Jail Is Not Enough

Occasionally incarceration is simply not enough for many of the inmates that reside in the various jails
and prisons throughout the country. There are quite a few inmates that desperately need to be sent to
mental health facilities or receive extensive in jail therapy compared to incarceration alone.

I write this not for the sake of the inmates but for the countless people who will be affected when these people are once again released. This is due to the fact that these inmates are likely to be released and incarcerated time and time again. While trying to find statistics on the amount of mentally ill inmates, I found some disturbing information on  http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2006/09/05/us-number-mentally-ill-prisons-quadrupled  a human rights website.The Human Rights Watch site states since six years ago, the number of mentally incarcerated individuals has "nearly quadrupled".

Change needs to happen and happen now. There are too many disturbed and violent individuals that will cause harm to others when simply released without any intervention. In fact, a lot of inmates can cause harm while in jail or prison. I know a young woman whose ex is currently serving time in a local jail. This individual has sent letters and has gotten other inmates to give him their i.d. number so that he can call her. Although she has a no contact order on him that of course does not stop him. This particular individual has been in jail more times than I could possibly list, but the number one reason would be assault. This man uses violence as a way of controlling women, making them too afraid to leave him. He has done this over and over again since the age of 18. This man is now in his mid 30's and it is safe to say the system has failed.

Another instance of this would be the previous mentioned man's brother. This mans brother has also been in jail repeatedly and suffers from severe bi polar disorder and schizophrenia.   This man we will call Bill, recently went off of his medicine and brutally sexually assaulted his spouse and is now in prison. Like his brother, Bill will be eventually released and without intervention this could happen again and perhaps to a completely unsuspecting person who is in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Unlike the Humans Rights Watch group, I am not worried about the inmates but the victims, both past and future. We need to take drastic measure to ensure that people who committed certain crimes are not only punished but reformed in a way that jail alone cannot and will not do. These individuals should not be allowed to enter society again until detailed exams have been performed and these individuals are proved to be trustworthy to the public at large.

I realize my views may seem extreme, but I have seen too many injured whether it be physically or mentally by these types of individuals and I truly believe with all my heart that drastic may be the only way to correct the problem.  

This Valentine's Day Give Something Special

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, many are already thinking about what to get that special someone. However, I say give a little of yourself this year. 

Several years ago around this time, I had a severe medical emergency and had to receive 8 pints of blood. If it wasn't for the large caring hearts of blood donors I certainly would not be here to write this today. So this Valentine's Day I encourage you to give a little of yourself and donate blood. There are so many people in need everyday. I can tell you first hand that it does save lives and those people who lives you save are indeed so grateful.

If you would like to donate or want more information on donating blood you can go to  http://www.redcrossblood.org  to find our more information, find a local blood drive or schedule an appointment. I highly recommend looking at the recipients story's to fully understand how important donating blood really is. 

Happy Valentines To All And Please Give Blood

Other Ways Bad Credit Makes Us Suffer

As we all know, bad credit can keep us from doing a multitude of things. This includes renting a house or apartment, being able to finance a car or home. The worst of all in my opinion, would be that employers are allowed to deny us employment based on our credit history. 

Like many people, my credit is far from flawless. I do not see how that could or should stop myself or any other hard working American the right to employment. Apparently some employers use credit checks as part of their background checks. I believe that background checks should be used, but a persons credit in no way reflects their character or ability to perform a job well. While reading different articles on this subject I found one on MSN http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Banking/YourCreditRating/how-bad-credit-can-cost-you-a-job.aspx that has a brief section that more or less states in instances where people would potentially work with money or other valuables, credit checks are used to "weed" people out because money and things like jewelry could be easily stolen. 

The fact that employers have the audacity to link bad credit with being a criminal (at least in my opinion) is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. My credit may not be perfect but that does not make me a thief. The same applies for the thousands of others that are unemployed and cannot pay their bills because they cannot find employment. And in some cases they cant get employment because they cannot pay their bills. This does not mean that people even with horrible credit are not trustworthy. Instead, this simply means that they are individuals who through bad decisions or bad circumstances were not able to take care of financial obligations.

The practice of credit checks as part of background checks needs to stop, especially now that so many Americans are unemployed and need employment, not to be judged as unworthy because of their credit. There are two states ( Hawaii and Washington) that do not allow employers to run credit as part of the screening process and I believe it is high time that 48 others follow suit.

When The Law Is Not On Your Side

For many suing seems like something that any individual can do at any time to anybody. I am here to put this myth to rest and to bring to light horrible injustices that are allowed to be done everyday to normal people such as you and I.

Now to begin with, I do not endorse or encourage the act of suing just to do so. I believe that practice is deplorable and ultimately makes it so that people with legitimate claims have a harder time even getting their case to trial. Instead, I am writing because of the laws that are in place that make individuals who by all accounts should be able to sue not even get their case to the courthouse steps.

In the case of Medical Malpractice, the law leans heavily on the side of doctors with  the exception of gross negligence that results in death and other such circumstances. Those cases are naturally deserving of going to court but what about cases of negligence that puts a patients life in danger? The answer is startling. Most attorneys especially those that deal primarily with auto accidents and medical malpractice, will not take such a case to court. I have heard numerous accounts where individuals were told that you cannot sue even if a doctor "screws up".

One such case, a young woman was taken to the hospital via ambulance complaining of severe stomach pains and vomiting blood. The nightmare started when she was left waiting for six hours in the ER without any doctor ever seeing the patient. It has been my experience that usually ER doctors see patients according to their complaint, this was not the case. There was literally a crack addict who had no interest in being seen, put ahead of this person while they were literally being drained of life from eternal bleeding. The nightmare continued. Surgery was performed on the woman and she had to have most of her stomach and some intestines removed. This was an unusual case where an ulcer had ruptured and instead of the usual perforation in the stomach, the stomach actually "looked like a hand grenade was swallowed" and the stomach exploded. 

Shortly after surgery this individuals blood pressure steadily dropped until it hit 77/33 and action was taken. It was than noted that the patient had not been sewn and stapled as is customary but only stapled instead. This caused the young woman to hemorrhage again in less than a 24 hour period and had to be resuscitated before the second surgery was even performed. In this case the primary surgeon told the woman in front of witnesses, that he screwed up because he did not sew her as well as staple her.

This young woman suffers everyday with a slew of abnormal conditions. Her family doctor even told her that something is severely wrong and cannot with complete confidence tell her what due to the fact that even the medical records are in disarray and contradict each other. As appalling as this all sounds, this woman's case has not been taken to court and none of the many attorneys that she contacted would touch this case because "doctors are allowed to screw up." 

There must be changes made to the laws. How can it not be punishable to jeopardize someones life multiple times in less than 24 hour , and they are left to suffer the consequences. 

Veterinary visits and the pain they cause you

 I like many people am the proud parent of three. Unlike some however, all my kids have fur coats and eat out of bowls on the floor instead of at the table. My motley crew of canine companions are the world to me. As we all know, when our pets get sick our first reaction is worry and concern. It should not be worry and concern for the bill that is going to follow.

 I have noticed recently that vet offices, like everything else these days are hiking their prices. My Great Dane who is the love of my life, put me in debt 1,500.00 recently.  I know your asking why write about this, we all have had this problem. The problem is that blood work and one x-ray is not even that expensive at most human facilities. The thing that ruffles my fur the most (no pun intended), is that in my case I was given two options: let my dog be sick, or pay the exorbitant fees. My feelings are the same for human doctors as well, no one should have to suffer with the thought that they or the ones they love (furry or not) cannot get the help they need because of inability to pay.

There are options out there but not all locations have them. I believe the A.S.P.C.A. a wonderful organization, will help with low cost vet care but if you are like myself, I live in a rural community where there is not one available. So while I remain in debt up to eyeballs, I say it is time that all community's at large take action and create programs that cater to those who cannot afford to line a Vets pocket with the money that should be going to care for their family. I believe we all have the right to own pets and should not have to be forced to give them up or worse because we cannot afford veterinary care.