Pat Garofalo’s Frustrations Frustrate Me

This is exactly why our country’s infrastructure is crumbling and poverty is not just a problem, but a growing crisis.

I received Rep. Pat Garofalo’s latest “Inside Scoop,” the occasional email he send to constituents. This is how he complained about the sales tax increase that took effect the beginning of the month:

“To make matters worse, once again our area will see very little benefit from this tax increase. It is frustrating to see our area once again footing the bill to pay for other people’s government. Very frustrating.”

It is frustrating that it is so hard for Rep. Garofalo, and others, especially those on the right, who can’t see that our government should be working to make life safer and better for all of us. After decades of right-wing dominance, we might need to take some actions to make corrections. Very frustrating.

Worms, parasites afflict the poorest in U.S.

June 24, 2008, a Reuters report states: “Worms, parasites afflict the poorest in U.S. – ‘Diseases of neglect’ stem from lack of care, poor sanitation.

Dr. Peter Hotez of George Washington University and the Sabin Vaccine Institute in Washington reports that diseases caused by worms and parasites are draining the health and energy of the poorest Americans.

“The message is a little tough because they are not killer diseases — they impact on child development, intellectual development, hearing and sometimes even heart disease,” Hotez said in a telephone interview.

He said the diseases help to keep people mired in poverty, as infections may last years, decades or even lifetimes.

“Throughout the American South during the early twentieth century, malaria combined with hookworm infection and pellagra (a vitamin deficiency) to produce a generation of anemic, weak, and unproductive children and adults,” Hotez wrote.

Do we want that again? Who says we don’t need universal healthcare? Are we a third world country?