One family's nightmare
January 30, 2010
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
I have wanted to write you for some time, and have spent a great deal of time thinking about what I wanted to say. There are several issues I want to comment on/bring to your attention:
Part 1-Healthcare Reform
As a teenager, I volunteered for the American Red Cross, and was a Jr. Firefighter at the Waldo Volunteer Fire Department. I also volunteered as a Candy Striper at Shands Teaching Hospital in Gainesville, FL. As an adult, I worked as a Secretary for the Interventional Cardiology Division at Shands Teaching Hospital. During that experience, I became aware of a common practice of Pharmaceutical Companies: "Grand Rounds." This is a practice where the Pharmaceutical Companies pay for travel expenses for an expert in a specialty field, and also pay for huge luncheons for the specialty faculty, staff and residents and fellows. This means they pay for Grand Rounds for Cardiology, Neurology, Radiology, Pediatrics, ....just name the specialty. This is commonplace at every hospital in America. This is just one of the reasons drug costs are so high. I request that you order the Pharmaceutical Companies to cease and desist from this practice immediately. Before the internet, it might have been appropriate. Now, I can think of no justifiable reason for it.
Pharmaceutical Commercials on TV: Everyone I know says that by the time they finish watching a commercial for a certain drug, they don’t want to take it because they have to list the side effects. Please ban this practice immediately also.
A doctor will always prescribe the drug they think best for the patient, regardless of a commercial or Grand Rounds. These 2 practices are part of what is driving the cost of healthcare, especially medications, spiraling upward.
Quality of Healthcare: I took my 7 year old son to a doctor on Monday for his chronic nightmares, for reasons which will be made clear in other parts of this letter, and her statement was "He is just doing it for attention, and you (meaning me, his mother) need to socialize." President Obama, do you know of anyone who can control their dreams? What does my social life have to do with my son’s nightmares? This is just a snippet of the ludicrous practices of health care providers that we have experienced; unfortunately, I feel I could write a book on the subject.
Part 2 Education
My X husband has a 30 page criminal dossier which includes domestic violence, threatening a school board member, and jail time for that and a DUI. He is still teaching special education in Clay County, Florida. While I, one of his many victims, have not been able to find a decent job since he caused me to lose my job at IBM in Boulder, CO in May, 2003. I suffer from PTSD and have to take medication because of it. He caused me to have 2 nervous breakdowns in 2005. Is this the kind of person you would want to entrust the care of your child with special needs? His criminal record has never seen the light of a court room or a judge. We have copies of the police reports if you would like to see them. No matter who we tell our story too, no one can believe he is still teaching.
I have a disability claim on file. I have returned to school and will graduate in May, 2010 with an AAS degree in IT from Santa Fe College. Because of the "non-job" market, I am not confident of my ability to find a job and am seriously considering getting my Master’s and PhD in Computer Science. I already have my Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics which I obtained from UF in 1989, and so have been penalized by not being able to receive Pell Grants in order to rebuild my life after domestic violence. Please change the law so that women like me can have a second chance at an education, and be eligible for Pell Grants even though they might already have a Bachelor’s degree. Domestic Violence can affect anyone from any walk in life. Denying Pell Grants to people on the basis of them already having a bachelor’s degree is a very broad stroke and actually discriminatory. I imagine there might even be soldiers who have PTSD and want to return to school and are not eligible for Pell Grants because they too may already possess a Bachelor’s Degree.
My son is also having to receive services for dysgraphia, anxiety, hyperactivity, and speech and language outside of the school system. These are services which should be provided at the school. The extra time it is taking me and my mom to make sure that he gets the support he needs prevents me from being employed on a full time basis.
Part 3 Taxes and The Legal System
I actually feel my case is similar to the Jaycee Dugard Case. No matter how many times the cops or CPS have been called, [Sperm Donor]has managed to convince the experts that he is a saint. He knows how to do this because of his profession. Everyone wants to believe him because he has the label "Special Ed Teacher" which he does not deserve. I feel if he is stripped of that title my son and other children might actually have a fighting chance.
My X has sued me for custody of my son 3 times. My disability attorney has several social workers in her office. I think it should be a law that every Family Lawyer also has at least one social worker in their office. Parents and children who are going through this need all the help and support they can get. This would create an enormous amount of jobs for social workers and provide a much needed service.
The last time [Sperm Donor] sued me for custody of our son; it cost my Mom all of her retirement savings to pay the attorney. She has to pay penalties in taxes on this money. She has called the IRS and has tried to get them to drop the charges as this was clearly a hardship which was beyond her control, but they have refused to relent. They are also charging her an exorbitant amount a month in interest. We live in a 2BR mobile home and only have a 1995 Toyota Tercel for transportation. She is 70 years old. Please have the IRS refund her the amount she has already paid because she had to pay my attorney’s fees in order to protect me and my son. It is horrible that she had to lose all of her retirement savings because of this case, but to have IRS penalize her on top of it is truly unreasonable. Again, we will be happy to provide you with any documentation if you would like to see it.
SSDI
My case has been called "one of the worst cases of domestic violence" by a domestic violence expert here in town. THERE WAS NO PHYSICAL ABUSE. It was all emotional, verbal and psychological. I have an attorney representing me in my SSDI case, and have also recently filed a disability claim for my son. Going back to school has helped me heal. I feel if I continue with my education and am able to actually teach computer science, earn a decent living, will be able to give back to the community. I filed my claim in 2008, and it has still not been heard by an ALJ. Please do what you can to get my SSDI claim approved because the extra money will allow me to continue with my healing process while I pursue my educational and employment goals. My only source of income is child support.
Conclusion
I hope you find my suggestions helpful and look forward to hearing about them being implemented on the news.
We also know that our family is not the only family that has experienced similar nightmares. These problems, if continually to overlooked, will only worsen over time.
Also, our family would be humbly grateful for whatever you can do to assist us regarding our family’s SSDI claim and my mom’s tax situation.
When you were running for President, my son said "The Brown Man is going to win." I voted for you, and still support you in all of your endeavors. I appreciate the courage and candor you have with tackling issues and your enemies head-on. Believe me when I say, I know what it takes. We also lift your family up to our son; we say he "lives like the President’s kids" because he lives with his granny. I have the best mom in the world, and my son and I would be in a horrible place were it not for her enduring support despite the numerous crises our family has experienced.
Thank you for taking the time to listen to my concerns.
Highest Regards,
Katherine "Tavane" aka "Gator" Griffith