JUST POTPOURRI

A traumatic weekend in which not only  can my Alma Mater demonstrate how to lose a “won” football game in the last five minutes, but then to have to suffer through a Jet game. Wait till next year may be possible.

At least college basketball season is around the corner as is the elections. Too soon for basketball and these elections will have to be the subject of another blog.

Thank goodness tomorrow night the LWV local candidate’s forum will take place. The Green and Campbell tickets for this non-partisan BOE election will be on display. The bigger question will be if Gloria Taylor will show up for the Council candidates’ portion of the forum.

Although the mid-term elections for the control of the houses pf Congress is this year; here in NJ it has been a very quiet race. Who are the Republican candidates? I have no knowledge about those I could vote for.

The “House” races in NJ for years  is usually a non-contested one in as much as the Districts have been so gerrymandered that they are all safe.

If a Republican is elected Senator in NJ then that snowball will freeze.

FOLLOW UP ON PARASITE

The responses I received regarding my blog “Parasite’ were exactly as expected; some highly critical and many more supportive.

Although the true answer could come on November 4th, the general election time, as I write this I am afraid that the usual “what use is it, I can’t do anything about it” attitude will prevail.

The answer is of course we do have at election time the freedom of choice to vote for individuals and not to be “party bound”.
We, all of us have fought in one way or another for that right and should use it. Many times in a strongly one party dominated electoral unit, as in pseudo-democracies such as Russia or Nazi Germany with their 99% majority or go to jail elections the results is similar. However, there are many times in this country when the people’s voice is triumphant.

If you do not exercise your right you acquiesce to boss politics.

There was one-the first- comment, anonymous of  course, that I felt was typical of the bigoted blind political followers of our local party leader. I am reprinting it for specific comments:  The comment is in blue.

Doc, I am so disgusted with you. Who are you to name call by calling some one a parasite, grow up with your name calling, you are nothing but a bully with a computer.Really? Gloria is doing what whites folks have done and continue to do.

This infers that all “whites” and no “blacks” game the system, i.e. cheat; an unfortunate racist statement. I am sure that the majority of African-Americans as do the Caucasians accept their community responsibilities. Paying affordable taxes is one of them.

Just because this intelligent, strong Black woman was able to be smart enough to retire with benefits don't hate on her.

I have never objected to Gloria Taylor’s own pension benefits other than wish I could have had such a program. I have written that they are legal. . I have no object to the tax exemption for those veterans that are unable to work due to war service injuries, or for their widows. We owe them. It is the amount that makes her more independent than more than half of the residents in Plainfield that is the problem.

Your distain for her is apparent, but look at yourself before you point fingers at her.
You are right, I do have a distain for her. She has earned it not only with her attitude as a Councilwoman pontificating righteously on some subject at every meeting, plus her rudeness towards another Councilor.

Also, at the August 19 Council meeting she not only disrespected me along with other bloggers by saying that bloggers (except one who is a professional) should be disregarded because “all they publish is propaganda”. That is indirect slander.

She followed up in a private conversation with me after the meeting by saying I had no right to blog because “I was not a journalist”. Obviously the Constitution and the first Amendment’s freedom of speech which we live under means nothing to her.

I dare you to call her a parasite in her face. If her husband was alive his foot would still be in your, whatever. Would you threaten me with violence?

Grow up, you are a Bully with a small following that has no power. Ah the JG machine has spoken.

Another wrote:” it is very inappropriate of you to maybe unintentionally minimize the great service and sacrifice made by Mr. Taylor, her husband to this great nation”.

I never wrote that Rick Taylor as a Vietnam veteran did not deserve the benefits that those who served there were entitled to if they met the criteria, and he did.

I have a great deal of common sympathy for those who have served this country in combat and also respect those who were fortunate enough to serve in non-combat posts. FYI, I am entitled to wear the following decorations: Purple Heart Medal, Combat Medical Badge, Glider Badge, Distinguished Unit Badge, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three Bronze Battle Stars and Arrowhead*. Why would I disrespect anyone who served?

The “Arrowhead” is for a combat glider landing. Try enjoying flying through flack.

DIABETES & VETERAN'S TAX EXEMPTION

I recently posted a blog about the property tax exemption for disabled Veteran’s. The intent of course was to take care of those whose battle field injuries prevented them from earning a living.

As a result in the Vietnam War of the use of Agent Orange a known causer of cancers, birth defects, and other disorders those veterans who had been in Vietnam and developed those diseases were entitled to the property exemption benefit.

Although there has been no conclusive evidence of a causative relationship between AO and diabetes mellitus type 2 in about 2000 it too was added to the list of compensable AO disabilities.

There never was a question that there was a disproportion of African-Americans serving in Vietnam. A great number like Rick Taylor developed Diabetes in later life. The statistics show that among civilians African-Americans are much more likely to develop that disease than either whites or Asians. In fact 2011 the rate was 9.9% of Black males but only 6.5% of white males were likely to become Diabetic. The rate for Asian males is about 7.8%.

“Death rates for people with diabetes are 27 percent higher for blacks compared with whites. Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death for those ages 45 years or older.

One of the problems for African Americans and diabetes is that they are more likely to develop diabetes complications and experience greater disability from the complications than whites. The frequency of diabetic retinopathy is 40 to 50 percent higher in African Americans than in white Americans. African Americans with diabetes experience kidney failure (also called end-stage renal disease) about four times more often than diabetic white Americans. In 1995, there were 27,258 new cases of kidney failure attributed to diabetes in black Americans. African Americans are much more likely to undergo a lower-extremity amputation than white or Latinos with diabetes. In 1994, there were 13,000 amputations among black people with diabetes, involving 155,000 days in the hospital.” (ADA documents)

Not only are African-American middle age males more likely to become diabetic but the figures are further askew among Vietnam vets because of the disproportional racial mix among combat troops.

I do not know the facts of Rick Taylor’s military history but I believe that it was a meritorious one; service in Vietnam resulting in one or two Purple Heart citations. 

Even though his unfortunate disability would most likely have occurred even if he had not served in Vietnam and there is no proof that Agent Orange caused Diabetes; he was entitled  to that recognition of tax relief when he became disabled.