arrgh...

         Arrrghhh.  I am so infuriated right now.  I just got off the phone with Handicapped Children's Association.  Feisty Pants' aquatherapy has been put on hold indefinitely.  The pool at BDC (Broome Developmental Center) needs repairs and NYS so far has not approved them.  What bullshit.  Don't even bother pardoning my french right now. I want someone to be offended by my attitude and my words. I want them to sting.  This is horrible and deserves horrible words.  How dare anyone act like these kids are not being ripped off by the state's cost saving measures.  How dare all of us not realize that state is wasting OUR tax money by not spending it properly.    I pay taxes too. And I damn well resent the idea, that my taxes are going to make sure some corporation does not have to pay their fair share.  I don't see much job creation around here. So what benefit are they providing for their breaks????  Forget the moral issue of providing for vulnerable disabled children.  The whole point of intervention in children's lives is simply that it costs LESS to do it now and make a bigger impact than spending more later. (As in the old sayng  its cheaper to build schools than prisons.)  It's cheaper to provide therapy now than nursing homes and specialized nursing care later in life.  We are wasting children's minds and potential that could benefit all of us the long run if we simply don't act like miserable cheap bastards now.  These services are NOT charity. They are an investment.  An educated healthy populace makes contributions to society that WE all benefit from.  How many potential Jonas Salks, Helen Kellers, Stephen Hawkings, Marie Curies are simply being wasted because some pencil pusher wants to be cheap???     

                       And its not even necessarily long term results in cost savings either.  Aquatherapy has an interesting  side effect on kid's like Feisty Pants.  Therapy pools are warmer than other pools (avg of about 93 degrees) This relaxes her spasticity.  Couple that with the pressure of water on her body and she coughs better.  And the pressure on her body itself helps move any fluids and mucus in her lungs.  This means her lungs become much clearer after a session of AT.   So for the  cost of simple therapy session, we not only get the benefit of brain stimulation and muscle stimulation, but we are another step along the way in NOT having pneumonia.  Not racking up a 65 THOUSAND dollar PICU stay, a 25-40 THOUSAND dollar medivac helicopter ride to another hospital due respiratory distress, the bills for antibiotics so exotic the CDC has to approve their use in every individual case.  And up until last week, FP wasn't even theoretically eligible for private insurance.  No one will cover her.  So guess where the bill goes?  One hospital stay alone out costs the repairs many times over. And that's just ONE kid in the program. 

                   Let's face it, we know why the state is dragging its feet.  They want to close the Broome Developmental Center. Fine.  But what are you going to do about providing the services for outpatients that can only be gotten there?  What are going to do about the sex offenders housed there that are not safe to allow into the populace at large???   My child is simply the first (and most vulnerable) in line to be harmed by this ill conceived decision. What happens when its all of our children at risk of harm?   I am not going to drop this.  I will not let this go.  (I already have raised one teenager.  Feisty Pants is heading that way -she's almost eleven.  I have become very good at nagging.).   If anyone would like to help, you can look around and sign a petition or two.  And if anyone knows of new ones, shoot a message in the comments or hit me up on google plus or facebook (under Mikki Chalker.)