HCV and Vitamin Supplements

Posted on November 28, 2011 by asknod

My wife enlisted me on a joint endeavor this year. In order to live longer, we signed up for a longevity clinic. I do not know if everyone is familiar with the concept, but it entails getting a blood draw every 3 months to optimize your vitamin regimen based on what is being absorbed by your system. That is a brief outline. The regimen includes transdermal testosterone and much more. Testosterone makes Winky feel and act young again. That part is  fun.

In my case, with my short bowel syndrome (courtesy of the VA), my absorption of vitamins requires me to eat mass quantities in order to get the minimum necessary daily essentials. This is, of course, the longevity Doc’s idea of the normal baseline if you are healthy. In my case with a compromised liver, eating 10-20,000 units of Vitamin D and handfuls of optimum B 1,2,3,4,5,6 and 12, fish oil pills, Curcumin, ad nauseum  was having a horrible effect on my liver. We were unable to determine which individual supplement was the culprit for driving my AST/ALT through the roof. My doctors experimented by removing me from the thyroid medication, adding a high-fiber diet and other shots in the dark.

My wife and I decided to drop all my supplements entirely in hopes of saving my liver from further damage. Lo and behold, after just three weeks off the program, my numbers have declined dramatically. My results from last week’s draw at the VA revealed my AST had decline from 122 to 49 and my ALT from 301 to 106!

In order to get my vitamins, I have resorted to liquid versions which are far more expensive. They seem to keep my energy levels much higher, too. I still take Ultrathistle capsules by Natural Wellness. This milkthistle product is suffused with a soy product which increases it’s absorption threefold into the system. But the big hit is Intramax by Drucker Labs:

http://www.cleansurroundings.com/drucker-labs-nutritional-supplem-c-34.html

I’m lucky in that my liver is still compensated. Intramax apparently is very gentle on it. Additionally, I now use Barlean’s Omega Swirl liquid fish oil supplement:

http://www.barleans.com/Default.asp

Now, I know what all of you are thinking. The man has gone off the deep end and is swigging all manner of vitamins in a vain attempt to retrieve his health. Not so, fellow heppers. These things appear to be working beyond my wife’s and my wildest dreams. We all need vitamins as we age. What we don’t need as heppers is to overload the liver in a vain pursuit of our former youth. Our systems are far more fragile and require a different, nuanced approach custom tailored to our individual circumstances.

I have been fooling around with gluten-free this and meat-free that since February. Vegetarian nightmares. High fiber, no dairy, no fun regimes all. Cupcake finally reasoned that a high-fiber diet was scouring out what was left of my small intestines. The VA doctors were trying to get me to pound down 25-30 Imodium tablets a day in hopes of making the diarrhea from the short bowel desist. It never even slowed down. Then they tried Atropine. Again , nothing. All the while Metamucil was the order of the day-morning, noon and night.

After eight months of more fiber than the horse gets, naturopathic remedies from the Longevity clinic, lost weight, and rising Liver function panels, we put our collective foot down. We read up on everything I was putting in me and were astounded. The things we assumed were detrimental were good (Coumadin blood thinner). The phlebotomies for the PCT were a lifesaver (reduced iron infiltration and portal hypertension). The culprits were all the pills. My liver simply couldn’t filter them out and the stress was incrementally destroying it. The more vitamins I consumed in pursuit of health, the worse it became.

Now in just three short weeks, my LFTs are lower than they were before 1988. I’ve given up red meat, but would sooner cut off my right arm. If I hadn’t already quit smoking, I think I would try to drive a bargain whereby I quit the tobacco in lieu of the beef. War was hell, but this is something far worse. Lactaid milk I can handle. Little or no sugar? A piece of cake. The gluten-free thing? It sucks beyond words. Cigarettes and Scotch? Regrettably, yes. But filet mignon? Prime rib rolled in rock salt? A marinated flank steak? Take the right arm above the elbow, please. I insist. Hell, take it to the shoulder, but step away from the Spencer Steaks, pilgrim.

There is no Faustian-style bargaining with the Devil where my wife is concerned. No, the program is keep Buckwheat alive and make his food and drink adventures a mere memory. Why don’t I have a vote in all this? Women have controlled their reproductive functions since Roe vs. Wade. All I’m asking for is a few beef functions a month. Living longer has it’s positives such as the rugrats who refuse to move out and the grandchildren, but I’ve relinquished so much to this disease that I feel there should be some quid pro quo.  Princess’ idea of quid pro quo is turkey burgers and chicken as far as the eye can see. Oh, and some fish thrown in for good measure each week.

I’m thinking of changing my name to Sue because life ain’t easy anymore. Driving by Burger King and waving “Hi” to the King is no longer possible. I have been forced to find another way to drive into town on my infrequent forays just to avoid the aroma of beef broiling. All this to stay alive a few more years and keep Cupcake happy. Now I know how Al Bundy felt in Married… With Children. And, if you think this is all very funny, imagine your best friend as a butcher with his own store. I go there once a week and watch steak TV in his display coolers.

Posted in General Messages, HCV Health, Humor, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

BVA–First Inkling Of Innoculations

Posted on November 27, 2011 by asknod

I’m always searching for things to help Vets win their hep. claims. One can search in newer decisions and extract useful info. He can also go to the beginning and search Genesis as well. This was where I started in 2007 when I was so sick I couldn’t work. My wife turned on the computer and turned me loose. After finding the BVA site for researching decisions, I started at the beginning and read every one to the current year (2007). They became a blur and I focused mostly on the ones that won for guidance. I saw a pattern in the losing ones (willful misconduct or HAV acute infections) but the rationale for winners was varied back in the beginning. Anyone with HBV could and often did get a win. Transfusions (with proof) were a given.

The decision below intrigued me at the time as jetguns were becoming the go-to risk factor. This one is slightly different but the gentleman was on the right track. He unfortunately didn’t broaden his search. He was in the service a whopping 30 long years which gave him ample opportunity to pick up the beast from STDs, tattoos, etc. The jet guns were in full swing when he was discharged. In retrospect, he had a great case that he didn’t exploit to its fullest potential. We’re all Monday morning quarterbacks on these things, but I hope he went back and tried again. His hypothesis was so close to the mark as to be uncanny, but the accused culprit was blameless according to the BVA.

I think I might rightfully say this was the progenitor of the modern jetgun claim absent the words in haec verba. It’s too bad he didn’t have better information to present.  Serving in the military for 30 years without coming down with Hep. would be the miracle in my book.

http://www.va.gov/vetapp92/files1/9204584.txt

 

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No Nativity Scene in D.C.

Posted on November 27, 2011 by asknod
 Supreme Court rules no Nativity scene in DC
The Supreme Court has ruled that there cannot be a Nativity Scene in the United  States’ Capital this Christmas season.
This isn’t for any religious reason. They simply have not been able to find Three Wise Men in the Nation’s Capitol.
A search for a Virgin continues.
There was no problem, however, finding enough asses to fill the stable.
Posted in Humor, Uncategorized | Tagged | 3 Comments

Thanksgiving Gift From BVA

Posted on November 27, 2011 by asknod

I received my Season’s Greetings from the Board of Veterans Appeals on Friday. No drum rolls are in order. It was anticlimatic to say the least. Instead of a decision on my claim, they unceremoniously declined to advance my claim on the docket.

There was no specific reason for not advancing it. They cited to the fact that there was an absence of sufficient cause. That is legitimate. I can’t win everything all the time with them. However, I do think that being put on hold on January 5th, 1995 and leaving me there constitutes an administrative error resulting in a significant delay in docketing the case. That was my argument.

The BVA, as is their wont, is extremely sparse in verbalizing their reasons for denial. You do not get a blow by blow description of the whys and why nots. You get a straight forward summary of the regulation and an equally worded denial. The good news is I don’t need to spend my waking hours curled up near the computer checking the Ebenefits page every morning and evening. This probably will not see the light of day for some time.

This makes for dry reading, but is instructional insofar as it allows you to peek under the curtain to see what’s happened and what’s in store for you on appeal in 2012-2013.

http://www.bva.va.gov/docs/Chairmans_Annual_Rpts/BVA2010AR.pdf

I see the BVA issued 49,127  2010 decisions- an increase of 323 cases over the prior year of 2009. Whoo-hoo! The author had this excuse for why there weren’t more forthcoming.

The Board’s productivity in Fiscal Year 2010 represents the greatest number of decisions issued by the Board in any year since the beginning of judicial review of Board decisions. Our productivity would have been greater in Fiscal Year 2010, but for two unforeseen events which dramatically affected our output. Record snow storms struck Washington, DC in February 2010, shutting down the majority of operations for nearly a week. Although the Board continued to hold hearings during this time, this period was far from fully productive. Even more seriously, in April 2010, the Board’s computer system was attacked by a crippling virus that suspended virtually all operations for approximately 10 days. As the Board generally averages 1,000 appeals decided per week, these disruptions took a significant toll on productivity. The Board was able to bounce back from the effects of the inclement weather much more effectively than the computer virus, as the virus also affected the ability of our staff to telework due to the lack of a functioning computer system, the residuals of which lasted several weeks.

Looking to the future, I see a big roadblock. The BVA still hasn’t hired more VLJs in spite of their stated intention to do so. I cite to the list of 48 on page 15. This will result in more days and an increased backlog. Look at this cute little powerpoint poster:

Why the disparity of 5,000 + fewer appeals docketed than filed at the RO (AOJ)? Do some Vets change their minds? The numbers speak volumes but do not speak for themselves here. I love the fact that the word “Apelas” escaped everyone there as well as the spellchecker. At any rate, it appears I may be several years older and closer to Stage 4 decompensation when this is handed down. Hopefully it will occur before I start out on my new adventure.

In other words, what the BVA is saying is “your claim has the right to remain dormant. If and when we get through this horrendous backlog, we’ll get back to you. Should you pass away before a decision is reached, we won’t have to adjudicate it. Your spouse can, if she wishes, elect to resurrect this at the AOJ, but that will take another year or two after filing. With luck she may see justice before 2018 unless, of course, she has to appeal it…”

I’ll keep readers apprised of the progress annually assuming I hear back from them.

Posted in BvA HCV decisions, Humor | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Georgia Pecan Pie

Posted on November 24, 2011 by asknod

Most of you don’t realize I’m from south of the Mason-Dixon line. I ended up on the Left Coast after I got out and was too poor to move back to the Northern neck (of Virginia). Truth be told there wasn’t much to make me want to. I got the Dear John from whatshername about a month into boot camp when I mailed her a picture of my new haircut. My relatives weren’t rich so I couldn’t bum off of them. No, the smart money was skip rent, buy tickets to the Cal Jam at Ontario Speedway April 9th, 1974 and then move to Seattle in the middle of even/odd gas rationing. All in all, a well thought out plan until I got to Weed, California on empty.

I guess you’re wondering how pecan pie fits into that equation. If you are from the south, you cook differently from other folks. We give out recipes for things but never, ever list all the correct ingredients. That way when your friend came over for a cocktail party and complained that the corn bread didn’t rise like yours, you could act stupid. He/she didn’t need to know you inserted baking soda for baking powder. You’d shrug your shoulders and tell them they didn’t whip the eggs long enough. Evil is as evil does.

With that said, and knowing that my ancestors won’t rise from the grave and throttle me, I release the real recipe from Georgia for Southern pecan pie. This is the quintessential Thanksgiving desert in our humble abode. Before you get out the pie pan, let’s get one thing straight. It’s pronounced pea-can pie as in I can, you can and pea can. None of this pecahn pie business with the accent on the second syllable. If you’re from north of Baltimore, then you’ll have to relearn it. I hope none of you say to-mah-to, either. Pe-cahn pie from up north is a gooey mess with whole pecahns and a cardboard crust. It’s not their fault. One of my ancestors undoubtedly gave them the recipe. Where we’re going, there is no crust.

Pecan Pie

Oven =325

3 egg whites (whipped)

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup pecans broken up lovingly

3/4 cup graham crackers  well-crumbled

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 Tanqueray ‘n Tonic (TNT) with two limes (squeezed). Face Great Britain and salute, then begin.

Beat whites and then add other ingredients. Grease 9″ pyrex pie pan. Cook 25 minutes in a slow oven to a light tan crust. Cover with 1/2 pint whipped creme and stand well back from the stampede.  Experience will eventually teach you to make two as one will evaporate before dinner begins. No crust. What could be simpler? I promise this is correct in all respects. It wouldn’t take long to prove me a liar anyway. If it doesn’t appeal to you then you are beyond help.

Veterans’ wives would be advised to butter me up as there are other recipes I possess that make this look like child’s play. My Daddy’s corncake is the talk of two Carolinas and Virginia. Notice I said corncake, not cornbread. It’s been likened to one of Betty Crocker’s adventures in good eating, but you won’t find it there. Bon appetit, mesdames et messieurs.

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Thanksgiving 1970

Posted on November 23, 2011 by asknod

Isn’t it funny how old people can remember something in the past but they can’t remember how to copy and paste? Wait. I’m old so I can’t go there yet. It is true, or seems to be, that we can remember what was afoot in the world 40 years ago but draw a blank when asked who our President is…

I can remember getting a CARE package from my stepmother that had all manner of goodies about Thanksgiving time in 70. It had spray cheese that didn’t need any refrigeration. The A-1 sauce was worth 3 cartons of Marbs. Mostly, I remember the Fig Newtons. I saved them for T-day. We had no turkey. We were located 349 klics away from anything resembling turkey. It was designated T-11 in a small city in NW Thailand. Our component was called Operating Location Charlie, 1980th Comm. Sq. We had a US Consulate with an APO, but no American base- just a short laterite runway. There were several spook outfits there. One guided SR-71s into Russia for overflights. Another Army outfit had an antenna farm that looked into Laos and North Vietnam and picked up stray radio transmissions. We provided them with communications to the outside world via cable, TRC-35 LOS  Microwave and MRC-98 Tropospheric Scatter. Our sum total was a combined 45-50 Army, Air Force and an alphabet soup of CIA functions.  Langley had 3 permanently assigned, not including the AirAm personnel.

That Thanksgiving evening, I decided to share my stash of Fig newtons with some of my friends who had come over for a big chicken dinner in lieu of turkey. In the late dusk I started handing out the cookies by passing the package. Shortly after my first cookie, I felt something on my neck and brushed it off. Moments later I felt more and did so again. About that time, my friends all started experiencing the same thing. One turned on his flashlight and observed that the Fig Newtons were covered in ants.

Repair order? Why, blow on each cookie as you took it out of the bag. Nobody was willing to throw these puppies away.

The best part of all this was the discovery of spray cheese. I made a killing on that for the next 16 months. I also sold scotch and stereo off-base for a 400% markup. Getting the money out of the country without Uncle Sam putting you in jail for black marketing was the trick. One of my AirAm buddies solved that. They all flew down to Bangkok and opened Swiss bank accounts at the Embassy there to avoid paying taxes on their income.  I joined them one trip and followed suit. When I got to the States, my first stop was the Swiss Consulate in L.A. They graciously converted them from Swiss francs into US. currency for me, too. Happy Thanksgiving.

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Compensation % vs. $

Posted on November 23, 2011 by asknod

I was looking up the percentage for compensation for 50% today and noticed something that got me thinking. 100% is $2673.00/mo. for a single Vet. Now look at 90%.

http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Rates/comp01.htm

The problem is glaring. A Vet totally disabled is just that, but a Vet 90% disabled ( and unarguably on the cusp of 100%) is given what can best be described as a nonlinear payment. There’s a $1o69.00 difference. We do know from looking at the Diagnostic Codes and rating percentages for diseases in Part 4 that very few, if any, have a linear progression. The norm is 0, 10, 20, 40, 60 and 100 %. Alternately, we see 0, 10, 30, 50, 70, and 100%. There are many that only rate as high as 60. Tinnitus offers 10% maximum. So one can logically assume that a 90% rating encompasses some of these other, smaller percentages.

Utilizing the tables in 38 CFR § 4.25, we see the difficulty and futility of attaining all these smaller ratings when it will require large ones to attain 80 or 90%.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/38/4/25

Personally, I think this is asinine and inhuman. You can have a plethora of ills, none of which is completely debilitating, but when taken as a whole, render you incapacitated. Relying solely on TDIU is your ticket, but you are still not technically 100% on paper. The IU will get you the $2673 eventually, but it seems like VA is demeaning you to get it.

The sheer effrontery in offering $1604.oo/mo. for 90% with $2673.00 being assigned for a mere 10% more beggars the imagination. Just who was the compensation scientist that assembled this construct? Perhaps we could examine his copious notes on how he arrived at this. Is he the same one who figured out the pay scales for all the rest of the VA employees?

We often hear tales of woe from civic types in our universities and school systems that we cannot attract proper talent if we do not remunerate them appropriately. Hence the phenomenon of University presidents and their higher echelon cohorts getting mid 6-digit salaries with untold percs. Politicians are especially fond of this. I’m sure this argument is polished prodigiously every spring when the budgets are  being assembled. VA seems to be similarly infected. I agree. I don’t want some $45,000/year bozo doing my claim in a hurry. I feel much more secure in the knowledge that several 89K/year seasoned professionals are going to take lots of time and perform due diligence in correctly deciding the claim. They’re better in touch with their inner self and know true worth. They can sense credibility and honesty just like my goat.

I find it odd to see 90% anyway. Almost anyone worth his salt will apply for IU the moment he crosses over 70%. In case he forgets, VA is now required to ascertain if he is indeed eligible anyway! They might as well retire the 80 and 90 percentiles as they have done with the DC ratings. They can probably find a way to draw a graph showing how they can save money if they adopt this method. Just remember, you heard it here first.

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CAVC–McNAIR V. SHINSEKI–Presumption of Regularity

Posted on November 22, 2011 by asknod

This decision was just released yesterday or I just found it. Both are possible with my addled brain. The decision is important for only one reason- that it clarifies and in some ways redefines the presumption of regularity.

VA pushed this concept further and further the moment they got a win on it in Woods v. Gober, 14 Vet.App. 214, 218 (2000). This  hinged on a  Supreme Court decision when God was young in 1926 (cf. United States v. Chemical Foundation, Inc., 272 U.S. 1).  In VA law however, every case is decided “de novo” which is lawspeak for brand new. That concept is a win-win for Vets because the BVA has a spotty track record for being able to figure out the law.

I discussed the concept of the presumption of regularity as it applies to the mailings of VA to claimants in Rios v. Nicholson, 490 F.3d 928, 930-31 (Fed. Cir. 2007).

https://asknod.wordpress.com/2011/09/27/cavc-rios-v-mansfield-2007-presumption-of-regularity/

The VA has taken this to put the presumption onto everything it does as evidenced after Woods v. Gober, 14 Vet.App. 214, 218 (2000);. The problem, as we all know, is that the VA is horribly inefficient and one could, in good faith, assign the “presumption” clause to mean it can be presumed that if VA can screw it up, they will. I guess I don’t need to re-illustrate the old “construe” argument when it comes to their ability to figure out what it is you are trying to claim.

Andrea M. McNair had some issues with her “upper endowment”. It seems Mother Nature was very generous to her. She had one reduction surgery in 1989 before service and another post service nine years later at a VAMC in 1998. Apparently, things didn’t go as planned and there was much pain described as neuralgia following the latter surgery. Andrea filed an §1151 claim alleging that the doctors didn’t discuss all the possibilities of complications that might occur post-surgery. The VASEC has chosen, among other arguments, that the presumption applies to everything- including a doctor presumably telling her about what might happen. He added, inter alia, that even if the doctor didn’t tell her,  it could be inferred. I think “inferred” may be one of those buzz words for construe or interpret that VA is so fond of bandying about on appeal.

Rizzo v. Shinseki, 580 F.3d 1288, 1292 (Fed. Cir. 2009) held that the presumption of regularity applied to the competence of VA examiners. I don’t know how that one got by. I think we as Vets can say that isn’t the case 100% of the time, but it’s too late to change Rizzo now. VASEC has simply used McNair to open the umbrella a little wider and bring doctors under it. The Court put their foot down and told him to quit using those impossibly large umbrellas soccer moms employ. Some doctors can be expected to step on their neckties at some point in their careers. This is why we have malpractice insurance, right? That the VA gets a “bye” and is judgement-proof in a lawsuit in no way excuses dumb doctors or their mistakes. This is why we have the §1151 claims mechanism in the first place. Some of us don’t discover VA has screwed up surgically for several years and this prevents a Federal tort action (statute of limitations-two years).

Andrea’s case has been remanded for a de novo decision again at the Board. What happens there will be of interest to all of us who got the short end of the scalpel. It will probably be narrowly interpreted to be a case where the outcome was a foreseeable eventuality, but it shouldn’t be. The consent to surgery should be a well-informed one with a detailed discussion of all the possibilities for catastrophe. VA gave me two surgeries that had “unintended consequences” (e.g. peritonitis/septicemia/short bowel syndrome). Their theory is forewarned was forearmed. It missed one tenet- medical misadventure at the hands of an incompetent surgeon(s). The following paragraph is a synopsis of what is wrong with McNair :

Here, the Board essentially found that the preponderance of the evidence was against Ms. McNair’s assertion that she was not informed that she might suffer from neuralgia as a result of the surgery, but the Board’s statement of reasons or bases in support of its determination is inadequate. Its only stated basis for this finding is the bald statement that “based upon the evidence in this case a reasonable person could assume that the surgeon’s detailed discussion addressing possible residual scarring includes associated neuralgic pain.” No rationale is provided for concluding what a reasonable person could assume, frustrating judicial review. Allday v. Brown, 7 Vet.App. 517, 527 (1995) (holding that the Board’s statement “must be adequate to enable a claimant to understand the precise basis for the Board’s decision, as well as to facilitate review in this Court”) McNair v. Shinseki (2011)

I wager this will appear here again like a red and white fishing bobber resurfacing after a strike. I don’t see Shinseki backing down on such a big finding as this. Hundreds of VA malpractice attorneys will be all over this like white on rice if she prevails. The costs to VA are incalculable because they make mistakes-big ones with attendantly large consequences I might add.

http://www.uscourts.cavc.gov/documents/McNair_09-1813_published_opinion_11-18-2011.pdf

I promise to keep you apprised of any developments on this one. No, not the inbred cat.

Posted in Important CAVC/COVA Ruling, Presumption of Regularity, Tips and Tricks | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

AMVETS Extinct?

Posted on November 21, 2011 by asknod

When I was viewing the  BVA statistics in an earlier post the other day, I was struck by the abysmally small number of claims filed by the AMVETS. In the 90’s they were the go-to Vet’s VSO for filing claims. Hell, I ought to know. I was one of their victims.

When I started to file for Hep in 1994, several Vets “in the know” told me these guys were red hot and had a win record like Seattle Slew. How could I go wrong? I met my rep., Bob Talbott, in the bar at the Tacoma AMVETS, and after a few adult beverages, moved into his office for the POA signing ceremony. Once accomplished, he was free to “discuss” my claim with me. I’m serious. We could talk about how the Seahawks were doing in their division. We could talk about La Nina and El Nino. We could solve global warming if we’d known, but he and I could not discuss the particulars of the claim absent the magic paper.

He became a regular font of info once that transpired. He wasn’t a Vet, but had extensive training in the art of claims. In retrospect, I think it may have been automobile accident claims. I saw him again when I was denied. We had a few more brewskis, wrote up the the NOD and submitted new evidence to rebut VA’s insinuation that I hadn’t been in Vietnam and never had Hep. That was the last of old Bob. He left to become a used car salesman several weeks later and neglected to tell me. I called them up several times in 1995 and asked what the progress report was. “We’ll get back to you” was the response. Oddly, those were the exact same words the VA used before they went AWOL for 12 years.

Here we are 18 years later and it appears AMVETS has focused their profit margins on food and drink. I assume they rent out the auditorium for weddings and wakes. They have a huge building (>5,000 SF) in Tacoma on about an acre. The restaurant portion is handsomely appointed, too. With only 265 claims accomplished nationally in 2010, and assuming an equal distribution over the contiguous lower 48 states, this means 5.52 Vets filed there last year. How can they pencil this out and stay in business? The restaurant industry is in the throes of starvation and many are folding weekly. Theirs is not on the verge of getting a Michelin 5 star rating any time soon. Any ideas on how they perform this magic act?

The area to the left behind Dang was where I sat. It wasn’t so much a seat as an afterthought for a second person. Notice the black throttle lever on the side? Yep, I could control the airspeed but had no stick. Mic Jagger was right. You can’t always get what you want.

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WHO SPEAKS FOR THE TUNA?

Posted on November 21, 2011 by asknod

The other evening, after reading that Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna have way too much mercury in them and you shouldn’t eat a lot of tuna sandwiches in Boston, I got out a can of my tuna. With a sigh of relief, I noted it was white albacore, probably from the left ocean. Of note was the small phrase “Dolphin-friendly”.  Well, that’s good, right? For all you old Flipper fans maybe, but who speaks for Charlie Tuna and his friends?

This would actually end up being another humorous article except for one thing. This is what the President did today when he signed the bill giving a tax credit to employers for hiring Vets. He did a wonderful thing-no doubt about it- but his efforts didn’t float all boats. Who speaks for all the other unemployed non-Veteran souls out there? Where is their jobs preference bill?

America is a resilient Country with a capital C. If we leave it alone, the economy will right itself like a kayak. If Congress and the Man keep trying to artificially alter it, we will suffer far longer. Regardless of who’s fault it is, the jobs have to come back. That can only happen when demand ratchets up the need for production. Giving a tax credit to employers who have no market to sell to is like handing out life preservers on the Mojave desert. Worse, they’re only handing them to people who might employ Vets if they could hire them.

I’ve gone through this feast or famine routine twice. This is the third one in my adult memory. Jobs become scarce and things get tough. You fix it with time. You enact laws that will prevent it from happening again. They never work because the government intervenes with crazy rules. People adapt to them and a new way to fleece us is born a decade later.

I had a construction co. building spec. housing for decades. I can no longer work and, to be fair, I no longer run my company because I collect SSD. Even if I was still in charge, I couldn’t take advantage of this offer. Nobody will buy a new house for X dollars if they can buy a repo for 40¢ of the X dollars. Until that flood of underpriced homes is absorbed and people have jobs again, unemployment will remain flat. Economists say that even after, there will be fewer workers. Geez. That sucks.

Let’s look ahead to the new year as a time for finding new recipes for success. The boys in D.C., be they donkeys or elephants, don’t know what to do other than to spend our money. It’s an incurable disease. We can take the pressure off them by putting them out to pasture and buying a new herd of milk cows that produce without an excessive amount of flatulence and caterwauling. Who, indeed, speaks for the Tuna? We do-all of us- America and her Vets. Let’s not lose sight of the objective by falling for the class warfare argument. Vets are really neat people and statistics tell us that 30% are unemployed currently.

I propose firing a bunch of people in a far away country and start building those products here again with Vets-and Americans. We used to do that, you know. It may come to pass that America can become self-sufficient once more. I represent the Dolphins but also speak for the Tuna.

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