No lou.. yes lou..Ahhhhhh!!!
Running around like a chicken doing the funky thing here.
Ok.. I SHOULD explain more. And I AM trying my heart out, researching, studying, calling, writing, etc and have devoted every minute to working on what I feel is best for the patients since these bills were put in for consideration. I may not be right.. and I admit I have NO expereince with this process.. but I do know Lyme.. and I kinda have a good feel for people.. and I do have YOUR best interest in mind.. and I am FREE of charge!
I think we.. as patients and support group leaders ... are the ONLY ones right now who don't have some other hidden motive or incentative in mind. Sad... but true.
I have come to the conclusion that I don't like these stinking games they are playing... with OUR lives. When I left yesterday .. and I stayed very late and went to various offices to try to get us help and advise.... my first thoughts were that I was NOT going to ever work with anything or anyone with Lyme disease again.
Yep.. they rattled MY cage pretty badly yesterday after being there about 9 hours.
And to get ME to that point.. which I have NEVER been at.. means it has been pretty rough. Anyhow..
The Senators we THOUGHT were understanding the needs of patients and are REALLY trying to (most of them)... during their rush to vote on 200 more bills... have suggested they will try to put the BAD Senate Bill we ABSOLUTELY don't want, in with the Task Force Bill.
They see that action as "helping us"... and we can't get through to them it would be HORRIBLE!!!
They also have suggested they want to put the Maryland Board of Physicians on the Task Force too... and that could happen.. and most likely will. That means both the Health Department AND this Board of Ducks.. I mean Physicians... would be running the Task Force.
The Board of Physicians is composed of Hopkins folks (in with Bumsteere again).. the Infectious Disease ducks we all have come to want to drown.. several insurance companies.. and the Health Department who has fought us for 20 years... AND the OLD Board of Physicians who were so bad a Senate bill was passed to try to fix them when it was determined they were leaning towards doctors too often when patient complaints were filed.
To be honest.. there are some folks here in Maryland who still want to try to hang on to and salvage the Task Force Bill. Right now we have agreed to disagree.. very nice and politely. I simply am not as trusting as they are in this situation.. possibly due to my years of experience dealing with the situation.
In MY opinion.. and NONE of us are experienced with politics... we can't sit here and HOPE they do the right thing and then decide to try to fix it if it blows up in our faces later. We saw what was done to the Senate Bill without our input or blessings.. and that could happen to the Task Force Bill in a heartbeat because it JUST went before the same committee yesterday.
If we blow it all now and just let them have their way with us... what I see happening is a Task Force (consisting mainly of the health department, insurance companies, and ducks) who now have the Senate and House Seal of Approval on it for whatever they come up with. Since the very first thing that was done to the bill (amendment) was to limit Support Group people on the bill from 4 people to 2 people... and that was done for NO given reason.. that makes me worry.
In addition.. we went.. a handful of sick folks who have been trying to deal with all this.. to the hearing yesterday. I personally drove 12 hours to rush up there.. and many had hardships getting there.. and many had bad days hitting them but they went anyhow.
After waiting hours and hours.. and even though they allowed EVERY other group to speak.. they refused to allow ANY of us to speak. ONE member insisted and was barely granted ONE minute ... which after being hit like that with the surprise of not being allowed to speak.. and some rather rude remarks from a certain Senate memeber.. didn't really allow that person to get all our points across.
If the Task Force Bill passes as is.. with NO amendments.. I would possibly support it... but STILL don't like it. But it has been amended to negatively affect us all at this point.. and I wasn't thrilled with it in the original form to start with.. and it most likely will have more additions, changes, etc. before tomorrow... and I DON'T think the changes will be in our best interest.
Best to back off and NOT "wait and see"... in MY opinion. And everyone there is feeling rushed, overworked, and is in NO mood to think or listen.. or be educated about Lyme disease.. IF you can even find them hanging around right now.
It is a mad house. I was also told by lobbyists that this is the WORST time to try to get a bill passed... and they were kinda old and had been doing this for years. They said.. due to Democrats vs. Republicans... turf wars between the Senate and House.. the election year we are in... the current Governors administration with a do nothing attitude, etc.. they felt the place was horrible to try to do anything... and "polly-tics" would be the reason things that were meant to be good, would be sacrificed and/or trashed.
I actually feel like we are dealing with a bunch of 2 year old babies at this point... and DON'T want them in this mood to make decissions that will affect us all... without proper and thoughtful consideration.
Hope that helps.
Hope YOU are doing ok.
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