Total Knee Replacement - A Side Blog

I haven't spoken about the pros or cons with knee replacements or why people get them.


First the reason people get knee replacements is to alleviate pain and/or to balance ourselves. My pain began when I was in my teens--it'd feel like someone was stabbing me in the kneed joint with a knife...and then turning the knife in a circle. This wouldn't happen all of the time, I could handle the pain that was bad with an anti-inflammatory and some glucosomine. As I got older, I was using this more and more.


 I then tried cortisone shots with good results, but I also saw the x-rays of my knees and the left one was bone on bone--no cartilage. It was going to have to be done sooner or later and I thought sooner was better. I already had to give up cycling and walking, both on my favorite lists of things to do, but I had seen what people could do after surgery.


There are 2 approaches to knee surgery; total replacement which includes putting a metal prosthesis in the top part of the knee( the femur) and a plastic prosthesis in the knee cap as well as the bottom part of the knee(the tibia).


People who are suffering from less severe arthritis may receive a Unicompartimental knee replacement. These types of replacements means that only one compartment has to be replaced instead of the whole knee.


Of course, surgery is not the first option. Anti-inflammatory, physical therapy, cortisone shots are all used in alleviating knee pain. But, as in my case, these had been used and it was time to take the step. So what are the pros and cons of knee surgery?


The Pros:
Pain Relief! 
The biggest advantage to knee replacement surgery is no more pain. during the first several weeks of recovery from surgery and then physical therapy, you are able to perform normal activities without the pain you've been feeling for the past several years(in my case). 

Duration

Knee replacement surgery is a long-lasting fix. Depending on your age, physical condition and lifestyle, your knee replacement at least 15 years and up to at least 30 years.

Ending Other Remedies

Before knee replacement surgery, I was going to doctors for injections every couple of months. I was also taking daily doses of Celebrex which can cause kidney damage. I was also spending a lot of time and money at the doctors' and that's not any fun!

So,what's the down side?  

The Cons

Cost

Any surgery is expensive. Knee replacement surgery is no exception, but it is usually covered although you may have to pay a deductible and coinsurance.

Con--Complications

One of the most common complications of knee replacement surgery is the formation of blood clots. Other dangers, although rare, include infections, nerve damage, complications from anesthesia or heart attack or stroke

Also, just because your knee is better, doesn't mean its like new. One of the things that you may not be able to do after surgery is to kneel regularly. Also, because we are dealing with steel/titanium hinge, there may be some noise. I looked at the cons and felt they were well within the realm of risks that I was willing to take.

Total Knee Replacement--Post Op

So....I wake up while I'm being whisked into a room. The nurses tell me that the operation is over and I did well, no problems. I just can't stay awake! Its about 1:30 p.m. when I get to the room. I'm told I can have a full liquid diet and if that stays down, general diet for lunch. I have a drain in my leg and they put on a "polar cast"--which is a fabric/plastic base(looks like a leg brace) that is hooked up to a flat "hoselike" option that lays in a small ice chest. This keeps swelling and bruising down. I also have "SCD's" on my right leg--this looks sort of like shin guards that massage the leg so I have less of a chance to have problems with blood clots. I'm drifting in and out of consciousness and I also know that they are planning to have me sit up, at least today! Really?

I get the soup and that stays down so I'm cleared for a regular diet. We then try the bedpan....nope, nuthin' coming....OK, so lets try the physical therapy...they make me sit up and I'm in agony! Why torture me?!?!?!?!? So, I do sit some...and almost cry so he lets me lay down. But then! He gets a better way to torture me! Why not try sitting on the commode and then I can be in pain and still not pee! So...we do that for about 10 minutes, but it seems a lot longer! I ended up with the catheter relief that night and being told that if  couldn't go pee tomorrow, it was the Foley.....da dadum dum!

Knee Surgery--the Operation

Tuesday, December 14, 2010, I had to be at the hosptial by 7:30 a.m. Why do I wait for the last minute to get things done???? So...although I was pretty much packed, I didn't have the clothes for this day(they were still downstairs) or some of the smaller items I wanted to take with me, which I then forgot to take altogether!

I told my husband just to drop me off---because of other problems with his health, he has no days left to take and to me it seems like a waste of time to just sit and wait for 2-4 hours. The nurses agreed with me...the doctor was a bit perplexed about my reasoning, I think, but then this doctor has been preplexed with me for awhile!

He dropped me off at the front door, I went in and gave them my name, why I was there and one of the women walked me back to the Surgery area. First they sit me in this BIG chair(I told one of the staff, Bob, that I felt like Edith Ann from Lily Tomlin's skits since my feet didn't touch the ground), make sure all of my paperwork is correct, get height and weight and then off we go to the surgery waiting rooms where I meet Norma--a very friendly nurse who calls everyone "my love". Norma checks my ID again, asks which procedure I'm getting and what leg its on and then has me change out of my clothes into a beautiful, silky hospital gown.....um, no, just the regular baggy cotton one that lets your butt hang out if you're not careful. Then we settle down to wait. Now, I was told not to bring anything with me, so I didn't, but I sure could have used a book!

There was another person in the surgery waiting room who wasn't at all happy about being there...a toddler who was `crying and crying, you could hear the fear in his/her voice; just wanted to go in and pick the baby up, saying everything will be all right.

Dr. L comes in and "autographs" my left leg making sure that the correct leg is operated on...good idea. Then the PA comes in a couple of minutes later and does the same thing.

The anethesiologist(every time anyone enters the room, they ask me which leg is being operated on) comes in and tells me beside regular anth, he going to give me femoral block which helps after the surgery. Well, my great circulatory system helps out again and no femoral block! He can't find a large enough vein/artery(can't remember which one he was looking for). But he's the last guy we've been waiting on, so its showtime! I'm wheeled down the corridor to the operating room where I'm transferred to the table, strapped down and mask is put on.....I'm OUT!

19 minutes to live...

I'm being overly dramatic. Its 19 minutes before midnight...and at midnight, I cannot eat or drink any more because I'm having knee replacement surgery in the morning. I have to be at the hospital before 7:30a.m. for a 9:30 a.m. surgery.

Last week, we went to a "total joint replacement" class at the hospital. It spoke about what we should expect(like being made to walk on the same day as the surgery), discussion about the 2 types of meds people would be on(cumodin or Lovenox--both have good and bad things about them, I will be on lovenox which means I may need to learn how to give myself injections) and some excercises that I will be expected to do while in bed.

I am taking my laptop--as I did the last time I was in the hospital, since the hospital does have wi-fi. The biggest issue is after the hospital stay, I will be going into rehab for a week--and the rehab doesn't have wi-fi!!!  I'm not dead or anything!

So, that's my news for this week. I'm hoping that with this procedure, I'll be able to get back to walking and bicycling again and get rid of some of this extra weight I've been carrying around!

OK, now, let me get this straight--the pilgrims were running from socialism or they started it?

Todd Akin, representative from Missouri, stated that the reason Pilgrims left England was because of the socialist government in that country...umm...Mr. Aiken? The socialist government of the Monarchy?????? Do you understand the difference between socialism and a monarchy???? Of course this is the same congressman who, while speaking to tea-baggers, botched the Pledge of Allegiance by forgetting the word "indivisible" cuz he made such a bid deal about the phrase, "under god". He says that the revised pledge drives liberals crazy...I don't know what persuasion my elementary teachers were, both public and catholic school days, but what would have driven them crazy was messing up the Pledge!

And now for another completely crazy idiot, Rush Limpballs---he says that the pilgrims started under a socialist regime!:

Here is the part [of Thanksgiving] that has been omitted: The original contract the Pilgrims had entered into with their merchant-sponsors in London called for everything they produced to go into a common store, and each member of the community was entitled to one common share.

"All of the land they cleared and the houses they built belong to the community as well. They were going to distribute it equally. All of the land they cleared and the houses they built belonged to the community as well. Nobody owned anything. They just had a share in it. It was a commune, folks. It was the forerunner to the communes we saw in the '60s and '70s out in California – and it was complete with organic vegetables, by the way.

Bradford, who had become the new governor of the colony, recognized that this form of collectivism was as costly and destructive to the Pilgrims as that first harsh winter, which had taken so many lives.

He decided to take bold action. Bradford assigned a plot of land to each family to work and manage, thus turning loose the power of the marketplace.

"That's right. Long before Karl Marx was even born, the Pilgrims had discovered and experimented with what could only be described as socialism. And what happened?

It didn't work! Surprise, surprise, huh?

Sure. Of course there is no proof of this, there are no letters. There are letters and proof that the pilgrims came over to make money, not live in a commune, but why should facts get in the way of the rants of teabaggers and their ilk? Factual history has never been their forte.

And, obviously, they don't even agree on the way they want to lie about history, no wonder the tea baggers are so confused....

Republicans never made it out of Toddler stage

Since President Obama took office, the republicons made a determination that they would vote no on any legislation placed in front of them during session. This includes any bills that were sponsored by republicons in the past, such as the bill that gave tax breaks to small businesses(jobs bill), would open up loans to small businesses by giving local banks access to funds(unlike Bush's TARP bill which only helped large global banks). But many bills that assist middle and working class, besides veterans have been dashed and then the 'cons go on TV, screaming about "the deficit" or how the Dems are a "do-nothing congress". Well, lets see about the Dem's bills:

Senator Franken’s Anti-Rape Amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill - Makes it so that women raped overseas while working for foreign contractors have the right to have their case heard in an American court instead of having their case mediated by the company they work for.Only Republican men voted against this, but it passed. So, rape is just fine as long as XE(Blackwater renamed), Haliburton and other republicon contributors aren't affected by silly little laws.

Benefits for Homeless Veterans- Would have expanded benefits to homeless veterans and homeless veterans with children. Republicans blocked this. Well, these cannon fodders made it back--and we're supposed to support them NOW?!?!!?  Just cuz they fought a way for this country???? How silly.

Health Care- Prevents insurance companies from discriminating against you on the basis of "pre-existing conditions". Requires that insurance companies spend 85 cents of every dollar that you pay on your actual health care. Limits health insurance companies profit margins.Republicans blocked this for months before it finally passed. Oh, I know, I know--its just horrible that this bill addresses the doughnut hole that insurers have been raping seniors since the republicons kept that bill open until 3 a.m. to get enough votes, addresses Medicare fraud and republicon friends and contributors will have to be legal to get funds...and this also keeps Medicare solvent for an extra 9 years, without changing any other laws, but its horrible that Americans will have to have health insurance like every other industrialized nation.

Health Care for the 9/11 First Responders who got sick from being at Ground Zero- Would provide billions of dollars in health care to help the 9/11 First Responders who were at Ground Zero on 9/11 and are now sick because of it. Republicans blocked this. You know, its ok to use the 9/11 first responders to keep people scared enough to vote against their best interest....and vote republicon--be skeered! be skeered! Vote us in so we can bomb the rest of the world(and line our pockets with millions while doing it).

The Jobs Bill- Offsets the payroll tax for 1 year for companies that higher new employees, or people receiving unemployment insurance. Also gives other tax incentives to companies hiring new employees. Republicans attempted to block this. Its a bad idea to give tax incentives to hire people....the middle class may come back and we need them poor and stupid!!!!

Small business lending bill- would give LOCAL, community banks access to billions of dollars to loan to small businesses. Republicans blocked this.

Financial reform- Puts stricter regulations on the banks, preventing them from becoming "too big to fail". Curbs reckless spending practices that caused the banking crisis. Republicans attempted to block this.
Why should we regulate banks? They've been doing just fine and if we make them pay attention to laws(like the rest of us have to), they might not be able to line our campaign funds as much! It would be horrible if our banksters didn't make 400 times as much as their employees, unlike other industrialized countries(think Europe, Japan) whose CEO's only make....oh.....40 times what the employees make.

Stimulus Bill- Pumped billions of dollars into state and local Governments to prevent us from sinking into a second Great Depression. Republicans opposed this but now want to take credit for the parts of it that we know are successful.

Oil Spill Liability- Raises the liability on what companies can be made to pay to clean up after an oil spill. Republicans blocked this. Cuz, why again would we want to hold Oil companies liable for their poor performance? Their bad decisions?

Political Ad disclosure bill- Would have required all donors to political campaigns to reveal themselves. Republicans blocked this. Again, why would we want the public to know who is funding the negative ads? I don't think it'd make too much of a difference, because Americans, in general, don't actually research the lies, but it'd still be nice for us thinking people to know where the money's coming from and, it would be up-front--what's wrong with being honest? Oh. yeah. That'd mean when The Chamber of Commerce or one of Rove's or Army's fronts, they'd have to admit their lies.

Immigration- Republican suggested comprehensive immigration reform until Obama supported it. Now they're rabidly opposed to it and even voted against their own legislation. Republicans blocked this. Remember, King Ronnie was the amnesty giant...and he also changed the laws to make it easier for businesses not to be charged with hiring undocumented workers.

Unemployment Extension- Would provide additional aid to the millions of Americans still on unemployment who are just trying to support themselves and their familes. Republicans blocked this bill for 8 weeks before it finally passed. Republicans blocked this for 8 weeks before it finally passed.

This is just horrendous that people feel its ok to let others lose so much due to the Bush Recession--and the business deals that allowed CA. candidate Fiorina and MI candidate Snyder to outsource tens of thousands of hi-tech American jobs to China.

Fair Pay Act of 2009- Also called the Lily Ledbetter bill. Requires that women receive equal compensation to men for doing the same work. Republicans attempted to block this.

So, the next time someone tells you that the Republicans care about the American people, give them this list of all the bills Republicans voted against, most of which assist middle class -- and we're the ones that have been hurt the most.

http://www.facebook.com/republicansareidiots

Gov't should stay outta their church, but get into others' bedroom---Republicon whackadoodles

Jillian Rayfield reported  that David Barton, a fundie/social conservative...and radio talk show host, wants to "regulate homosexuality". Yessirreee---this whacko would scream to the highest shrill level about corporate regulation, health care regulation, but he has no problem, in fact encourages, private citizen bedroom regulation!

Mr. Barton, who likes to make up history to back up his bigotries, has asserted on his radio show that the gomminent should regulate homosexuality because of his asserted "facts" about it:

Barton was talking about the Health care bill and our government's involvement in the health of Americans when he went off the deep end of intolerance about homosexuality with "research" from the CDC. He continued:

So if I got to the Centers for Disease Control and I'm concerned about health, I find some interesting stats there and this should tell me something about health. Homosexual/bi-sexual individuals are seven times more likely to contemplate or commit suicide. Oooh, that doesn't sound very healthy.

No, no it doesn't sound very healthy...but the only thing I found on the CDC about this was that it was sympomatic of the detrimental, bigoted views of the population, rather than being gay.

 Homosexuals die decades earlier than heterosexuals. That doesn't sound healthy.

Couldn't find this stat anywhere, except in some of the articles about AIDS and those were at least 10 years old, nothing current--so Mr. Fundie also should have the monniker LIAR?

 Nearly one-half of practicing homosexuals admit to 500 or more sex partners and nearly one-third admit to a thousand or more sex partners in a lifetime.

Again, I couldn't find anything that backs up what he says on the CDC site although I did not check out all of the 134 results, only the first 10 or so.....maybe there's something on there from the 70's or 80's.

 He concluded his diatribe by saying that from what he's seen, it doesn't seem very healthy and we should regulate homosexuality...after my research of him and his alleged research, I think it would be much better to regulate his LYING.

Now, this idjit has testified as an "expert" before the Texas Board of Education(ok....yes, that IS an oxymoron), goes on Glen Beck's show with his revisionist history, but also has been very involved in different campaigns such as Marco Rubio, Sharon Angle and John McCain.

And now, we have the crazy whackadoodle running against Cuomo in New York, speaking to Orthodox Jews about homosexuals and how we should not be brainwashed about homosexuality and believes that homosexuality is dysfunctional. He allegedly he only feels that gay marriage is wrong. His remarks came just hours after the news story about the 3 men who had been held against their will, tortured and sodomized because some gang members just thought they were gay.

And these idiots flaunt their religions, along with their bigotry and try to hide behind the first ammendment--when they don't want to take responsibility for their words or even tell the truth.

June 2010--the first 10 days

Its been very hectic and stressful in my life lately, ok, its usually hectic and stressful in my life, but this month, beginning the week of June 6 was unbelievable.

First, my cat, Zeus, was feeling poorly. He couldn't jump like he usually does, not eating well and seemed to have trouble breathing. I make an appointment for him to see the vet. I can get in on Wednesday.

On June 8, I had to get diapers for my granddaughter who was at my home. I drive over to Target, its raining a bit. I pull into the parking lot and start looking for a parking spot. All of a sudden, BAM! someone hit my car! Ms. Lexus was pulling out of the spot and didn't see me. We exchange information, she profusely apologizing for hitting me. I'm ok, no injuries, passenger car door is hit, along with the wheel well in front.

So...Wednesday begins with me first going to Gerber Collision to get an estimate on my car(over $2000 damage) and then rush to the vets....just to be told that Zeus is very ill, he has a mass in his abdomen and really can't be helped...I make an appointment to have him put to sleep on Monday. See, I have to go to Springfield for a meeting this week!

I go home, get packed for my trip and am not sure if I'm supposed to be there today or tomorrow...I call the coordinator, but she's out of the office. That's ok, I'll call the Hilton where the reservation is...I call, give them my name and that I'm with AFSCME Retirees and that I need to know when my reservation is....the gentleman tells me I was supposed to be in town YESTERDAY and that the reservation is still open because it was for 3 days! HUH????? Are you sure this is for Kim ********* from AFSCME? Yes...OH *&()&)_! I coulda sworn it was for just one day.....

So after I get packed, I try to call the coordinator again, but can't get hold of her, well, of course, she's probably in meetings. Start the trip to Springfield, IL. Its about 3 hours from my house and I'm thinking I'm gonna need that drive....which was pretty calm, until I got to the hotel.

I park my car in the parking lot and go to the front desk. I say my name and they give me a key for room 1015 after I sign all of the paperwork. I had left my bag in the car, but had brought in my camera case and laptop. I go up to the room and find that someone else's luggage and stuff are already in the room! We always get single rooms, so I thought that maybe something had changed...I go back to the front desk to find out there are 2 Kim ******* and she is the one that has the reservation for 3 days! So, now I just lose it, and start to cry---just too much stress. Can they put me up? Sure for regular prices on the rooms(for over $120 a night)..I don't have that kind of money...but they do assure me that I have a reservation for the NEXT NIGHT. I tell them again, I had called and made sure that there was a reservation under AFSCME for me for tonight. I really felt they should comp me a room, but I was too tired and out of it to really make an issue out of it. Now I have to make the decision on whether I want to ride all the way back and come back tomorrow or find a cheap hotel. I decided I'd look for a cheap hotel.

At the Hilton there is a computer that guests can use to access the internet, their email and some Office programs. I sat down, got on ebates, went to expedia(I actually tried a couple of different sites, but expedia found the best price) and booked a non-smoking room at a Super 8...just a bit farther down the hotel experience, but under $50--which was less than I would pay for gas if I went home and returned the next day. I get over to the Super 8 only to find out that I was given a room on a smoking floor(which I thought were all illeagal since the law changed) because they didn't have any non smoking rooms left! I get into my room, take the filters out of the air conditioner and run them under the tub faucet---they were very nasty! I don't think anyone ever cleaned THAT part of the room! I had to go out and met one of the other customers on the elevator...she had been drinking a bit....enough to make the whole elevator smell like the aftermath of a bachelor's party at a bar---the gin was oozing out of her skin! Then we had the teens with the church group who like to roam the halls....they didn't bother me, just thought it was sort of strange. Maybe they were just trying to get their cardiac in before bedtime.

On Thursday, I decided that since I had extra time in Springfield, I'd go see the Lincoln Memorial and the Veteran's Memorials at Oak Ridge Cemetery. It was the best part of my trip. Have photos, will post when I've completed them. Will continue in another post.

Summer is just around the corner...Farmer's Markets are back!

Yes, it's that time again--farmers markets have started and I'm so excited! I went to the first one this year about 2 weeks ago. Its a smaller one, named a "French" market, rather than farmers and is in Lisle IL. I didn't go overboard, just bought 3 tomato plants(all heirloom) 1 pepper plant(Lilac bell), dwarf sunflower and a purple basil. I also bought some asparagus, but stayed away from the bread and cakes area----way too tempting . I also love looking at the flowers for sale, they are all so beautiful!     I now have the garden planted and was surprised at the difference in plants that cost about the same. I bought 3 heirloom tomato plants at the French Market and 2 heirloom tomato plants at my local Clover's. I'm usually pleased with Clover's because they do buy within the midwest(usually Iowa, Michigan and Indiana, besides Illinois), but the difference in size was pretty easy to see. I couldn't get all of the plants together in one shot, but they are in the raised bed. The 3 tall ones are the ones from the French market($3.50 each or $10 for 3) and the top one is from Clovers--for $2.99! My dog is just a added treat.... The plants that are in between the french market and Clover's buy are "volunteers"--ones that just grew out of the plants from last year, neat, huh? Don't truly know what tomatoes I'm ending up with, but that's just fine by me--I like surprises, specially free ones!

I'm actually not bragging....it just sounds like it....

I had to take my granddaughter to an appointment that I had at the hospital. While there, we were stopped numerous times for people to comment on the beautiful baby, said baby, of course, would smile and "talk" to them...ok, so people are enamored of babies and that happens all over, right? Not when there are three babies in the same vicinity and the only one that is getting the attention is Ms. Beckncall!

Bush official announces, "We have innocent blood on our hands"

In April, while we in America were all agog about tea baggers, Tiger and Palin-tology(the study of stupid), the rest of the world reported on a statement from a former aide of Colin Powell, that alleges that the Bush administration covered up that they knew that hundreds of innocent men were imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay. Not only were Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld aware of these innocent men; they would not release them because they were afraid that releasing these innocent men and children would damage their push for broadening their “war on terror” and invasion of Iraq.

The statement was submitted in the British court by Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, a topaide to Colin Powell (when secretary of state. Colonel Wilkerson stated that Cheney and Rumsfeld knew that the majority of the first round of detainees (742) sent to Guantanamo in 2002 were innocent and had only been turned in for the money our government was offering. Colonel Wilkerson retired after serving 31 years in the Army.

General Powell, who left the Bush Administration in 2005, angry about the misinformation that he unwittingly gave the world when he made the case for the invasion of Iraq at the UN, is understood to have backed Colonel Wilkerson’s declaration.

The story broke in the UKTimes online:

He added that he had was his view with Secretary Powell and learned that is was not just Cheney and Rumsfeld who refused to let the innocent men return to their country, but also then-president Bush who was “involved in all of the Guantanamo decision making”

So, what happened to the other men, ranging in age from 12(yes, 12 year old) to 93 years old? Tortured, placed in solitary confinement, humiliated. Many, after being tortured by the US “military”(read Blackwater) have possibly, now become freedom fighters—the one we call terrorists…think about it. Canada invades the United States, says they don’t have to follow the Geneva Convention and kidnap your pre teen and your grandfather…what would you do?

And although it is very important, as a country, to investigate these war crimes so, we can once again become the land of the free and show the world, that we not only talk the talk, but walk the walk, there is a more urgent reason to bring these war criminals of the last administration to trial:

If we do not investigate, then we, also have blood on our hands.

Under Bush, we were warned how dangerous those “enemy combatants were that were imprisoned in Gitmo, but now, we know that was a lie. Our legal system, our culture is built on innocent until proven guilty and was something we strived to insure except for the last 30 years. Now, it seems we have forgotten those highest words of our justice system. Now the words first uttered are “they were probably guilty of something” and living in a country that thinks these words are something to treasure is shameful.

And the Hypocrites fall hard again

Rep. Mark Souder, Republicon from Indiana, is resigning from Congress because of an affair he had with a female staff member.

In his statement, Souder brought sin and God into it and said resigning was "the best decision for my family, the people of northeast Indiana and our country."

"In the poisonous environment of Washington, D.C., any personal failing is seized upon, often twisted, for political gain,” Souder said. “I am resigning rather than put my family through that painful, drawn-out process."

Hmmm, methinks thou protests too much. What Rep. Souder fails to remember is how poisonous of a creature he was towards Pres. Clinton's affair with a staff member. I'm not saying that members of the Democratic Party have not had affairs, etc., what I am saying is that we don't jump up and down screaming about someone else's "values" or "failings" while we have the same problem!

When Minority Leader Boehner (R-Ohio) was informed of the affair, he released a statement saying that he's made it very clear that he holds republicon members to the "highest ethical standards"....sure. So, how many hypocrites on their side does this make? You know, the holier-than-thou fire and brimstone seeking congressional members that jumped on the Clinton impeachment boat? The ones that kept screaming about "moral standards" and "family values"

Henry Hyde (remember his "youthful indescretions" with a married woman? When he was 41--that's not youthful, 25 is youthful)

Mark Souder(See Above)

Larry Craig(The man with the wide stance...)

David Vitter (The guy who likes to wear the diapers in the family)

Joseph M. McDade(PA congressional member for 36 years--issued a summons for exposing himself to women)

Mark Foley (And most people probably didn't even really know about the Pages in Congress until this guy) and, remember, this involved a cover up which included Boehner and Denny Hastert.

Jim Gibbons-Nevada dropped out of governor's race after he accused of accosting a cocktail waitress who rebuffed his advances.

Pete Sessions(sex and bondage club in CA)

Newt Gingrich(divorce papers to 1st wife while she was recovering from breast cancer surgery cuz he wanted to marry his girlfriend...whom he has since divorced and married the third in a row--this woman also began with an affair.

Bob Livingston, who was supposed to replace Gingrich as speaker(after Newt was driven out on a rail) who, after he played the family or moral values card also had to resign because of an affair.

Helen Chenoweth, Idaho congresswoman--who exploded at Clinton's infidelity--admitted to a 6 year affair with a married man.

Dan Burton, who again was a vehement critic of Clinton, not only had an affair, but a child with his mistress--whom he paid off to keep her quiet...after what he said about Clinton and Lewinski, the woman stepped up to be honest.
And Sen. John Ensign who faces criminal charges and a Senate investigation over his affair and bribe of Cindy Hampton, a former staff member.

My fingers are beginning to hurt with all this typing and I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of some of the articles, one of which is in Politico which focuses only on the 1994 Congress and a somewhat complete list on Republicons in general--federal, state and local office holders or wannabes; and what's really heinous? How many of these "moral values" people enjoy sex with children...says something about the party?

The poll called the Wrong House!

Or maybe the right one.

I'm watching my baby granddaughter and we both lay down to take a nap -- hey its hard work to watch a 2 month old! So, of course the phone rings. I answer the phone to find out its a poll(although no human, just computer generated). So here I go:

Do you approve or disaprove of the way President Obama is handling the economy--the bailout of the banks and takeover of the healthcare industry(hmmm....can we say push poll?)? I approve.

If the governor's race was held today, would you vote for Quinn or Brady(I live in Illinois)?

Quinn.

Senator Meeks has introduced a bill to allow parents to choose where they want to send their children to school - for moral, academic and safety standards...this allows parents to choose the best education for their children, if the so choose(like parents who don't like this obviously are bad parents). Do you support this bill?

No--Sen. Meeks is rightfully trying to assist his constituents, who live in Chicago. Although I agree with his reasons, I don't agree with the bill. Instead of trying to destroy our public school system(shrub, reagan already did a pretty good job nationally and Illinois has a very regressive tax system which hurts school systems).

Governor Quinn says he will veto this bill if it passes, does this change your vote for Governor?

No.

Representative Brady says he would enact the ability for parents to see that their children get the education they deserve(like the wording? IOW, if the parents aren't rich enough, they don't deserve a good education?). Would this change your vote for governor?

No--Brady has also voted consistently against childcare, worker's rights, women's reproductive choices(including cutting funding for birth control to poor women, only funding birth control for married women) and recently re-introduced a "cost cutting" bill that animal control kill shelters should do mass gassing of pets when their time is up instead of individual--this was made illegal years ago because of the emotional cost--to workers, volunteers, and the fact that there would be animals that would not die during the mass gassing and then would have to be gassed...again. He also has voted against breast cancer research grants--notice a pattern here?

Are you pro life?

OH....you mean anti-abortion? No...and obviously Brady isn't pro life either---see my last paragraph.

Governor Quinn wants to raise taxes and not cut spending to help get Illinois out of its budget crisis. Do you agree or disagree with Quinn?

Agree--Illinois has a very regressive tax structure and its stuck in the 70's. We are doomed with the "flat tax" and it shows that it doesn't work. House Bill 174 not only increases the personal income tax from 3% to 5, but it also increases the personal exemption from $2000 to 3000 per exemption and doubles the credit for property taxes, so....my family would actually have received about $1000 more this year as a refund--what's wrong with that? Oh....shoot....I forgot...I actually know what I'm talking about.

Representatvie Bradley wants to cut spending and not raise your taxes...Do you support Brady's plan?

HELL NO. We've been "cutting" so much in the budget for the past couple years there is little to be able to cut without hurting services--one place that everyone is talking about cutting is senior services----we're going to cut services to seniors???? Really??? And that's fair how????? Oh, and of course children, prisons and mental health--line staff, not executive.....Illinois, although we have the 5th highest wealth in the 50 United States(and if we were a country, we'd have a larger bankroll than Saudi Arabia!) has the least amount of state employees. Want to see lines? Get a driver's license on a Saturday.

And the last question?

Do you support civil unions or homosexual marriage and homosexuals in the military where our troops would be subject to homosexuality in thier units, their bunkers, their barracks mess halls, quarters bathrooms(and about 8 other places, but I couldn't remember them all)?

AGREE! I really couldn't believe the wording on the last question...OMG such a crock!

Of course after that they asked my gender and my age....wonder if they'll ever poll my house again. I obviously didn't fit their idea of a "good" voter. But then it pays not to be a low information voter. This poll was sponsored by the Illinois Family Council...wonder whose family, cuz I sure wouldn't want my family included in their bigotry and stupidity.

How Seniors benefit from the New Health Care Law

From the Ohio Alliance for Retired Amercians:

As the above says, this is how that evul health care plan is going to hurt seniors....

Reduces drug costs by phasing out Shrub's doughnut hole:
Provides a $250 rebate in 2010 for seniors who fall in donut hole. Next year, seniors receive a 50% discount on perscription drugs when stuck in donut hole and by 2020, it will be eliminated.

Covers Preventive Services:
Next year, seniors who participate in Medicare will receive annual check ups. This law also eliminates co-pays/cost-sharing for mammograms, colonoscopies and other preventive screenings.

Supports Early Retiree Coverage:
Provides financial assistance to employer helath plans that cover early retirees, bringing down health costs and premiums by as much as $1200 per family, per year in some plans.

Encourages Doctors to coordinate care and improve quality:
Creates incentives for providers to work together to better serve patients and reduce wasteful care like repeated tests.

Removes Obstacles to Changing Part D Plan:
Allows Part D enrollees to make a mid-year change in their enrollment if current plan unexpectedly changes the plan and makes them pay a higher cost in perscriptions.

Significantly lowers Cost for Struggling Seniors:
Expands the Medicare Part D low-income subsidy, which will dramatically help struggling seniors afford their health care costs.

Enacts CLASS Act creating a anew option for long-term assistance for seniors and the disabled:
Creates a new, voluntary self-insured insurance program to help families pay for the costs of long-term supports and services if a loved one develops a disability. Also creates new options for states to provide home and community based services in Medicaid, enabling more people with disabilities to access long-term services in the setting in which they choose.

Enacts the Elder Justice Act:
Authorizes new criminal background checks on long-term care workers who have access to residents or patients and requires greater transparency of nursing homes, including public disclosure of the entities that own, govern, operate and profit from nursing homes. The law also requires better information about the quality of nursing care and improves complaint process.

Saves Medicare funds:
By eliminating wasteful over-payments to Medicare Advantage p[lans and by creating new incentives for coordinated high quality care across the health care spectrum, the law extends the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund by 9 years and improves Medicare for generations to come.

Urban Legends and Stupid People

I have more than one "friend" from work that sends me the urban legend spam, you know the ones....somebody's hiding in the trunk, congress doesn't pay social security, Obama is an undercover muslim/socialist/fascist/communist(I learned the differences in these when I was in high school, I'm wondering if some of my work associates ever finished high school),under the car, swilling perfume, walking with a big dog, bringing home a mexican rat and leaving a kidney behind, those stupid things. When I get them, I go to Snopes and send back the link to show that its not true...and ask/tell them, once again, to check these out before sending to me...do they? Nope.

So a couple of days ago, I get the: Gangs are using baby carriers in the road to rob people!!!!! Oh...and this was sent from a police memo and the last line was that it was checked out at snopes....sure. So, I go to snopes(through the portal, not the link provided--who knows? That could be a phishing site) and find out, that OH MY GOD--ITS FALSE! Who'da thunk? So, I send the link, hit reply(but hit reply all instead of just reply, should teach me about doing these late at night). Figure that's it. Do with it what you will.

The next morning, I have 2 responses; one from the friend that states: It was a police memo, therefore it must be true. She also received it on April 1 I do a quick bing search and copy the results to her--the only website that says this is true or that it actually happened was a white supremist group...and its a mexican gang!!!!!! Hmmm....no word on it thru Reuters, AP, or any reputable news source.

The other response? Get this:

SO WHAT IF THIS IS FALSE. IT CERTAINLY CAN HAPPEN. STRANGER THINGS HAVE.

in all caps. HUH?????? So, in her world, facts don't matter, honesty doesn't matter...only the boogey man and gossip??? And we wonder why so many people believe the republicons lies? Much easier to make yourself feel less of a moron when the Limpd**ks, Oreilly's Hannity's Bachman's, Palin's of the world use that ignorance/bigotry/stupidity of yours to screw all of us into the wall...

Liberals rate higher IQ, less religious in study

Science Daily reported that a new study finds that more intelligent people are statistically significantly to exhibit social values and atheism preference and are more apt to consider themselves liberal; these preferences are antithetical to the normal evolutionary process.

The study is being published in Social Psychology Quarterly, a peer-reviewed scientific journal. The theory, which was tested and developed at the London School of Economics and Political Science, proposes that people of higher intelligence are more likely than people of lower intelligence to adopt new preferences and values, preferences that don't correlate with older "values" that have been shaped by evolution during the past millions of years. These values are morals that would actually be against the primary evolutionary development of a species.

"General intelligence, the ability to think and reason, endowed our ancestors with advantages in solving evolutionarily novel problems for which they did not have innate solutions," states Satoshi Kanazawa who is an evolutionary psychologist involved in the project. "As a result, more intelligent people are more likely to recognize and understand such novel entities and situations than less intelligent people, and some of these entities and situations are preferences, values and lifestyles."

Kanazawa also discovered that more intelligent individuals are more likely to be nocturnal. Why? Because artificial light is fairly modern, early human beings slept with the sun--they usually woke up shortly before dawn and went to sleep soon after sunset. In this study, he argues that humans, in evolutionary terms are designed to be conservative, caring about their "tribe"(family and friends--those that you know personally), survival of their tribe over the survival of all humans, conservative nature doesn't have the "ability" to care about people/animal/nature in other than a black/white ideal(rather than nuanced).

Kanazawa's theory is supported by the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a long term study which has found that teens who identifed themselves as "very liberal" have an IQ average of 106 contrasted by teens who identified themselves as "very conservative" ranged an average IQ of 95("normal" IQ is 100).

Similarly, religion also figures in humans' tendency to "be all end all" ideology. We are designed to be paranoid and fearful and the idea of a supreme being gives us someone to place those fears in, to believe that if we do this, "God will provide" and protect us from danger. This paranoia has helped us survive when life was much harder and more "hand to mouth" and extreme vigilance against all potential dangers were literally around every corner.

But, more intelligent offspring tend to be less paranoid, and to look at other "tribes" as less threatening. They also tend to question/explore life and see science, rather than religion as a better way to survive/assist future offspring.