Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Dealing with Life's Challenges

It's been one hell of a summer!
It's been many months (three to be exact) since I've last posted on this blog. A busy summer - yes! A summer of confusion, upheaval and filled with chaos? Most definitely.

Quite frankly, it's difficult to compose when you are biting at the air, while running around in circles while trying to maintain your mental and physical health, manage a house, manage finances while dealing with bureaucratic bullshit. I couldn't hold my thoughts together to concentrate on any one challenge at a time.

Honestly, I don't know where to begin in writing about my whirlwind life. It's much like the argument about the chicken and the egg - I'm not even sure what event even happened first - Gary's illness, the financial mess, dealing with health care and health insurance - but one thing is certain; all finally caught up with me bringing me close to having a heart attack or possibly a stroke.

Yep, taken by ambulance to the hospital ER with a heart rate of 160 that was increasing. I was given Nitro in the ambulance, had my heart stopped twice in the ER in an attempt to 'reboot' it to slow down. Admitted and spent the night with multiple tests including a chest X-ray, an EKG and an Echocardiogram along with the myriad of blood work. I slept well - wish it was a longer stay because as soon as I got home I had to deal with the same old bullshit that sent me to the ER in the first place. I wish the hospital had kept me for a week; I needed the rest.

Well, there is plenty to write about but now I'm tired. My energy level is at a low but I will write more soon - maybe tonight and break down every detail.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Pay Back The $900 Billion Borrowed!

Could this possibly explain why SSI and SSDI recipients will not receive a cost of living adjustment for the next two years? For me, at $65 per month, that is a loss of $1560.00! More denials at the first and second stages = increased homelessness! And, of course, who is going to be accused of mismanaging money...

Social Security and Medicare finances worsen

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Social Security and Medicare are fading even faster under the weight of the recession, heading for insolvency years sooner than previously expected, the government warned Tuesday.

Social Security will start paying out more in benefits than it collects in taxes in 2016, a year sooner than projected last year, and the giant trust fund will be depleted by 2037, four years sooner, trustees reported.

Medicare is in even worse shape. The trustees said the program for hospital expenses will pay out more in benefits than it collects this year, just as it did for the first time in 2008. The trustees project that the Medicare fund will be depleted by 2017, two years earlier than the date projected in last year's report.

The trust funds -- which exist in paper form in a filing cabinet in Parkersburg, W.Va. -- are bonds that are backed by the government's "full faith and credit" but not by any actual assets. That money has been spent over the years to fund other parts of government. To redeem the trust fund bonds, the government would have to borrow in public debt markets or raise taxes.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, the head of the trustees group, said the new reports were a reminder that "the longer we wait to address the long-term solvency of Medicare and Social Security, the sooner those challenges will be upon us and the harder the options will be."

Geithner said that President Barack Obama was committed to working with Congress to find ways to control runaway growth in both public and private health care expenditures, noting the promise Monday by major health care providers to trim costs by $2 trillion over the next decade.

However, Republicans pointed to the newly dire assessments as evidence the Obama administration has failed to come forward with actual entitlement reform to close the funding gaps.

"Instead of getting existing public programs in order right now, some are saying we should create a new government-run health insurance plan," Sen. Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Finance Committee, said in a reference to the administration's health care proposals. "When we can't afford the public health plan we have already, does it make sense to add more?"

House Republican leader John Boehner said the trustees report "confirms what we already knew: Our nation cannot afford to continue this reckless borrowing and spending spree."

The findings in the trustees report, the annual checkup given the two benefit programs, did not come as a surprise. Private economists had been predicting that the dates the programs would begin to pay out more than they take in and the dates the trust funds would be insolvent would occur sooner given the economic recession.

The deep recession, the worst the country has endured in decades, has resulted in a loss of 5.7 million jobs since it began in December 2007. The unemployment rate hit a 25-year high of 8.9 percent in April.

Fewer people working means less being paid into the trust funds for Social Security and Medicare.

The Congressional Budget Office recently projected that Social Security will collect just $3 billion more in 2010 than it will pay out in benefits. A year ago, the CBO had projected that Social Security would have a much higher $86 billion cash surplus for the 2010 budget year, which begins Oct. 1.

The trustees report projected that Social Security's annual surpluses would "fall sharply this year," then remain at a reduced level in 2010 and be lower in the following years than last year's projections. The report said that the Social Security annual surplus would be eliminated entirely in 2016, reflecting increased demands from the wave of 78 million baby boomers retiring.

That means Social Security will have to turn to its trust fund to make up the difference between Social Security taxes and the benefits being paid out beginning in 2016. The trustees projected the trust fund would be depleted in 2037, four years earlier than the 2041 date in last year's report.

At that point, the annual Social Security taxes collected would be enough to pay for three-fourths of current benefits through 2083. To tap the trust fund, the government would have to increase borrowing or raise taxes because Social Security bonds exist only as bookkeeping entries.

While the smaller surpluses that will begin this year will not have any impact on Social Security benefit payments, the government will need to borrow more at a time when the federal deficit is already exploding because of the recession and the billions of dollars being spent to prop up a shaky banking system.

Medicare's condition is more precarious, reflecting the pressures from soaring health care costs as well as the drop in tax collections.

The options available to deal with the Social Security shortfall include raising the payroll tax that funds Social Security, such as removing the cap on income subject to the tax, or cutting benefits in some fashion such as raising the retirement age.

The administration is pushing Congress to pass legislation this year to extend health care coverage to some 50 million uninsured Americans, preferring to tackle health care before Social Security.

The trustees report is likely to set off renewed debate over Social Security and Medicare. Critics have charged that the Obama administration has failed to tackle the most serious problems in the budget -- soaring entitlement spending.

The administration on Monday revised its federal deficit forecasts upward to project an imbalance this year of $1.84 trillion, four times last year's record, and said the deficits will remain above $500 billion every year over the next decade.






Saturday, May 9, 2009

What's UP (with) CHUCK?

You forgot to mention in your e-newsletter...
Every so often I get an e-mail from my Congressman Charlie Wilson of Ohio's 6th Congressional District. He usually gives a brief synopsis of a few statistics and then outlines what a good boy he has been in working for the constituents of our district.

I haven't patted Chuck on the head yet but I have written to him and did get a response that he disagreed with me. It took several months to get that response - former 6th District Congressman Wayne L. Hayes would have responded in SEVEN DAYS.

What did the Chuckster disagree with? My suggestion that, instead of bailing out the Big 3 automakers, issue to all Americans in need of a vehicle a voucher for $20,000 for the purchase of a new or late model used vehicle. This in turn would move inventory presently on the lots plus the vehicles would need maintenance and parts which would support those manufacturers and suppliers. Now wouldn't this have cost less than the billions of dollars given?

Anyhoo, in the latest e-newsletter from Chuckles and he points out that "The Recovery Act" provides a $250 payment to Social Security recipients (he noted exclusively seniors).

Well, I receive a monthly SSDI payment and found that the U.S. Treasury has deposited my $250 Economic Recovery Payment. But there are TWO POINTS that Charlie neglected to mention...
  1. The $250 is a one time only payment; not a monthly cost of living raise.
  2. There will be NO COST OF LIVING RAISE in 2010 and 2011 - (mine was $65 per month).
Click on each image to read.

Also, please notice that I do not have a link to Charlie Wilson in the column to the right.

My have provided a link to my former congressman of 10 years from Ohio's 10th Congressional District.
His name is Dennis Kucinich.


Thursday, April 30, 2009

News From The Homefront

I received two parking violations...taped to the driver's side window of my truck; found them posted today - in the rain.

Toronto Police might as well have TP'd my vehicle because the papers - with the bright neon orange label that screams to all passers by that I have been a naughty girl - were so saturated from the rain that they couldn't be peeled from the glass without falling apart (see picture).


The truck needs a transmission. That has been purchased from a salvage yard but I am short $150 to install it plus, because along with that I couldn't afford the registration renewal in January. I didn't think this would be a problem since the truck is parked on my property; not on the street.

Unfortunately, the guys who removed the old trany left the truck jacked up on ramps. Hell, I might as well post a sign beside it that says " A Redneck Lives Here!" And while I'm at it, I'm trying to get my gardening done so if anyone has any spare tires they want to get rid of, I could paint them white and plant geraniums in them. If they are tractor tires, that's even better. I like that scalloped look.

So why isn't this a problem?

This building on the corner behind my house has an exterior wall that is buckling away from the upstairs window frames.

When I was a kid, it had a small market run by the family that lived here. It was a nice building with two spacious apartments that each had two bedrooms and the property was beautifully maintained.

The last owner of it died and rumor has it that he owed back taxes of the five-figure variety, yet he was still charging rent.

I reported the condition of this building to the city months ago. Orange cones were set up along the parameters to no avail.

The residents of the upstairs apartments vacated the building but there are still occupants downstairs who are still paying rent and don't seem concerned that they may be ordered to move.

Several weeks ago I told one of the residents about Ohio House Bill 9, introduced by my friend Mike Foley of Cleveland's 14th District. This bill offers protection for renters living in buildings that are subject to foreclosure.

Well, ignorance certainly must be bliss because this tenant was not at all concerned or worried about losing her home. She even said that her landlord was very good to her (imagine that!).

She and her husband have made absolutely no attempt to apply for other housing and the property has been turned over t0 the heirs of the deceased owner.

It's going to be grab and go! I am keeping my battery charged and my memory card open on my camera so that when I hear the creaking sound of the wall starting to collapse I will be ready to run out in time to video the roof coming down. Keep checking in to my YouTube Channel - thiznat. You can link to it on the right side of this page.

I'll get to it soon...
That's all I can tell my friend Sarah who posted on Facebook, "I'm impatiently waiting for your blog post on life at CWS. Were you there when it was called "Guantanamo Cleveland"?
"

Yes, I was and when telling my story of being a resident at Cleveland's most notorious women's shelter, I promise I will open up more than I did when I wrote about what I witnessed while there. I now have no fear of retaliation from the staff as I did when I wrote my A Fly on the Wall series for "The Homeless Grapevine" newspaper.

Sarah blogged about her return to the shelter.
We have plenty of notes to compare. Mine from the stand point of being a homeless shelter resident and hers as an activist; trying to help empower the residents.

Status on Jet and Bandit
Both of the girls are doing great although they are not growing as well as their brother Topper and sisters Tipper and Miss 'V'. Our wonderful neighbor Kristy bought two large baby medicine droppers which has been easier to use when feeding the kittens.

Jet and Bandit have had problems eating; neither one knows to suck on a bottle or tip of a syringe but they are finally coming around.

Jet was very near death and Bandit began to have problems with lethargy possibly due to malnourishment. You can read more about what happened at "Paws for a Moment" by clicking here.







If Beavis and Butthead Were Human They Would Be...

BILL O'REILLY & DENNIS MILLER
Am I the only one who has noticed any similarity?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7a/Beavis_and_Butt-head.jpg
  • They while away their time in sarcastic conversation.
  • They both are extremely obnoxious and rude.
  • They survive their misadventures without serious consequences, and with a generally contented, though critical world view.
And they were discussing the Presidential News Conference. Bill O'Reilly doesn't think there are any veterans that are homeless and Dennis Miller did SNL News. Would someone please explain what qualifications they have to be experts on the current administration's policies?

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Is What's Needed A High Colonic?

In T-Town it's not just the hydrants that need flushed out!
After a thirty-year absence I purchased a house and moved back to my home town of Toronto, Ohio. Although basically I've moved back into the old neighborhood (my childhood home is exactly two blocks north on the same street), a lot remains the same and a lot has changed and some of that (possibly most) is not necessarily a good thing.

Examples of things I've noticed that remain the same:
  • People vote on name recognition or because "he" or "she" is so and so's son/daughter/grand whatever.
  • They come from a good family so they get my vote.
  • They have been in office for years so I guess they are okay.
  • Things are fine the way they are so we don't need change.
Yada, yada, yada!

While I was gone I lived in many small "progressive" towns that:
  • Had a city planning commission
  • Took advantage of state and federal grant money to revitalive their downtowns
  • Saw population double despite rough economic times by promoting tourism.
  • Built or converted existing structures into recreation centers (indoor pool, sauna, hot tub, racquet ball courts, etc).
  • And the list goes on...
Toronto needs revitalization to remain a city. The community is impoverished; 150 families are being served at the food bank and this town needs to capitalize on its greatest resource - the Ohio River.

Tuesday May 5th is election day- time to cast that ballot for Toronto's future and vote many out of office.

Meet my candidate!

Another Missed Opportunity

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Goldie Tells His Story


He is now a blogger
Goldie has gotten the techno bug.
It never fails; every night when I am on the computer he sits waiting for me to get up out of the chair so he can have his time.

He's pretty smart; observant and I am not surprised that he can use the keyboard although his reach on it is rather limited; he is proficient with the mouse. I handle the photography for him.

Anyway, Goldie was once homeless to and has his own story to tell.

Goldie's blog is entitled "Paws For A Moment" and you can read his story by clicking on the link in the column to the right or log on at http://goldiepants.blogspot.com.

Video: Today Show Report: Sacramento Tent Cities

Video From The National Coalition for the Homeless

They are wisely utilizing YouTube

I must applaud the National Coalition for the Homeless on posting the following video on YouTube. No explanation is necessary; just watch the video and learn from it.

I would like to know what you learned from this video.
Comments are greatly appreciated.

More information about The National Coalition for the Homeless can be found in the HELP LINKS section on the right.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

More On The Homefront

Five new additions to our family

Saturday, as I was passing my neighbor's house across the street, they found five kittens in their hedges. Luckily I was there because the neighbors were going to put these kittens in a cardboard box and leave them in the front yard; potentially exposing them to the threat of other animals including the hawks that often circle overhead.

Well, the kittens are mine now. The neighbors' teenage daughter wants one of the two females; well no such luck Babe cuz I'd never turn these babies over to someone who was about to assist in their potential demise.

Well, I went home and got a large storage container, lined it with one of my cat's blankets and returned to rescue these kittens

Here, my cat Goldie meets the kittens for the first time. He has been wonderful; constantly checking on them and even located the kitten's mother, going as far as bringing Mama home for her kittens.

I guess he understands; maybe. He was homeless himself last year until we took him in and brought him with us when we moved.

Anyway, kittens are fine and in the house right now due to the cold spell we are having.

Goldie frets over them; always checking on them and making certain that their mother knows where they are so she is remaining close.

Not only is he my guardian angel, he is a hero as well!

More updates later!

Monday, April 20, 2009

On The Homefront

Another bitchin' rant...
Winding along the misinformation highway...On and off the phone with various people at the IRS call center over the past two months. Remember that $300.00 stimulus payment for low income singles last year? I got mine but in order to get that payment you had to have earned a minimum of $3,000 for the year of 2007. Gary’s Social Security Disability hearing was in 2008 and he received back payments from 2006 and 2007 so I called the IRS to find out if he could still take advantage of that stimulus money. No one is quite sure; got numerous answers; got various instructions on how to fill out the 1040. I tried E-File but the form was rejected so I mailed in Gary’s 1040 form with a note explaining that each and every agent wasn’t sure but that I (and I signed my name) EXPECTED that SOMEONE WHO KNOWS would REVIEW the form and send the check that “Gary is entitled to!”.

America! Land of the free; home of the lemmings...seems that many attending the various “tea parties” across the nation listen religiously to far leaning (close to being horizontal) ‘commentators’ like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh rather than investigating the facts. “Ladies and gentlemen,” these people are NOT investigative journalists that check the facts. They are giving their opinion on things they know absolutely nothing about, things they have not thoroughly checked out for accuracy and pass that misinformation on to YOU!

Having been a precinct judge at the polls and also registering people to vote I find this video from a February 27, 2009 ‘Tea Party’ in Cleveland disturbing. And people complain about who is in office? Maybe we need to complain about the ignorance of the registered voters.



And there is also this video from the April 15, 2009 Cleveland, Ohio 'Tea Party'!

True that these videos only show interviews with the misinformed but it's scary knowing that these people ARE misinformed and probably do vote. You would not believe what I witnessed at the polls if I told you. I probably will blog about it - later.

I wish someone would stage a media event to express outrage over homelessness. Maybe not such a great idea due to who possibly could be publicizing it. Rush Limbaugh has already publicly demonstrated that he knows absolutely nothing about homelessness as well. Nor does he know about the programs that provide free cell phones to the elderly, low income and homeless in this nation. Pennsylvania has such a program as well as the Medina (Ohio) County Sheriff's Department. Click on the (>) directional arrow to listen. Click on the (V) down arrow to read the full article.

By the way, I voted for Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush only because I felt all were the lesser of two evils. I AM SO SORRY, AMERICA! CAN YOU FORGIVE ME?

If I could afford having my truck repaired I would have gone to a 'tea party' to protest...the one-time payment of $250 that Social Security, Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), Supplemental Social Security Income (SSI) recipients, disabled veterans and those receiving railroad pensions will be receiving in May. I have known about this payment coming for months; had to tell the uninformed about it. I received the 'official' letter from the Social Security Administration on Friday. With all the federal bailouts of mismanaged banks and automobile manufacturers, how is a one time payment going to help in stimulating the economy?
I say we should have $250 added to the monthly benefits; not as a one time payment!

And there's...
Irritable Bowel Syndrome compliments of Columbia Gas...I purchased my house in March 2008 and the gas company set me up with a budget plan of $54 per month. This year the budget plan rose to $164 per month. Two weeks before my March payment was due I received a billing of $285 and Friday received another billing for April of $318. The bill is due of the last day of the month. My Social Security check isn’t deposited until the 3rd so it is always late (I am always paying a late charge). I was late on last month’s bill. The gas company cashed the check two days before the bill arrived. My mortgage payment is $368.01 which I can afford; which I refuse NOT to miss paying on.
I'm wondering how anyone on a fixed income can pay such outrageous bills!

Thanks for the well in advance notice you jags!

Enuf...for now!


Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Susan Boyle: The Packaging May Be Plain and Simple...

but, oh, what a beautiful gift inside!

I was thinking about how society perceives others by their station in life; career, education, personal appearance, wealth or lack of, and so on.

Just two examples of stereotypical images...

If a person is homeless they are perceived as lazy, drug addicted, worthless.

In one of his blog posts, Brian Davis wrote: “I have thought about how many talented people are wasting away in our shelters and drop in centers. How many great photographers, artists, community leaders, inventors and diplomats are sleeping in America’s shelters. With 1% of America becoming homeless every year, there have to be hundreds of potentially great Americans who will never get to show their true talent because they cannot find housing”.

If a person is not beautiful they must be stupid, uneducated or perhaps evil. Remember, Cinderella’s stepsisters were ugly as are witches that cook children in their boiling cauldrons.

Especially if they are female, anyone who is unattractive or physically unappealing often will not be placed in a job dealing directly with the public; possibly receiving lower wages.

Go ahead and feed into the stereotype of two groups of people who are unworthy of any great opportunity.

My friend Joe posted on Facebook a video clip from the popular British TV show “Britain’s Got Talent” that he found on YouTube. Naturally I had to watch it.

Contestant Susan Boyle of Scotland introduced herself to the three judges and, as she told her story, many of the audience rolled their eyes and jeered all due to her physical appearance.

I ask that you watch this clip of Susan’s performance and think back to your first impression of another human being based on their personal appearance; their station. And as you watch and listen to her sing “I Dreamed a Dream” from “Les Miserables” you might want to reflect on the lyrics and how they pertain to any person you may meet today.

They just deserve a chance.


I Dreamed a Dream Lyrics

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving.

Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used
And wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung
No wine untasted.

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
As they turn your dream to shame.

And still
I dream he'll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms
We cannot weather...

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed
The dream I dreamed.



Friday, April 3, 2009

MAKE YOUR RESERVATION NOW: Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless 8th Annual Fundraiser Slated For Friday May 1st

Fund-raising dinner & silent auction benefits advocacy; essential links to services for the homeless of Greater Cleveland

NEOCH is the only non-profit organization in the Greater Cleveland area that assists the homeless by providing civil rights advocacy, a voice for the homeless population and links to essential services through its numerous programs.

"Hope Blossoms", the theme of this year's annual fundraiser will be held at Massimo Da Milano Italian restaurant located at the corner of Detroit Avenue and W. 25th Street in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. David Bernatowicz of Cuyahoga Community College will be the Keynote Speaker at this year's event on May 1, 2009 from 6:30 p.m. till 10 p.m.

Ticket information follows:
GOLD CORPORATE SPONSOR - $750: Includes reserved seating for 8, buffet dinner with open bar, full page ad in the program book and a link on NEOCH'S website. $638 is tax deductible!

SILVER CORPORATE SPONSOR - $500:
Includes reserved seating for 8, buffet dinner with open bar and half page ad in the program book. $388 is tax deductible!

TABLE OF FRIENDS - $400: Includes reserved seating for 8, buffet dinner with open bar. $288 is tax deductible!

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
- $50:
Includes open seating and buffet dinner with open bar. $36 is tax deductible!

RSVP by APRIL 17, 2009. You can also RSVP by credit card on NEOCH's website (www.neoch.org) through NETWORK FOR GOOD!

Donations to the NORTHEAST OHIO COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS are ALWAYS WELCOME and can be made through NEOCH'S WEBSITE and the NETWORK FOR GOOD! Many volunteer opportunities are also available at the coalition.

For more information, please contact Teri Horne by phone at 216-432-0540 or e-mail at neoch@neoch.org.







Monday, March 30, 2009

More bureaucratic red tape

It's driving me mad; making me crazy!

I'm grabbing at my head about to pull my hair out and am close to losing my freaking mind over crap.
http://www.humorconnect.com/jokes/274/angry_woman_pulling_out_hair_lg_wht.gif
No, let me just call a spade a spade; it's not crap, it's BULLSHIT! I'm up to my lower lip in it.

I'm being clothes-lined by bureaucratic red tape. It's strangling me!

Am I PISSED OFF? Sure I am and I think rightfully so! Read on...


I'm dealing with Medicare and am not sure if I have coverage; but I have been paying into it for a year to the tune of approximately $96.00 a month automatically deducted from my monthly Social Security Disability payment. That's $1152.00 and I might not be covered. Or am I? Gary found out that the State of Ohio is also paying my monthly payment of $96.00 - a surprise to him and me and to Rita, our caseworker at Job and Family Services in Steubenville.

So let's do the math - a TOTAL OF $2304.00 is being paid into Medicare FOR ME and BY ME!

So there is some sort of double-dipping here and I can't go to a doctor and get the medical care I require due to all the uncertainty. I haven't been to a regular medical doctor, a rheumatologist, or pulmonary doctor for one year.

Before my Social Security Disability was approved I was receiving Medicaid which paid for everything medical that I needed - doctors, physical therapy, procedures (MRI, mammograms, colonoscopy, ER, hospitalizations, pulmonary care, sleep studies, etc. and prescriptions). You name it, it was paid for and there were no co-pays, no spend-downs, no deductibles - no worries!

MEDICAID IS UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE reserved for the poor and primarily for those who have no or very little monthly income and, in my case, waiting for Social Security Disability. Medicaid wasn't easy for me to get. Caseworkers are unwilling to divulge that it and many other benefits are available - that's just too much paperwork.

Many of the homeless who are waiting for their disability benefits are not aware they are eligible for disability cash assistance ($115.00 per month in Ohio), food stamps ($162.00 maximum benefit per person per month in Ohio) and Medicaid insurance. Many homeless do not have proper identification to get the benefits they deserve.

Many are misinformed by their caseworkers, as I was, but I fought - it was the third caseworker (in Cleveland) who put forth the effort in getting me my benefits
. She got me back benefits too! By listening to me and putting forth an effort she found my original appointment information in the system. That appointment was from before I became homeless. I was unable to get back because the location where I applied was in a different part of town - I was without money for bus fare. End result was back payments totaling close to $700.00.

One thing this caseworker told me was that there are plenty of benefits available for the poor and homeless but, unless the applicant requests help from a specific program, caseworkers are not permitted to divulge information to the client.

The smokescreen in trying to get benefits is thick. Many of the poor and homeless accept "no you are not eligible" and give up; don't put up a fight. Many are sick and getting sicker; no energy to fight the system while health is failing.

Homelessness
affects one's health - it ages a person cutting years off a person's life. I see how badly I look every time I look in the mirror - I look awful and I feel worse every day. The stress is killing me!

NEWSFLASH
: 11:30 a. m. Monday - Rita from the Steubenville office of Jefferson County Department of Job and Family Services just called. She took the time to delve further into my file and found out that the State of Ohio is not paying my Medicare premium as previously reported. Oh, what should I believe anymore?

I do appreciate Rita though; she is kind and wishes she could do more to help but her hands are tied too. Benefits are determined by income and she has to go by the guidelines imposed by government.


I just opened my mail
from Job and Family Services. Now it's in writing that I was denied for State of Ohio paid "QUALIFIED MEDICARE BENEFICIARY (QMB)" Reason: INCOME REPORTED EXCEEDS THE PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY STANDARDS. We based this action on OHIO ADMINISTRATIVE CODE, Rule 07431."

Okay, it's in writing and HELL I KNEW THIS SO WHY ALL THE CONFUSION?


Poverty is by design; it's control over the masses, the gigantic thumb pushing forcefully down on the poor holding them there, making people sick-keeping them sick. It's a vicious cycle; the dog chases its tail and will never get hold of it.

In May, Social Security Disability and SSI recipients will get a one time payment of $250.00 in addition to the monthly benefit check. Food stamp recipients will receive an additional 13% in allotment per month (which boils down to an additional box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in the shopping cart). WOW, HOW GENEROUS!

Brian Davis, Executive Director of the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, feels that "The Obama Administration championed the extra $250 that everyone on disability will be receiving in the next month. Some might think that this is a positive, but I view it more as an insult and results in a lowering of their grade. I mean, these individuals have to figure out how to live on a small amount of money, and now the government is sending them a few coins to go out and spend. How about an increase in the disability check every month so that these Americans are not doomed to poverty for the rest of their lives?"

I am in total agreement with Mr. Davis!

Sure Gary and I are both eligible for that extra $250.00 and are looking forward to that measly one time payment. But we both have a major fight on our hands and that is to see to it that we have more than adequate health care coverage, to be able to get medical treatment and our prescriptions with out having doctors offices calling us and canceling our appointments because we are not in the system.

I have some phone calls to make and will be on the phone for hours trying to get this Medicare issue resolved. My prescription coverage was dropped because I signed up for a PPO rather than an HMO so the state won't pay for my prescription coverage.

When that extra $250.00 comes I might have to give my neighbor a few bucks of it so she can pick up a case of industrial strength butt lube with aloe for me at Cosco.

The fight continues for Gary and me as our health is dramatically failing!


And yes - I'm rather punchy at the moment!


Saturday, March 28, 2009

More on President Obama's News Conference

Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless comments

Brian Davis, Executive Director of NEOCH offers his viewpoint here.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Homelessness: Clip from Obama news conference

Glad it was brought up...

I was listening from another room when I heard a reporter ask President Obama about addressing homelessness. I grabbed my camera, focused it on the TV screen and this is what I got on video.

The president talked about programs for the unemployed; to get people back to work. He mentions the homeless veterans too.

From my own personal experience, I met more disabled homeless than unemployed homeless people in Cleveland and until the Social Security Administration starts paying attention, carefully reading the medical files of those who apply, there will still be people losing their homes waiting for 2 years before an administrative law judge hears their cases.

The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless offers a take on distribution of funding for the homeless.

President Obama is taking a stand; we must too by writing letters to our representatives and pressing them on the issues of Social Security denials for disability.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Happenings on the home front

I definitely have something to say about...

Why did Nationwide quit being on my side? - In the final planning stages of buying my home, I had to arrange for homeowner’s insurance. I chose to go with Nationwide Insurance and catching up with my former agent (Dick).

WELLLLLLLLLLL, my homeowner’s payment is finally due (after one year of home ownership - yea!) so I called Dick’s office and asked when am I getting my bill? Seems like my policy was going to expire at midnight March 19 (last night) with denial of renewal BECAUUUUUUUUSE of repairs not being done (as requested by Nationwide) on my house and patio. Nationwide was dropping me!

Well, it’s a good thing I called because I DIDN’T GET THE MEMO ON THIS!!!!!

My agent is a cool dude; it’s not his fault. He just writes policies and it is not his job to police unless one of his clients calls with a complaint.

Twice last year I got notices in the mail from Nationwide that a company inspector was snooping around on my property (without me being aware of it) and wrote up items that were considered hazards. The letter stated that the repairs were to be made by a certain date or risk cancellation of my policy.

I have absolutely no idea how this woman managed to come onto my property without being noticed. There was quite a bit of activity and plenty of people on the premises; all who never saw her.

Gary and I knew what needed done to the house and we made up a ‘to do’ list. Interior was on the higher priority with exterior on the lower priority list.

On the lower priority list: the outside staircase leading to the upstairs apartment had a loose handrail; rusted - simple fix requiring a bracket. We had it fixed; the agent came out and took a picture and e-mailed it to Nationwide.

That isn’t what the inspector wanted fixed; it was another railing - a cosmetic repair was what she was concerned about so we fixed that.

Then she slithered onto the property again; when? - we don’t know because, once again, no one saw her. “The structural integrity is compromised” on where the patio roof is attached to the garage so either replace or repair before March 2009 or risk cancellation of the homeowner’s policy. It was chipped paint from small leaks in the roof.

Dick happened to stop by to take a picture of the final repair to the staircase and I showed him the letter about the patio - the letter came in the mail that day but we had already repaired the roof. Dick inspected what this woman claimed was wrong and he saw nothing structurally threatening.

I’ve never had problems with them in the past but I definitely have problems with someone trespassing on my property. Maybe I didn’t get the letter prior to these inspections but, what excuse does this inspector have for not knocking on our door and announcing her presence?

I have been reinstated but I am considering dropping Nationwide like a bomb on a Nevada atomic test site.

The calls to 1-900-HOT BABE - My house has an apartment upstairs that I rent out to construction workers that come into the area to work at the First Energy power plant 3 miles north of us. It helps pay the bills for all the work that the house needs plus the mortgage.

That's the good thing.

The apartment is completely furnished with utilities included plus a washer/dryer combo. bed linen, dishes, cookware, basic cable, 19" color TV with VCR/DVD combo - all the comforts of home. It's sweet! Most of the guys who have been tenants have been very respectful of my property.

Since Gary was once a "road warrior" in his days as a union carpenter, he had the 'brilliant' idea to provide unlimited local and long distance service for upstairs. We have a package deal of two lines plus high speed DSL at a sweet price.

Well, we got a phone bill after one of the tenants left for $679.00 for a total of 9 phone calls (all the same night) to two different 'date' lines. We now have a block on the upstairs phone - live and learn. We thought that charges to 900 numbers would require a major credit card. Apparently not.

I was able to track down the former tenant and he has paid $500.00 so far towards the phone bill.

If this would have happened 35 years ago, I could have given him directions to the Modern Spa in Steubenville where he could have 'bundled' the hand-jive with add-ons for about $150.00. Inflated times we are living in now!!!!

'Ole Bessie' will be running soon! - That truck Gary found for us in East Cleveland for $500.00 has been sitting on the pad since a few days before Christmas. The transmission - dead; and I was 10 miles from home when it happened. Had to get the truck towed.

The nice Steubenville cop who made the call for me is the son of one of my high school teachers. He was just just a little boy when his dad was vice-principal and my sociology teacher.

The cop went to college at the University of Akron where he majored in business. He did the corporate thing and said being a cop was less stressful.

Anyway, we got another tenant upstairs (after nearly a two month vacancy) so the trany has been pulled and another one will be installed next week.

You need to get out more often! - When I graduated from art school, I had to leave the area to get a job in commercial art - the jobs weren't here. Going to school in Pittsburgh exposed me to a variety of cultures -nationalities, races, religions - that weren't prevalent here.

Now remember this as you read on - Pittsburgh is only 40 miles away but like it might as well be another planet.

My friend Joanna and I were discussing this in the grocery store one day (I was ranting about the inavailablity of some of my favorite pantry staples) plus, since we both had been away for thirty or more years, we know what the 'real world' out there is like.

Joanna and I are alike - both rebels - and we like progress and we just feel that too many people 'here' are just too set in their ways. Joanna (a former member of the MET Opera chorus) feels that everyone, upon graduation from high school should be required to leave town - or the valley - for 5 or so years to experience life in the real world. I agree.

Anyway, I have a new tenant who works for the county and yesterday we were having conversation and I said that one thing I miss is the cultural diversity that living in a metropolitan area offers. He asked what I meant so I told him about the people I met and the friends that I made.

"Are your Muslim friends radical?" he asked.

My one friend Kemal is a Cleveland RTA bus driver, born in the Bronx and is a Yankees fan. Whenever he spotted me walking, he used to slow down, open the door and yell, "The Tribe Sucks!" I dunno - is that radical? Nope, just a New Yorker.

Jack Scalia said to me, "The Tribe Sucks!" but I guess that's okay - he's Sicilian; from Brooklyn - and a Yankees fan. He just doesn't drive for RTA.

When my tenant started to talk about my friends' religion, I was so very tempted to suggest the book that my friend Sam recommends - "Islam for Dummies" but I have the feeling this guy would have thought this would have been my attempt of insulting him. I doubt he knows about the " for Dummies" series of books.

Ok, maybe I am being snarky.

Then my tenant asked, "You're not a LIBERAL, are you?"

Let's see - I'm a registered Democrat but don't necessarily vote a straight ticket; it all depends on the issue at hand and......

Maybe I'm confused but would like to think that - with my forever shorting out frontal lobe - I don't have a small mind, a liberal mind or a conservative mind; I just know it's one that doesn't always work well.

Just pay your rent on time, Pal. That's all I'm concerned about.

And yes, I am being snarky.

My little Guardian Angel - All Goldie really has to worry about is Mommy - is Mommy going to get me some tuna? Is Mommy going to fill my dry food bowl (it's Fiestaware and he deserves the finest oven safe stoneware).

My best boy walked me to and from the store the other night. He waited for me outside.

He's taking his nap now - I just took this picture of him.

Lucky little guy.


Thursday, March 19, 2009

Why go postal? Go Karma!

It has it's own sweet revenge!

From Wikipedia: Going postal is an American English slang term, used as a verb meaning to suddenly become extremely and uncontrollably angry, possibly to the point of violence. The term derives from a series of incidents from 1983 onward in which United States Postal Service (USPS) workers shot and killed managers, fellow workers, and members of the police or general public.

I had lost count many years ago the number of times the term ‘Going postal’ was topic of conversation during breaks, lunch, during and after work at social events amongst co-workers and myself.

At one job in the late 1990s a coworker of mine offhandedly asked me, “If going postal means shooting up the workplace at a post office, what would shooting and killing co-workers at a printing company be called?”

My answer, “Graphic violence!”

Although neither I or my friends and former associates in printdom know of any incident of a mass murder rampage (slash) suicide ever happening in a commercial printing company, many of us can fully understand why these things happen in the workplace.

Working in advertising and commercial printing is stressful and highly competitive. There are deadlines that must be met, every facet of production has to run on schedule and there is absolutely no margin of error. Clients pay big bucks for us to produce a product that represents their image favorably. Press time is a valuable commodity that must be started up for each job on schedule.

In newspaper or magazine production, a space is held waiting for the ad to come in by a deadline date. The same is true in commercial printing where press time is reserved. Miss the deadline and the client risks paying an additional charge of $800.00 or more an hour for staging, prepress and press idle time. And God forbid if a press breaks down and the job has to be moved to another press or farmed out to another company. We barely had enough time to get the job ready for press the first time, even if the job came in on schedule. Now we have to make time to rework the darn thing.

Talk about stress!

The fast paced demands of the commercial printing industry could be exciting and physically draining but not to the extreme point of pushing someone past the brink. We had other means of shaking off a bad night at work - the bar - from 8 a.m. till 3 p.m. and we pounded down a lot too; while shooting pool, playing darts. Friday morning bowling league was great for working off the tension of a bad night - while drinking, of course!

It’s not the work itself - it’s the (mis)management; the blame maker; the incompetent bullying taskmaster at the job!

Quite frankly, my friends and former associates can relate to the incidents committed by postal workers pushed beyond the emotional breaking point, however we do question why they (the postal worker), or for that matter, any disgrundled worker has to take out so many people on the way to Mr. Bossman’s office. After all, chances are that some times; many times they had to deal with his crap too.

Yeah we’ve all discussed it; we’ve all figured who might get theirs eventually. We’ve even tried to pinpoint who in the department might become unhinged enough to do the deed and we all pledged to come to that person’s defense in court, if need be. We even had an agreement that, should it be any one of us, remember who the target is and keep our co-workers out of it-we’ve all suffered enough.

So where is this all leading to?

It leads to that one incompetent, cowardly bastard (along with his accomplices) whose actions may have been the catalyst; the finger on the trigger that set my endocrine system awry; the beginning of my decline in good health that I enjoyed for so many years - the one who nearly caused me to have a nervous breakdown; keeping me in a chronic state of adult anxiety.

It was 1994 when I heard about a job opening at the Berea, Ohio printing facility of a large, well-known downtown Cleveland, Ohio publishing company. I was working for a commercial printer in Twinsburg, Ohio at the time and was very unhappy working the day shift. I felt that the midnight shift job in Berea provided, not only the opportunity to leave but, (naturally being a night owl) working the shift of my preference.

About two weeks after applying, I was called to come in for a skills test after work. I was told to meet with John, the second shift prepress supervisor. He would be the one to test me.

Without going into detail regarding the technical aspects of the skills test, John checked my work and told me that the quality of my work was the best of all the people he submitted the test to and that he was going to recommend me for the position. After giving a two-week notice, I started the job in Berea; eventually moving there in 1995.

The job was going great for me and I really liked working there. Several of my friends applied for and got jobs there. I would never suggest to friends to apply at a known hell hole.

Just short of being there a year the problems started.

John accused me of making mistakes that required re-doing my work. I asked him to show me what it was that I did wrong but he couldn’t produce proof.

Soon the mistakes became a weekly occurance, then a nightly occurance yet John could not produce evidence.

My anxiety overwhelmed me; I started having problems sleeping. I couldn’t figure out how I could be making so many mistakes; I did not have a reputation for making mistakes. I had a letter of recommendation from a former department supervisor that clearly stated that I was “meticulous” and had “a keen eye for detail”, so why was I making so many mistakes and WHY wasn’t John able to produce the evidence so that I could correct whatever I was doing wrong?

And there were those constant threats that I better straighten up regarding the errors or face displinary action such as a two-week suspension without pay or being fired.

My doctor wrote a letter on my behalf requesting that my shift start time be changed to 1 a.m. so that I didn’t have to deal with John (he usually left work at that time). Still, he would stay over until I came in so he could tell me about the mistakes that I was making; that too much of my work had to be torn down and restripped. He said that some of the jobs went up on the press wrong and the company was losing valuable press running time, thus costing money.

Finally, John produced the evidence that I had been asking for. He showed me a photocopy of the film ( I ) stripped before it was torn down and restripped. The photocopies weren’t clear because negatives could not be photocopied clearly. He also had the corrected negative taped to the mylar carrier. I checked the label on the mylar carrier that the film was secured to. It was initialed by the original stripper who worked on that particular page. It was initialed CM.

But wait a minute...CM? I don’t initial anything CM and none of the writing on the label was mine.

I told John that was not my writing or my initials. He was insistant that I initialed the job and he would not accept that.

We argued for several minutes over this. I initial everything CDM - for my first, middle and last name-period; and I circle my initials too! Always have; always will.

At the end of my shift, I had to meet with Department Manager Vince V. who told me that he had no choice but to suspend me for two weeks without pay for costly mistakes.

Although going without two weeks of pay would be a financial hardship, I had hoped that I could get my nerves calmed down in that time.

One Sunday night I went into work and began to have problems with lightheadedness; I couldn’t think.

The floors were being stripped and waxed; my department had been finished several hours earlier but the chemical smell lingered. It was disorienting me. (I am still sensitive to chemical smells and MCS is often a componite of fibromyalgia and CFIDS).

The lead person on my shift was Tim M.; a part-time fireman and EMT in Amherst. I went to him and told him I was having problems; or tried to. I was conscious of my surroundings, somewhat coherent but spaced. I felt like I was coming out of a drug induced sleep; feeling much like I was under the influence of sodium-pentethol. I was trying to get help from Tim; I couldn’t think on my own. I needed to go to the hospital but could not convey that to him. I don’t understand why, being an EMT, he did not recognize this.

I tried to work. I started to make mistakes; I corrected them. I made more mistakes; I corrected them. I remember struggling to think and not feeling confident in what I was working on. I was exposed to toxic chemicals at work again and once again I lost my ability to function.

(I've had several exposures to toxic chemicals in my 25 year career).

Now some (still not all) of the mistakes were mine.

My doctor took me out of work for three months. I had to leave work often due to the continuous outgasing from the chemicals; even weeks later.

Meanwhile my best friend Debby, who had started at the company upon my recommendation, had suggested that I make an appointment with a rheumetologist that her sister was going to. Debby was quite aware of the problems I was having with anxiety, sleep and the beginning of depression symptoms and felt that I might have what her sister was diagnosed with; fibromyalgia.
(I will write more about how my diagnosis for fibromyalgia was made in a future posting).

I received a letter from the company asking me when I could return to work. In the letter, they stated that they would have to fill my position if I did not return soon.

Although I didn't feel ready mentally and physically ready to return, I convinced my doctor to release me from sick leave despite his objections. He signed the release papers.

I telephoned the HR Director and told her that my doctor was releasing me to come back to work. The next day, I took the release to the HR Director and was asked to wait in the lobby. About ten minutes passed and then I heard various names announced over the intercom - the company president Bob M., the plant manager, the department manager Vince V., second-shift supervisor and my immediate boss John H. - all called to the conference room.

I knew immediately, I was set up.

Then I was escorted in. The HR Director, her assistant and a secretary (to document the meeting) were also present.

Needless to say; I was let go. The president of the company said that I wasn’t fired - I was being laid off. He said that the company would not dispute unemployment compensation and that I was welcome to apply for any future openings that I was qualified for within the company.

I did apply for an advertised opening in my former pre-press department and was not granted an interview.

I filed with the EEOC a discrimination complaint against the company. During the EEOC investigation, they could not find evidence to support my claim.

After my dismissal, two subsequent charges of sexual harassment were filed with the EEOC against the company. One of the charges, filed January 22, 1997 in U.S. District Court in Cleveland was settled out of court, in favor of the victim, for an undisclosed amount in damages The other victim, in a separate incident of sexual harassment, was awarded a settlement (by jury) in excess of $800,000. The company appealed but, unfortunately, the victim financially could not pursue the case. Both cases were high profile; publicized by Cleveland print and television media!

Years later - after my symptoms worsened, I could no longer work and had filed for Social Security Disability - I ran into a former employee of this company at the library in Berea.

Debbie S., a department manager who had been fired by the company after the sexual harassment jury trial, had been instructed to falsify testimonial documents regarding that particular lawsuit against the company.

Debbie S. told me that she had come to my defense regarding the mistakes that I was accused of making. She showed my shift-supervisor, the department manager and the plant manager writing comparisons between the labels initialed MC and mine which were initialed CDM.

She also told them who MC was. His name was Mike C. and he initialed all of his work with his last name initial first (the C) and his first name initial last (the M).


Mike C. had been at the company for nearly 20 years; was well liked - one of the boys.

Debbie S. said that a comment was made that, since they (the spine-less bastards!) had made the mistake of accusing me, they felt they should continue the charade rather than risk being sued. All of this was on the advice of Russ H., the head of HR at the downtown Cleveland corporate office, and corporate attorneys. The reason why I was laid off rather than fired; the reason why my unemployment claim was not going to be disputed.

However, I believe in Karma.

You see, John H., my shift-supervisor - my immediate boss, had gone on sick leave for anxiety and was very close to a breakdown. After several months on sick leave he was advised to return to work or his position would be filled. He returned and was dismissed!

Here’s is an interesting note about John H. - he was given his supervisory position because - he made too many mistakes when he was a four-color stripper!

In 2006, the company was sold to a Chicago-based printing and publishing company (the largest in the United States) and the Berea facility was closed.

It is believed (in all faiths: all cultures) that, when close to death (NDE) or at the actual time of death, each and every one of us will experience a panoramic life review. I wonder what it will be like for my accusers who were at this particular printing/publishing company?

There is no need to resort to violence - just be patient. What goes around, comes around.

Karma is a good thing. Wait for it. Enjoy the gratification of it!

End

By the way, I DO NOT endorse violence in the workplace!


Please feel free to comment. I would love to hear what you have to say about TOXIC BOSSES!


Oh, Yes! Here are some links you may enjoy:

How to protest at work the French way - take your boss hostage

Boss Bitching: Tyrant Boss Types

AND WE MUST NOT FORGET THE QUEEN OF MEAN. She has had her panoramic life review & she won't be back.