Bill Feels Like Ranting

Hi Faithful Followers

Various situations in my life have caused me to be swayed politically to the left or right of center, over the years. Having grown up and gone to college in Vermont has definitely pulled at my left, yet my years in the trenches in construction, fending for ones self, has had a tug towards the right. I don't feel that I'm owed anything, yet I feel that one should follow the laws of our land as they are. Wouldn't you think that if you had a child, born in a far away land, raised by a caring few with little resources to offer, who by all standards functions, for the most part, almost years from where she should, that the schools to whom you've paid taxes to for years, would willingly offer to her what she needs to function amongst her peers. I'm not asking that my daughter be set up by the state to never have to work, quite to the contrary, I would like to see the state offer her the tools, mandated by our federal government, to have the ability to work towards whatever ends she wishes. No longer do I need or want somebody from the medical trade or education to tell us how cute or wonderful Aidai is, we need people to stand up and say she needs occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy. For those of you who know me very little, if at all, I was born with a cleft palate, I have spent many hours, from preschool, into middle school with speech pathologists, learning how to recreate sounds that physically I can't do as most of you can. When I was told to my face that Aidai would learn sounds by watching us, I just said, "excuse me, here's my history, how bad do we want to mess her up?" Also, when we're in the office of one of the best orthopedic specialists in the state, that I have to suggest that he sees her walk, after he's already seen her x-rays and made his diagnosis,baffles me, in nature, art and construction, there is a correlation between form and function. "This is not easy, it'll be a long road, I have nothing to offer you today, and I'll see you in six months" doesn't work for me. I know we can't get everything fixed right now, and we're more than ready to do whatever we need, we're not looking for anything that shouldn't be offered outright to us and her. For those of you who know Elizabeth, you know not to cross or push her, I'm not as much so, but I'll tell you this, try to keep something from one of my kids or someone else I love, and you might as well corner a wild animal. The last thing we want is a battle with our school district, we know full well, it's a battle we'll win, but why would they want to go through that??? Democrat/Republican....who knows if it really matters anymore.....strong families, strong, bright, enabled young people, that's our future....when I tell Josh that there are people who want to keep his sister from getting what she needs, he'll be PISSED.....then he'll pick her up in his lap and teach her a little more guitar. Josh for President, that's what I say!!