Humility and Compassion

It is Chemo Tuesday.  I'm back at the place where I remember I have Myeloma but I am lucky to come in on my own two feet, with all of my hair intact. 

This is about the many divides in this country. It causes such profound stress that it may compromise my health.  This is why I am writing about this here.

If you are surprised about any of this, you will not want to read what I have to say.  Stop now.

I called in to my Congressman's Town Hall last night.  He was eloquent and for an hour there was a verbal tennis match of educated Fairfield County patriots expressing wonder and frustration and the Congressman's lobbed back measured and thoughtful responses.   Of discussion was the $880 m that the richest man in the world was trying to cut from Medicaid;  money that kept poor and sick people able to go to the doctor despite the dearth of tips earned at Starbucks.  

Discussion of the shocking, pathetic minor league interaction on Signal. Honestly, the Secretary of Defense sounded like a 5th grader annoyed that someone had mooched lunch money off of him two days in a row.  Gonna hit 'em with my slingshot. Bein a hillbilly int (spelling on purpose) a badge of honor, you fool.    Men running our country who wear mascara and get chemical peels and believe that they are truly remarkable.  They just have extremely lame friends.

We spoke of the risks to our country that hopefully can be stopped.   Last question was from Jodie. 

Jodie was clearly known to the Congressman and his staff.  She was probably a 60 something.  She was a veteran.  Her son was a veteran.  He worked at Starbucks.  They lived in subsidized housing.  "Every time that the government sends me an extra $20 as a cost of living adjustment for something, they turn around and increase my rent by $20."   "Now I need to pay $100 co-pays if I go to the ER due to the changes in Medicaid; so I have to choose whether to address a medical emergency or pay my rent." 

No one in my town knows what it feels like to have to make such decisions.  

And Yes, Elon, you could pay for the entire $880 m with less than a month's worth of interest.  Or with some of the profits that Spacex is making on its contracts from the US govt.  

But this is a Myeloma blog...?

Yes, this is my explanation to you of the monumental stress that this government and its pathetic decisions are placing on me, my family and some friends and so many Americans.  Wait until you get sick, then you will have a little more humility. 

We care about clean air.  

We care about clean water.  

We care about education.  

We need healthcare.  

We need the judiciary. 

We care about lifting up those who are gracious, who don't get to go to boarding school, whose fathers aren't going to help them get jobs.  Who just want the chance to go to college. And earn a little respect.

This administration has created divides everywhere: between people of different religions,  races, ages,  levels of wealth, levels of health and genders.   If you don't wake up feeling sick every morning, then are you probably congratulating yourself on the way 2025 is shaping up for you. 

If any of this surprises you, then I sure am glad you are reading this, although maybe you are not.    I regret sharing the toxicity that I feel,  but if you felt pretty happy and proud of yourself before reading this, your attitude is the cause of misery for so many.   You are feeling now probably something similar to what I feel all day, each day.  

But you can close this blog and never think about it again.  I wish I had that luxury. 

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