That's Enough

There's a certain level of crap being circulated that I can no longer take without saying something - even in my lame little blog way. I am desperately tired of the health care debate. It is nearly to the point where I don't care if the shit gets done or not because the vindictive ignorance of Americans deserves nothing. If we can't tell basic human compassion from fascism, well, to hell with us. This anecdote is very telling: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/09/world-leader-to-obama-explain-why-theyre-putting-a-hitler-moustache-on-you/comments/page/5/

What is even more telling is the comment that says, "...You think you are entitled to FREE health care? NOTHING is FREE, period. Someone has to pay for this. Who do you expect to pay for your FREE health care? Get off your butt and pay for your own. And if you're in a situation where you can't, the government already provides assistance."

Let's get one thing straight - this alleged "government assistance" will NOT help you in many situations. WILL NOT. I was unemployed for approximately 2 years while in my late 30's. Certainly too old for Mommy & Daddy's insurance. Could I get Medicare? No. Could I get Medicaid? No. You know why I couldn't get those? Because I made the mistake of not having children, but owning a car. If you are a single, childless adult with something of dubious monetary value (the car was worth maybe $600 at the time), you get nothing. COBRA you say? Have you seen the price of COBRA? God bless you if you can pay rent, eat, make a car payment AND pay COBRA on 2 $300 unemployment checks a month. That's all I was getting from the state. Small wonder I spent a lot of that period of my life drinking.

I have sporadically had health care through employers since then. A lot of jobs I've taken have been subcontractor (they don't take any state of federal deductions out), so I haven't been an employee and therefore not qualified for insurance. I am not currently covered, and as a woman in her 40's, that's kinda scary, not to mention expensive, but I need this job. My upcoming Planned Parenthood checkup is going to cost me $175-195 and birth control pills are $60 a pack. I can only hope my fibroids don't come back and I don't have any serious health problems before my employer gets an insurance plan. Even then I may be plagued by the "pre-existing condition" monster and end up with very little.

Look, my ass has been saved by Santa Clara County health services more than once. I will forever be thankful to them for the services they provided when I desperately needed help. But to tell the truth, I never would have know those services were available had I not been desperate. And I am well aware that they do not have endless funding. No one does. I was lucky. Other people aren't so lucky. So why can't we care enough about our fellow man to make sure he/she can get help when it's needed? Why are services for the poor and down-on-their-luck the first things on the chopping block when government funding dwindles? Why do we make people who need help inferior/stupid/greedy? It's wrong.

Proximity Effect

I started to title this "The Tyranny of Distance", which reminds me of a Split Enz song (do you know which one?), but it was a little too harsh. Anyway...

FORMAL GREETINGS FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COUNTRY!

I could easily have said "from another world", but that also would be a little too harsh. I have been in touch with many of you since I moved to Fayetteville, NC in June. I enjoy seeing y'all on Facebook and getting emails and texts. I seem to get the most texts on Sundays since football season started. Gee, I wonder why... In fact, football season really drove home how much I miss CA. I was terribly homesick the week after that first game. I sorely missed the little routine I had established for 15 or so Sundays every winter for the last 4 years. I miss the Jerseys crew and the cheesesteaks and knowing exactly where I was gonna be and what I was gonna be doing every Sunday. I know, I know, I have to make a new routine with new people, but any new people have a LOT to live up to. Besides, being in the East, I think more Eagles games will be shown in my market so I can stay home and do laundry while watching. Not to mention save money on beer.

There have been many surprises and adjustments over the last 3 months. It feels longer than 3 months, though. Maybe that's a testament to just how adaptable I am. Maybe it's because being broke and looking for a job makes time screech to a halt. (I did find a job at the end of August, by the way, and it alone is fodder for several blogs.) Two of the biggest surprises got me this past weekend. Casey and I drove to Lawrenceville, near Atlanta, to visit some of his friends. Ok. Does anyone see the weirdness in that sentence? We DROVE to ATLANTA. In 6 hours. You can drive all farking day in California and not get out of the state! Driving to a major city in another state is weird! I had trouble really grasping where we were.

We drove down Friday night and did a marathon visit day on Saturday with 1 friend in the morning and a couple in the afternoon and evening. It rained on and off on Friday and I knew Georgia was having trouble with flooding. Now, I have had moments of fear. You know, the "slamming on your brakes to avoid an accident" kind, or the "going to be late for an important appointment" kind. I have never been so scared for so long as I was in the wet weather that weekend. The rainstorm that fell on us on the way to breakfast slowed traffic to 10 mph on the freeway and I was afraid we were going to have to stop right there in the lane and wait it out. Then we had to drive through a puddle deep enough to have killed the engine. Luckily it didn't. Sunday we had breakfast with another of Casey's friends and her family, then headed to an Eagles fan hangout in Atlanta to watch the game. Great place and full of green! But afterward we had to detour all around to avoid flooded intersections. That night I was awakened several times by the loudest thunder I have ever heard. I now understand why children are afraid of thunder. Thunder in CA was never that loud nor that close. It shook the hotel! That's when I became convinced that we would not make it home in Casey's car. The hood is bent and lets water get to the power steering belt when it rains heavily. I just knew it would pour all day and I would get soaked to the bone while pushing the car off of the highway somewhere. I spent Monday morning trying not to cry or completely lose it as we got ready to check out. Turned out it was mostly clear and we got home just fine. And through it all, the entire weekend, Casey was cool as a cucumber. None of this phased him at all. I discovered how afraid I can be of weather and I can't say I like that about myself. It doesn't feel good.