I am a dog person and in my adult life I have had a total of 8 dogs in about 35 years. I am proud to say that I never actively sought a dog, but somehow all of them have found their way into our house and heart. Right now, our 2 adoptees include a rescued Weimaraner and an adopted puppy mill mother Rottweiler. We have had a couple of stray mutts, a Great Dane, a Lab, a Brittany Spaniel, and even a clone of the most famous mutt, Benji, the list reads like a Who's Who of dogdom. If you asked me which was my favorite, I would be hard pressed to make a choice, because just like children, each had its own unique set of good traits and with the good, comes those more challenging traits.
Today, while we were out and about, we stopped at the neighborhood pet supply store to pick up a bag of dog food. As bad fortune would have it, there was a pet adoption day going on. Before I could get into the store I had to stop and pet each of the dogs in their little crates. All of them were so wanting for affection and attention that it saddened me that some would also be going home that night to foster homes and shelters. It also saddens me that most of these animals are there as the result of irresponsible pet owners and breeders. While all of these dogs and cats will be spayed or neutered prior to being adopted, we would not have so many unwanted animals if spay and neuter was a universal practice. Most people do not go into the business of getting a pet for the purpose of breeding it, so why not be SURE that you don't end up in the puppy mill business by getting your new puppy or kitty spayed or neutered as a first order of business as a new pet owner.
Responsible pet ownership involves making sure that your pet is not contributing to the unwanted pet population, but it also involves taking the time and effort to keep your pet safe, contained and healthy. Pet ownership is a win-win situation regardless of what animal you keep as a pet. Pet ownership provides families with an opportunity to teach children lessons in responsibility that they will take with them into adulthood. Provide an unwanted pet with a safe home and food and you will be rewarded with unconditional love and undying companionship. That's a better deal than you will get with most people.
If you are looking for a real friend who only wants to please you, by all means visit your local animal shelter or pet adoption day. You will be hard pressed to leave empty handed and like Lay's potato chips, you might not be able to stop with just one!
As I am writing this, our female Rottweiler is fast asleep in a sunbeam snoring contentedly (and loudly) and her best friend, our male Weimaraner, is curled up in a ball on his own place on the couch dreaming of some critter in a hole in our backyard!
About Me
- Carolyn
- St. Louis, MO, United States
- What the name sez, Christian, conservative, 2nd amendment supporter. Physician, wife, daughter and loving mother.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
See a Need, Meet a Need
Two years ago I heard the words "you have breast cancer." The reaction to these words is, at best, like being punched in the gut. Thoughts swirl uncontrollably in your head and most of the next words the doctor says are just "blah, blah, blah, blah blah." So far, my tale has been mostly a good one but, for others the tale is much less happy and the road is full of bumps.
Being a physician as well as a cancer survivor, I feel that whatever I can do to help others in this situation should be my personal mission. One of the things that I did during my treatment was agree to participate in a study on women with breast cancer in collaboration with two universities in my state. This was not a medical study, but rather an attitudinal and sociologic study and I found the questions intriguing. Many of the questions dealt with how the cancer patient was able to function during diagnosis and treatment...days lost to jobs, availability of transportation to treatments, access to supportive family and friends, ability to just talk to someone....By the end of my interview, I was in tears, knowing how lucky I was to have all of the things I needed to get through this personal ordeal.
Last week, while stopped in traffic waiting to make a right hand turn, I was rear-ended by a woman. When we pulled into a nearby parking lot to exchange information, I could see that she was shaken and upset far out of proportion to the relatively minor accident we had. She confided to me that she was on her way to the first of her 5-hour chemotherapy sessions for advanced breast cancer. The only papers that she had in her car to write down her exchange of information were pages of her medical records and information from the oncology center. She told me that she had been so upset by the news of her diagnosis and the prospect of her impending chemotherapy that she had been vomiting all evening. Clearly this woman was a danger to those on the road in her distracted state. Then I recalled the fact that the day I was given confirmation of my own diagnosis I had nearly run a red light on the way home. I was so deep in my own thoughts and all of the "What if's" that I had put the familiar drive home on autopilot.
I know that there are transportation programs for the elderly and the indigent, but are there programs for the ordinary cancer patient who is otherwise able to provide their own transportation and doesn't want to be a burden on others??? I pondered this on the way home from the auto body shop today after getting estimates of the damage to my car. We put so much emphasis on prevention, but providing transportation for the distraught or sick patient is really another kind of prevention program. We need to not just treat the cancer--we need to be aware of the emotional effects that the diagnosis of cancer places on the patient. We also need to realize that some people deal with this diagnosis in isolation.
The American Cancer Society's Road to Recovery program provides free transportation to those who need transportation for ANY reason, however, when I tried to find this in my local area, I found nothing. Apparently this program relies entirely on volunteers who make their time available to take patients to their treatments. If you are looking to give back in a tangible way to the community, this would be a program well worth investigating in your own neighborhood. If you find yourself with time on your hands and a need to fill that time, this may be the right volunteer or service opportunity for you. You would be helping the community, helping a patient in need, and providing a companion to talk to during a time when there may be a need for a sympathetic ear.
For all of the faults and criticisms of our health care system, we have one of the best systems on the planet. We can effect cures for all manner of disease states and improve the quality of life for many but I fear that we look the other way, or perhaps have no idea of the fragility and vulnerability that we as health care providers produce when we give out bad news to a patient and then send them off to "deal with it."
Being a physician as well as a cancer survivor, I feel that whatever I can do to help others in this situation should be my personal mission. One of the things that I did during my treatment was agree to participate in a study on women with breast cancer in collaboration with two universities in my state. This was not a medical study, but rather an attitudinal and sociologic study and I found the questions intriguing. Many of the questions dealt with how the cancer patient was able to function during diagnosis and treatment...days lost to jobs, availability of transportation to treatments, access to supportive family and friends, ability to just talk to someone....By the end of my interview, I was in tears, knowing how lucky I was to have all of the things I needed to get through this personal ordeal.
Last week, while stopped in traffic waiting to make a right hand turn, I was rear-ended by a woman. When we pulled into a nearby parking lot to exchange information, I could see that she was shaken and upset far out of proportion to the relatively minor accident we had. She confided to me that she was on her way to the first of her 5-hour chemotherapy sessions for advanced breast cancer. The only papers that she had in her car to write down her exchange of information were pages of her medical records and information from the oncology center. She told me that she had been so upset by the news of her diagnosis and the prospect of her impending chemotherapy that she had been vomiting all evening. Clearly this woman was a danger to those on the road in her distracted state. Then I recalled the fact that the day I was given confirmation of my own diagnosis I had nearly run a red light on the way home. I was so deep in my own thoughts and all of the "What if's" that I had put the familiar drive home on autopilot.
I know that there are transportation programs for the elderly and the indigent, but are there programs for the ordinary cancer patient who is otherwise able to provide their own transportation and doesn't want to be a burden on others??? I pondered this on the way home from the auto body shop today after getting estimates of the damage to my car. We put so much emphasis on prevention, but providing transportation for the distraught or sick patient is really another kind of prevention program. We need to not just treat the cancer--we need to be aware of the emotional effects that the diagnosis of cancer places on the patient. We also need to realize that some people deal with this diagnosis in isolation.
The American Cancer Society's Road to Recovery program provides free transportation to those who need transportation for ANY reason, however, when I tried to find this in my local area, I found nothing. Apparently this program relies entirely on volunteers who make their time available to take patients to their treatments. If you are looking to give back in a tangible way to the community, this would be a program well worth investigating in your own neighborhood. If you find yourself with time on your hands and a need to fill that time, this may be the right volunteer or service opportunity for you. You would be helping the community, helping a patient in need, and providing a companion to talk to during a time when there may be a need for a sympathetic ear.
For all of the faults and criticisms of our health care system, we have one of the best systems on the planet. We can effect cures for all manner of disease states and improve the quality of life for many but I fear that we look the other way, or perhaps have no idea of the fragility and vulnerability that we as health care providers produce when we give out bad news to a patient and then send them off to "deal with it."
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Keeping the List!!
Tonight, the US House of Representatives passed HR 1, the Obama Pigs at the Trough Reinvestment Act. AKA American Reinvestment and Recovery Act or simply the Stimulus Package. The vote was 244 YEA and 188 NAY votes.
We all knew that the Democrats had enough votes to push this bill through, but thanks to a groundswell of populist clamor from a variety of netroots organizations including TCOT's Operation Melt the Phones. The 188 NAY votes were composed of ALL of the Republican representatives and 11 defecting Democrats. To see how YOUR representative voted, look here.
Please THANK your representative for upholding conservative principles of smaller government and fiscal responsibility. If your representative was a defecting Democrat, magnify your thanks 10-fold for their courage to buck the system.
And don't forget.....the Senate will be voting on this Obamanation of a bill next week, so keep those phone lines burning hot!! If we could do the same in the Senate, we could scuttle this bill---Maybe miracles really do happen. Call your Senator early and often, tell your friends to do the same, Twitter your senator, email them, pray---whatever it takes.
And don't forget to write your Thank you notes like your mom taught you.
We all knew that the Democrats had enough votes to push this bill through, but thanks to a groundswell of populist clamor from a variety of netroots organizations including TCOT's Operation Melt the Phones. The 188 NAY votes were composed of ALL of the Republican representatives and 11 defecting Democrats. To see how YOUR representative voted, look here.
Please THANK your representative for upholding conservative principles of smaller government and fiscal responsibility. If your representative was a defecting Democrat, magnify your thanks 10-fold for their courage to buck the system.
And don't forget.....the Senate will be voting on this Obamanation of a bill next week, so keep those phone lines burning hot!! If we could do the same in the Senate, we could scuttle this bill---Maybe miracles really do happen. Call your Senator early and often, tell your friends to do the same, Twitter your senator, email them, pray---whatever it takes.
And don't forget to write your Thank you notes like your mom taught you.
Makin' a List and Checkin' it Twice
Conservatives are not letting it go unnoticed when Republicans cave in to Obama and his merry band of thugs.
Yesterday Tim Geithner, the tax evading Treasury secretary, was passed by the Senate by a vote of 60-34. In the 60 votes approving him were 10 Republicans. These Senators should be put on notice that this is an unacceptable vote.
Is your Senator on this list??? If so, call them and let them know in no uncertain terms that their vote was an unacceptable capitulation. Common folks like you and I will NEVER be rewarded for tax evasion.
1. Corker (R-TN)
2. Cornyn (R-TX)
3. Crapo (R-ID)
4. Ensign (R-NV)
5. Graham (R-SC)
6. Gregg (R-NH)
7. Hatch (R-UT)
8. Shelby (R-AL)
9. Snowe (R-ME)
10. Voinovich (R-OH)
Then keep the heat on them as another scoundrel in the person of Eric Holder (pardon the terrorists) will be coming up for vote for Attorney General in the next few days.
Yesterday Tim Geithner, the tax evading Treasury secretary, was passed by the Senate by a vote of 60-34. In the 60 votes approving him were 10 Republicans. These Senators should be put on notice that this is an unacceptable vote.
Is your Senator on this list??? If so, call them and let them know in no uncertain terms that their vote was an unacceptable capitulation. Common folks like you and I will NEVER be rewarded for tax evasion.
1. Corker (R-TN)
2. Cornyn (R-TX)
3. Crapo (R-ID)
4. Ensign (R-NV)
5. Graham (R-SC)
6. Gregg (R-NH)
7. Hatch (R-UT)
8. Shelby (R-AL)
9. Snowe (R-ME)
10. Voinovich (R-OH)
Then keep the heat on them as another scoundrel in the person of Eric Holder (pardon the terrorists) will be coming up for vote for Attorney General in the next few days.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Doesn't Anyone Else See a Problem Here???
While I would like to believe that the stimulus package that is being proposed will bring an end to the recession and make things OK again, this is not CHANGE that I can BELIEVE IN. I, like most ordinary Americans, live on a budget that has to be balanced or I am in trouble. I cannot spend my way out of debt and if I spend more than I make, someone will be calling me or sending me letters reminding me that if I don't pay up.....well, it ain't gonna be pretty. After all, isn't spending beyond what we can afford what got us where we are in the first place??? So how can continuing along a poisonous path provide a cure??
The huge stimulus package that is being proposed seems like a case of Emperor's New Clothes, with a high sounding promise of "investment" (read entitlement) and "job creation" (in government jobs), however the devil is in the details. This is a wolf in sheep's clothing! Our stimulus package contains layer upon layer of pork dripping in grease and gravy. This bill is huge...1588 pages and $850Billion of OUR money. Can anyone really wrap their head around all of that. If you would like to TRY to read this package, you can see it in all its glory here.
The Treasury is now being headed by a tax cheat who was heralded as being "too important not to be approved" because he is "the only person who can understand the TARP!!" This package, just like the TARP, is being pushed through on the premise that "something" must be done NOW!! This, in spite, of the fact that the CBO has reported that most of the stimulus money will not be spent immediately. The government wouldn't be able to spend at least one-fourth of a proposed $825 billion economic stimulus plan until after 2010, according to a report by the CBO....Hardly the IMMEDIATE, BOLD, TARGETED stimulus "they" said we need.
The TARP package, which started this whole bailout mess, was supposed to be needed immediately (or the world would end), was not used for the purpose originally intended(those toxic assets are still there and credit is still locked up), had no oversight (banks were told to use it for lending, but they used it for almost everything else except lending) and has had NO positive effect on the economy (jobs in the private sector are being lost by the tens of thousands every day, but not in the bloated government sector where catharsis is needed!). We since have given money to the Big 3 auto companies, Freddie and Fannie are getting back in line for more because the first handout wasn't sufficient and NOW we are planning to throw nearly 1 TRILLION DOLLARS (that we don't have) at the problem. DOESN'T ANYONE SEE A PROBLEM HERE?????
Today President Obama met with the Republicans of both Houses of Congress to try to sell them on support for the Stimulus Package. With his fancy words he left some of them singing "Kumbaya" and HOPING for CHANGE. He has indicated that he would pull the portion of the stimulus package for family planning after San Fran Nan Pelosi let it be known that fewer mouths to feed would benefit the economy. The cautionary tale is that for all the salivating over this bone thrown to the conservatives, this was likely manufactured and put out there for the sole purpose of being taken back under the guise of bipartisan spirit. The Congressional Republicans would be well warned that WE THE PEOPLE are watching carefully what they do. We are making a list, checking it twice and will be using this list at the polls in 2010 and beyond.
President Obama knows that he can pass this Stimulus package WITHOUT REPUBLICAN SUPPORT, but he DOES NOT KNOW IF IT WILL WORK. So let him pass it on his own and all by himself......then when it is shown to be the piece of &%$@ that it really is and fails miserably, he and his band of merry thugs can take ALL the credit for the failure rather than "spreading it around."
It President Obama would like to stimulate the economy WITH cooperation by Conservatives, he would do well to look at jettisoning the IRS and instituting either a FLAT tax or a FAIR tax. A program that Tim Geithner would probably like, too!
The huge stimulus package that is being proposed seems like a case of Emperor's New Clothes, with a high sounding promise of "investment" (read entitlement) and "job creation" (in government jobs), however the devil is in the details. This is a wolf in sheep's clothing! Our stimulus package contains layer upon layer of pork dripping in grease and gravy. This bill is huge...1588 pages and $850Billion of OUR money. Can anyone really wrap their head around all of that. If you would like to TRY to read this package, you can see it in all its glory here.
The Treasury is now being headed by a tax cheat who was heralded as being "too important not to be approved" because he is "the only person who can understand the TARP!!" This package, just like the TARP, is being pushed through on the premise that "something" must be done NOW!! This, in spite, of the fact that the CBO has reported that most of the stimulus money will not be spent immediately. The government wouldn't be able to spend at least one-fourth of a proposed $825 billion economic stimulus plan until after 2010, according to a report by the CBO....Hardly the IMMEDIATE, BOLD, TARGETED stimulus "they" said we need.
The TARP package, which started this whole bailout mess, was supposed to be needed immediately (or the world would end), was not used for the purpose originally intended(those toxic assets are still there and credit is still locked up), had no oversight (banks were told to use it for lending, but they used it for almost everything else except lending) and has had NO positive effect on the economy (jobs in the private sector are being lost by the tens of thousands every day, but not in the bloated government sector where catharsis is needed!). We since have given money to the Big 3 auto companies, Freddie and Fannie are getting back in line for more because the first handout wasn't sufficient and NOW we are planning to throw nearly 1 TRILLION DOLLARS (that we don't have) at the problem. DOESN'T ANYONE SEE A PROBLEM HERE?????
Today President Obama met with the Republicans of both Houses of Congress to try to sell them on support for the Stimulus Package. With his fancy words he left some of them singing "Kumbaya" and HOPING for CHANGE. He has indicated that he would pull the portion of the stimulus package for family planning after San Fran Nan Pelosi let it be known that fewer mouths to feed would benefit the economy. The cautionary tale is that for all the salivating over this bone thrown to the conservatives, this was likely manufactured and put out there for the sole purpose of being taken back under the guise of bipartisan spirit. The Congressional Republicans would be well warned that WE THE PEOPLE are watching carefully what they do. We are making a list, checking it twice and will be using this list at the polls in 2010 and beyond.
President Obama knows that he can pass this Stimulus package WITHOUT REPUBLICAN SUPPORT, but he DOES NOT KNOW IF IT WILL WORK. So let him pass it on his own and all by himself......then when it is shown to be the piece of &%$@ that it really is and fails miserably, he and his band of merry thugs can take ALL the credit for the failure rather than "spreading it around."
It President Obama would like to stimulate the economy WITH cooperation by Conservatives, he would do well to look at jettisoning the IRS and instituting either a FLAT tax or a FAIR tax. A program that Tim Geithner would probably like, too!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Getting Down to the Real Business of Being President
Today is the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. As the inaugural celebrants are leaving, many pro-life advocates will be traveling to Washington D.C. to voice their opposition to abortion. In the past 8 years, President Bush spoke with this gathering annually and supported their cause. This year, on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, President Obama will "celebrate" this occasion on his second day in office by issuing an executive order reversing the "Mexico City Policy."
The Mexico City Policy forbids any non-governmental agency operating overseas that performs or promotes abortions from receiving any US foreign aid.
So one of his first official acts in the first 100 days is to be sure that your tax dollars go to promote global abortions--I wonder if any of his Kenyan relatives will be recipients???
The Mexico City Policy forbids any non-governmental agency operating overseas that performs or promotes abortions from receiving any US foreign aid.
So one of his first official acts in the first 100 days is to be sure that your tax dollars go to promote global abortions--I wonder if any of his Kenyan relatives will be recipients???
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Mom's eMail Strikes Again
As those of you who follow my blog already know, my 87 year old mother is a never ending source of interesting emails, some of which I have shared with you. Today, she struck again with the following open letter to America's entitlement population from a common worker.
Can you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check? Something has to change in this country -- and soon!!!!!
Guess we could title that program - Urine or you're out
Joe, the average worker says
Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test with which I have no problem. What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test.
Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them? Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their lazy butts, doing drugs, while I work. . . .
Can you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check? Something has to change in this country -- and soon!!!!!
Guess we could title that program - Urine or you're out
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