3 Times A ...

Something ...will cause me to stand up and speak out. Lately, there have been three issues: the 'mind-boggling', the 'ridiculous', and the ...'What the...??'. You can be the judge as to which scenario gets which title.

#1: It has now been three years that the newest CEO has been in charge of our local hospital and led the way out of bankruptcy. Good deal!! It has also now been three years that I have been championing the cause of rheumatology at our hospital [where I volunteer]. For 20 years, it has been necessary for me to drive 45 minutes to a bigger city to consult with a rheumatologist about my RA. Since there are more than 100 kinds of arthritis, I figure that fellow 'baby boomers' will be joining the ranks of the 'traveling for treatment' in large numbers. That, in addition to, the current roster of already identified patients makes me shake my head in amazement. We have three senior citizen high rise apartment complexes and a city of about 30,000 people , and yet there is NOT a single rheumatologist in town. I am young, don't mind driving in traffic, and like my doctor. However, when he retires, it would be nice to have a local doctor. I stop by the CEO's office regularly as I continue to keep 'em focused on the issue by casually talking with my graceful hands , bringing some glads [We will be so GLAD when we finally have a local dr.], and suggesting that maybe a 'wider recruitment net' needs to be cast by advertising in The New York Times!! Evidently, the bottom line is money...and not that it is a necessary service that would benefit many people.

#2: This very same town does NOT have a single gas station that employs someone who will pump the gas into your car. Again, I'm thinking there are many people in town who don't really have the desire or maybe the expertise to dispense this highly combustible liquid into their car! And they don't want to have to ask someone to do it....they would gladly PAY someone to do it. So I made an appointment with the mayor who coincidentally is a former fire chief!! He agreed with me, didn't really have a solution, but said he'd bring it up to 'the powers that be." I just don't get it.

Heck, in NJ it is illegal to pump your own gas. And it is cheaper, too!! Do they know something we should know?

#3: A Dante poster caught my attention on the respiratory therapist's wall where I had an appointment and it made me think. There is a Saturday talk radio station that I used to listen to every week. In the beginning, 'Radio Ron' started slowly and did not get many callers. It was entertaining, and sometimes you learned something, too. Then it began to lean toward a political forum with sarcasm as a regular guest. I didn't mind his references to the 'powerticians' or 'Government Motors' because they were general people and business, but then it became specific. He would do a 'play on words' by changing part of the politicians' names. And when he coined a less than desirable nickname for the President, it made me crazy, and I stopped listening. I caught a couple of minutes of the show on 9/11, and another new parody had been invented. Well, the teacher in me who fought the 'bullies' , the 'haves vs the have nots', and 'truth said in jest' in my schools and classrooms could remain silent no more. I phoned his business[ he owns it], made an appointment, and drove 45 minutes to express my concerns. I told him that I wasn't there to debate any political issues; rather that it was his method of communication that I found to be inappropriate and hurtful. He told me that it was sarcasm and it was meant to add some humor to the discussion. Why is it that sarcasm gets a pass masquerading as humor? And statements said 'in jest' aren't meant seriously to hurt people...really? I shared that it was the fact that he had a public platform on the radio, and with that comes power and responsibility. I wanted to meet him, and ask that he show some respect for the President of our country regardless of his personal opinions because we sure could use some solidarity as a nation. There are definitely problems that need to be addressed.

On a personal level, he shared his experiences taking care of his father who developed Altzeimers and the roller coaster ride that followed. I left with a different perspective of him.

I had voiced my opinion, and I hope that at the very least it caused him to think.

So, which scenario are you voting for as 'ridiculous, mind boggling, and 'what the ???'