To Show Or Not to Show I.D., That Is the Question

There has been discussion on an e-mail list I'm on about whether
people who use guide dogs should be required to show I.D. cards
for their dogs. Let me weigh in.

To make things clear, I don't use a guide dog. Yet, I would be
the first to step forward and uphold the rights of a guide dog
user to access a public place with their dog.

The Americans with Disabilities Act doesn't require that an I.D.
be shown so I'm told, I'd have to research the appropriate
regulations to verify that. This is to accommodate privately
trained service animals. BTW, those ain't service animals but
they are glorified pets in my opinion.

Be that as it may, this is a case where if you have the I.D., you
need to show it in my opinion. So what if it isn't required.
How fucking hard is it to dig out the card, show it to the person
asking for it, and put it away? Those who think otherwise are
being militant fuckheads in my opinion. And don't use the Rosa
Parks analogy on me. That only would have worked if Ms. Parks
had to show some sort of I.D. to prove she could sit in the
front of the bus, and after showing it, she was told to move to
the back.

BTW, it's dealing with shit like this that is a big reason I
don't use a guide dog and never will! But again, don't get me
wrong, I'll be the first one to stand up for the rights of dog
handlers as long as those rights are exercised in a responsible
manner.

What Are These People In Illinois' Legislature Thinking?

Below, I've posted a letter that I sent to my state representative with CC's
to our so-called Legislative Leaders. It asks them to put together a
sensible, balanced state budget while not balancing it on the backs of
society's most vulnerable citizens. If you are from Illinois, first read
and enjoy this letter, then, send one of your own to your state
representative and senator.

June 15, 2009

Honorable Senator Dan Cronin
313 S. Main Street
Lombard, IL 60148

To Honorable Senator Cronin:

I am writing to strongly urge you to communicate this message to the
Illinois Senate Leadership. That message is, work with Governor Quinn and
negotiate for a sensible, balanced budget which doesn't cut vital human
services which people in Illinois need and depend on.

I am making this request on two fronts. First, I work for an agency which
receives funding from the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of
Rehabilitation Services. If we lose 50% of our rehabilitation funding, it
means we can't help as many people who are blind or visually impaired find
employment. Ask any person who is blind what they want most of all, and
they will say, without question, a job. Individuals with disabilities,
including those who are blind or visually impaired who are employed spend
money in our communities buying homes, patronizing businesses large and
small, and paying taxes. During the economic times in which we live, we
need to be doing as much as we can to help all Illinois citizens find
employment, including those with disabilities which includes those who are
blind or visually impaired. People who are blind or visually impaired have
an unacceptable 70% unemployment rate. Without proper funding, the division
of rehabilitation services cannot help these individuals find work which
will increase our welfare roles and costs.

Cutting funds from rehabilitation is especially harmful in another way.
State dollars which are put into rehabilitation services are used to access
Federal rehabilitation dollars. For every $1 of state funding which is cut
from rehabilitation services, $4 in Federal funds are lost as the state
match is 20%. So, every $1 in state funding which is cut is like cutting a
total of $5. Every $1 million is like cutting $5 million. You get the
idea.

I also sit on the Board of Directors for the DuPage Center for Independent
Living in your district. If the dooms day budget becomes law, this center
will lose $103,000 in state funds. This means staff will lose their jobs
and about half of the consumers this center now serves will not be served.
What will happen to the rest of them? Any number of things from their
becoming homeless, or having to go on public assistance, at higher cost to
the state. The staff who lose their jobs will need to seek unemployment,
thereby increasing costs to the state.

This center has for almost 19 years provided high quality services to
individuals with disabilities living in DuPage County. I enjoyed three
years working professionally for this center. However, this is not the
worst of things. The DuPage Center is one of 23 centers for independent
living across the state. If the dooms day budget becomes law, these centers
are all having to look at very devastating cuts in staff and services, and
perhaps, even closing their dors. In some areas, the center for independent
living is the only service provider available to individuals with
disabilities where they can receive needed services.

Again, Senator Cronin, I urge you as strongly as I can to ask the Senate
leadership to sit down with Governor Quinn and commit to negotiating a
balance budget which doesn't force Illinois' most vulnerable citizens to
bear the brunt of spending and service cuts. Remember, a society is judged
by how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. We in Illinois won't be
judged very well if the dooms day budget becomes law. I thank you in
advance for your time and actions to help the legislature and Governor reach
a sensible, sustainable balanced budget that preserves needed services and
programs.

Sincerely,

<my name>

Cc: Illinois Senate President John Cullerton
Illinois Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno
Governor Pat Quin

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17:54:00

What I Didn't Vote For in November of 2008

Not only did I not vote for President Obama (One Big Almighty
Mistake America), in November of 2008, along with that, here are
the many other things I didn't vote for.
1. I didn't vote for a country which is far less safe than it
was before January 20 of 2009. This administration has done
nothing to address the threats we face in the world except make
worthless condemnations. North Korea, which has NUCLEAR WEAPONS,
is laughing at us. They know this administration won't respond
aggressively and they show that by continuing to test nuclear
weapons and missals. God help us.

2. I didn't vote for abandoning of enhanced interrogation
techniques used on terror suspects so we can take this holier
than though stand against torture. This is because I know we've
gotten information from using these on dangerous people which has
kept us safe. There has not been a terrorist attack on our
nation since 9-11. How much longer will we be able to say that?
The people we have interrogated are animals, not deserving of any
rights whatsoever. If they know of a plot which could harm us,
we have to do whatever it takes to get that information. If that
means water boarding, so be it. If it means food or sleep
deprivation, so be it. Yet this administration has chosen to
abandon these techniques, figuring, if we talk nicy nicy to the
terrorists, they'll tell us what we need to know. Bull shit.

3. I did not vote for closing Guantanamo without a plan for
where the people there, many of whom are very dangerous and want
us dead, would go. I do not want them in any U.S. prison. It
is a given fact that once released, many of these detainees go
back to the battle field as it were and launch terrorist attacks
against our interests.

4. I did not vote for government owned automobile companies. If
I wanted to own part of General Motors, oops, I mean Government
Motors or Krysler, I'd have bought stock in them. Same goes for
the banks and other institutions we've poured billions in tax
money into. Think how many people we could provide health
insurance too, how many children we could help educate, or how
much infrastructure we could rebuild with all that money. I also
didn't vote for the end result of this, Government control of
American business through nationalization. American businesses
compete in a global market. They need the flexibility to do
that, not the rigid guidelines put in place by bureaucrats who
never had to run a business, meet a payroll, fire an employee,
etc.

5. I didn't vote for health care policies which deem certain p
too EXPENSIVE to treat. Talk about cruel! Yet why should we be
surprised, liberals don't value life. The Government has not a
clue how to run health insurance, but god help us, they're going
to try. At what price?

I did not vote for all these things and more, because I wasn't
suckered in by the hype and false promises to vote for an empty
suit in the White House. I fear for our great nation that a
majority of Americans were stupid enough to do so. God, help us
to keep our nation strong until the day this joker and all who
serve with him are kicked out of office. On Memorial Day, we
honored those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to keep us
free. If these brave men and women could speak today, I strongly
believe they would be saying loudly, this is not the country I
fought for. America, wake up! We are fast becoming a European
bastian of liberalism, ripe for terrorist attacks. Our best hope
is, in 2010, to have Republicans swept into power in Congress so
we can grid lock the process until we can get the President out
in 2012. Can we wait that long? Probably not, but we'll have
too.