Song in my head: Dems are lib'rals...Scary lib'rals....Dems eat brie....Drink chablis....Lib'ral-run committees....Dems love inner cities......GOP...Keeps you free.....Mad Kane

The Death Penalty Is A Crime Deterrent....Not

FBI statistics Monday confirmed what big cities like Philadelphia, Houston, Cleveland and Las Vegas have seen on the streets: Violent crime in the U.S. is on the rise, posting its biggest one-year increase since 1991. Yahoo News Link

[crossposted and hog-tied at Wagontongues]

Medicare and Oral Hygiene

One of the infuriating parts of being a recipient of Medicare and a supplemetal medicare policy is the lack of dental coverage. I have always prided myself on my nice white teeth and only having 2 cavities in my entire life. Now that I am on social security disability getting my teeth cleaned is a luxury, and all that good preventative care is out the window. The outcome of this neglect could be infection, loss of teeth, and gum disease which might also be unaffordable to repair. So when I read this at Suburban Guerrilla...I could so relate:

So I’m off to the Take Back America conference tomorrow, and I wonder how many of the people there are worried about paying for their teeth. Not that many, I’d guess. Because from the things I heard people saying at last year’s conference, the voices shaping the progressive movement in America tend to be from those who had relatively sheltered and privileged lives.

That’s why I go to these things: To bring a loud, articulate voice to the discussion. To say, hey, we’re here, too, and our needs are urgent.

Maybe this time I’ll make a dent.

I can understand why I can't afford a dentist but when hard working folks can't even afford a dentist visit it drives me nuts. Neglecting oral hygiene is as foolish as not getting your blood pressure checked regularly or a yearly Pap smear. And what could have been fixed or prevented for $100 now costs thousands. So, every night I'm brushing and flossing praying that I am doing an effective job and my minimal self care is enough for good oral hygiene. If I'm not doing a good thorugh cleaning of my teeth I might have to resort to "street dentistry.