This Is What We Are Dealing with in Ohio's 16th District

Just when the idiot Congressman my fellow citizens elected, it got worse. This guy owns nursing homes (and has been sued by patients and their families) and should be the last member of Congress to want to end Medicare and Medicaid!

Here's an the bulk of an email I received from ProgressOhio:

Here’s Your Chance to Send Representative Renacci Your message.

ProgressOhio is inviting constituents, seniors, and activists to attend a press event at Rep. Renacci’s office Thursday July 21st.

Give Renacci a Red Card on Medicaid!

Rep. Renacci’s security and staff controlled the debate at his recent Town Hall. He used tactics such as distributing Red Cards and Green Cards for the crowd to use and then he asked them questions in a way that confused them on how to use the cards to respond. Renacci also kicked individuals out of the meeting and his staff decided which questions would be discussed during the town hall.

Citizens both outside and inside the hall struggled to make their voices heard over the Congressman’s stifling tactics.

Now you have your chance to send Representative Renacci a message and REALLY have your voice heard.

Politicians are currently negotiating a deal in Washington that would cut Medicaid for seniors, people with disabilities, and children while at the same time giving millionaires another tax break. Their schemes could cost Ohio billions of dollars and thousands of jobs!

Medicaid is how most of us pay for long-term care in our homes, assisted living facilities, or in nursing homes. Do we want to go back to the days of the poor farms and old folks homes?

Let Rep. Rennaci know that he was elected to represent all of the people in his district and that we are opposed to cuts in Medicaid.

Join ProgressOhio, a Health Care for America Now (HCAN) partner, retirees, and activists on June 30th in Columbus to send a message to Rep. Renacci that we want our voice heard on Medicaid.

On one hand, I want to go and I want to holler really loud; on the other, his office is located smack in the middle of the richest township in our area and place where there is insufficient parking. AND the cops are the nastiest in the county. Therefore, I don't think I should go because y'all know I'm not bloody likely to sit quietly and swallow the swill he'll be spouting. I do think it's interesting that there wasn't an announcement of this in his latest email newsletter which tells me how interested he is in hearing from us.

I feel kind of gutless for not going but I can't afford bail but the only one who takes care of me is the old lady I see in the mirror every morning and Jiminy Cricket tells me to stay home.

I did, however, sign up to volunteer with ProgressOhio and I plan to help campaign against him in the coming election. Does that count?

I leave y'all with a very old joke: What the opposite of Progress? Congress!

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kay

We Are Ohio!!!!!

Good news came in yesterday from Columbus!!!!   Over 714,000 good folks in the great State of Ohio have signed the referendum petitions to repeal  SB7, aka the union-busting bill, and I am proud to have my signature counted among theirs.  The goal was to obtain 450,000 signatures and they predict that by the time all the petitions are in, we may double it.  This means that there will be vote to repeal  SB7 come November. Kudos to Ohio Attorney General, Jennifer Bruner, who spearheaded the referendum campaign, and the many volunteers who gave countless hours working to get and count the signatures!

Here's the video a young friend sent along who is studying film at OSU.  I think she has a brilliant future with network news!



We are Ohio and we're standing loud and proud!!!!!! Take that, Governor Kasich! You're going down!

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!

Kay

Raising Hell in Ohio

I got so hung up on those courageous folks up in Wisconsin yesterday that I missed what was going on in here Buckeye Land yesterday. Our new Tea Party Governor, John Kasich, is pushing a piece of legislation called Senate Bill 5. What is Senate Bill 5? It's basically a Union-busting piece of legislation and yesterday thousands of teachers, law enforcement, and firefighters from across Ohio converged on the State House in Columbus to protest against the the bill which would take away workers' right to collective bargaining and allow the governor to slash workers' pay. I was so upset yesterday afternoon that I almost jumped in Miss Ruby and headed to Columbus to join the throng and then I remembered that I hate driving on I-71 and it's February and it's a long drive and stayed home.

My dad served several terms as president of his union, my mom was a steel worker, and I was a rank-and-file member of the Communication Workers when I worked for the phone company so I think that tells y'all where I stand on this. Enacting this law would impact all State employees From professors down to law enforcement to the clerks at Job and Family Services and other agencies that serve us. Be afraid, my friends . . . be very afraid. And of course the Tea Party showed up in their red shirts to support this horrible legislation. Do y'all recall who in history wore red shirts? If you answered 'the Nazis', you are correct and I don't think I need to enlarge on that. Mercifully, it was a peaceful demonstration on both sides.

Our former governor, Ted Strickland, lent his support to the union protesters and spoke eloquently as he joined the protest. I want him back as do the who protestes . Here he is speaking eloquently at the State House:



As Jack Cafferty is wont to say, "It's getting ugly out there, folks." And I predict that it will get worse before it gets better as the people of Wisconsin and Ohio already know.

I'll be around to visit y'all later.

Hope y'all are having a great day!

Happy Blogging!

Kay

Quick Update

I didn't get out to gather and deliver my paperwork yesterday because the ice was far too treacherous and I'm not breaking anything important unless I must. Today it's warmer and the risk is less so I'm off and running (sorta) to get this bureaucratic you-know-what to the proper place. I'll be back with a proper post later. Thanks for all your nice comments and support!!!! I love y'all madly!

Hope y'all are having a great day!!!!!

Happy Blogging!!!!!

Kay

Not That It Really Matters . . .

I won't be posting probably until tomorrow.  I am buried in bureaucracy and paperwork and  and I am determined to get as much done as humanly possible today so I don't have to think about it for another year.  Sigh. 

For what it's worth, I spent most of yesterday and half of Saturday getting caught up on y'all and hope I don't let myself get so behind again.    I feeling kind of crabby and am ready to just shut this circus down.

I got a nasty reminder today that I haven't been being a good girl and following my maintenance routine for this infernal machine and so I'm updating those programs as I type here and hopefully, they'll be ready to go slay computer gremlins with impunity when I finish this.

Hope y'all are having a great day!!!!!!

Happy Blogging!!!!!

Kay

Thursday Random Thoughts

It's a busy, frustrating week in Kay's World which means that the more things change, the more they stay the same -- only the suspects, crimes, and misdemeanors vary. I'm trying hard to keep up with y'all as well as get I ready -- sorta -- for the holidays which I suspect are not going to be much fun. Bah!!! Humbug!!!

* As per Ronni Bennett's call to arms for Social Security. I tried to call my new "teabagger" Congressman and tell him to vote for HR 1685 per her instructions. When the 800 number didn't work, I called the House switchboard and used some of my daytime minutes and free long distance to tell him to leave Social Security alone and pass the damned bill. I told my senators the same. My sainted grandpa used to say, "If it ain't broke. don't fix it." Social Security is solvent so of course the greedy GOP wants to get their sleazy claws on it and fill their pockets. Raise hell!

* God/Buddha/Yahweh/Allah or whatever y'all call the Big Guy must have loved idiots -- he made so many of them. And we're reminded of this daily when we read the news.

* Note to Willy: Word on the street is predicting that your Hogs are gonna play my Buckeyes in the Sugar Bowl. I wish both teams well and think it will be an excellent game but you know who's gonna win and their colors are Scarlet and Gray! :)

* Just when I thought the birthers had pretty much shut up, this idiot decides to fight with Anderson Cooper. There are fools and there are damned fools and this guy is the latter. One of my ex-husband's favorite lines when discussing politics is "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullsh*t" and I think that applies to the birthers.

* What galls me most is that all of the crap going on is because -- my stars and garters!! -- we elected a black man! Does anyone remember that his mother (who raised him) was white? And that his grandparents, who took over when his mom died, were white. AND he grew up in Hawaii -- the most multi-cultural, multi-racial state in the Union. From what I can see and have read, Hawaiians cannot afford to be racist because families that have a so-called "pure line" are rare. Ignorance is bliss, I guess, but dammit, I think it's time that these racist idiots "man up", grow up, and shut up. I'm not naive enough to believe that there's no racial/ethnic problems in Hawaii but I suspect it's not a big deal because I haven't noticed any shouting in the news in the news or blogosphere.

* The funniest (and sadly far too true) thing I've read on Sarah Palin is this at Moscow News (Pravda). I love it when he refers to her "the former Governess of Alaska." I don't think it was a mistake in translation, do you?

* The best thing (and most intelligent) I've read on Sarah Palin is by CNN Senior Contributor Ed Rolins:

"If you want to be a player, go to school and learn the issues. Put smart people around you and listen to them. If you want to be taken seriously, be serious. You've already got your own forum. If you want to be a serious presidential candidate, get to work. If you want to be an imitator of Ronald Reagan, go learn something about him and respect his legacy.

If you want to be a gadfly, just keep doing what you're doing."

Y'all can read the rest of it here.

Okay, it's time to go get my blood pressure out of the stratosphere. Here's a song from from "back in the day", as my kids used to say, that rattled through my alleged brain that I think works in the current political climate and has a great message for us all but I suspect that certain people will blow it off as "dirty hippie music" even though they used to be one but that's another blog . . .



Hope y'all are having a great day!!!!

Happy Blogging!!!!!!

Kay

Update Etc.

Just some quick notes and a couple videos I think y'all will enjoy.

* I hope that I'm going to be feeling better soon. I called Dr. Maria and talked to her nurse and she called back to tell me that a scrip for an antibiotic would be waiting for me at my pharmacy. Hallelujah!!!

* I'm still fighting bureaucracy -- the agency in question is nutty. I'm ready to go viral on this. I -- unlike a lot of others -- always make sure that I have my paperwork in order and I did. THEY obviously made a mistake when sending my info to AEP and I'll be damned if I stand in the cold for hours to wait for them -- especially since I'm not well.

* This is fabulous and definitely worth your time. Rachel plays 'Pin the Tail on the Debt' and you'll be surprised at the results. So much for 'fiscal responsibility'



* Does anyone but me think Dancing with the Stars has lost any credibility it ever had due to the Palinbots' downright cheating? And somehow I don't think being an unwed mother makes you a star no matter who your mama is. And yeah, I think she's preggers again -- her face is fuller and there's a definite bump. Most contestants lose weight doing that show. So much for abstinence. And I don't watch the show -- I watch the news clips.

* Here's the latest song rattling around my brain this week. I always liked The 5th Dimension -- they had a great energy and always looked like they were having a lot of fun. Back in the day my friends and I thought this song terrific. It brings back memories of when life was less complicated. It can still get me out of my chair to boogie a little! LOL Enjoy!!!!



Hope y'all are having a great day!!!!!

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!

Kay

Keeping On Keeping On

I'm still fighting with this cold/whatever and am seriously tired of it. Assorted other nonsense adds to the 'fun' and do rain by the buckets pouring on -- I've had fun and, my friends, this ain't it so forgive me if I'm a bit snarky.

I get assistance with my utility bill because I'm low-income and I dutifully re-certified last month and had a long wait in line outside (which I think is the source of my current illness) and waited inside nearly all damned day last month to get things right -- or so I thought. Wrong!!!! AEP has everything all screwed up and wants me to pay nearly double the amount I'm supposed to pay and shows electricity as my primary heating source -- WRONG! I called Columbus to the Ohio office and they said to tell AEP to fix it so I did and they say our local office has to fix it. Right. I held strong and she finally told me that I needed to talk to the Public Utitlities Commission which almost sent me ballistic but, fortunately, I managed not to lose it. I called the PUCO and talked to a really nice, very helpful young lady named Maggie who checked out everything and said yes, my local agency messed up so I needed to call them which I just did and left a message for them to call. We shall see if they call back. If they don't, I just had a light bulb go off in my brain
and might have an end run through the red tape. Pray, light a candle, think good thoughts or whatever y'all do to get through hell. Thanks!!!!! In my next life I'm gonna be rich.

(Vent mode off)

* I got this marvelous history lesson from Russ up in Wisconsin and it's wonderful food for thought and if y'all forgot what was happening here before the American Revolution, it's a excellent reminder and germane to our country today. Here's an excellent short excerpt:

Incorporated companies with proper limitations and guards,
may in particular cases, be useful, but they are at best a necessary evil only. Monopolies and perpetuities are objects of just abhorrence. The former are unjust to the existing, the latter usurpations on the rights of future generations. It is not strange that the law which will not permit an individual to bequeath his property to the descendants of his own loins for more than a short and strictly defined term, should authorize an associated few to entail perpetual and indefeasible appropriations…? – James Madison, March 10, 1817

* If y'all like to bake for the holidays, you can have some awesome new cookie recipe delivered to your inbox here. I get these every every year and it's fun!!!

* This group's website is self-explanatory and doing good works that are working: Glen Beck kas no sponsors for his program in the UK due to their efforts. Imagine what would happen if we all told his sponsors that we would no longer buy their products/services as long as they funded Beck's lies. It works for me.

& I swiped this video (and added it to my YouTube Channel) from my friend Colleen whose quirky sense of humor meshes with mine!!!! Thanks, girlfriend!!!



* Any weekend the Buckeyes win a nail-biter and I get to hear/see wonderful music, it's a good thing! Too bad such euphoria gets dashed when one returns to the real world. Sigh. Hence the today's song screamed for a sappy oldie. Sigh. Tomorrow I hope to be back to my regular nutty, rockin' self.



Whew!!!! I started this post at 2 PM while I was in 'hold mode' and it's 10 pm now. Can y'all say distractions and interruptions? The worst part is that I don't have the problem resolved there goes my day tomorrow. Sigh.

Hope y'all are having a great day!!!!!!

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!!

Kay

This and That and Then Some

I was up too late watching "African Queen" and "Notorious" last night. They don't make movies or actors like that anymore. I didn't need Cary and Ingrid to take off their clothes to know what was in their hearts -- old Hitch made it very clear. And Bogart and Miss Katherine weathered their perilous trip with nary a cuss word. Amazing. As a result of this frivolity, I awakened to the phone ringing and answered to hear, "Hey!!!! Shaughnessy and I just passed the Dover exit and will be at your place in twenty-five minutes!!!" Yikes!!!! I took a quick shower and got dressed even quicker and was waiting as he and Shaughn arrived. One of these days that dog is going to flatten me when he greets me. I'm the only one he jumps on. Sigh. Jeff announced that we were going to drop Shaughn off at his house, check things and go to lunch at Bender's -- so much for my plans to get this post up sooner. He says I'm not spontaneous enough. I said, "So sue me!" but postponed a couple errands until later. Lunch/dinner/whatever at Bender's is a dining delight.

* I had to go to the Deputy Registar's office this afternoon to renew my driver's license. I was pleasantly surprised to be served almost immediately because it's always a busy busy place. I was delighted that I passed the eye test without glasses and that the photo was okay (and doesn't look like it belongs on the Post Office wall) and I realized, as I was signing and dating the form, that it was Tax Day and commented that was why they weren't busy. The young lady laughed and agreed. As I paid the $26.50, I mentioned that my first license only cost $3.00. She laughed again.

* One of the newest additions to my blogroll is Russ' Filtered News. It's really excellent blog and always well-documented and speaks to all of who feel vaguely uncomfortable with politics today. This post recalls a time when the Republican Party had honor and integrity. I remember those days. I will add that the Democrats aren't what they used to be either. I think y'all will find it interesting. Sigh.

* Tuesday was Dr. Maria and it was an okay visit. She rearranged my meds and told me to give another med a tryout. She sorta looked askance that I've lost weight and wants me back in two months. Sigh. (Jeff commented on my weight, too, today -- like I don't notice that my jeans are looser.)

* Keith Olbermann exposes some disturbing info re: The Tea Party Express:



Well the phone just rang and Jeff is heading in my direction in a half hour so we can go get a sandwich and a brew. God knows where he'll drag me tomorrow. Sigh.

Hope y'all are having a great day!!!!

Happy Blogging!!!!!

Kay

Update: Oh Well . . .

First, I want to thank all y'all for your lovely good wishes. However, all is not skittles and beer. I made the mistake of actually believing what a bureaucrat told me. Shame on me.

I went to Social Security like a good girl yesterday to give them the information they need and obviously, the information they gave me on the telephone is wrong. Depending on my work records as a disabled person, I may not be able to take the position without losing my Social Security benefits. Celebration postponed and possibly cancelled until things are verified. I am upset and worried. I actually had hope that I could accomplish what I needed to do without any problems. Silly me.

I'm not giving up. I just have to wait for the paperwork before I do that. However, with my luck, I'm not getting my hopes up -- just sitting here having panic attacks and praying for a miracle.

I do apologize for being precipitous in spreading good news. I really should know better than that.

Hope y'all are having a great day!!!!!

Happy Blogging!!!!!

Kay

Amazing!!!!!

It's been an amazing few days in Kay's World. I've been busy with all sorts of things so keeping up with y'all has been a challenge.

* I went to our art community's First Friday celebration on Friday evening and had a really nice time wandering around the galleries and saying 'hi' to my buddies among the street musicians. It was warm and beautiful and there was a huge crowd so I saw a lot of old friends. Eventually, I made my way to the excellent coffee shop that sells excellent coffee for excellent coffee -- cheaper and better than Fourbucks!!!! They had an excellent duo playing and -- wonder of wonders! -- they gave everyone free CDs!!!! Even better, they had a Tarot card reader available. I know how to read the Tarot but I'm not very confident with it and lately, the cards have confused me when I read them for myself so I decided to treat myself to a reading and I'm glad I did. The reader was an absolute delight and we both had a good time. She was delighted that I knew what she was doing and we both chuckled when she did the spread and I pointed to one card and said, "That card has been showing up a lot and it scares me!" Some of her insights were pretty amazing. She also tossed in some reiki because she felt I needed it and that was great. If you haven't heard of reiki, it is described by adherents as "a holistic therapy which brings about healing on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels". This was my second experience with it and both have been positive. I'm not certain how it works but after she finished I felt better so I can't argue it's validity. I do know that it isn't the gospel but have found some interesting insights from it. Tarot is something I got interested in when I was reading a lot of philosophy because it's been around so long and several philosophers have explored it in depth. And yeah, the art work on the various decks fascinates me. At any rate, I went and hung out at my friend Lynda's gallery and she nagged me to come and do a piece for her "story quilts" soon -- a really great project that's been travelling around the Midwest. I think I'm ready to do it -- finally!

* Easter Sunday I went to Mass and then headed to my brother's to gather with the clan armed with two pies and bunnies for my grandnieces. Mike likes to cook on holidays and does it very well so we were properly stuffed and everyone went home with leftovers. I swear we had the biggest ham in NE Ohio!!!!!! Brianna and Sarah. my grandnieces, are growing like weeds and I enjoyed them immensely. Sarah cracks me up -- she likes to entertain herself and smiles and giggles a lot as she plays. Brianna likes playmates and she enlisted me to help build "mountains" in the sandbox. My nephew Matt turned up with his girlfriend and her daughter but didn't stay long because they had other obligations. I really liked his young lady and told him not to mess it up!!! He seems to have settled down some and I hope he stays on track. Shannon and her boyfriend arrived after making their family rounds and I was glad to see her. It was a good day and I was really tired by the time I got home.

* Yesterday I got busy around here and got some things done. The phone rang and I was surprised when it was the local Census office. They want me to come to work for them part-time for two months. I asked a LOT of questions and finally said I was interested but only if it wasn't going to mess up a lot of things. So far two out of three phone calls have been positive and I'm presently waiting for a callback from #3 so y'all pray and/or think lovely thoughts. This will facilitate my getting the funds I need for my dental work and my projected move. Good stuff!!!!

Today I'm in what I call "full tilt boogie" mode and I have a lot to do. I have to get a lot of things done so I can go back to work and be ready if/when moving happens.

Hope y'all are having a great day!!!!!

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!!!

Kay

Adventure in Health Care

There's been a lot of talk about health care and Medicare and Medicaid -- rightfully so given it's importance and the struggles in Congress. Yesterday I had discussions about it with various sources and I am at my wits' end. Life in Kay's World is never simple at the best of times and this is definitely not the best of times. Here is my story.

I have been struggling since last summer with dental issues. I have mentioned it here as a source of discomfort and embarrassment and how it's interfered with the quality of my life. I have also mentioned that I get little Social Security because I spent most of my life staying home to raise my children. Yesterday it all came to a turning point and I am throwing up my hands in despair and defeat. I am embarrassed to write this post and as I type, I am in tears as I have been for the last twenty-four hours and and probably will continue to be for a long time.

I am assuming that each State's department of human services work differently. Here in Ohio it's handled by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS --aka welfare). I deal with these idiots a lot because my income is so low I have no choice. The only programs I qualify for are food assistance and Medicaid. Don't get me wrong -- I really appreciate the help -- but I get very little of the former and Medicaid is, in my not so humble opinion, basically useless.

Yesterday I had my annual review with the sanctimonious bitch who is my caseworker. For years I was spoiled -- Miss Rosa was my caseworker and we had a good relationship because we could communicate and worked together. This one is nasty and I hope she rots in hell. I do realize that these people are overloaded given the situation in our county. We are all hurting but I digress.

My caseworker called promptly at the appointed time and went through the drill. I learned quickly that having one's paperwork in order was key so that was no problem and she rattled off what the various amounts of assistance I would receive -- no increase in food assistance despite the increase in grocery prices and my "spend down" is $218. WHOA!!!!!!! I went ballistic.

What is "spend down" you ask? It's the amount I have to pay if I wish to use Medicaid in any given month. My spend down was $115 and I couldn't afford that either but this is ridiculous. And it happened because my ex-husband retired and, as a result, my Social Security increased $106. In short, they are taking away 25% of my income if I use Medicaid. To be perfectly blunt, I never have $200 left after paying my rent, utilities, food (because try as I might, no one can eat on what they give me for that) and all the essentials like gas, paper products and cleaning and personal hygiene products, prescriptions, and car insurance, there isn't $200 left. The biggest things I have learned about the so-called welfare system is that it is neither well nor fair and is designed to keep people in its thrall.

Needless to say, I was a wreck when the review ended and had started having a panic attack for which I thanked the idiot profusely -- NOT! After I took my medication and calmed down to a semi-rational state, I started I called my Congressman's office to see if they could help. I was told that because Medicaid is a state program, it was illegal for them to talk to me. So I called my young punk state representative (a Democrat) and as usual, got his answering machine and so I left a message -- and as usual, he didn't return my call. (Guess who will never get my vote again -- he missed his chance to redeem himself.) I then called my state senator and he actually answers his phone himself. I explained my problem and he was properly sympathetic and listened to my problem/dilemma carefully. He gave me the name of the Doctor who founded a dental clinic -- which I didn't know existed -- at a local hospital and told me to call them and talk to the dentist and that he would call, too. He also took my name, address and number and said he will be in touch. I believe him as I've dealt with him before and he's been around a long time for that reason. He and I joked about his long career in state government and that we had more or less grown up together. Scott always gets my vote because he actually works for his constituents -- an interesting, albeit rare, concept.

I called the clinic and explained my problem and who referred me to the pleasant young lady there and learned that the dentist was not available at the present time (he spends a couple months working in South America in the underdeveloped areas) but said she would see what she could do for me and call me back. She hasn't called so I suppose I will have to call her back.

The bottom line is that until I can find a way that I can smile again, I am not going anywhere. Tomorrow -- my brother's Homecoming celebration -- will be my last public appearance except for necessary trips for subsistence reasons and frankly am wondering why I should bother with that. I think I am going to cancel my proposed move -- my caseworker was a bit taken aback at my mention of that -- and I won't be going home for a visit or anywhere else. I am tired and heartsick and wonder if I'll ever laugh or smile again. I am done. I can't fight anymore. I am too damned old and too damned sick to contend with all this. And I'm disgusted with petty bureaucrats and with a country that doesn't care. I can't help but wonder how many people have died from the issues I'm dealing with or any other health issues due to this alleged system and I wonder if I'm next.

I hope y'all are more fortunate than I am and are having a great day!!!!

Happy Blogging!!!!!

Kay

After Thanksgiving Thoughts

I hope y'all had an excellent Thanksgiving!! Mine was quiet. I did my volunteer work at the parish and, as always, it was gratifying. Of course, we were busy as you-know-what so I was tired when I got home. I made myself a plate of turkey and trimmings and ate. Had some chest pains that scared me and put myself to bed for a nap. When I woke up, I felt better and I called my stepmother and we talked for a while. She was delighted. I guess none of her many nieces and nephews visited or invited her to share their holiday. I understand how she felt. I did promise her that I will visit come Spring. Ohio winters are not fun for driving.

* I have to get a new planner for the new year. My schedule is filling up with doctor appointments (and not much else) -- yet another sign that I'm getting old and decrepit.

* I had dropped off necessary paperwork at a state agency back at the beginning of October. I never was notified of the changes that were supposed to be made. I called several times about it -- but refuse to sit on 'hold' for more than an 45 minutes (and that does a nasty number on my blood pressure). On Wednesday afternoon I called in hopes that people were getting ready for the holiday and 'hold' would be short. I got lucky and got someone to talk to after five minutes on hold. The young lady checked and yes, I did turn in the paperwork (duh?) and said she was placing me on emergency status -- good stuff, right? -- and someone would call me on . . . Monday. I hollered a lot and will holler again on Monday prolly IF they call as promised. If they don't, I will be on the phone to everyone I can think of to scream and yell. It's been costing me money that I can ill afford and I am done with their baloney.

* I have to get Brice over to bring up a few of the holiday decorations. Maybe it will cure my 'bah! humbug!' frame of mind. I simply can't get excited about holidays anymore. Some motivation might help.

* Dental work was denied and the dentist is resubmitting my claim. Need I say more?

* I sorta broke my Black Friday rule. I actually went shopping on today. However, I didn't go to the malls or The Evil Empire. I went to a Big Lots store located in an old, nearly empty shopping center. Surprisingly, it was a tad busy but manageable.
Unfortunately, I spent a tad more than I planned because they had some books I wanted really cheap! Books are always my downfall. I also bought some ornaments for my lil' Christmas trees. I hope they work. They will have red and silver baubles -- aka scarlet and grey -- in hopes that my Buckeyes win the Rose Bowl!!!!!

* I'm glad y'all enjoyed the old TV stuff -- I had a blast looking at it and trying to decide what to use.

I know I sound cranky and yeah, I guess I am. However, I do always land on my feet and I'll be all right. I'm just tired of not feeling well and dealing with bureaucrats. Hopefully, the docs will help with the former and that will make the latter easier. Pray.

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!

Kay

Some Random Thoughts from My Soapbox

It was another 'fun' day in Kay's World as I mustered my courage to deal with bureaucracy and assorted other nonsense on the never-ending list of gottados.
(Why do I have the urge to have a good stiff drink before I deal with some of these people?) And I didn't get it all done. Sigh.

* I spent over TWO hours on the phone with Medicare trying figure out what I have and don't have for coverage. Some of it came as a huge surprise to me. I don't know about y'all, but when I first got Medicare I was bombarded with enough paper from various medical companies to decimate several forests. I didn't bother to look at moat of it. And finally, I just opened mail from Medicare or CMS which usually tells me little or nothing. It turns out that because I am low income, I was assigned Part D coverage but never was notified of it and never got a card which angers me because I've been paying more than I should for my prescriptions. This Medicare stuff is so damned confusing that they need a class called Medicare 101 to clarify it. I am a pretty intelligent, well-educated person and if I find it difficult to navigate, I can only imagine how many people find it a challenge. The good news was that the ladies I talked with were patient, courteous and knowledgeable when I explained my plight.

* Question to y'all: Is a Medicare Advantage plan worth it? I talked with someone about it briefly and need to check to see which one(s) my doctor takes. (Y'all can email me at the addy in the sidebar if you have a lot to say about it.) I really do want to hear what y'all have experienced with it.

* The bad news is that I still have to make some more bureaucracy calls tomorrow if I can muster the courage. Argh!!! Then again, I might actually get through to talk to someone without sitting on hold for 45 minutes since most people will be getting ready for Turkey Day.

* I'm going to be doing my usual routine on Thanksgiving Day and volunteering at my parish's dinner for the homeless and hungry. I hope we don't have to turn anyone away. With 12% unemployment here and no end in sight there are many who will be in need. I haven't decided what my Thanksgiving dinner will be -- prolly what ever I scavenge from the fridge 'cause I'm damned if I'm walking in a grocery store today.

* AND y'all know I won't participate in Black Friday -- there's nothing I want so badly that I would risk life and limb to get it. I think that I'm just going to mostly ignore the holidays.

There were a couple other things on my alleged mind that seem to have disappeared (I gotta start taking notes) and it's the wee hours and I'm finally tired -- if my sleep patterns ever get back to normal it will be a miracle -- so I'm going niters.

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!!

Kay

Cranky and Moving Slow on All Fronts

I haven't left the house since I came home Saturday night. I've been exhausted for God knows what reason and sleeping a LOT. I might drag myself out tomorrow but we shall see. This is weird for me -- I tend to like to be moving and I'm mostly a people person. I think it was the encounter with bureaucracy on Friday that rocked my world and left me drained and cranky.

I hope I can get some energy back so I write and visit y'all more. Fran and Rain both are suffering blogging blahs, so maybe 'tis the season.

Speaking of Fran, she had a fun post about 'blue' songs. Here's a "b last from the past" video of one of my favorites from my youth in the early days of rock and roll.



Happy Blogging!!!!!!!

Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was really looking forward to writing a post about how stunned and amazed I was that so many of y'all commented so very kindly on my new profile photo and why I finally updated it however, in Kay's World "the best laid plans of mice and men -- and The Kay -- gang aft agley", to paraphrase Scottish poet Robert Burns.

Instead, I'm issuing a warning to y'all -- hence the above title. Yesterday I got online to pay my utility bills (I've become a paperless kind of gal) and got pretty cranky when my AT&T bill had an extra $36.99 on it. This month is tight as hell as I've mentioned here. I paid the damned bill in bad humor and after I paid the others, I got on the phone to AT&T and hollered about the extra charges. It turns out that they were bogus charges was from a "crammer" and AT&T knows all about them.

And when I called the numbers for the offender that the CSR gave me, I was told that someone gave my phone number and name to get email and fax service. I asked what address they gave and was told that she couldn't give me that. She got an earful as y'all can well believe. She finally gave me the confirmation numbers I needed for AT&T to take them off my bill. I called AT&T back and gave them the info and asked more questions. She credited the $36.99 and told me to report it as identity theft. Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!

I went online and did some checking on this firm -- Enhanced Business Services -- and discovered that in 2001, they were investigated and censured by the Federal Trade Commission. A lot of good that did. You can read about it here and it is still going on today despite agreements to the contrary. I think their corporate officers should be jailed.

I called the Federal Trade Commission and filed a complaint and they in turn told me to contact one of the three major credit bureaus so they could put a security freeze on my accounts and inform the other two who would do the same. It seems they have an agreement to keep each other informed in such cases. I was told to file a complaint with my local law enforcement so guess where I'll be tomorrow morning? I also have to file complaints with the Ohio Public Utilities Commission as well. This is really a lot of work.

Oh yeah, in Ohio it is a minimum 5th degree felony to "intentionally use another person's identifying information to fraudulently obtain credit, property or services." I think these bozos owe me big time but judging from the government's attitude, it won't happen. That they are still in business despite having done the same damned thing before.

How many people people (you?) don't pay attention to a ($10-$15) smallish difference in their phone bill? Since my income is so tight, I do but there was a time when I didn't. They got greedy with me so I went through the roof. By using my listed phone number (my address isn't listed) and last name, they slammed this with AT&T's silent acquiescence. Scary, huh? And given the way my life has been, I really needed more drama. Right. Sigh. And y'all know how much I love dealing with bureaucracy!

I am warning y'all. Watch your phone bills. You could be next!!!!!!!! I'm off to bed and going to pull the covers over my head and ask God to make it all go away. I think running away from home sounds really good but it doesn't fit my budget.

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!

Learning

I learned a couple things past couple days.

1. As much lip service as people give to their concerns about privacy on the 'Net, they follow the crowd to MySpace and Facebook who is one of the biggest violaters.
2. The government is NOT here to help ANYONE.
3. Having the courage of my convictions doesn't get me anywhere except ostracized.
4. Lying is the new national pastime.
5. Friends who tell you they're concerned about you, aren't.

I am crabby, tired and upset but I will prevail and survive somehow. It's been a rocky week. I am tired and feel like hell. Hopefully the doc will make a move to help Friday.

Hope y'all are doing okay. I will be fine. All I ask is your patience.

To end on a brighter note, here's a video of one of my favorite songs as sung by one of my favorite actors (playing one of my favorite curmudgeons) from the film version of one of my favorite musicals. Enjoy!!!!



Happy Blogging!!!!!!

Update from the Land of Grog

I promised an update and hope I can write and have it make sense.

I was supposed to go out last night and was looking forward to a fun evening hanging out with friends. Instead, I fell asleep for five hours. That sums up a good part of how I spent my time away from here; I slept when I wasn't battling with bureaucrats. The battle isn't over and even if it gets settled, it will remain a struggle. Here's the rundown:

* I'm in limbo on whether I lose some of my medical assistance. They changed it and I'm not certain if I lost part of it or not. No one is answering. I just keep dropping off paperwork -- probably a waste of gas.

* I'm not scheduled to see my endocrinologist until the 27th and that's a battle that cannot be won. Bottom line: if I lose the above, I'll never get well and incidents like tonight will continue and no one will bother to ask me to go anywhere.

* My new congressman, so far, is useless. Allegedly, his office has sent me forms I need to sign TWICE and I haven't received them. (Either our "new and improved" postal service -- they moved it to Akron and we lost jobs here -- isn't working or his staff is lying to me.) It's a toss up deciding which to bet on.

* My home is a disaster. Lack of energy does that. I may never get caught up. I'm going what I can when I can. I make little lists of 4-5 things every day that I want to get done. Sometimes I get half of them done.

* I'm a bad blogger. I haven't been to visit y'all. I've hardly written anything. My dashboard is loaded with drafts of ideas for posts but I haven't the energy to write them. I don't blame anyone for not visiting. Then again, when I'm feeling okay, I visit everyone whether they visit me or not. I figure I'm not the only one who has his/her share of hell on earth.

Well, that's it for now. It's almost 1:00 AM and I've been awake for nearly two hours and guess what? I'm ready to go back to bed.

I plan to make time to visit as many of y'all as I can today when I wake up again. I wish I could promise I'll be back to normal, but last evening tells me I shouldn't promise anything and that makes me sad.

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!

Gotta Love the State of Ohio . . . Yeah . . . Right

I love to shop on eBay. Bargains abound there and on my income, I save pennies wherever I can. There's a strategy to being a good eBayer and I think I have it down pat so I haven't dealt with any huge disasters . . . yet.

A couple years ago the State of Ohio instituted a tax for those of us who shop online called the Ohio User Tax which I think should be renamed the Used and Abused Ohioans Tax. At tax time we are asked to report how much we spent online and pay Ohio sales tax on it. If most people are like me, they just guesstimate it. Frankly, I've learned that most people simply ignore it and leave that part of their Ohio tax return blank. It's really an idiotic -- and probably illegal -- tax because what it does is tax people who use the Internet.

I, however, am honest (and, I'm told, stupid) and give a ballpark figure on what I spend online. This year I sent them a check for twenty-four dollars before April 15th. Last week I received a letter from the Ohio Department of Taxation telling me that I owed them $24.00. I went ballistic because I keep a close eye on my accounts and knew the check had cleared. I logged into my account and double-checked to be sure. My bank's website has a feature where you click on a check number and it shows you a copy of the check on both sides so I know that my check was deposited by the State of Ohio. I then called the toll-free number in the letter and proceeded to raise hell with the bureaucrat who answered. I explained my problem and and she asked me to give her numbers from the back of the check. Anyone who has ever looked at the stamp on the back of the check knows that those numbers are difficult to see. She checked and couldn't find any record of my check in their system and told me that I need to go to my bank and send a copy of the check to them. I went ballistic.

"You people are so irresponsible that you fail to record my payment despite depositing it and you expect me to run around to prove that I made it? Do you realize what gas costs?" She said yes. I hung up in frustration stifling the urge to share some not very nice words with her.

I then called both my state representative and my state senator and left messages and neither returned my calls. The latter is busy running for Congress and has never returned a phone call to a constituent that I know of according to a poll of my friends. The former is busy impeaching our over-aged frat boy state Attorney General. Neither will ever get my vote.

I've thought about this and have decided what I'm going to do. I'm going to go get the copy of the check and send it and issue the State of Ohio an itemized bill for my expenses and inconvenience and mental anguish. If it isn't paid in 30 days, I'm going to file in Small Claims Court. Judges hate taxes, too, and might just rule in my favor. If nothing else, it might showcase the incompetency in Columbus and its casual attitude toward our money.

And oh yeah, next year I'm gonna lie like everyone else and ignore the damned tax.

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!!

Kay