Please Pray for Jennifer

Monday morning, I was talking to my mother. Working weekends at the bar, I don't really get to see much news since I've been putting in close to 40 hours in 3 days. The story she told me made me sick and worried about the world we live in.

Jennifer Daugherty (photo) was 30 years old. Mentally challenged, she was independent enough to regularly take a bus from her home in a town near my home to go to appointments and shop. Last weekend, the trusting Jennifer found her way to a home in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The six scumbags there spent the next 36 hours beating Jennifer with a towel rack and crutch, making her drink urine, bleach, and detergent, and finally stabbing her to death. Her body was then put in a garbage can and left in the parking lot of a local school.

The six suspects are: Robert Loren Masters Jr., 36; Ricky V. Smyrnes, 23; and Melvin Knight, 20, all of 428 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Greensburg; Peggy Darlene Miller, 27, Mt. Pleasant Township; Amber C. Meidinger, 20, of 103 Indiana Drive, Building O, Greensburg; and Angela Marinucci, 17, of Greensburg.


The story hit home for me because having two high-functioning special needs kids, I worry for their safety when I'm gone. Knowing I'm not going to live forever, I've tried to foster independence in them as any parent would, but this story makes me very afraid. What has happened to humanity when those who need the most compassion are fodder for someone's sick games?

The local media here has already tried garnering compassion for one of these sick freaks. Apparently, Amber Meidinger's mother had tried to sell her for $10,000 when Amber was six years old. What the hell does that have to do with poor Amber's involvement with this crime? The bleeding hearts would say that because she spent so much time in foster care that it emotionally scarred her. Boo freakin' hoo for Amber. She's still a scumbag.

As parents, we try to nurture our children to survive in this tough world. Parents with children who have limited understanding have it even tougher. Bastards like these six make me wonder if there is anything at all we parents can do to fully prepare our kids.

Today's society seems to have devalued human life to the point of almost no return. Distortion of abortion by the feminist movement coupled with light sentencing for heinous acts in the name of "understanding" has produced a generation of people who have no regard for life. To this generation, life has no value.

Also at issue is the fact that society no longer puts a stigma on the word "retarded." Used freely by many people and those in high offices (I'm talking to you, Mr. Emanuel!), I've always found the word offensive when used as an insult. Those who struggle with mental handicaps didn't ask for the added challenge of trying to fit into society and be accepted by us "normal" people. The lack of a stigma using the "r" word in a derogatory manner has taken away the compassion and understanding that the mentally challenged need.

I think innocent life should be held in the highest regard. I use the qualifier "innocent" because I believe in the death penalty. And if any people deserve it, it's these people. I think, though, that lethal injection would be too easy for them. Bring back Ol' Sparky or, better yet, make them relive what they did to Jennifer through her eyes. THAT would be justice well served.

As of last night, the report is that this will be prosecuted as a hate crime. Thank God some common sense has temporarily taken hold in the DOJ.

I ask that you please say a prayer for Jennifer, one of the newest members of God's legion of angels. She is happy, loved, and safe. Though missed by this world, we will meet her one day in Heaven. I truly believe that.

To join the Facebook group for Jennifer, please click here. Thank you! -- B & G

Obamacare: Screw This!!! I'm Pissed!!!

This article was put up on cnsnews.com on July 30, and I somehow missed it. This hits close to home, and it scares the hell out of me.

House Health-Care Bill Would Establish 'Medical Homes' for the Elderly and Disabled
Thursday, July 30, 2009
By Marie Magleby

A copy of H.R. 3200, America Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 sits on the desk of House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., after the markup on the health care bill was postponed on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 29, 2009. (AP photo/Susan Walsh)

(CNSNews.com) - The House health-care reform bill proposes to decrease hospital visits by establishing a “medical home pilot program” for elderly and disabled Americans.

Such a medical home would not require a physician to be on the staff, and therefore could be run solely by nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Medical homes also would practice “evidence-based” medicine, which advocates only the use of medical treatments that are supported by effectiveness research.

But physicians’ groups say the legislation could lead to restrictions on which treatments may be used for certain conditions, despite the fact that some patients might require a unique or unconventional approach. It also may lead to dumping Medicare/Medicaid patients in facilities that are not required to have physicians on staff.

The Center for Medicine in the Public Interest (CMPI) expressed its concerns in a report that explains why statistical evidence does not always reflect reality of effective medicine.

“‘One size fits all’ rarely does,” the report said. “From clothes to shoes to hats, few people find that items carrying that label work with their individual bodies. So why do we entrust the health of our bodies -- one of the most important assets we have -- to a one-size-fits-all mentality?”

According to CMPI and individual physicians, however, this one-size-fits-all mentality is just what congressional health-care reform suggests.

“Unfortunately, policies being advanced under the guise of ‘evidence-based medicine’ (EBM) could do just that,” the CMPI report said. “The idea behind EBM, empowering physicians with sound evidence to incorporate into their treatment decisions for individual patients, is a good one.

“Unfortunately, EBM now is being distorted by government bureaucrats and HMOs in ways that impose top-down, one-size-fits-all restrictions on patients and their healthcare providers.”

Rather than enforcing a formulaic approach to medicine based on statistical and clinical research, CMPI says health-care reform should preserve physicians’ autonomy to use the research in conjunction with their experience and knowledge of the patient.

”It is so critically important for the physician to maintain his or her ability to combine study findings with their expertise and knowledge of the individual in order to make the optimal treatment decisions. Evidence-based medicine in its present, distorted form emphasizes just one aspect of the clinical pie over all the others,” the report found.

Kathryn Serkes of the American Association for Physicians and Surgeons echoed the observation.

“There is no typical patient,” Serkes told CNSNews.com. “Every patient is different from a medical perspective. If we have evidence-based medicine that basically says ‘well, we start at treatment one, which leads you to treatment two, to treatment three to treatment four. In practice, that doesn’t work for the patient. That’s the ‘art’ part of the art and science of medicine. That’s what we still need doctors to do, is to figure out what’s right for the patient.”

In the long run, according to CMPI, evidence-based medicine may not even cut costs as Congress suggests it would.

“Evidence-based medicine may provide transitory savings in the short term, but the same patient who takes the cheapest available statin today may very well be the patient costing you -- the taxpayer, the policymaker, the thought-leader, the sister, the spouse -- big bucks when that patient ends up in the hospital because of improperly treated cardiovascular disease,” .

“The repercussions of choosing short-term thinking over long-term results and cost-based medicine over patient-based are pernicious to both the public purse and the public health,” the CMPI report said.

Provisions for the medical home pilot program are an amendment to the Social Security Act, which governs the administration of Medicare and Medicaid services.

The medical home is an approach to medical practice that “facilitates partnerships” between patients and physicians, according to the proposed bill.

The pilot program targets Medicare beneficiaries who have a high medical “risk score” or who require regular monitoring, advising or treatment. This currently applies to more than 22 million Americans, according to Kaiser Family Foundation statistics.

At least $1.5 billion would be redirected from the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund to fund the medical homes, “in addition to funds otherwise available,” according to the bill.

The Senate health-care reform bill also includes provisions for medical homes, although to lesser detail than the House bill.

If this portion of the legislation passes through Congress, medical homes will be part of the greater health-care reform experiment known as "the public (health insurance) option."

According to the committee, the provisions for medical homes will make the public option a stronger competitor against private health insurance companies.

“The public health insurance option will be empowered to implement innovative delivery reform initiatives so that it is a nimble purchaser of health care and gets more value for each health care dollar,” the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s summary says about the bill.

Medical homes are tied to “comparative effectiveness research” via something called “evidence-based medicine.”

“It will expand upon the experiments put forth in Medicare and be provided the flexibility to implement value-based purchasing, accountable care organizations, medical homes, and bundled payments. These features will ensure the public option is a leader in efficient delivery of quality care, spurring competition with private plans,” the committee’s summary also said.

A statement by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) said that the effectiveness of the medical home model should be carefully evaluated before applying the model far and wide.

“There should be more research to demonstrate the benefits and continuing costs associated with implementation of the full (patient-centered medical home) model,” the ACEP statement said.

“Demonstration projects being conducted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must be carefully evaluated. There should be proven value in healthcare outcomes for patients and reduced costs to the healthcare system before there is widespread implementation of this model.”

The proposal, meanwhile, specifically allows for facilities to be run by staff who do not possess medical degrees – including nurses and nurse practitioners.

More caring from the compassionate left. Hear me when I say this; I WILL DIE before letting my kids get put in one of these homes. Anyone with disabled or elderly loved ones needs to heed the warning we've just gotten.

*crying*

I Forgot One...Here Comes KOOK to Save the Day

This was KOOK's comment in regards to my disability post. He saved my butt by bringing up obesity as a disability.

"This pi$$es me off as well. Disability is the new welfare. There is no clock on disablity.

I know of people who have been put on disability for life because they have a math learning disorder...well hell...so do I.

you forgot Obese. I am a big boy, but some of these folks I see, at the ages they are...holy cow. I know sometimes it is diabetes, or a thyroid problem, but when I see some Grizzly Bear wolfing down crab rangoons by the dozen at the chinese buffet and then waddle out to their minivan with the disabled placard it pisses me right off.

Hey, Shamu, lay off the ho-ho's and you would be fine.

Like I said, I am not a light weight, but just last night I went out for Pizza and a few cold ones and there was a whole family. Daddy Bear (huge), Mama Bear (even huger), and two little baby bears.

The pre-teens weighed close to what I do if they weighed an ounce. That is just gross man.

I gained about 50lbs after my divorce and I still got it, but when you are twelve and pushing 220 you got problems and it starts with your parents."

Amen!

The Entitlement Crowd: Take Two

Image via Wikipedia

I have a feeling this post is going to do one of two things: get people angry at the system or get people really hacked off at me. It's kind of a double-edged sword. After yesterday's post on the welfare entitlement crowd, I decided to jump into another group of the same crowd: those who claim disability under false pretenses.

I am not so insensitive that I can't understand what people with disabilities endure. I have watched my two autistic kids struggle with coping in what can be a very cruel world. There are those who are truly disabled, and they deserve all the care and support we as Christians and human beings can give. They aren't the problem.

The problem lies in the people who decide that for whatever reason, they don't want to work, but they know they don't qualify for welfare. So, let's work the system: claim disability and collect Social Security Disability benefits. I don't know which group I find more offensive.

I did a little digging last night in preparation for this post. I found a partial list of qualifying disabilities under Social Security. As you read it, don't be surprised if some of the challenges you face in this life qualify. These are some of the things that I don't think should truly qualify as a disability.

• Loss of speech -- Yes, this could be a secondary symptom of a serious disorder of another class, but come on. Sign language...ever hear of that??
• Asthma -- My daughter has dealt with asthma. There are many great medications out there to deal with an attack and also as a preventative.
• Sleep-related Breathing Disorders -- Do you snore or suffer from sleep apnea? Well, then come on down and get a share of other people's money.
• Persistent and chronic skin lesions -- What exactly is the criteria for a lesion, and how does that affect one's ability to work? If anyone has an answer, please let me know.
• Diabetes -- A growing problem in this society, diabetes CAN be managed. My husband is Type 2 and works 60-80 hours a week. If your diabetes is so far gone that they have amputated body parts, disregard this.
• Anxiety -- I suffer from panic attacks and severe anxiety. I can control these with medication, and blogging has become my therapy. So if you're tense and anxious and have no desire to work, there's a check for you.
• This one really gets me....SUBSTANCE ABUSE -- Since when did not taking repsponsibility for your vices become a disability??? Do you smoke? Get a check. Do you drink? Get a check. Do you enjoy crack and other illegal drugs? Get a check. What a boffo idea! Let's give people money because they have a crack problem! They would NEVER think of buying more crack with it, right?

Along with getting cash for a qualifying disability, you automatically qualify for Medicaid. The public teat is going dry, but there are those who will continue to say they're disabled to avoid working. What a crock!!!

In years past, the advocates for rights of the handicapped have said that they are "handicapable". Wonderful programs are out there to help people learn to live with whatever crappy hand they have been dealt. What happened to using a "disability" to prove you can conquer it and be a productive member of society? My kids are high-functioning (Thanks to God) and have proven that it is possible to make it through challenges we all face. Yes, autism qualifies as a disability.

The people who make me the most mad are those who tell their kids to go to school and act out to be diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. Yep...both disabilities. While my son was doing in-home therapy to learn to communicate and reason, welfare reform had been passed. In Pennsylvania, that meant you got two years of benefits in your lifetime. That's it. I asked the therapist what her thoughts were about the people who have come to expect someone else to give them money every month. All of a sudden, they gotta work. Heaven forbid!!! She told me that having their kids act out to collect disability was the new welfare scheme being perpetrated by the non-workers of the time. Doesn't that just make you sick?

I think it's high time that people start attaching shame to what these people are doing. It takes away from those who truly need disability benefits and jades the rest of us.

Is that Tweedledee and Tweedledum I see coming? Think I better go find the Mad Hatter.