OK, got to vent to cyber space. I sent this to the Cleveland VA trying to find out what the problem is...
"I received a letter from the VA stating that they are finally back dating my claim to November 2004. If my math is correct, the back pay will be around $35,000 to $40,000. [!!]
I called the VA Cleveland Office and was told that it would be an additional "30 to 60 working days" as "it has to go through the directors office because of the amount due" then an additonal "15 working days" so it can be processed.
I am in dire straights and have been barely making it and now I find out that I have to wait longer for the assistance I deserved years ago. God forbid if I owed the VA money - they would snatch it right away with little to no warning.
What seems to be the problem here?" [!?!?!?!?!!!!!??!??!]
I'll post the "response" which will more than likely be a form letter confirming that it will be another 45-75 days before they actually pay me, which will make them 3 years and 4 months late. Unfortunately, unlike the Government nobody will be forced to pay penalties, interest or face jail time ~ ALL of which we would face if we owed the Government that kind of cash.
The problem is that I live in Cleveland, and the VA is ran by Cleveland residents. I know more "my sister works at the VA" or "my brother works at the VA".....little to none of them Veterans. Had Veterans been running the show, I wouldn't be writing this because there wouldn't be an issue. Instead the VA is plagued with nepotisim from a gene pool that is lacking at best: Cleveland.
See y'all in cyber space...
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Saturday, October 20, 2007
The Slippery Slope....
"Slippery slope"~ a suggestion that one action will initiate a chain of events culminating in an undesirable event later. Why is it that: they had fences keeping Soviet citizens in the USSR ~ we have fences to keep people from coming in the USA in droves? Why people risk thier lives to sail from Cuba to the USA; yet US citizens have no thoughts about even visiting Cuba? How China and Korea have hundreds of millions deaths by starvation every year and the U.S. bails them out yearly with donations of hundreds of billions of dollars?
Even at the age of 36, I have to admit my Dad ROCKS! As a child, I was raised knowing the difference between communism, socialism and capitalism and A LOT about world politics. OK, maybe it was a little weird being the only kid in elementary and middle school that knew that MAD was not an emotion and SALT was not just a seasoning on the dinner table..however the lessons proved to be valuable. These lessons haven't been taught in our school system for a long time.
This was waiting in my inbox this morning. Oddly enough, I knew the answers...do you?
(A) Karl Marx
(B) Adolph Hitler
(C) Joseph Stalin
(D) None of the above
2. "It's time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by the few, and for the few...and to replace it with shared responsibility for shared prosperity."
(A) Lenin
(B) Mussolini
(C) Idi Amin
(D) None of the Above
3. "(We)...can't just let business as usual go on, and that means something has to be taken away from some people."
(A) Nikita Khrushchev
(B) Josef Goebbels
(C) Boris Yeltsin
(D) None of the above
4. "We have to build a political consensus and that requires people to give up a little bit of their own...in order to create this common ground."
(A) Mao
(B) Hugo Chavez
(C) Kim Jong Il
(D) None of the above
5. "I certainly think the free-market has failed."
(A) Karl Marx
(B) Lenin
(C) Molotov
(D) None of the above
6. "I think it's time to send a clear message to what has become the most profitable sector in (the) entire economy that they are being watched."
(A) Pinochet
(B) Milosevic
(C) Saddam Hussein
(D) None of the above
Things that make you go "Hhhhmmmmm....."
Even at the age of 36, I have to admit my Dad ROCKS! As a child, I was raised knowing the difference between communism, socialism and capitalism and A LOT about world politics. OK, maybe it was a little weird being the only kid in elementary and middle school that knew that MAD was not an emotion and SALT was not just a seasoning on the dinner table..however the lessons proved to be valuable. These lessons haven't been taught in our school system for a long time.
This was waiting in my inbox this morning. Oddly enough, I knew the answers...do you?
A little history lesson:
If you don't know the answer, take your best guess.
Answer all the questions before looking at the answers.
Who said it?
1. "We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good." If you don't know the answer, take your best guess.
Answer all the questions before looking at the answers.
Who said it?
(A) Karl Marx
(B) Adolph Hitler
(C) Joseph Stalin
(D) None of the above
2. "It's time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by the few, and for the few...and to replace it with shared responsibility for shared prosperity."
(A) Lenin
(B) Mussolini
(C) Idi Amin
(D) None of the Above
3. "(We)...can't just let business as usual go on, and that means something has to be taken away from some people."
(A) Nikita Khrushchev
(B) Josef Goebbels
(C) Boris Yeltsin
(D) None of the above
4. "We have to build a political consensus and that requires people to give up a little bit of their own...in order to create this common ground."
(A) Mao
(B) Hugo Chavez
(C) Kim Jong Il
(D) None of the above
5. "I certainly think the free-market has failed."
(A) Karl Marx
(B) Lenin
(C) Molotov
(D) None of the above
6. "I think it's time to send a clear message to what has become the most profitable sector in (the) entire economy that they are being watched."
(A) Pinochet
(B) Milosevic
(C) Saddam Hussein
(D) None of the above
Answers
1. (D) None of the above. The statement was made by Hillary Clinton ~ 6/29/2004
2. (D) None of the above. The statement was made by Hillary Clinton ~ 5/29/2007
2. (D) None of the above. The statement was made by Hillary Clinton ~ 5/29/2007
3. (D) None of the above. The statement was made by Hillary Clinton ~ 6/4/2007
4. (D) None of the above. The statement was made by Hillary Clinton ~ 6/4/2007
5. (D) None of the above. The statement was made by Hillary Clinton ~ 6/4/2007
6. (D) None of the above. The statement was made by Hillary Clinton ~ 9/2/2005
4. (D) None of the above. The statement was made by Hillary Clinton ~ 6/4/2007
5. (D) None of the above. The statement was made by Hillary Clinton ~ 6/4/2007
6. (D) None of the above. The statement was made by Hillary Clinton ~ 9/2/2005
....and just to make the circle complete: The USSR, China, Korea and Cuba got into the possition they are (were, in the case of the USSR) in by "enlightend thinking" that lead to communisim/socialism. How does Hillary Clinton compare to those leaders? How many of you guessed one of the "revolutionaries" as the author of the statements?
Wake up. Listen up. Study the options, then vote.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Cuyahoga County Commissioners Demora and Hagan have watched "Field of Dreams" one too many times; they are starting to have delusions of "Build it and they will come" (add freaky ghost like sound effects at will).
The Cleveland Medi-Mart has about a snowballs chance in Mexico City (close to hell, from what I know).
Look, from what I can tell, this Medi-Mart plan is a two part selling system:
MMPI and Cleveland attract the Manufactures.
Manufacturers attract the Buyers.
Then, and only then, can trade shows or medical conferences happen.
Every sales person knows that one of the basic requirements you need to sell your product is to provide an answer for the buyer’s “WIIFM” or “What’s In It For Me?”
So, first off: We have to sell the Medi-Mart to the Manufactures.
To talk about this, allow me to give a little background on tradeshows:
ECRM provides high end trade shows around the world, In 2004 they attempted to “break into” the medical trade show market. ECRM does hold some "health care" and "pharmacy" shows, but for the most part, the major medical manufactures turned their noses up at ECRM and did their own thing.
Just for the record: ECRM operates out of Cuyahoga County and not one of the shows is anywhere near Northeast Ohio. All are in warm-sunny-vacation-places-with-big-expensive-hotels. Why? Half the year Cleveland has questionable weather, not a vacation spot, nothing to do, a high crime area…hell, all the reasons we gripe about Cleveland.
Now, if you Google the terms “medical conference trade shows” you will see many conferences come up and most are either:
“traveling shows” (manufacturers traveling to cater to the needs of the buyer – close to the hospital or treatment facility saves on time and costs);
The Cleveland Medi-Mart has about a snowballs chance in Mexico City (close to hell, from what I know).
Look, from what I can tell, this Medi-Mart plan is a two part selling system:
MMPI and Cleveland attract the Manufactures.
Manufacturers attract the Buyers.
Then, and only then, can trade shows or medical conferences happen.
Every sales person knows that one of the basic requirements you need to sell your product is to provide an answer for the buyer’s “WIIFM” or “What’s In It For Me?”
So, first off: We have to sell the Medi-Mart to the Manufactures.
To talk about this, allow me to give a little background on tradeshows:
ECRM provides high end trade shows around the world, In 2004 they attempted to “break into” the medical trade show market. ECRM does hold some "health care" and "pharmacy" shows, but for the most part, the major medical manufactures turned their noses up at ECRM and did their own thing.
Just for the record: ECRM operates out of Cuyahoga County and not one of the shows is anywhere near Northeast Ohio. All are in warm-sunny-vacation-places-with-big-expensive-hotels. Why? Half the year Cleveland has questionable weather, not a vacation spot, nothing to do, a high crime area…hell, all the reasons we gripe about Cleveland.
Now, if you Google the terms “medical conference trade shows” you will see many conferences come up and most are either:
“traveling shows” (manufacturers traveling to cater to the needs of the buyer – close to the hospital or treatment facility saves on time and costs);
or
“home shows” (so the manufacture can control their goods and close to the manufacturing site to save on transportation and employee costs);
....neither of which fits Cleveland’s Medi Mart or ECRM’s game plan; both of which answer WIIFM's for the Manufacturers and the Buyers.
Cleveland is not close to ALL the hospitals; nor is it close to ALL the manufacturers. Just to be fair, warm-sunny-vacation-places-with-big-expensive-hotels can’t fill that requirement either (however, ECRM has business in many other markets; Cleveland's Medi-Mart will not).
Basically, it boils down to three things: Location, Location, Location.
If we can’t sell it (‘it’ being Cleveland) to the Manufactures, how can the Medi-Mart work?
No manufactures = no buyers = no conference/trade show = no revenue for the MediMart.
Result: MediMart dies a quite death, we have another failed “attract people to Cleveland” scam and the constituents: another tax burden.
Finally, take a look at what The Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc (MMPI) state in the MediMart concept:
Cleveland-based developer Forest City Enterprises first posited the idea of a medical mart in Cleveland in the mid-1980s. Forest City proposed converting one of its Tower City holdings, the former U.S. Post Office building that now houses the engineering firm Washington Group International’s offices, into a showplace for medical products.
....neither of which fits Cleveland’s Medi Mart or ECRM’s game plan; both of which answer WIIFM's for the Manufacturers and the Buyers.
Cleveland is not close to ALL the hospitals; nor is it close to ALL the manufacturers. Just to be fair, warm-sunny-vacation-places-with-big-expensive-hotels can’t fill that requirement either (however, ECRM has business in many other markets; Cleveland's Medi-Mart will not).
Basically, it boils down to three things: Location, Location, Location.
If we can’t sell it (‘it’ being Cleveland) to the Manufactures, how can the Medi-Mart work?
No manufactures = no buyers = no conference/trade show = no revenue for the MediMart.
Result: MediMart dies a quite death, we have another failed “attract people to Cleveland” scam and the constituents: another tax burden.
Finally, take a look at what The Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc (MMPI) state in the MediMart concept:
Cleveland-based developer Forest City Enterprises first posited the idea of a medical mart in Cleveland in the mid-1980s. Forest City proposed converting one of its Tower City holdings, the former U.S. Post Office building that now houses the engineering firm Washington Group International’s offices, into a showplace for medical products.
Two decades later, Merchandise Mart Properties feels it is time for the medical mart concept to become a reality. MMPI’s interest in investing in Cleveland began with an informal conversation between our company’s president, Christopher Kennedy, and Cuyahoga County Commissioner Tim Hagan in late 2005.
If it is such a great idea, why didn’t MMPI act on it in 20+ years? Now they are on fire and ready to do it, but not in their base markets (Chicago, Boston, New York, LA and somewhere in Canada).
What is different now? Was it just not a good 20 some odd years for MMPI to make extra cash?
Why Cleveland?
Because the Cuyahoga County Taxpayers are forced to cough up the cash & taking the risk; both were shoved down our throats by our elected officials, one of which has been planning the deal for around 2 years!
If the MediMart fails miserably, and I am betting it will, MMPI will loose some money, and little to no bad press, on the venture and we, the taxpayers, will be stuck with the bill.
If MediMart pulls off a Hail Mary and it works, MMPI will enjoy the expansion, however the most the tax payers will get out of it is maybe a thousand jobs and tax revenue; which will be squandered away by Demora and Hagan and the rest of the clowns running Cuyahoga/Cleveland.
In conclusion, these bozos need to drop the delusion or modify it to the vision/dream of "Fix Cleveland, and somebody might consider coming".
If it is such a great idea, why didn’t MMPI act on it in 20+ years? Now they are on fire and ready to do it, but not in their base markets (Chicago, Boston, New York, LA and somewhere in Canada).
What is different now? Was it just not a good 20 some odd years for MMPI to make extra cash?
Why Cleveland?
Because the Cuyahoga County Taxpayers are forced to cough up the cash & taking the risk; both were shoved down our throats by our elected officials, one of which has been planning the deal for around 2 years!
If the MediMart fails miserably, and I am betting it will, MMPI will loose some money, and little to no bad press, on the venture and we, the taxpayers, will be stuck with the bill.
If MediMart pulls off a Hail Mary and it works, MMPI will enjoy the expansion, however the most the tax payers will get out of it is maybe a thousand jobs and tax revenue; which will be squandered away by Demora and Hagan and the rest of the clowns running Cuyahoga/Cleveland.
In conclusion, these bozos need to drop the delusion or modify it to the vision/dream of "Fix Cleveland, and somebody might consider coming".
Until that happens, Demora, Hagan and all those "leaders" (particularly the "party of lower taxes and less government" Republicans, whom tucked tail or SUPPORTED this fiasco) need to be removed from office, ASAP!
Monday, September 10, 2007
The Breastfeeding Nazis are at it again....
Picture this: You are walking through Applebees's parking lot, looking forward to some food and fun with your family or friends. There are 20 women sitting outside heckling the customers while breastfeeding their babies and as you attempt to enter the resturant, they remind everyone that they are picketing the resturant because one of the managers asked a nursing mother to 'cover up with a blanket while breastfeeding, please, as other people found it embarrassing'.
Now, I am a Mom. I did breastfeed for a week or so, but - much to the home nurse the military provided me chargin - decided to stop. I was told that I was depriving Eddie of much needed supplements for fighting infections and growing tall and strong; I was told that if "I just did it right" that "it would be easier" and I "would preferr breastfeeding to anything else". Eddie is now 8 years old, over 5 feet tall and healthy as a horse, strong as an ox and seems to be doing just fine, being that the horrible and decrepid mother I am denying him of his God-Given-Right-To-Breastmilk.
But I digress.
I have had some experiance with the Breastfeeding Nazis. I have walked through stores, been on beaches, movie theaters, and various other public places where I have had to advert my eyes to some chick who is proudly displaying her ta-ta shoved in her rugrats mouth for God, Country and Corps to see. One word: EEEWWW. If you want to play human cow, do it out of my line of sight.
Consider yourself put on notice showing your privates in public is considered leud behavior. I know, I am going to hear "it perfectly natural" and "it is not perverse behavior to feed your child".
Sex is perfectly natural too, however the law states that public desplay of sexual intercourse is deemed inappropriate. Your child having a b.m. or urinating in a diaper is also natural, however we would appreciate it if you would change them IN THE BATHROOM.
If you plan correctly, you can use a breast pump and feed your child no matter if you are dining at Applebee's or the White House. You are a mother, planning ahead shouldn't be a problem, as I am sure you are carrying a diaper bag, right? See, you are already headed in the right direction: preparing for your child's needs while away from the house. Imagine that!
Look, bond with your child, be proud to be a breastfeeding mom, Americans have no problem with that. You do have choices: either stay at home to "spontaneously" feed your rugrat or pump and plan ahead so the rest of America can go about their business without being flashed your child sucking on your breast.
In short: NOBODY WANTS TO SEE YOUR TA-TAs as an appitizer. If you can't plan ahead for your child's needs either COVER IT UP or STAY AT HOME.
Now, I am a Mom. I did breastfeed for a week or so, but - much to the home nurse the military provided me chargin - decided to stop. I was told that I was depriving Eddie of much needed supplements for fighting infections and growing tall and strong; I was told that if "I just did it right" that "it would be easier" and I "would preferr breastfeeding to anything else". Eddie is now 8 years old, over 5 feet tall and healthy as a horse, strong as an ox and seems to be doing just fine, being that the horrible and decrepid mother I am denying him of his God-Given-Right-To-Breastmilk.
But I digress.
I have had some experiance with the Breastfeeding Nazis. I have walked through stores, been on beaches, movie theaters, and various other public places where I have had to advert my eyes to some chick who is proudly displaying her ta-ta shoved in her rugrats mouth for God, Country and Corps to see. One word: EEEWWW. If you want to play human cow, do it out of my line of sight.
Consider yourself put on notice showing your privates in public is considered leud behavior. I know, I am going to hear "it perfectly natural" and "it is not perverse behavior to feed your child".
Sex is perfectly natural too, however the law states that public desplay of sexual intercourse is deemed inappropriate. Your child having a b.m. or urinating in a diaper is also natural, however we would appreciate it if you would change them IN THE BATHROOM.
If you plan correctly, you can use a breast pump and feed your child no matter if you are dining at Applebee's or the White House. You are a mother, planning ahead shouldn't be a problem, as I am sure you are carrying a diaper bag, right? See, you are already headed in the right direction: preparing for your child's needs while away from the house. Imagine that!
Look, bond with your child, be proud to be a breastfeeding mom, Americans have no problem with that. You do have choices: either stay at home to "spontaneously" feed your rugrat or pump and plan ahead so the rest of America can go about their business without being flashed your child sucking on your breast.
In short: NOBODY WANTS TO SEE YOUR TA-TAs as an appitizer. If you can't plan ahead for your child's needs either COVER IT UP or STAY AT HOME.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
What do ya' know...?? Someone IS working at the VA
OK. So, I finally get rated at 90% disability from the Veterans' Administration. So what happens next, the VA screws the pooch again!!!!!!!!!
So, I am sitting at home, minding my own business awaiting the check for the backpay from the new rating.
I go out a check the mail.
The VA has sent me another letter. SHIT! (and several F Bombs being dropped)
With prayers that the VA didn't screw up on the 90% rating, I open the envelope. What do I find? A letter explaining that they forgot to explain why I was getting the pay that I was for the 90%. Wow! This is a head scratcher, as I thought it was pretty plain as to why before they wrote this letter.
Come to find out, they "forgot to explain that I am getting and additional $89 a month for 'loss of a reproductive organ'" dating back to November 2006. Hmmmmmm...you mean that fallopian tube I lost back in 2003 while I was still active duty? Gee, haven't lost any other reproductive organs (not for lack of trying to rid myself of them) since then; at least not that I know of.
Perplexed, I drive down to the DAV and ask them (with a grain of salt) if they know what this is about and do they know of me loosing any organs to the VA since 2003 that I don't know of. They confirm the fact that it is in realation to the fallopian tube in 2003.
This leaves one question:
I, of course, asked this question at the DAV and they said that they were going to submitt for the backpay, adding "When they see this they are going to say 'DUH!'"
Trust me my friends, the simularities don't end there....
Still Un-Employed, Still Suffering from Medical issues, Still praying I will make it through..
In God's Grip
Michelle
So, I am sitting at home, minding my own business awaiting the check for the backpay from the new rating.
I go out a check the mail.
The VA has sent me another letter. SHIT! (and several F Bombs being dropped)
With prayers that the VA didn't screw up on the 90% rating, I open the envelope. What do I find? A letter explaining that they forgot to explain why I was getting the pay that I was for the 90%. Wow! This is a head scratcher, as I thought it was pretty plain as to why before they wrote this letter.
Come to find out, they "forgot to explain that I am getting and additional $89 a month for 'loss of a reproductive organ'" dating back to November 2006. Hmmmmmm...you mean that fallopian tube I lost back in 2003 while I was still active duty? Gee, haven't lost any other reproductive organs (not for lack of trying to rid myself of them) since then; at least not that I know of.
Perplexed, I drive down to the DAV and ask them (with a grain of salt) if they know what this is about and do they know of me loosing any organs to the VA since 2003 that I don't know of. They confirm the fact that it is in realation to the fallopian tube in 2003.
This leaves one question:
"WHY, if I didn't ask for this money -
they are the one that recognized that they screwed up by not giving the allowance to begin with
- did they only back date it to November of 2006 (over 3 years late)?
I, of course, asked this question at the DAV and they said that they were going to submitt for the backpay, adding "When they see this they are going to say 'DUH!'"
Say it isn't so..the VA is quoteing Homer Simpson?!?!
Trust me my friends, the simularities don't end there....
Still Un-Employed, Still Suffering from Medical issues, Still praying I will make it through..
In God's Grip
Michelle
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Aaahhh...MAN I love the smell of Napalm in the morning...
...it smells like victory..
So, I am going from blog sight to blog site looking for a way to keep the blogs that I have interest in contributing to or at least reading regularly, and I can't find one!!
In fustration, I have made my own blog page so I can look at it and go to my sights. If you have happened upon this blog, feel free to drop me a line to say howdy..if not..I will see you out in cyberspace..possibly making a comment on your blog.
Peace, Love and Happiness,
Texan Weazel
So, I am going from blog sight to blog site looking for a way to keep the blogs that I have interest in contributing to or at least reading regularly, and I can't find one!!
In fustration, I have made my own blog page so I can look at it and go to my sights. If you have happened upon this blog, feel free to drop me a line to say howdy..if not..I will see you out in cyberspace..possibly making a comment on your blog.
Peace, Love and Happiness,
Texan Weazel
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