POLITICIANS WHO DON’T LISTEN

Does anyone think that all Democrats are pro- choice and all Republicans are pro-life? It sounds batshit crazy, but that’s what the politicians would have us believe. What’s discouraging is that our legislators are not voting their hearts, but what they see as politically expedient. As the saying goes, it’s all about the optics. And as voters, I think we’re getting fed up with politicians who don’t listen to what we want in the state of Indiana.

According to a poll recently published by the Indiana Capital Chronicle: “Hoosiers don’t want a near-virtual ban on abortion. Instead, they support exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. And many are supportive of allowing abortion up to 15 weeks of gestation.” 63% of Hoosiers support abortion rights.

politicians who won't listen learned a lesson when voters in Kansas refused to ban most abortions. — POLITICIANS WHO DON’T LISTEN to pro-choice advocates in Indiana may learn a lesson from Kansas.

If you think those numbers are bogus, just look at what happened in Kansas. In a rare show of common sense, the politicians decided to put the abortion issue up for a vote. Smart move. That way, no one is going to lose votes over this highly controversial issue. Probably, since it’s a heavily red state, they presumed that people would vote down the current abortion laws. Instead, a surprise at the polls resulted in abortion remaining legal in the Kansas. It looks like 69% of the population in that state supports women’s abortion rights. If only our Indiana members of the Congress and Senate would do the same, and leave it up to the taxpayers to decide.

It’s a conundrum. Why would Republicans wish that unwanted children be born? Everyone knows that those most affected will be low income women. Consequently, forcing them to have more children will obviously result in more poverty, more welfare, and more money spent on Medicaid. Why do Republicans want to go against their own core values of lower taxes, hard work, and less dependence on government handouts?

If the Indiana legislature chooses to commit kamikaze over abortion rights, it’s enough to turn a Republican into a Democrat. Come November, politicians who don’t listen to their constituents may find out they don’t have many.

July 24, 2019July 24, 2019

ARE BAREHEADED CYCLISTS SELFISH?

My first day on the job as a hospital dietitian many decades ago was memorable. One of the patients I saw while making rounds was a young man paralyzed from the neck down. The nurses said he had been in a motorcycle accident. He was handsome, well built, with curly blonde hair. And he would never walk again. This was not only a tragedy for him, but for his family, and the health care providers who would have to take care of him for the rest of his life. So now, when I see a motorcyclist without a helmet, I can’t help but wonder: Are cyclists who refuse to wear helmets selfish and/or irresponsible?

INDIANA IS ONE OF TWO STATES IN THIS COUNTRY THAT DOESN’T HAVE A HELMET LAW

In most states, the law requires cyclists to wear helmets. But not in my state. In Indiana, it’s unusual to see motorcyclists wearing helmets. Often, a male passenger will have a female on the seat behind him, hair blowing in the wind. They look free and happy. While I’ve never ridden on a motorcycle, I envy the joy they must feel as they embrace the outdoors with abandon. And, I can understand why they prefer not to wear helmets.

Their counterparts in Amsterdam would agree. https://www.treehugger.com/bikes/why-dutch-dont-wear-helmets.html Accidents involving cyclists are rare, because it’s a smaller country where people don’t drive crazily.

But, in fact, traveling without a helmet on a motorcycle in the US and other countries has been proven unsafe. An international study concluded that the “protective effect of helmets was about a 42 percent reduction in risk of death in a crash and 69 percent for risk of a head injury in a crash.”

https://www.cochrane.org/CD004333/INJ_helmets-are-shown-to-reduce-motorcyclist-head-injury-and-death

Back to the hospital where I worked. Once, a nearby nursing home was flooded, and had to be evacuated. Our hospital took about twenty of the most critical patents. Of those patients, three were permanently disabled victims of motorcycle accidents, who would live out their lives while Medicaid paid for their care. I’m not sure whether wearing a helmet would have saved these men from this fate, but since head injuries are the most frequent cause of death and disability while driving a motorcycle, it would seem that a couple of these tragic situations could have been avoided.

I’ve never tried on a motorcycle helmet, and I’m sure they can be somewhat annoying. But it seems to me a small price to pay to save one’s family from the heartbreak of caring for a brain damaged loved one.

March 1, 2019March 2, 2019

MEDICARE DOESN’T CARE IF YOU SEE, HEAR, CHEW

Medicare has been a godsend to seniors these past 50 years or so. And yet, the coverage leaves much to be desired. Why are hearing aids, eyeglasses and dental care considered luxuries that seniors can do without? Apparently, Medicare doesn’t care if you see or hear or chew. .

Dental care is important to health — Poor Dental Care Can Lead To Life Threatening Disease

Eye exams are not considered “medically necessary” unless you have a disease like diabetes or glaucoma, or cataracts. So, what happens to seniors who don’t qualify under these guidelines? if they happen to be living on social security, they may not be able to afford having eye exams or eyeglasses. Consequences of not seeing well? Can’t drive, or if you do, prone to accidents. Can’t read, which greatly diminishes quality of life. More apt to fall. The list goes on and on.

Hearing loss is not considered a medical necessity. So, if you’re driving a car and can’t hear a truck coming up beside you or a horn blasting, that’s no big deal? If you can’t talk on the telephone or hear what others are saying, how are you supposed to communicate? Elderly people who can’t hear well tend to become socially isolated. They can’t carry on normal conversations, and so they avoid social gatherings. Relationships with children and grandchildren are affected. All of these things lead to depression and loneliness. The truth is, loss of hearing can be hazardous to your health. But Medicare doesn’t care.

If a senior’s teeth rot , Medicare won’t help. It does not cover routine checkups, cleanings, fillings, dentures or tooth extractions. I recently went to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned. Since it had been two years since I’d been there, , they insisted on taking numerous X rays , but said I had to come back for a second visit before they would clean my teeth. After the cleaning, they informed me they had found a couple of tiny cavities that needed filling on yet another visit. The entire episode will cost about $500 for a couple of very simple procedures.

Tooth decay can lead to more serious problems than hearing loss or poor vision. Infected teeth can carry infection throughout the body, affecting the heart, liver, brain and all other organs of the body, resulting in death. And many seniors end up with no teeth at all, leading to poor nutrition and social isolation.

Ironically, very low income seniors are also eligible for Medicaid, which may cover some of these problems. But if you are just a normal person, and a few dollars above the income guidelines, you’re out of luck.