Re: Liking for their skin color

On 29 Sep 2005 14:15:19 -0700, "jerry_friedman@xxxxxxxxx"
<jerry_friedman@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>> A good tar and gravel roof lasts for 15 years.
>
>And the one performed by the county manager's cousin, who happened to
>turn in the low bid, lasts for 5.

Yeah, I suppose if the roofer uses thinned (?) tar and less gravel per
square foot, it would be a problem. Funny how things work with
government contracts. Sometimes the result is a contract is a
low-ball bid submitted by the cousin who will use inferior materials,
and sometimes the result is five times the going rate from a
contractor that will use inferior materials but a contractor that
meets a condition stuck in the terms by a politician that has received
a campaign contribution.

Even so, I'd rather be sitting under a roof that might leak in five
years than under a roof that will leak for the next five years. It's
still worth the effort of activism for the residents.
....
>> Advice about legal resources is acceptable, provided the advice is how
>> to utilize extant resources like child protection agencies, obtaining
>> support payments, domestic abuse, etc. Employees of one government
>> agency, though, don't step on the toes of other government agencies.
>>
>> Even certain types of advice is tricky. If one of her clients (that's
>> the official term) asks her about termination,
>
>Of employment? Of health insurance? Of the program's benefits? Just
>curious.

C'mon, a nurse who has clients that are pregnant and you wonder which
meaning of "termination" is intended when I say she can't give advice
about termination?

I suppose "termination" is a semi-jargon word for "abortion", but it's
hardly an unknown term or even a slightly obscure term. Nurses do
tend to use "termination" rather than "abortion", but it's a bit like
writing "f*ck". Jargoning it up doesn't change the meaning, but some
feel it is a more acceptable word. I use it because it's the word
used in this house because my wife is a nurse and the term is what
she's used to using. She's used to writing "Client's file closed due
to termination."

>> for example, my wife
>> can't offer advice other than "Look in the Yellow Pages". Remember,
>> this is Florida and Jeb Bush is our Governor.
>
>Aha! An institutionalized barrier. The policy sends a clear message
>that the state is against the clients, that a reasonable request for
>help will be rebuffed. It's a good way to discourage people from
>protesting or demanding fair treatment, which works in your
>neighborhood. I'll bet you can find other examples.

>I doubt Jeb Bush is the whole story. I'll bet the same sort of thing
>happens in Democratic-controlled states.

Unless you really didn't understand the meaning of "termination" in my
context, the above doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Advice from a
nurse in the public sector on how to terminate life is not in the
"reasonable request" area.

It's not logically out of the reasonable request area since the public
health clinics dispense prophylactics, implant birth control pellets,
and offer family planning advice. The nurses are even encouraged to
suggest to clients that they avail themselves of these offerings.

>From a practical standpoint, though, it is a request for information
that is beyond the pale of reasonableness. Most of these clients are
in their teens, and some barely in their teens. A nurse that says
"You can get information on termination by calling 407 555 1234 and
talking to the people at the Sanford Woman's Clinic" is very likely to
be accused later by the client's mother or grandmother that "Nurse
Cooper said I should have an abortion."

For whatever reasons, the state of Florida has decided that the
termination of pregnancy is a function of the private sector and state
employees cannot become involved in it in any way.

And, yes, I do think Jeb does have a lot to do with it. It's not so
much Jeb himself, but this is a state where the electorate chose Jeb
and other candidates of like thinking. This is a state that
recognizes Roe vs Wade, but a state that always seems to have some new
bill in the hopper that makes it more difficult to own or operate a
termination facility.

>> >I wonder how many of your neighbors would bring potholes and broken
>> >traffic lights to the city's attention if they knew they'd get the
>> >response that people in Midway would get.
>>
>> That's an imponderable. First, until the Midway residents at least
>> try to get some action, they have no basis for deciding that they
>> can't get any action. For them to assume that any attempt would be
>> futile is not a legitimate rationale for not trying.
>
>Do you know they haven't tried?

Enough to testify in court? No. Enough to know for all practical
purposes? Yes. I'm advocating activism that results in publicity and
public pressure. Since I've never read about any such efforts (and I
read the paper every day), it's an ergo.

>And I think you underestimate poor people's fear of retaliation.

(Snipped what you remember you wrote)

I don't deny that it might be a reason, but I don't accept it as *the*
reason or even a major reason. My guess is that apathy and years of
conditioning to merely accept are the major reasons by a long shot.

I can see a fear of retaliation from the perspective of being afraid
of being searched for drugs where they really aren't expected to be
found or otherwise humiliated. I can see a fear of retaliation by
being checked out to see how many names the person is under on public
assistance roles. I can see fear of retaliation by having family
members checked for open warrants and unpaid child support payments.
The people in question are vulnerable and they know it.

Do these fears mean you don't do anything, though? Eggs and omelets.




--

Tony Cooper
Orlando, FL
.

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