I attended a work Thanksgiving lunch. We sang a song, read a poem and were given the opportunity to stand up and tell what we are thankful for. OK, so all of that has its place but not at work. For chrissake, we're adults and don't need to sit around a table with 40 of our co-workers singing a song. Nor do we really need to hear what everybody else is thankful for. That's a personal thing, in my oh so humble opinion.
It did make me think though. I have lots to be thankful for. Relatively healthy children. A house. Food. Clothes. A relationship that has traveled some interesting roads but always remained traveling in the same and right direction for almost 20 years now.
As they say, though, there must be balance. SO for everything I'm thankful for, I have something to bitch about. My partner has been diagnosed with early onset dementia. She has no insurance because she can no longer work. She's applied for assistance. Here's the bitch. They consider my income when working on her claim. "They" is the Federal Government but "they" won't recognize our relationship so that I can carry her on my insurance. Is that fucked up or WHAT? She went to Social Security to apply for SSI. She has no income and was questioned about that. She said she lived with someone. They asked, "As husband and wife?" She said, "No, because she's a woman." The clerk just stared at her. I'm thinking the wheels, gears and cogs in her brain just spontaneously stopped turning. OK, so they will take into consideration our relationship and my income when it suits them? THEY get to pick and choose? The government shouldn't get to play it both ways. Fuckers. We've had to hire a lawyer to handle this.
She also has to use the Memphis Health Center. Talk about a bunch of fucked up morons. The doctors rotate in and out. You get a good one and the next time you have to visit, that one is gone. She's been fighting with them over the Aricept program since all of this began. This last time, the social worker kept telling her, "I don't need to hear what you've been told." Say WHAT???? You stupid fat lazy fuckers can't keep your paperwork together and you DON'T NEED TO HEAR WHAT SHE'S BEEN TOLD? They basically told her to shut up and I have to wonder if they treat all of their patients that way or just the ones who have been diagnosed with a mental impairment. There's a letter to Cohen coming.
I keep hearing from the general public that, "We don't want you to marry because we don't want our money going to support your relationship." Stupid freaks, you're supporting our relationship now. She will eventually get public assistance and SSI and she's getting free medical care at your expense. Granted, it's not good care but it's care. I have to laugh at those who tell me they don't want their money supporting our lifestyle. Stupid stupid morons. Tell the government to recognize our relationship and it won't cost you a dime. Until then, I'm going after every penny I can from our stupid, short-sighted government and laughing the entire time.
What this has also shown me is just how uncaring and cruel our public healthcare system is. Perhaps they're underpaid and over worked but that doesn't mean you have to treat the patients without dignity and respect. She didn't ask for this disease. She doesn't deserve to be told to shut up. We deserve caring and competent personnel. She deserves to maintain her dignity because the disease will take it soon enough.
Stupid fuckers. Here's what I wish for. I wish that all the politicians out there had to navigate our public healthcare system. They'd make changes overnight if they had to deal with the Bertha that we had to deal with at the Memphis Health Center on Crump.
