Friday, May 24, 2024

Fwd: I'm tired. But not too tired to stop fighting.


/ed

Begin forwarded message:

From: E Durant 
Date: October 5, 2017 at 7:32:27 PM EDT
To: Me
Subject: I'm tired. But not too tired to stop fighting.



DailyDDoSe October 5, 2017


I've never been so involved in politics. Not when I was a lobbyist, not when I was a policy advisor to the Governor, not when I was on the Transition Team or any of the Task Forces working with the Department of Mental Health, TCCY, DCS to respond to crises that came about when they cut 400,000 off Medicaid, or misprinted the IDs for Medicare Part D creating mass chaos and confusion. 


Once the "transition" was done (it was a 6 month contract) I trusted that policies would be implemented effectively and felt confident the Obama admin had everything under control. 


Trump doesn't talk about healthcare because he doesn't bother to read the bills and if he does, he is either lying or lacks the intelligence to understand what they say. 


So yeah, I'm back. And I'm mad as hell. I never felt we were in imminent danger before. So if you are tired of seeing my posts simply unfollow. I get paid per word to write and not once have I been accused of posting Fake News. 

Friday, October 20, 2023

Enemy of the People

October 20, 2023


Dear Dad,

It was so wonderful to see you during your recent visit.

I hope you enjoyed the restaurants as much as I did and it was very nice to have two of my favorite people down here at the same time!!

I can't remember being so excited about anything as I was to get my ears re-pierced last week!!

I'm loving being able to wear earrings again, now I'll just need to find somewhere nice to go sometime soon.

Really glad you are both in such good health and really appreciated hearing your views on everything that is going on with Trump and the War in the Middle East.

I did a deep dive into the news coverage and spin since the morning the War broke out and it's very interesting to see how Florida DeSatan has been sending chartered flights to import Israelis to Florida, greeting them with hugs, swag and film crews when he while using the same funds to ship migrants to Martha's Vineyard a few short months ago.

The hypocrisy is astounding and many years from now, people are going to wonder what happened in Florida and the United States when fascism and White Christian Nationalism came to America and banned everything from books to Black History and AP Psychology.

I'm doing the best I can to immerse myself in history unfolding right before our very eyes because I learned enough in college, graduate school and working for the government to recognize all the policies and regulations that are leading us down that very dark road.

It gives me a great deal of pleasure to hear MAGA, Fox and Mom's of Liberty refer to my indoctrination at an Elite, Radical Left Wing Ivy League University turning out dangerous and evil alum like you and I because they hate Harvard too!!

Love you much, and hope to see you again soon.

Love,

Liz

Monday, March 27, 2023

Powers That Beat: In God We Trust? School Vouchers for Parochial School?


Powers That Beat: In God We Trust? School Vouchers for Parochial School?

In God We Trust? School Vouchers for Parochial School?

Elyssa D. Durant

Social Stratification 

Columbia University 

Guiding Questions

How can school vouchers reach a balance between serving the public interest and preserving. individual freedoms and rights?

What additional arguments can be presented for against the use of school vouchers for parochial schools?

How is the issue of school vouchers for sectarian institutions different or similar from issues surrounding prayer in school?

What are the common issues relevant to both Charter schools and voucher programs?

Since I have serious concerns regarding the long term outcomes of school choice and voucher programs, exacerbate the inequality between the rich and the poor. Since I believe that healthcare and education are both social goods, I have serious concerns about letting the free-market run amok during such a critical point in history.  I do not feel it is wise to allow for-profit market forces to dictate the any public good when natural rights are at stake.  The shortcomings of the Medicaid managed care programs, Medicare supplemental insurance policies, and demonstration projects such as the privatization of prisons provide sufficient evidence of the dangers of profit driven corporations in American culture. Corporate scandals with food and other suppliers contracted by the Board of Education in New York City provides an excellent example of how easy it is to manipulate funds away from the target recipients.

For example, private managed care companies offered gifts to boost enrollment by enticing desperate Medicaid recipients to join their plans.  I find this marketing strategy offensive when we are dealing with a social good albeit healthcare or education.  Vulnerable populations are frequently exploited through corporate contracts, and there is little reason to believe that for-profit conglomerates would treat public schools or economically disadvantaged students and families otherwise.

        Arguments on both sides of the school voucher issue are very similar to those presented for and against Charter Schools and free-market school choice.  Smrekar (1998) presents four key issues that have been at the center of the school choice debate:  (1) economic, (2) political; (3) social justice; and (4) pedagogical.

The economic argument in favor of school choice points out that our current public education system resembles a monopoly.  Proponents argue that the introduction of choice into the educational marketplace will promote competition and force schools with poor performance records to improve or close (Friedman, 1968).  

The political argument is centered on the democratic ideal that the freedom to choose where your child attends school is a fundamental right.  The political argument also triggers strong feelings about the role of education in a democratic society. 

 There are those who feel that the public school is intended, at least in part, to create a common set of core values that is best served by the public sector. At the core of the political school choice argument is a debate regarding the benefits of providing a common set of experiences in a democracy versus promoting individual choice and liberty (Smrekar, 1998).  This issue, while not dead, was challenged in 1925 when the Supreme Court ruled in Pierce v. Society of Sisters (268 U.S. 510 (1925)) in favor of parents who sent their children to private school.  This argument continues today and is at the center of both school choice and curriculum debates.  

 The social justice argument is a bit more complicated and there is little agreement on any front. Proponents argue that school choice empowers the poor to participate in the education of their children by giving them the same options available to wealthier families in the United States.  According to a 1997 poll in USA Today, 47% of parents would send their children to private schools if they had the financial resources (Doyle, 1997).

Information is an essential component to any school choice program.  In order to ensure social equity in school choice programs we need to be sure that the poor are fully informed of their choices and are not taken advantage of in the open market.  It is believed that the act of choosing has positive effects on the school environment and promotes parental involvement in their children's education (Doyle, 1997).  Additional components of the social justice argument have focused on the nuts and bolts of choice programs, and point out how there are several different ways that choice programs may (wittingly or unwittingly) promote social inequity (Cookson, 1995).  Such arguments focus on transportation problems, admissions policies, the availability of information, and how we define "choice" and implement policies regulating recruitment, enrollment and performance of participating schools, (Cookson, 1995; 1997).  

        The pedagogical argument points out that school choice programs are better suited for the individual needs inherent to a pluralistic society.  Although some feel there is value in providing core curriculum and a common set of basic skills, there is a current trend towards specialty schools that focus on the arts and sciences, technology, vocational training, etc.  Educators look towards successful magnet schools as examples of the pedagogical success that demonstrated the importance of school choice and parental involvement as indicators of educational outcomes.  Some educators fear that the introduction of school choice and voucher plans would prompt the best students to leave public schools and that this would have a negative effect on the overall climate of public classrooms.

        There are several different types of voucher programs, but the one which raises the most questions are voucher programs that give qualified individuals the choice to attend parochial schools.  Traditional arguments against this type of school voucher program have focused on the Constitutionality of using state funds for sectarian institutions.

Historically, the church had a key role in the education of children in America.  During the National Period (1780-1830), churches were used to educate children, and the King James Bible was used as a reader in these classrooms (Smrekar, 1998).  Derek Neal (1997) points out that much of the current sentiment against Catholic schools is not a reflection of their excellent performance record, but rather an indication of the anti-Catholic sentiment which swept the country during the late part of the 19th Century (Neal, 1997).  Neal argues that until that point, there was no contest to religious education as long as it was Protestant.  

Catholic schools have traditionally served the children of the working class.  They were a major socializing force earlier in the century and continue to succeed with children who might otherwise fall through the cracks in public schools.  Despite tapering enrollment, Catholic schools remain a viable force in the private sector providing a reasonably priced private education to American children.  Neal conducted a study that looked at the graduation rates of minority children attending Catholic schools compared with children attending public schools in the inner cities.  Controlling for demographic variables, (parent's education, parent's occupation, family structure, and reading materials at home) closer analysis revealed graduation rates for urban minorities are 26% higher in Catholic schools compared with public schools in the same communities.  Although Neal found similar benefits for whites and in suburban communities, this effect was most profound for urban minorities.

Other studies have focused on identifying the qualities that make Catholic schools successful.  A number of factors have been identified by Bryk and Lee, including active parental participation and the benefits of school choice in creating an inclusive community which fosters a common set of values and ideals (Bryk & Lee, 1995).  Interestingly, the very same variables found to enhance the performance of Catholic school students are remarkably similar to the reported benefits of magnet schools and choice programs.  Despite the excellent performance records of Catholic schools, there are currently no voucher programs that allow parochial schools to participate in state funded voucher programs.  

The reason for this is quite simple, but not necessarily correct or in the best interest of our children.  The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution prohibits the use of public funds in religious institutions.  However, it can also be argued that it is unconstitutional to exclude parochial schools from voucher systems because it violates the student's free expression of religion.  In addition, voucher programs require a conscious decision on the part of the student and the parent.  The state does not enforce a blanket endorsement of any one religion.  I use Catholic schools as an example because they represent the majority of parochial schools in urban America.

Voucher programs typically undergo strict scrutiny for all four reasons mentioned above, but this issue is especially true of any choice or voucher program that channels funds into Parochial schools.  For this reason, Catholic schools and other schools with religious affiliations have been excluded from voucher plans up until this point.  It is not politically viable to institute a choice or voucher program at any level (at the district, state or national level) since similar plans have historically presented long-standing, hard-fought, legal challenges to the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.  

Since the Supreme Court has not ruled on this issue, most challenges up until this point have taken place in state courts[1].  These state decisions have been split, and while there are a few voucher programs operating in Wisconsin and Ohio, neither permits sectarian schools to participate in their programs.  Milwaukee designed a voucher system that included parochial schools in 1995 but later revised their proposal after the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction against expansion into religious schools (Kremerer & King, 1995).

School choice programs that involve vouchers have not been tested in the Supreme Court, but there is a long history of court cases that challenge the flow of money from the public sector into private, sectarian institutions.  The recent pattern of Supreme Court rulings has lead some legal scholars (Kemerer & King, 1995) to conclude that school vouchers would pass constitutional muster under the following circumstances:

Provides payments in the form of scholarships to parents of school age children

Allows parents to choose among a variety of public and private sectarian and nonsectarian schools for their children

Gives no preference to sectarian private institutions

Voucher programs up until this point have encountered substantial resistance from the legal community and a number of civil rights and political organizations.  This becomes more pronounced when the voucher model includes sectarian institutions in the model plan and state court rulings have been inconsistent in decisions surrounding the constitutionality of voucher programs.

        The definitive case regarding school voucher programs is Lemon v. Kurtzman (403 U.S. 602 (1971)).  The Court's ruling in Lemon was based on three components that came to be known as the "Lemon Test".   The Lemon Test applies the following to any Constitutional challenge of the Establishment Clause:

The government action must have a secular purpose

The primary effect must neither advance, nor inhibit religion

It must not result in excessive governmental entanglement with religion

Since voucher programs do not generally provide support directly to the institution, individual freedom and choice remain intact.  Individual families are empowered by educational vouchers since they choose the school and religion appropriate for them.  Qualified schools are not determined by religious affiliation and all schools are required to adhere to state and federal regulations which increases accountability.  Similar issues came before the courts in Pierce v. Society of Sisters (268 U.S. 510 (1925)) as well, however Lemon v. Kurtzman (403 U.S. 602 (1971)) is considered to be both the landmark and test case currently before the courts.

The reason for this is quite simple, but not necessarily correct or in the best interest of our children.  The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution prohibits the use of public funds in religious institutions.  However, it could also be argued that it is unconstitutional to exclude parochial schools from voucher systems because it violates the free expression of religion.  In addition, voucher programs require a conscious decision on the part of the student and the parent.  The state does not enforce a blanket endorsement of any one religion.  I use Catholic schools as an example because they represent the majority of parochial schools in urban America.

Teacher's unions are resistant to bring in a new system that has the potential to upset their job status and security. It will likely be a number of years before we truly understand the effects of magnet schools and can evaluate the implementation of school choice programs that are already in place.  Because we are dealing with such an essential human, social good, it is my recommendation that we do not implement a large scale voucher program until issues of access and equity are resolved on other public fronts.  We must ensure real choices for the students and families who are not information savvy and may be limited in their ability to recognize the real value of their options. We must find a way to ensure the equitable distribution of resources so that education truly does will empower the poor.

        Is the time right to apply the Lemon Test to school vouchers?   You decide.

References

Cookson, P.W., Jr. (1994).  School choice: The struggle for the soul of American education.  New Haven: Yale University Press.

Cookson, P.W., Jr. (1995).   ERIC Digests: School Choice.

Doyle, D.P.  (1997). Vouchers for religious schools.  Public Interest, 127, 88-95.

Haynes, C.C. (1993).  Beyond the culture wars.  Educational Leadership, 51(4), 30-34.

Houston, P.D. (1993).  School vouchers: The latest California joke.  Phi Delta Kappan, 75(4), 61-64.

Kremerer, F.R. & King, K.L.  (1995).  Are school vouchers Constitutional?   Phi Delta Kappan, 77(1), 307-311.

Kremerer, F.R. (1995).  The Constitutionality of school vouchers.  West's Education Law Reporter, 101 Ed. Law Rep. 17.

Kremerer, F.R. (1997).  State Constitutions and school vouchers.  West's Education Law Reporter, 120 Ed. Law Rep. 1.

Neal, D.  (1997).  Measuring Catholic school performance. Public Interest, 127, 81-87.

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[1] Including a decision that was handed down this week regarding a choice plan in Ohio. (12/18/2000)




/ed

Thursday, August 25, 2022

July 1, 2022

July 1, 2022
12:32pm
I lit a scented candle and took the Ativan Pottash prescribed. 
Very dehydrated I think. Got some Gatorade and I'm watching the News and following Twitter. 
I'm sorry if I upset you. I don't want you to worry. The ENT passed me off to the head and neck oncologist at Miami Sylvester Cancer Center (I'll be there on Wednesday because that's where Dr. Cohen is doing my test procedure of a medial branch nerve block) 
But I told the nurse who called last night that the ENT made a referral to a specific doctor at Sylvester and Florez won't approve it so I'm going down there on the 14th to read them the riot act. 
The ENT said even if the biopsy comes back NOT cancer he wants me to see a cancer specialist because it won't heal with the magic Mouthwash (dexamethosone, corticosteroids and lanocaine) 
The steroids they gave me a t the hospital did help but I don't have any more left. Also, they gave me the steroids for my spine to reduce inflammation. They didn't know about my mouth but the ENT ordered me to go directly to the Emergency Room when he last saw me because my mouth was so bad I couldn't eat or drink fluids. 
Then Dr. Cohen (pain management ~ anesthesiologist) ordered me DIRECTLY to the Emergency Room from his office and wanted to call an ambulance.
I said no and they made me sign papers that I was leaving AMA. When Dr. Cohen sees me he admits me to the hospital for a few hours to do procedures eg steroid injections and then discharges me. Last time he made me sign AMA because he thinks I have additional spinal cord damage. 
You know how I feel about the Emergency Room and I had no idea they were going to admit me. 
They admitted me to neurosurgery and the surgeon came to my bedside to talk to me. 
REMEMBER GOOD SAM said for five months they didn't have a neurosurgeon?? Why couldn't they have done that in 2018??? They just left me in a bed, didn't change my clothes or panties once, didn't shower me or clean my body and I couldn't do it because my hands didn't work at all. 
No one cleaned / bathed me at all until you sent Elaine to me and she got a healthcare aide to go to Good Sam and she gave me a shower and washed my hair and got the knots out. 
Steve and Elaine didn't even recognize me when they came back to see me a few days later
When I was at Good Sam last month while you were in Vienna, they wouldn't let me shower or bring me washcloths to or cleanser. They didn't clean / bathe me and they cut off ALL Endocrinology (thyroid meds- dx para hyper thyroidism or hyper parathyroidism ?? epilepsy meds & Pottash's meds and didn't give me an iron, magnesium or potassium infusion which is what is generally given for dehydration rhabdomyolisis and given the acute state of my anemia that setting off alarms for Rheumatology and finally my PCP noticed. However they all wanna send me to a hematology oncologist. Good Sam picked up nothing. 
It was terribly traumatic and when I complained to the nurse that I had allergic reaction (my eyes swelled shut) and I had an allergy band on and he tried to give me the same medication FiVE TIMES!! 
They also kept giving me morphine which I did not want. They injected it and hurt terribly and burned going in because they did it too fast and didn't care when I said it hurt. 
They just didn't care. It was TERRIFYING because they kept lying to me and when I questioned and started taking photographs of the meds, nurse Chris Jovenes alibi or witness I'm not really sure which one; said to me "you can take as many photos as you want. I keep a lawyer on standby."
WHAT KIND OF A NURSE KEEPS A LAWYER ON STANDBY? 
And what in the world would prompt him to say that to a patient in his care?? 
Joevine said (with Chris in the room) "I do not consent to any photographs or notes of any kind, you may not use your phone and she took it out of my hands and that go over well. 
I had another one in my purse. 
HORRIFYING. I asked for an Ativan at 7:30 pm and the totally incompetent horrible Nurse named Joevine didn't bring it to me until 5:30am. 
The next day I had a seizure and they couldn't give me Ativan because Joevine fucked up the schedule. 
I didn't complain at first but they kept giving me the wrong meds even though I updated with a nurse at 1pm on Monday when I was admitted. They tried giving me high dose Of gabapentn, adddfall, Minipress , and no Effexor, Lyrica, Vyvanse or and gave me ?? mg of Cymbalta and then gave me 4 tablets on Tuesday NIGHT And told me it was Effexor. 
It's possible that it was 475 mg affects or however it was not extended released and I could tell because it wasn't a capsule. 
now they refuse to allow me to examine the medication before I took it. And when I ask specific questions about the medication that they were giving me since the works played a few I should not have been given they told they took them away and OK then you can't have any. 
So it was all or none. Now this is consistently a problem at good Sam and I think you've known this good Sam tried to give me Librium once I asked them what it what are you gonna be Librium for I don't bounce equilibrium I thought maybe they thought it was lithium as someone put that on my truck but no it was Librium which is for alcoholics. I told the nurse I was not an alcoholic, and there was a physical therapist in the room with me when I doth protest too much. 
I got up and looked at the chart and it was some patient down the hall. 
As these kinds of mistakes you may say or a minor however they add up overtime and they create extreme distress and caused a break in my treatment & recovery .
The entire time I was at good Sam I saw I don't know physical therapist, podiatrist for my feet or an oral surgeon for my mouth. 
they claim they do not have a record of my primary care provider which is marked clearly on my insurance card. 
They gave me absolutely no discharge instructions. 
which is my most important medication. Withdrawal form Effexor is very serious and Dr. Pottash knows that if you stop taking Ativan suddenly it can cause seizures. 
They we fed reckless and horrible. When I told the night nurse Chris (Joevines partner in crude ~ they came in together to bully me and STILL gave me the wrong meds. I wrote dow n like I always do so I can report o Dr. Pottash and neurology because they like me and appreciate my diligence. 
They kept me hooked to an IV that they turned off but the tubes kept me chained to the so I couldn't go to the bathroom. 
They did not answer calls for bathroom up to an hour and did not putt pads on my bed for accidents. 
IMPORTANT!! This is why I went to the ER. I wet my bed a few times and then I couldn't take fluids and I couldn't pee. These are all serious symptoms for neurology so they sent me to ER. 
The ER was fine and I zoomed with Dr. Pottash and my neurologist Dr. Arizala-Martinez. 
They made me so sick and I was only there a few days. And completely triggered my PTSD all over again. 
Trying to work through it but I don't have EMDR therapist anymore. 
*unfuniished medical document contemporaneous notes & hospital records to be added. 
PS Humana denied all patient for Good Sam. 
Fun. Good time. 
/ed
On Jul 2, 2022, at 9:57 AM, Marc Durant wrote:
Listen to some music and relax. Whatever will be, will be. If you have no control over it, there's no point in worrying about that. You still don't even have the biopsy results.
-----Original Message-----
From: Elyssa Durant
Sent: Saturday, July 2, 2022 9:21 AM
To: Marc Durant
Subject: Biopsy Referrals 
Thus is a fascinating time to be alive but I don't know how much more I can take
I assume the head and neck oncologist will tell me how long I have. Or the hematology oncologist. No one is telling me how long I have. And I'm so tired going from this doctor to that doctor.
I'm ready to let go and say my goodbyes. I just don't know how much time I have left to do do that. 
I can't handle fighting for treatment. Florez called me at 7 pm last night to see if I went to the hematology oncologist. 
Um, no. I can't schedule an appointment because you dkdnt send my medical records. 
I asked them AGAIN for a foot surgeon and a dermatologist to do a biopsy on my foot. 
The complete idiot said I can't handle it. 
It's too much for me. 
/ed
/ed