Chemo-Freyne

Sitting all day in the same seat brought back a feeling of immobility, one I haven't experienced since I had a job for almost six months with the U.S. Census Bureau back in 1980.

Today, I spent almost seven hours sitting in the same seat up on Hospital Hill. This one was my chemotherapy seat with the IV in the fat vein on top of my left hand. Went well.

Memories?

I had only been in Burlap a few months. Census HQ was on lower Maple Street - an artsy ad agency in there now. Democrat Jimmy Carter was president. Ruth Poger, South Burlington Queen Bee, was the boss. Lots of Democrat Party-connected female managers. Friends of Patrick & Madeleine, aka. Patrick Leahy & Madeleine Kunin were they. Or rather Madeleine May Kunin as she's identified in her recent Lake Champlain op-ed in the Rutland Herald.

Plain and simple, the Census gals were short on boys and hired me on the spot. This Chicago cabbie with a Jesuit University degree appeared of interest. Over the next six months, I learned Vermont and Vermont politics in a whole lot more depth than the "normal" newcomer. And $150-a-week was a decent paycheck in 1980. The rent over on Marble Ave. was $125-a-month. And Jeannine, my Chicago sweetheart, was working behind the counter at La Patisserie on Main Street.

Nurse Pat, who took the photo of Peter Patient today, also shares a Chicago past. Grew up in "boring" Indianapolis. Went to St. Joe's in South Bend, the girls college, and spent much of those wild 1970s, like me, in Chicago!  Greatest big city in the world! We agreed on that.

After chemo, I went downtown to the coffee shop. Light crowd on the Marketplace, except for the bunch sounding the IMPEACH BUSH message up in front of the Unitarian Church. I took this photo after they'd broken up. Leahy, Sanders, Welch, Douglas and Bush himself may wish we've heard the last of the IMPEACH BUSH cries, but you know what?

We haven't.

I confess, I missed the CH. 3 Six O'Clock News. By the time they posted it, I had already gone through the email.  Surprised by the news judgment. Fanning the flames of the suicidal Virginia Tech psycho shooter???

Ol' WGOP must have gotten bad ratings? This led tonight's Vermont News:

PARSONS: Should Vermont change its gun laws to avoid a possible calamity as we saw at Virginia Tech? This state is one of 28 that do not report the names of mental patients to the FBI for background checks before they can buy guns. Brian Joyce has been following the story and is in the newsroom with our report.

Marselis, Mental health officials say Vermont judges issue about 200 involuntary treatment orders each year for mentally ill patients who are a threat to themselves or others. Under federal gun laws -- it is illegal for them to buy or possess guns of any kind. But Vermont chooses NOT to provide their names to the FBI databank for gun sale background checks. And the Governor says he is not concerned.

Based on my incoming, release-wise, I got as kick out of the one Democratic House Speaker Gaye Symington and Democratic Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin put out before noon:

We were pleased to learn this morning that a surplus of up to $29 million in this year's budget is likely.  As leaders of the Vermont House and Senate, we believe this surplus money should be used to provide property tax relief to all Vermonters and we urge members of the Vermont Legislature and the Douglas administration to join us in that commitment.  A variety of methods are available to achieve that goal of property relief and we look forward to a discussion of which method is most appropriate. Regardless of the method, we believe that the money should be used for property tax relief for all Vermonters.

Couldn't find a peep about it on the WGOP, er, sorry, WCAX news script.

Would have been a fair question for our Republican Guv, eh?

"Democrats Demand Tax Relief - Say Gov. Douglas Must Apply Budget Surplus to Strapped Property Tax Payers."

Don't hold your breath to see that one on CH. 3, eh?

Comments

[montpelier28]

Sounds like we don't need the Fed's blackmail money for primary seat belt enforcement.