CoolWaters

So many people cannot afford even the co-pays to buy medicines. I know I struggle every month trying to choose which medicine to not buy. My insurance company has a Healthy Living program in which I participate. Part of that program is weekly telephone meetings with an RN. I just got off the phone with my RN and she sent me to a website to help with my medicines. What a find! Hope this can help others. Needymeds.com Anybody else have information about other sites or companies or programs that help with medicines?

Because of the beatings I saw perpetrated on children who were not the children of those doing the beating, I chose to refuse permission to any school to touch my children. That is a legal option...and it was a legal option in every state I ever lived in (about 12 all together). Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, will EVER lay a hand on my children again and get away with it.

My daughter was raised with the 'spare the rod, spoil the child' misinterpretation practiced by 'christians'...which is one thing twi had in common with those 'wretched christians' they disdained. My son was raised nearly 'wild'...no spankings, freedom of choice from a young age, self-determination, etc. We were going for the opposite of twi and our 'church' upbringings. They turned out nearly exactly the same...making nearly exactly the same choices...having nearly exactly the same world views...etc. Except that my daughter, as a teenager, ran to the 'comfort' of a man 7 years her senior. Based upon my experience, I cannot say one way or the other concerning to spank or not to spank...because my experience is that spanking or not spanking determined nothing in my children's lives. Unless being spanked by her daddy was part of what led my daughter to seek 'comfort' in the arms of older men...and that's a Dr Phil show...and is now a moot point in her life. Should the government be this heavily involved in how people raise their children? No.

Oh Rocky...such a stickler! LOL OK, I found it on the National Employment Law Project (NELP) website. The first sentence gives the date of the decision: "The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Hoffman Plastic Compounds v. NLRB, 535 U.S. 137, 122 S.Ct. 1275, 152 L.Ed.2d 271 (2002)," *************** templelady, It makes sense to me...but it doesn't seem to make sense when it all comes out in the wash for some reason. As I said before, I can speak only of those things within my little sphere. Both my daughter and I and about 800 other people lost our jobs because the company went to another state...and then closed down there and went to Canada. Only approx. 30 people retained employment with company by being hired on in the other state...after moving to the other state, reapplying for a position, losing all benefits, starting at a lower wage ($5/hr less than the starting pay when the company was in our town...and more than $6/hr less than the wage they were receiving when the company closed in our town) and having a 3x longer probationary period before becoming a permanent employee with any benefits. Then after a few months, the company shut down and went to Canada. This was in a town of 130,000...that had just lost over 1500 jobs. Last I heard (about 6 months ago), of the 700+ who were 'displaced' after where I worked left town, 300 people left town, 50 got equivalent or better positions (all management), and the rest were under- and unemployed. I know of 3 locally owned businesses (established over 25 years) that just plain had to shut their doors due to the loss of business from people losing their jobs. About 60 jobs were lost because of these businesses closing. Then I know of 5 landlords who closed their buildings because of lack of tenants because of all these businesses leaving/closing. 2 major (and locally owned) grocery stores closed down. It triggered a domino effect. This makes me wonder just what would happen if a business that has an illegal workforce of 25% (the average I was able to find) and a legal workforce of 75% were to be shut down. Just thinking out loud here...not arguing.

I didn't look, Rocky. Sorry. I was just trying to learn something more about this subject...the history, the current attitude, etc.

I did like Sundance. I liked a few tonight, too. I just haven't felt the star quality yet. Maybe it's me.

It would be WONDERFUL if the major corporations, businesses, etc. who are (imo) the biggest part of this problem would just be closed down, the CEOs fined and kicked to the curb, the assets divided among the workers who are legal and citizens, etc. I absolutely agree that this would be one part of the solution. Looking up information concerning this subject on the 'net, I found these sites: Discussion of a Supreme Court decision A quote taken from Section II, Paragraph B: Immigrants and the Labor Market, an article by Esther Cervantes, a Dollars and Sense collective member and a graduate of the LBJ School of Public Affairs. A 'real time' counter of some statistics related to this topic. Center for Immigration Studies. And there are literally millions more sites relating to this topic. I do not vouch for, endorse or in any way support these sites, the ideas presented on these sites, or the general thinking of the sites. I haven't even perused these sites except for what I quoted above. I didn't know about these sites before this evening. My point in doing this was to find out what I didn't know about this subject. Sad to say, in over an hour of searching I was not able to find any information that helped me learn more. I am NOT saying I know all there is on this subject. I am saying that what I could find in over an hour was not more than I already knew. I got tired of searching so I quit. The saddest thing is that most of what I found that I already knew was the rhetoric on both sides of the issues that does little (nothing) to actually solve the problem...but does a whole he11 of a lot to fan the flames of discontent on both sides. If over an hour of searching on the 'net serves up mostly inflammatory rhetoric peppered with some statistics, how can anybody 'on the street' be expected to know and act on more than inflammatory rhetoric peppered with some statistics? I could not find a study that showed what would happen if the major corporations, businesses, etc. that perpetuated and, sometimes, actually causes illegal immigration were to simply be shut down. How many actual US citizens would lose their jobs? How many peripheral jobs (janitorial, transportation, maintenance, etc.) would US citizens lose? How many jobs at the same or higher wages, benefits, etc. would be created on the enforcement side? How much money would be spent to eradicate these illegal employers? How would taking such a stance influence the standing of the US with its allies? How much money would be spent on documenting that a person is undocumented? These questions and many more are not plainly answered for me. If anybody knows where I can find answers to these questions, please post that information. The answers I know concern my little sphere of influence...which isn't much...and which is all most people know about this subject.

Please read all of what I posted, particularly this part: Illegal immigrants are getting their jobs from US businesses. Not me. Not you. Not their country's businesses. US businesses right here in the US. There are many major corporations in the US who pay to bring illegal immigrants over the border, have 'companies' that make 'documentation' or just plain pay under the table, house these people (sometimes as much as 30 per apartment) in squalor in the company's slums, robbing any wages as 'rent' per head at the average of $40/night, and insinuating that it would be much simpler for the company if the illegal person were to have a legal family in the US. I can and have named several right her in KC. There are 2 in Topeka. I'm talking major corporations. There is a minor corporation on Point McKenzie right there in Alaska that is proud to do such things. They give their workers 'sanctuary' via their church...which means they are so far untouchable when it comes to laws concerning this matter. (Note...I said "so far". There are people working to close that particular loophole.) This corporation may itself be minor, but the church under which they operate is quite major in the US. Why shouldn't these corporations, businesses, etc. take on the onus of responsibility for their part in this problem?

Now you're talking GOOD TV!!!! :D And Bones on Wednesdays. Makes watching AI this year worth it...and this is coming from an AI fan who has missed only 4 shows in all 6 seasons...

Is it me or is it just that AI has exhausted the resources of suitable AI contestants? It seems that this year there's no shining star material yet.

I've been reluctant to step in here because I want to make sure I can control my emotions first. I think I've got them under wraps now. The question was asked about what is wrong with keeping US resources for US citizens. Nothing at all, imo. However, US resources are going to be used on non-citizens one way or another. Whether in direct giveaways or in illegal immigration prevention, the resources will be used. I am right now involved in hammering out some legislation concerning options. I help via my church. One option that is proving to be most amenable to all involved is similar to the Immigrant Sponsor program. Briefly, the US businesses would 'adopt' immigrants and mentor them for 1-5 years, teaching them what they need to know to go home and make their native community a better place. Along with the mentoring in knowledge would be the partnering in finances...something of a loan to be repaid by the immigrant once he/she has established him/herself back in his/her native community. A sharing of resources for a time, if you will, with the goal of the immigrant going back to his/her own native community. Which is what most illegal immigrants want in the first place...from what I have experienced. There are many other details being hammered out, but this option is putting the onus of responsibility on the businesses who hire and protect and provide questionable documents for illegal immigrants. All of the other options presented put the onus of responsibility on the government's back either in the form of prevention or handouts. It is very costly to have a border patrol and a military paid to handle this problem at the level it is at right now. To add to this would nearly break the bank, so to speak...and doesn't work...as is proven.

From my own personal experience, I have no doubt in my mind that when one can overcome the flight from death, then one can also overcome the fight to the death. Fight or flight is not necessary. But most humans don't get that...me often being the worst at comprehension. Excellent topic!

potato, yes, after school programs have proven to be very successful. I am a member of the United Methodist Church. Every church I have attended has after school programs (along with many other programs) and it is amazing the success of such programs. As for men who are victims of domestic violence...I don't know what to do in that situation because most men would not admit to such goings on. mstar, just awesome! cc, yeppers! Rocky, agreed. As I said above, after school programs where kids are helped with homework and get one-on-one tutoring are quite successful in the UMC. It doesn't take much to volunteer, either. 1 day a week for 1 hour with 1 student during the school year is the usually requested commitment. Some folks can only do 1 day a month. It's still better than nothing. And the volunteers are often adults who live in the neighborhoods of the students...which gives added success because now the student not only feels a sense of belonging at school, but in his/her own community. Jonny, your suggestion is nationally recognized as one of the very best ways to address violence. When anyone...adult and child alike...is taught self-respect, self-control and self-defense, their choices in life expand. Is it the YWCA that runs those public service ads about how girls involved in sports are less likely to get involved in drugs, become teen mothers or get involved in abusive relationships? Good stuff here, imo!

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I posted this on the Gangs thread and thought it would be good to post here, too: Yes, that is a picture of me in the article of the 3rd link above.

Oh... Some other interesting facts about my former neighborhood... The first black kindergarten west of the Mississippi was opened in Tennessee Town. Many of the original litigants and the original attorneys in Brown v Board of Education lived in Tennessee Town. The book "In His Steps" was written about Tennessee Town, and the church Charles Sheldon pastored is still just across the street from Tennessee Town and is still heavily involved with the ongoing success of Tennessee Town.

Just some information about how my former neighborhood dealt with problems: http://www.cjonline.com/stories/030904/opi...rolemodel.shtml http://www.topeka.org/pdfs/tennessee_town.pdf http://www.cjonline.com/stories/032502/com_nia.shtml http://www.cjonline.com/stories/061498/com_tntownnia.shtml

That is just awesome mstar! Ya know...given your town's history...it would be really kewl if maybe your town could 'adopt' an inner city school or something...spread the success...ya know? Can you imagine how strong an impact your town could make on inner city kids just by sharing that mural and the story that goes with it? I can...and I know that it would change the direction of the lives of at least a few. Awesome! dooj...yeah...that's what it's all about imo. :)

Oh the arts! Dooj! A woman after my heart! :) As part of the reclamation of our neighborhood in Topeka, we bought the house across the street from us. It had been a crack/gang house for nearly a decade. We couldn't get the city to tear it down, so we bought it. Anyway, I used that house as a place for women and children to hang out. My goals were to give women a break from abusive relationships and to give children a place where they could be free to be themselves. The two things that I did that the kids LOVED was allow them to use the walls for their artistic expression (I provided all sorts of art supplies) and provided them different musical instruments. When the walls got full of their art, we took pictures and repainted to give them a new blank canvas. At least twice a week we also had a parade around 3 or 4 blocks with the kids playing their instruments and singing and dancing. It was awesome! The added benefit of being able to work with the parents was awesome, too. You should have seen their faces when they watched their children full of the spark of hope. And the widows couldn't get enough of helping out with hot meals, snacks, hugs full of pride, and all sorts of other encouragement. It's not hard to get these things going. Just some imagination and willingness.

Hap, how can I be stricken, too? I haven't been able to find that feature in these new options.

pond, do you have any positive preventive measures, such as mentoring, to offer? That's the topic of this thread.

I would call it maybe 'irritating' or some other such adjective. Do you have a stereotype for what you've described?

pond, that's not a possibility for children. What? You think they can just pick up and move? Reality check here.