August 25, 2008

Tip's Tip

Last night the Olympics ended.

Tonight the Democrat’s National Convention starts.

I am going out on a limb and guessing the Olympic Games will prove more entertaining than the Political Games.

Once again health care is a ‘Big Issue.’ The national parties are going to fight about stuff that they are more interested in as fighting points than practical day to day living with a chronic condition matters.

Can you tell that I don’t have big expectations that much will change? Tip O’Neill once said, “All Politics is Local.” Old Tip knew his stuff. Take his advice.

Maybe the most local issues are schools. You don’t have to look too hard to find parental angst on the issue of type 1 care and school. In fact I dare say this is a more emotional issue with type 1 families than the mess that we lovingly call health care / insurance.

All the boogie men of type 1 come into play with a bad school and type 1 family relationship; the food police, testing, activity, power, ignorance, responsibility and all the rest.

There is a T1 community but for the most part it is a virtual community that exists with on line connections. Politically we are not locals so in a lot of ways we don’t exist as a block with political clout.

So while you are skipping the coverage of both parties national convention, drop a note to your state representatives about the need for safe diabetes care in school. If anyone knows a list by state of pending legislation, I would live a link. ADA has this list of states with laws and this about states that don’t but neither is quite a list of states with legislation pending to call and write our legislatures about. (Pa folks here is the info for us.)

Do your civic duty. Watch the national conventions if you must but during breaks write you state reps and help bring some rational order the school rules for type 1.

1 comment :

  1. This is definitely needed! Here in Michigan, I would love to contact my state legislators, but don't know where to start.

    ReplyDelete