pain! The pharmacists who dispense them - if they're so inclined. You get the idea.

Dr. Phil Edwards of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine told the The Sun (UK), "Moving about in a heavy body is like driving a gas guzzler. We need to do a lot to reverse the global trend towards fatness. It is a key factor in the battle to reduce carbon emissions and slow climate change."

I rather like my solution for global warming. Fat credits. As far as the economic issues I've outlined, I'm sure there's a solution for that too. I think it's called TARP. Troubled Asset Relief Program. Of course if our collective "asset" less maybe we wouldn't be fat in the first place!

...But will You Respect Me In The Morning?

There's a line from a morality play that went out of vogue with my youth. However, there is a morality issue here. The question is, what's moral?

When I read that
Judge orders FDA to let 17-year-olds use pill I wondered if Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston would have been spared a lot of grief and heartbreak had it been available to them. When I was young one of the great deterrents to pre-marital sex was the chance of getting pregnant. Those who partook were playing with fire for their reputations would have been ruined. My, how times have changed. Sex between unmarrieds these days is as common as getting up in the morning. Maybe that isn't the best analogy but you get the idea. This no longer seems to be a matter of morality.

Does use of the pill? The pill being referred to is the "Plan B morning after pill". It is available across the counter without prescription for anyone 18 and older. Unless, in some instances, where the pharmacist finds it goes against his or her conscience. Is that morality or travesty?

The good thing about the pill is that the youngster who had sex, thinking or not, has up to three days to potentially prevent a pregnancy. It gives them a chance to consider the consequences of their actions.

My dilemma is knowing how many girls in their teens, even their early teens, are having sex. The opposition to making this pill available to every female, no matter her age, is that it prevents ovulation or fertilization which they feel is equivalent to abortion.

Which is worse; access to the pill or children having babies? Economically the pill makes sense considering how many of those babies become the responsibility of the tax payer. The parents don't have the financial ability to provide for them. Or the father wants no part of the situation and leaves a teen age girl to fend for herself - and the baby.

I look at young Bristol and Levi. They've decided to go their separate ways. There wasn't enough maturity nor love to offset the results of lust. It makes one wonder how long the father will stay involved with the child. Without an education, how long it will be before he can assume a proper degree of financial support?

For all young people who find themselves in this dilemma, it seems it's a shame they are denied a solution to a misstep on the grounds of someone's elses sense of morality. Morality. How the meaning has changed over the years. It used to be a guide as to how to conduct your life. Now it seems to be something to impose upon others.

Morality. Forget about pre-marital sex. How about not having children out of wedlock? Or how about anyone in the business of dispensing medications shall not impose their wills upon those using them? Or - how about making available to any individual who needs it, a life saving solution to a problem? Life saving? Absolutely. The quality of life for the mother, the father and most of all the child who through no fault of it's own is the consequence.

That's morality.

The Bill Doesn't Go Far Enough???

Why in the name of good sense should there be a "pharmacist conscience law"?

You're sick. You go to your doctor. You're given a prescription. Your pharmacist refuses to fill it because it goes against his or her conscience. It's all perfectly legal in the state of Idaho. I don't know what's worse. The fact that such a bill has been proposed or the fact that it isn't needed because there is no law requiring pharmacists to dispense prescriptions in the first place! Should there be one? I think yes!

There are times I wish I were a lobbyist because I sure would lobby against this insanity! Why should any legal prescription be denied anyone? A pharmacist has no right that I know of to endanger a life by refusing to fill a prescription. He/she has no way of knowing the need nor the circumstances. The lack of a law with such a requirement apparently, here, gives him/her that right and it borders on criminal. If a person should die because of not getting said prescription would the pharmacist be guilty of murder?

If that in itself isn't bad enough, the proposed bill would extend "conscience law" to cashiers and other workers. So. Even if the pharmacist will fill the prescription but the cashier objects, you'll be barred from buying it? What kind of insanity is this?

I remember going into a doctor's office awhile back, in miserable pain with a bad back. There was a sign above the receptionist's desk that read Be Nice or Leave . I no longer see that doctor. The point that anyone who is ill does not need the additional aggravation of getting static over a perfectly legal prescription.

If your job is to dispense medicine, do it. If your conscience gets in the way change careers. How dare you endanger others! As for the cashiers, don't work in a pharmacy.

As for the law makers, how dare you to allow the uninformed to deny another his or her well being. Where is your "conscience law"?

Good Legislation/Bad Legislation

Two articles caught my attention this morning. One was a guest opinion in the Spokesman entitled We'll live to regret suicide initiative ; the other was a poll in the magazine section regarding whether the government should pass laws to fight obesity.

As to the first, Washington state has recently legalized physician assisted suicide similar to what has long been legal in Oregon. I prefer calling it death with dignity. It eases the more tawdry implications, while being a better indicator of it's true purpose.

The writer feels this is the first step toward a convenient way of killing one another when death may or may not be imminent even though the medical opinion may so state. He uses himself as a case in point. He had been given the six month prognosis back in November 2005 and has lived to write this column.

As I read his thoughts I was thinking of the power Hub and I are holding over our dog's life. One day, probably in the not too distant future, we will have to make the decision if it's time to let him go. We've done it five times before and it never gets any easier. You ask yourself if you have the right to make that decision and you agonize over the timing.

One of the writer's points is that this legislation will eliminate trusting in God to determine the course. I have some problems with that thinking. I will concede, not having read the legislation, that he may have some valid points in pointing out weaknesses in the details. I look at the issue from a broader perspective.

First, just because the legislation is in place does not mean anyone has to utilize it. If you'd rather take your chances, go for it!
On the other hand, when one is in such severe discomfort that it's being considered in the first place, I, at least would like to have the option.

Those of you who are long time readers know I had a friend in Oregon who exercised the option. She was not weak, nor was she coerced. She was just plain exhausted from fighting constant pain and no hope. What course would God have chosen for her? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? Who's to know. She was at peace with her decision as was her family. Those of us left behind are the ones who struggled with it. The question foremost in our minds was could we make that decision for ourselves. There may well come a point where many of us might want that option.

We ask the same about Bacchus. We've already decided we will not take extraordinary measures again. We did it at the onset to keep him with us awhile longer, but he's an old dog who has had a good life. We'd choose not to have him suffer more extreme trauma for our own selfish desire to have him with us for what we know will be a short time at best.

If we can do this for a beloved pet, why not people? I'd like to think, and I believe statistics from Oregon would bear me out, abuse has been rare if at all. Fearing all the "what ifs" does little but upset for unsubstantiated reasons.

This ties into the point, too, that we are dealing with adult human beings here who should be allowed to make decisions for themselves to leave this world with dignity and without pain.

It also ties into the poll about government legislating the fight against obesity. While death with dignity, with the proper, enforceable safeguards in place, is good legislation, trying to legislate obesity is big brotherism several steps too far. Again, we're dealing with human beings here. We may make the wrong choices for ourselves but to legislate removal of that right could lead to an expansion of government in our lives that would strip us of everything that makes living livable.

The worst part about government intervention in our lives is the government itself - made up of humans that supposedly have the ability to think things through and make good decisions. Look at them at work today. Is there any one of them that can make the decision for you better than you can make it for yourself? I won't even ask you to look at how many of those law makers are obese by today's medical standards.

So there is good legislation and bad, too much government intrusion versus some long overdue. The safety net, I would suggest, is the people we put into office to make those decisions. There are times we do a pretty poor job of "vetting" them!