Raging (Against The Machine)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting#

The American political system is one of the most complex in the world, because that's exactly the way it was designed to be, to prevent tampering and corruption. Given the heightened emotional climate surrounding our political process, it's no wonder that outside observers around the world feel it is a rigged game, like my Eastern European friends at the local barber shop who emigrated from countries with gross human rights violations and completely fixed elections.

Their former governments have trained them not to have a say in politics, because if they do, riots and bloody wars will break out, bringing years of crippling economic insecurity and societal unrest for what could be many decades. They've been tricked into apathy and indifference by believing that nothing they say or do matters, therefore why should they bother voting or speaking up to make a difference, if it only brings you and your family more pain? It absolves them from feeling responsible or guilty about their government, which is the exact opposite of freedom, like their casually superficial cynicism that goes nowhere and does nothing to solve our human problems.

For example (like I told my Russian-American hairdresser, Katy), most people around the world don't realize that our constitution reads "We, the people..." because there is no "us" or "them" in the United States. We are our system of representation. Over 1.5 million (MILLION) people work in Washington D.C., for all sorts of national departments and federal agencies within our government (not including state and local levels), with key positions avidly sought (and campaigned for) that often begin with the relatively simple process of collecting signatures door-to-door. That's right. You read that correctly.

We teach government from the earliest grades in our educational school systems. Katy and I also discussed that in the barbershop, because she attended design school in Russia and is fluent in English, which makes her atypical from many newly-arrived immigrants, like my great-grandparents from Italy who were poor farmers. She complained about the easy questions on the American citizenship test designed for your tired, hungry, and poor "masses yearning to be free" (as written on the Statue of Liberty) who are learning a new language; not just hip, well-educated designers with an active part in their destinies.

Peaceful, non-violent elections every four years are the foundations of our freedoms. That's shocking, isn't it? No coups, no fratricides, and there's no rioting in the streets. Were it the same for sporting events! Just the sweet hard work that is our freedom. It isn't perfect, problem-free, or dispassionate, but it is exactly what the rest of the struggling world wants. You just have to work at it every day, like we do. Throwing away your vote is one of the biggest symptoms that something is very wrong with you and your life, to care so little about your future and your fate. Or maybe you're just not American enough to participate? THEN, VOTE.

Lord of the Flies

All across the nation, American voters cast their ballots in hopes of voting into effect those necessary changes that will help us reach what we define as our "Manifest Destiny*": hopes that each and every one of us have about the future world we want to live in, by passing those values onto the next generation through our right to vote, even if we don't live to see those helpful changes put into place. We see this vast land that we live in as part of G-d's sacred covenant with man, an unbroken promise about delivering us into "The Promised Land", so that it's more to us than some petty pissing contest or ego trip. 

We are actually crafting the very world we live in. It's a very active culture to participate in, one that has defined us as being the world leader for freedom in action, by granting every citizen the exact same vote of "one". Today, all across America, you are an "Army of One", as holy and united as any other land that has come before you, or that will exist into the future. With that in mind, I expect you to rise above the phony posturing that has defined media culture in modern times. You are not voting for "pretty", although you should look to pleasing human symmetry as a sign of good health. You should not vote for "rich"; you should vote for someone who is willing to reach deep into their own pockets to do what they say they will, just like I do.

It goes without saying that your votes should count towards our shared visions of good health and happiness for those who come after us, and if you know of people on the ballot who do not openly share those hopes about a shared good future, don't vote for them. If you have only one option to vote for, then ask yourself why more people haven't come forward to put themselves in the spotlight with the money required to become a candidate: how bad is the corruption around you? Are you passive? Do you do nothing in the face of corruption? Then, you are the very problem we seek to address through these public acts of voting and legislation. If you are too incompetent to vote, then you have to ask yourself why you are even an American citizen, so lazy and complacent as you are in the face of citizenship.

Many people have lived and died on much less than the principles that you are putting into action today. We have been instructed by His Holiness in Rome to vote into office those officials who actively support our unified goals about the preservation of our Earth, as our birthright from The Creator. You do not have the right to destroy this planet, or any of the lifeforms on this Earth. Witness this: I have an infestation of fruit flies in my current apartment, in part due to the noncompliance of the law by those people in my direct environs, in part due to the natural biochemical process by which organic matter breaks down, because that's exactly what happens when you recycle all the plastic and metal that you use. You only have food garbage leftover as trash.

So, answer me this: why am I the only person who cares enough to follow the law in this household that is not exactly of my choosing? How can a supposed "wealthy" man be foolishly considered a prominent business owner, respectable enough to own property, lording this power over his tenants by using them as puppets in his mental games that openly flaunt the laws we live by? How can he be considered "rich" in our society?! He stands for everything we despise: he's arrogant but illiterate (I had to talk him through his own business contract, which he then breaks), he's delusional and cowardly, he hides behind the people he depends on for money, like mocking the openly drunk mentally ill women who pay him Section 8 money from the state every month: how can he be better than them? He can't be.

And so, just like the representative from the sanitation department at Pearl River Day who stonewalled me by not giving me any straight answers about composting** in New York State, this one lowly man is deceived into thinking that he can openly disparage my efforts at recycling by myself without censure, when he and every other tenant does not recycle according to our very own laws, every single week, right underneath your noses. If you do not enforce your own laws, you are part of this corrupt system that we will replace. And make no mistake about it: you will be voted out, because today, on this day in November 2015, we (the truly elect of this world you live in) have drawn a dividing line between the rotten and the righteous that cannot be undone. Take comfort. You are not alone.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8799.html

*    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifest_destiny
**  http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/294.html

Say Something

9/11 brought many changes to the New York lifestyle, chief among them being an awareness about security and our vulnerabilities. 
It seems laughable now that we had such open systems, but in the quest for freedom, we sometimes skew towards the lax instead of what is actually reasonable. The first popularization of what has become the country's motto began in the subways of our fair Gotham, with one very powerful slogan that deeply reflects our inherent honesty as a culture, with this sentiment: If you see something, say something. (https://www.dhs.gov/see-something-say-something)

I tried it out for myself one Sunday afternoon, traveling by train from Rockland County through Secaucus Junction in New Jersey, on my way back to Park Slope in Brooklyn, after visiting my mom over the weekend. An average, middle-aged white woman left behind a medium-sized bag on the rack above the seats; something that's typically expected from a city tourist, but not the commuting locals. 

I immediately noticed it, and said something to the very next ticket agent I saw coming down the aisle. The woman in question happened to be an off-the-clock transit worker who left her belongings behind, but that didn't deter me at all from doing the right thing. You shouldn't be swayed by some slight (and temporary) discomfort, either: http://web.mta.info/mta/security/.

We built this society as free people, and it is up to us to maintain it properly. I submit to you as an example that of my upstate people, who relish this current opportunity to partner up with law enforcement, so that we may catch our criminals who escaped (with inside help, of course) from our state prison, as they head(ed) north to another country. It is not our way to leave problem-solving to our neighbors, because we patrol what we love. 

One more to go! Keep up the great work. Be safe, follow the law, respect our officers in times of crisis, and always defer to the trained authorities who work extremely hard to track our society's convicted murderers: http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/26/us/new-york-prison-break/. You're doing a phenomenal job.

 

1-888-NYC-SAFE

Make Your Voice Heard

Today's "Mission Impossible": get involved. Whew! Wow, so hard...

Hey, friends! Over the next few years, I'm going to talk and write about hearing loss (which is congenital in my family) in a way that's constructive and helpful, because I've found that the current dialogue (when it is present) is wayyy crazy (read: typically human). I tested the waters recently with a group of my senior friends, a really well-educated and hip crowd, and they had stunned, scared looks on their faces. Oh. Not a good sign. It's a contentious topic, mostly because it's been co-opted artificially by health insurance companies that do not work for you. They work for money and profit. I think it's self-explanatory, but you'd be surprised by the level of ignorance people have when they are resistant to adult subject matter, ie: "not fun" stuff, like a Florida vacation. Oy. New Yorkers!

Anywho, let's get on with it. I'll go first: I started losing volume in one ear around age 30-32, a time typical for great bodily change in mature women, and so it was with me, too. My live-in boyfriend noticed it first, and then I noticed it at work. Aha! My dad is deaf, and so was his sister, my late aunt; actually, they're much more impaired than I am, but that's also an outcome of their generation's neglect. Well, I got diagnosed early on (wrongly at first, but that's a story for another day), learned all about it, became an expert so as to self-advocate for me and my health, and now I can share it with you all.

It's kind of a scary process: you get locked into a sound-proof booth, and it feels like you're taking a test that you know you're going to fail. Uh oh. Yeah, I know, but do it anyway. Just like any subject, a big "Fear of the Unknown" factor compounds and effects wrongly our attitudes about health care. I had my teeth cleaned by my dentist yesterday, and there's some pain and discomfort involved. I know that from years of experience, so I practiced deep breathing exercises while watching Will Farrell on t.v. dressed up like a green pilgrim for St. Pat's Day, knowing I was being tended to and cared for by a real Rockland County kid (my new dentist: such a nice boy!), whose parents own the jewelry store across the street. In other words, I'm home!

But first, we need to address the inequity that exists in health care and within their corporate culture. I was told by a rep at a well-known health insurance company back in the day that my hearing loss was "cosmetic" (and that it would "NEVER", an actual direct quote: "Never be covered by health insurance") because I am relatively young and no one can see it on my face, like seeing a squinting blind person with thick glasses. Can you imagine a rep saying that to someone born near-sighted? Insane! So, first, let's get it straight: as complex as hearing is compared to vision (thus making it more expensive, naturally), you must first accept the concept that hearing devices are like glasses for the ears.

That's it, folks. It's simply this: giving assistance where it's needed, and as it's needed. Get involved in the conversation by talking about it with someone today. Start there, and then let's build on top of that. Let's do this thing! Thanks to Tracey in town for supplying me with the handy dandy hand-out you see pictured below. More to follow on this topic in the future. Be sure of that.  Good day to you all!

http://www.hearingaidtaxcredit.org/