Monday Memories—childhood before modern vaccines

If  you're anti-vaccine, please check out this interactive map about outbreaks of easily preventable diseases. Most vaccines weren't available when I was a child (except for small pox) and I had measles, mumps, whooping cough, chicken pox and scarlet fever; my sister and many friends and relatives had polio; in the early 60s I had a baby born with multiple defects from my having been exposed to measles—he died. My children only had chicken pox which now has a vaccine. As an adult I got tetanus vaccine and boosters. My grandmother’s brother died from stepping on a nail in the barn and got lockjaw and left a widow and 3 children.  Her other brother died of diphtheria when he was 17.  Both diseases are now preventable with vaccines.  My cousin Jimmy died of polio in 1949 and the affects of polio followed my sister all her life, and probably shortened it.  I never miss my flu shot--it's a killer of the elderly. As an adult I got a shingles vaccine after seeing the horrible pain it causes. I personally know two  people who didn't get the shingles vaccine and got it in their eyes (it can affect any part of the body). Vaccines are so successful that today parents don't realize the damage, death and disability infectious diseases can cause by jumping on the anti-vaccine bandwagon. They've never seen a child blinded by measles, made deaf from mumps, and if they've seen an iron lung it's in a medical museum.

 http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/one-map-sums-damage-caused-anti-vaccination-movement

 

Shingles: While the rash itself usually lasts two to three weeks, people often go on to have permanent pain in the area of the rash. This is known as neuralgia and is debilitating and very difficult to treat as it doesn’t respond to normal painkillers. Approximately one in 1,000 people over 70 will die from shingles

Tetanus:. Of 99 tetanus patients with complete information reported to CDC during 1987 and 1988, 68% were greater than or equal to 50 years of age, while only six were less than 20 years of age.

Whooping cough:  The CDC recommends that all adolescents and adults from age 11 and up receive a single booster dose of Tdap. In adolescents, Tdap should replace the usual tetanus booster shot that’s due around the same time. In adults, Tdap can be given at any time, although it may be better to wait a few years if a tetanus booster was recently given.

Influenza: Influenza is much more likely to result in hospitalization and death in the elderly than in young persons. As many as 35,000 excess geriatric deaths due to pneumonia and influenza occur during influenza epidemics each year. Medicare  expenditures for excess hospitalizations due to influenza are estimated to exceed $1 billion each year.

 

The wages of sin . . .

are sometimes an angry cat.

Windmills and solar power

After 100 billion in subsidies, windmills and solar power combined amount to less than 4% of the energy we use. Both are so inefficient that they only exist because they get billions in subsidies from you. Fossil fuels get subsides too, but wind and solar get 100 times more. John Stossel

 

“The Federal government has set an ambitious goal of '20% wind power by 2030,' and generous subsidies targeted at every segment of American society have been set in place.

State subsidies for wind power are equally generous and can often be combined with Federal programs resulting, in some instances, in government funding equivalent to 80% of a wind power system's total cost.

Subsidies range from Direct Federal Grants, ITC's (Investment Tax Credits) and PTC's (Production Tax Credits) to a myriad of State Grants, Rebates and Tax Credits available to all tax-payers, ranging from your family to Fortune 500 corporations.” http://www.massmegawatts.com/government-subsidies-finance.php

Solar Financing, Subsidies and Incentives

http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/05/30/solar-power-subsidies-were-too-large-too-fast/

http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2013/11/14/solar-isnt-the-only-subsidized-energy-source/

“Subsidies go primarily to the rich. While subsidies allow owners to pay off the cost over time, up-front costs put solar panels out of reach for most people. Subsidies take money from working-class families and give it to people who can afford high, up-front capital costs.”

http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2013/11/14/solar-subsidies-take-money-from-the-poor-to-help-the-rich/

Hobby Lobby and the HHS Mandate

The month after Christmas—author unknown

'Twas the month after Christmas,
and all through the house ...
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste at the holiday parties had gone to my waist.
When I got on the scales
there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store
(less a walk than a lumber).
I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;

The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,
The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."
As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt---
I said to myself, as only I can
" You can't spend a winter disguised as a man! "

So--away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chips
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
" Till all the additional ounces have vanished.
I won't have a cookie--not even a lick.
I'll want to chew only on a long celery stick.

I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.
I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore---
But isn't that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!"

Conversation or kicking the can down the road?

We need to have a conversation about this phrase, "We need to have a conversation about . . ." because when anyone says it, you know they mean a monologue and do it my way or let's move on to something else. Right or left, doesn't matter. I'd put it right up there with "Let's do lunch sometime."

I Googled it—557,000 matches.

Racism. Race in America. Education. Technology. School security. Truth and art. Guns. Rape. Your lack of seriousness. Changes in our pension plan. PTSD. Minimum wage. How to do better. Unwed mothers. Gay marriage. It. Sex education. Character and values. Immigration.  Chicago.  What’s been goin’ on. Australia Day. Refinancing debt. Cops. Standardized testing. Abortion. Smurfs. Rules of the game. Big Data needs. Renewable energy. Living. Covering fires in near by towns. Classroom etiquette. Choices for seniors [elderly]. Your cat. Quaker history. Immorality. How we define that. Where we're going and how we're going to get there. A breakfast casserole. Twitter. Drugs in hip-hop music. HIV/AIDS. Hardcore atheists.  Ableism. Health benefits. New literacies. The future. Missed curfew. Spending priorities. Pluralism in Islam. Mental health.  All these things.

I looked through about 15 Google pages; not once did I see the word ACA or Obamacare.  I guess those have been talked to death.

Governor Scott Walker makes Wisconsin—a winner

Look who has a $900 million budget surplus. Wisconsin. That's why the left hates him. He's fiscally responsible. Can we get him in Washington?

Richard says, “My Wisconsin liberal friends hate him with froth coming out their mouths when they talk about him. They tend to bring up all sorts of stories about him that are printed in Milwaukee and Madison papers that no one else will write.”

http://fox6now.com/2014/01/22/preview-of-gov-walkers-state-of-the-state-address/

Tonight, we have some really great news about the economy and our fiscal situation. The non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau recently verified that the state will have $911 million more than previously projected. These new revenues are not a one-time windfall, or budget gimmick, but come from a strong economic recovery, where more people are working, more employers are hiring, and personal income is going up. They also come from good stewardship of the taxpayers’ money.

What do you do with a surplus? Give it back to the people who earned it. It’s your money. I propose that we deposit a portion of these new revenues in the state’s rainy day fund and use the remainder to provide much needed tax relief to you—the hardworking taxpayers of Wisconsin.

Job creation, prudent fiscal management, tax credits for manufacturing and agriculture, international trade, tourism, lower property taxes, new education and training programs.  Didn’t see anything about teacher’s unions, but we know the individual communities are saving a lot of money. Teachers in Wisconsin are no longer forced to join the union.

http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/09/governor-scott-walkers-teacher-union-busting-act-10-law-continues-upheld/

Hollywood Casino in Columbus

Ohio voters turned down casinos five times, but the powerful gambling interests finally won when Ohio was in a hole due to the recession. They are now in Cleveland, Toledo, Columbus and Cincinnati.  Supposedly, the taxes will help the schools--what a trade off. More crime, more prostitution, more personal losses from gambling addictions, and businesses leaving the area because after the construction, there was no benefit. The Hollywood Casino in Columbus is well named--glitz, glamor and sin. And when the money comes to the schools, will it change education, or just the sense of responsibility at the local level?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/06/05/ohio-gambling-revenues/2392697/

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-01-23/states-casino-gambling/52746498/1

Remember the 1950s witch hunt

The IRS is targeting conservatives--it wants names, just like good old Joseph McCarthy did in the 1950s. The difference is he was an elected official and we were at war with the Communists. There really were Communists in Hollywood and other industries.  IRS bureaucrats haven't been elected, and as far as I know, we are not at war with believers in the free market and personal responsibility.

http://hotair.com/archives/2014/01/24/irs-going-after-conservatives-in-hollywood-now/

A collection of perhaps 1,500 right-leaning players in the entertainment industry, Friends of Abe keeps a low profile and fiercely protects its membership list, to avoid what it presumes would result in a sort of 21st-century blacklist, albeit on the other side of the partisan spectrum.

Now the Internal Revenue Service is reviewing the group’s activities in connection with its application for tax-exempt status. Last week, federal tax authorities presented the group with a 10-point request for detailed information about its meetings with politicians like Paul D. Ryan, Thaddeus McCotter and Herman Cain, among other matters, according to people briefed on the inquiry. …

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/23/us/politics/leaning-right-in-hollywood-under-a-lens.html

It’s my personal opinion, due to the invasive, and sometimes criminal nature of some of our non-elected agencies, that organizations should skip the tax status. Any political activity will be investigated even though a limited amount is allowed by law.

Spread for crackers

 

Our refrigerator seems to collect a lot of jars with just a smidgen of jelly or jam or relish.  I'm sure I'm not alone.  So let an 8 oz. pkg of cream cheese soften, then zap those jars a few second in the microwave to loosen the gunk, and then mix it all into the cream cheese for a spread with lots of surprises. Today it’s onion relish and apricot.  Oh, and don't forget the crackers. Or celery.  It’s great for celery boats.

The 9-12 project

These groups were originally the idea of Glenn Beck, the guy the media are demonizing now because he’s been reflecting about his impact on America.  No liberal (he’s a libertarian and owns a very successful media company) would ever reflect if he/she has done things in the past that could have been different, and that’s the only part of the interview that they care about. Daily Beast (owned by Tina Brown) readers are such haters, it is very discouraging to believe Americans are like that.  We have a group in Upper Arlington which has had topics as diverse as tax issues, goat farming, education,the principles of liberty, signers of the Declaration of Independence, how the judicial system works and everything in between. It’s not a political group but is conservative, and opens meetings with the Pledge of Allegiance and prayer.

The 9 Principles

1. America Is Good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

The 12 Values

1. Honesty    2. Reverence     3. Hope     4. Thrift     5. Humility     6. Charity     7. Sincerity    8. Moderation     9. Personal Responsibility     10. Hard Work     11. Courage    12. Gratitude

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865594802/Glenn-Beck-Arent-we-all-a-little-wrong-about-something.html?pg=all

The Tea Party would vote for these men and women

Would you?  If not, is it their race or their conservatism that concerns you?

This will not make the national news

Everyone knows the names.  Trayvon  Martin and George Zimmerman.  The big deal is that a “white Hispanic” shot a black 17 year old while on a security detail. Politicians whipped up the crowds.  Trayvon’s friends were interviewed on national TV.  His mother received huge amounts of money to tell her story.  Jesse the race baiter showed up to perform before the cameras to make sure we hadn’t forgotten him.

No one will hear about this—except perhaps in the Houston area. ”Luan Vu, 19, is charged with capital murder in the death of 17-year-old Vy Ngoc Bao-Pham.”  If a man kills a woman, same race, and she’s not a lesbian,  no big deal. First he hit her with a tree branch and then he strangled her then he hid her body under a bridge.  No gun.  No race issues.  No hate crime.  But she’s just as dead as Trayvon.

Follow the money—or the votes

Seniors are not hurting.

"Sen. Tom Harkin (D., Iowa) has introduced legislation to increase Social Security benefits and build a government-run supplemental saving plan. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) has so captivated progressives with her demands to raise Social Security payments that she is touted as a potential presidential candidate in 2016."

What this country needs is jobs for young people, not pandering to senior citizens. Today's retirees have been warned since their 30s that Social Security won't be there for them, and most of the couples I know have 5 or 6 streams of income, from a 403-b, or 401-k, or private investments, or annuities, or IRAs, or veterans' pension, or Social Security. There are divorced women living in “committed relationships” still getting financial support from the husband that ran off with his secretary 30 years ago. If they married, they’d lose that. 

Politicians know seniors vote. Especially Democrats.

Book burning in the 21st century

University of Wisconsin at Madison has caved to pressure from atheists.  It has removed the Gideon Bible from hotel rooms.  Apparently, atheists become apoplectic and panic at the sight of one.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/university-removes-bibles-guest-rooms-complaint-article-1.1582450

On antenna TV I can get 4 different channels in Arabic, all evangelizing Islam.  Should I complain or change channels?

What turns a liberal into a conservative?

It seems it is a bit like alcoholism—they have to figure it out for themselves.  I did.  But here’s what others say. (Facebook conversation)

I wasn't a well educated liberal. I changed my views because of the WSJ articles in the 80;s explaining the Laffer curve. Marti

I went to education college when I was a (semi-)adult (in my 20s and 30s) and thought that some of the stuff I was learning (whole language, ugh) was not quite right. That led to some reading at the public library (this was before the internet!) and slowly started coming around. Carol

Having kids. Joseph

I have been . . . incorporating critical thinking skills into my lessons. Question authority. Follow the money. If someone makes you an offer too good to be true, it probably is. If you know someone is lying to you about one thing, you can't trust him when he's talking about anything else. . .  some times these kids are actually listening to you. Stuart

My wife is in college presently. She is taking a history course. Reagan is this weeks' topic...the stuff they teach about Reagan in college is pretty sad. I probably was fed the same propaganda back when I was in college, but I don't remember it...experiencing the college propaganda as an older person with life experiences it is easy to detect, but for the young folks it's just another class with stuff to be memorized...pretty soon what they memorize becomes historical fact even when it is blatant lies.  Jim

I was working on a wheat ranch . . . So the farmer said, "Get in the truck." I did, and he drove us into town, and to the "Employment Office." It was so full there were people standing in the aisles, every seat being taken. He loudly announced, "I need 5 people to drive wheat trucks... it is easy work and pays well... first ones to the door get the job." Not one person moved.  Ed

My sister was sounding strangely conservative as she ranted about irresponsible parents of her second graders. She was saying that any aid they get should be tied to actually parenting their children! I told her that was a conservative point of view. Just giving people money doesn't change a thing. Debbie

Discernment informed by life experience. Lynn

“Show me a young Conservative and I'll show you someone with no heart. Show me an old Liberal and I'll show you someone with no brains.”― Winston Churchill.  Hartley

[Came home from Viet Nam and enrolled in college.  Sociology teacher required volunteering.]  I went to one of the places . . . the "Blue Mountain Action Council." I was given the task of going door to door to sign people up for welfare. After an afternoon of having folks tell me that they were insulted by the offer, I went back to the office to talk with the guy in charge. He explained that the real purpose of getting more people enrolled was so that he could get a promotion and more money. He offered that if I helped him do so, he could get me hired into the position he now held. I became a conservative that day. Ed

After the stupidfada and 9/11, I couldn't understand the liberal reaction. That made me start reading conservative sources. I did some work in management consulting, which got me to understanding economics. Ariel

My sister converted me when I was a teenager, by explaining that giving minority-owned businesses preferential treatment we guarantee that they'll never believe themselves as good as we are. Essentially putting them back on a plantation- Then she went on to explain that when the gov't favors one group over another, that group proliferates and yet does not prosper. Opened my eyes to the existence of wrongheaded/good heartedness. That was the day. Kenneth

Cold humor

There are 79 means tested programs for the poor and low income

Lumped together they loosely comprise “welfare” in the jargon of the people, but that means jobs for government workers.

There are 79 means tested programs to help the poor and low income and about 49% of that is medical and most goes to children, disabled and elderly. Only 8% for able bodied, working age adults. So good luck at cutting anything. It's about $19,000 for EACH American counted as "poor" by the Census. About 6% of the budget is for those "welfare" type programs, and 4.8 % of GDP for social security (Medicare is going to pass SS in 2040). We've all paid into Social Security, Medicare, and worker’s compensation, so many people don't like the word "entitlement" for those, even though we are entitled to them through our contributions. http://www.heritage.org/.../examining-the-means-tested...

You gotta have faith

A few weeks ago we went to the movie Philomena after church at the Lennox theater near OSU campus and were surprised to find the parking lot full at 11 a.m. There were 3 services there of the Rock City Church. There was an article about the lead pastor in the December issue of the magazine 614, the cover story of which was "You gotta have faith." http://614columbus.com/article/you-gotta-have-faith-chad-fisher-6056/

For 40 years (as long as I've been paying attention) I've heard pastors and church members say their church isn't about "religion," but about "a relationship." They sort of campaign (subtly) against organized religion. But without that in their background, going back the church fathers, the reformation, the great awakening, etc., they wouldn't be around to preach the gospel. And if they are successful in their mission, eventually they too are "religious."

I think these informal, non-religious, non-churches are a form of church renewal, and apparently necessary since Christians have been doing it for over 2000 years. However, Christians who say they don't like liturgy or hymns or structure apparently haven't paid attention to their own services, which when I attend, I always see or hear a pattern, form, and style that is comfortable and meaningful for that group. Maybe they don't say, "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit," and make the sign of the cross, but they do say, "Lord, we just come before you today, . . ." or "Can I get an Amen here?" Maybe they don't have robes or stained glass windows or an organ, but they have 24 Peaveys hanging from the ceiling, loud guitars and special lighting to create a mood and emotion.

My mother, remembering you

Died January 24, 2000.

Christmas 1983