I just sent a note to U.S. Representative Reichert

This is what it said. I continue to try to be as politically neutral as possible consider the candidates and the issues and am not loyal to any party - but damn, somebody needs to start putting control rods in the nuthouse we call Congress.

Sir, I know you are in the House of Representatives, but I am hoping you are in communication with some senators. I have been healthy all my life, but took a fall in Hawaii this year that required ambulance transport. Till then, health care was not a priority for me. Now, it has been educational to say the least. BTW, I am fine now, all body parts are operational, and fly home next week.  

Politically, I am undecided, I try to vote for the most qualified person, but to be honest, in the past six months have started to move away from Republican positions even though I am caucasian and fairly tech-wealthy. Those presidential tweets are a bit scary. 
BTW my wife was a special ed teacher for years, thanks for supporting IDEA.  

All I am asking in terms of health care is a chance for folks like the CBO and insurance to weigh in. A chance to have the issues discussed. If you could make a phone call or two or send an email to those in power, I would be appreciative.

And, Representative Reichert wrote me back, he gets points for that!:

Thank you for sharing your thoughts regarding efforts to reform our nation’s health care system.  Health care is a deeply personal issue, and I appreciate you taking the time to share your stories and concerns with me. Over the past several years, I have been committed to fixing our current health care system to increase choice, reduce costs on Americans, and allow families to access the care they need. I have also remained committed to protecting the most vulnerable in our communities, including children on Medicaid, people with preexisting conditions, and older Americans. These have been and continue to be my priorities for health care reform. Unfortunately, the revised version of the American Health Care Act (H.R. 1628) that the House considered on Thursday, May 4th fell short and did not provide the essential protections I needed to support it. While I did not vote for this legislation, the American Health Care Act passed the House by a vote of 217-213. It now awaits consideration by the U.S. Senate.  With all of the political banter surrounding this bill, it can be difficult to remember that this decision ultimately comes down to people. We need to know our loved ones can get and afford the care they need, regardless of age, income, or health status.  And we need to know that changes made by our government, even to a failing system, will not leave our friends, families, and neighbors worse off. I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to fix what is failing and make our current system work better for American families.   Thank you again for contacting me. Your interest and input is valued and appreciated.  I encourage you to continue to stay in touch with me as Congress works on legislation to improve our health care system.  
Sincerely,
David G. ReichertMember of Congress

Breakfast at Lava Lava (Twice)

This is the Lava Lava Beach Club on Kauai, 420 Papaloa RD. If you are ever making reservations be sure and get the right one. Yesterday, Mother's Day, we stood behind a couple that was sure they had reservations, and did, but at the Big Island restaurant.

The cost is about the same as any other breakfast place, but the atmosphere is more fun if you are not in a hurry, (they tend to be busy). Kathy favors the "Surfin Pig Omelet" and I have tried the Hapa Moco and Eggs Benedict with pork, both were great.  Kathy tends to order coffee and our first time there when we paid the check they gave here a cup to go. Our server yesterday, Katreesh, did not make the offer.

Joe Dado, fraternity death at Penn State, when will they learn?

Joe Dado was a freshman at Penn. State. He engaged in drinking massive quantities of alcohol at a frat party and turned up missing the next morning. He was found, dead, in a stairwell, an alcohol related death.

There was legal action, "Two students, (John “Jack” A. Townsend and Jennifer E. Clifford) and two fraternities, (one of the fraternities, Alpha Tau Omega was found guilty of unlawful acts related to liquor, malt and brewed beverages, and a court sentenced the fraternity to 70 days of community service and a $500 fine). are charged with misdemeanors, accused of providing Penn State freshman Joseph Dado with beer, shots of vodka and whiskey and marijuana before the 18-year-old was "pointed in the right direction" of his dorm and began to walk home alone."

I  think the two students managed to get assigned to the ARD program, (it is hard to tell, the records seem to have vanished off the Internet). "If they can prove themselves, then they can have their records expunged," Shubin said of the ARD program. "It's largely successful." Contributing to the death of an 18 year old and then having your record expunged is good legal support if you can get it.

There was talk of a "serious change" at Penn. State.  "“Joe Dado’s death had an impact on the student body in a way that we had not seen before,” Penn State spokeswoman Lisa Powers told the Collegian in September 2010. “It made [students] think about excessive drinking, being responsible for themselves and being responsible for others.”

But did things actually change? I could point out falls from windows and other events, but the one that is in the news right now is Timothy Piazza.  At least this time, perhaps the records of those charged with involuntary manslaughter will not vanish. Most of the stories do not mention the charged by name, here is one that does. The story is already starting to sink, after all, how can it compete with the latest Trump tweet? And Penn State did not even send a representative to Timothy's funeral, (apparently they could not spare someone from their 26k employees), though they did attend his vigil. So, I guess the way the family put it is true, "The parents of a Penn State University student who fatally fell down stairs during an alcohol-fueled event described their son's death as "torture" and said the fraternity brothers involved "treated our son as road kill."

6/20/17 The Piazza case is working through the court system. With incoming students the incident has had some effect, at least for now.

A reading chair

I got injured and had to go to the hospital.  While I was there I caught a nasty superbug, c.diff, and had to stay 12 days. They let me out, but the deal was I had to stay in isolation. Kathy, Harry and Keely fixed up the ADA bathroom downstairs really nice.

And they put a chair in there, a cross between a "normal" chair and as easy chair. Plenty of padding, but not huge. When you have c.diff, at first you want to sleep all the time, (between trips to the bathroom). But as you get better, you sleep less. The hospital gave me drugs, Adavan, but I didn't want to use them. so I started reading. Ended up reading the New Testament from the John Maxwell Leadership Bible. I really came to appreciate the chair.

I am well now and back upstairs. I have been thinking about a reading place. I tried outdoors, we have a teak chase lounge from Indonesia and I can hear and see the ocean. Pretty cool, but the tradewinds play havoc with the book pages. For now I have settled on the leather love seat we watch movies from. Right now, I am reading the Psalms. I just finished the Ascents, which are my favorite Psalms I think. It is a good location for reading and the lights are not bad. The love seat has seen better days and when the time comes, I will certainly prioritize a place for reading. I have found mine, have you?

Rep. Shuster, your country is counting on you

Regardless of where you fall on the Democrat/Republican/Conservative/Liberal scale, if you are going to fly in our airlines there is a name you should be aware of: Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA)
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Perhaps more than any other person in the USA, he has the power to modify the amount of pain air travel inflicts upon passengers.

Needless to say there have been high profile cases recently, Doctors being bloodied, passengers hit with strollers, families with toddlers illegally being removed from planes to accommodate oversold seats and these are just the ones we know about. How many others have suffered in silence?

"Shuster, [Chairman of the oversight committee], told The Hill that he went into the hearings with an open mind, hoping to gain insight into what Congress should do, if anything, to try to make flying a little more pleasant. The committee is working on a major aviation bill, and Shuster made clear he's willing to consider customer service components of it, if necessary."

Shuster's own words give me some hope, "I used to own a business.  And one of the fundamental rules of any successful business is that the customer comes first.
So something is clearly broken when we see passengers being treated the way some of them have been treated on recent flights.  Regardless of the contractual relationship between the airline and the ticket holder – it’s just common decency and common sense that you don’t treat a person that way, let alone a paying customer."

Of course, as the Washington Post reports, he is the same Shuster that said, "“I don’t believe in overburdening our businesses,” Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) told the [airline] executives, saying only that Congress would act “the next time” if they don’t police themselves this time."

According to the Economist, "WHEN politicians feel they must summon industry bosses and implore them to treat customers better, it is a sure sign that the market is not working as it should."

Schear family: What if there was no such thing as YouTube?

If a tree falls in a forrest and there is no one to hear it, does it make a sound? - Zen Koan

I watched the Schear family video with a sense of horror when a family with two toddlers was illegally kicked off the plane. The airlines are out of control. I always thought Delta was pretty cool, but they need to train their people in Delta's and the FAA's policy WRT younger children and carseats. Yikes.

If it wasn't filmed would any one care?

Coomey makes me nauseous

If you know me, you know I am not political. I didn't really like Clinton or Trump as presidential candidates, but you vote the best you can.

“It makes me mildly nauseous to think that we might have had some impact on the election,” he told the senators. “But honestly, it wouldn’t change the decision.”

This op-ed piece says it all. Coomey altered the election.  He made the FBI a political entity at a time when their trust is at a low.

And he is a loose cannon, what he did with that announcement violated DOJ policy and they later filed a complaint with the Office of Professional Responsibility. Apparently that is his nature.

Like every American, I am a bit squeamish about Russian interference in our presidential election.  But in this Internet world, we either can or can't do anything about that. However, we can, and should, fire Coomey.

It appears that Mr. Coomey has played a bit fast and loose with some of the facts in the case. UPDATE: 5/9/17 President Trump dismisses Coomey.