Agreed. There is a place for personal responsibility with respect to
disability, but people who engage in self-destuctive behavior don't seem to
"get it". You and I and the rest of the list-members (with CP) had no
active roll in our disability, but the smoker who has gone through 2
packs/day for forty years, ignoringing the surgeon generals 1964 warning,
suddenly claims the entire responsibility for his/her cancer or emphysema
lies with the tobacco companies. This, despite a plethora of "free"
taxpayer-funded programs to help the smoker cease and desist.
Alcoholism, for example is widely recogized as a disease, but an individual
CAN stop drinking--witness the millions of sober alcoholics who have
12-stepped their way to sobriety. They took personal responsibility, even
though there might have been a genetic proclivity toward alcoholism.
I now am "afraid" to exercise my legistated rights under the ADA because too
many people have used it to excuse themselves of personal responsibility.
I agree, for the most part, with your obesity stance as well, Kat. I think
if we look at photos of obese folks in their youth or eary adulthood it's
pretty obvious that most weren't driven down the "fat" road kicking and
screaming. On the other hand, Laura is always "fighting" her weight, but if
you look at photos of her as an infant she was chubby even then. She's darn
near six-feet tall and has a large frame, so she's always going to be larger
than most women her age, but she's pretty firm and is in excellent
cardio-vascular health. Still, we have this cultural dichotomy in that
"skinny" is the ideal, yet people eat themselves into oblivion. It puts a
lot of pressure on someone like Laura, who is never going to be "skinny", no
matter what she does. It's doubly frustrating for her, as I can eat
whatever I want, as much as I want and have always been at the lower end of
the height/weight ratio tables (I think many CPers have a fairly rapid
metabolic rate, though I've no documentation to back this up).
Regarding the liberal/conservative issue, both dominant politcal parties
disgust me at present. I've been a registered Republican since 1976, but
I've been investigating the Libertarians of late. Don't agree with every
plank in their platform either, but I do think that they've got at least a
grasp on common sense. The elephants and donkeys are so out-of-touch with
the "average American" that I don't think either are relevant anymore.
-Kyle
-----Original Message-----
From: Kathy Salkin [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2002 10:25 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Therma-wrap or similar product
Well, I consider myself liberal, but in this case, I think Congress left the
language way too vague in drafting the ADA. I'm all for inclusion, but
within
reasonable limits. Now we're paying the price in that the Supreme Court is
making it too restrictive, and I'm afraid that at some point the ADA will be
rendered useless for all practical purposes.
I know some people consider obesity a disability but I don't agree with
them.
Obesity in itself doesn't create limitations in one's day-to-day life,
unless
one is morbidly obese, which is another story. If obesity itself were a
disability, then the majority of adults in the US would be considered
disabled. We, as a nation, are far too fat and unhealthy. We really do
need
to clean up our act.
Kat
On Thu, 27 Jun 2002 10:09:36 -0400 "Cleveland, Kyle E."
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
I think we are seeing a bit of an ADA backlash because there have been
abuses. I think the original intent WAS to be vague in order to be as
inclusive as possible, but the way things are going it looks like the
Supreme Court may gut the whole thing (sometimes I hate being a conservative
<g>).
-K.
-----Original Message-----
From: Kathy Salkin [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2002 10:03 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Therma-wrap or similar product
Gad, I hate it when people do that. Spoils it for us legitimately disabled
folks.
I remember a case a few years back in which a couple of obese pilots sued
the
FAA under the ADA (can't remember if the FAA had denied them licenses or
what), and their cases were thrown out of court if I remember right. The
guy
I was dating at the time was a pilot, and he was raling against the
litigants,
saying they weren't disabled and they had no ADA rights to sue.
Kat
On Thu, 27 Jun 2002 09:50:14 -0400 "Cleveland, Kyle E."
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Yeah, well I thought this would be an ADA no-brainer...at least that's what
I got told originally. Seems the fellow with the migraines (the one who
bitches about having to work when he has a headache) is really making the
powers-that-be very tired of hearing that acronym. Stupid git is going to
foul the waters for the honest folk that really need a little ADA help.
-Kyle
-----Original Message-----
From: Kathy Salkin [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2002 9:46 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Therma-wrap or similar product
Unfortunately that's the way things are these days. Corporate (and
non-profit) pockets are getting shallower, and here at my company, every
request to IT is scrutinised for savings. I've had to fight for every piece
of none-MS Office or non-database software on my laptop.
Kat
On Thu, 27 Jun 2002 08:11:47 -0400 "Cleveland, Kyle E."
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Thanks, Kat. Turns out that my "blank cheque" may not be so blank after all
<sigh>. Oh well, at least there's job security it gu'ment work. Maybe.
-Kyle
-----Original Message-----
From: Kathy Salkin [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, June 24, 2002 12:24 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Therma-wrap or similar product
Kyle,
It's actually "Dragon Naturally Speaking," and on the
http://www.pcconnection.com site, it's offered for $539 for the full
professional version.
Kat
On Mon, 24 Jun 2002 11:40:16 -0400 "Cleveland, Kyle E."
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Kat, you have a "ballpark" $$$ on Dragon Dictate? I'll send it on down to
our Purchasing guy if it's <$1K.
Thanks much!
-Kyle
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