“Lean to the Left!”

Politically people think I’m a very leftist liberal. For me it depends upon the issue. Talk about the environment and I’ll talk about conservation. But on that issue conservation is considered liberal, not conservative.

When it comes to eminent domain I take a stronger property rights view – more conservative.

When it comes to marriage I say less government. Typically calls for less government is viewed as conservative but not when it allows those of the same gender to marry each other. Many hold the view that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Fine. But the basis for that perspective is about religion and not constitutional equality. If government is going to be in the marriage business then it needs to be equal. If churches don’t want to recognize same-sex marriages that is their right based on the Freedom of Religion. But why must we have government involved? Let’s unregulate marriage. Liberal or Conservative?

This week I was told to “lean to the left.”

Not from someone discussing politics, but my physical therapist. This month I’ve been in outpatient therapy at the Rehabilitation Institute of St Louis, located near BJC. So when my therapist told me to lean to the left I grinned and did as told.

For those new to this site, I had a stroke on February 1st – not quite nine months ago. My left side was completely immobilized. 100% out of commission. I returned home on April 30th. Since coming home my balance and walking has greatly improved. I still use my power wheelchair to go distances more than 3 blocks but I walk when I can.

One of the things we are working on in therapy is to get me to trust my left side more and more. My hip & knee are still weaker than they should be so exercises are aimed at strengthening them. I have a tendency to depend too much on my right side – leaning that direction so my right leg carries more of my weight than my left.

So I need to lean to the left.
A full recovery where you can’t tell I had a stroke will still be measured in years. But my progress this past six months has been great. In therapy I’m getting the instruction I need to take me the rest of the way to a full recovery.

Here are some of the things I can do now that I could not do when I returned home from the hospital:

• Walk with a more even cadence.
• Take normal showers standing up.
• Get up from a seated position without pushing myself up from the chair with my right arm.
• Put on a jacket while standing.
• Use my left hand/arm to turn on/off light switches, turn my deadbolt lock, open my door, push elevator buttons (some require more pressure than I can exert), carry light unbreakable items, rotate a small object in my palm, and flip someone the bird.

Now that I’m doing more I really have to be even more careful not to fall. Doing things like turning on/off lights is not effortless. I can’t reach around a corner with my left — I have to be in front of the switch. It is amazing how the brain can reprogram itself. Me seeing my left hand be useful is helpful in this reprogramming process.

Some things I still cannot do:

• Carry a glass or plate of food with my left hand.
• Carry anything weighty with my left.
• Get seated on the ground/floor and get back up again.
• Take a bath (I prefer showers anyway but I like the occasional bath).
• Type with both hands. I’m at 20 words per minute with my right only.
• Two-step (course I couldn’t do that well before the stroke).
• Ride a bike or scooter.
• Open the driver’s door from the inside or put down the windows with my left hand.
• Open many doors with my left — many require a lot of force — more than I have to give at this time.
• Raise my left hand.

The trick is to just keep trying. Sometimes it takes me a bit, certainly longer than just using my right. But I have to learn to lean to the left.

A Third Term for the Mayor?

Yesterday New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg successfully got the City Council to overturn their city’s term limits that had been approved by the voters twice.  This clears the path so he can seek a third 4-year term.  A number of the City Council can now also run for third terms as well.

In St Louis City we have no such limits in place.  Our officials can stick around for decades if they like.  They amass these huge campaign war chests that are used to intimidate newcomers from seeking office. New blood and new ideas are kept at bay.

I like term limits.  Keeps people on their toes.  Forces them to think about changing offices or moving out of public service.  It doesn’t allow officials to get too comfy.

If someone can’t accomplish something in 8 years they are not going to get it done in 12,16, 20 or more years.
Maybe after I finish my Masters I’ll work on a referendum in St Louis to have term limits.

Undecided on Proposition A

For political offices I know how I’ll be voting on November 4th. Proposition A, however, still has me undecided. Prop A will allow Missouri’s casinos to make lots more money by removing the hassle of loss-limit tracking. In exchange they are agreeing to tax themselves at a slightly higher rate than the current rate (21% vs 20%). Of course it is being sold as helping schools.

As you can tell I’m not inclined to buy into the interests of gaming officials. But I think they make a reasonable argument that it is less of a hassle for gamblers to cross a state line to be “entertained” at a neighboring state that doesn’t have loss limits. It is not wanting to lose more than $500 but avoiding the lines caused by the tracking measures the loss limit imposes.

I think I voted in favor of riverboat gambling back in the early 90s, I don’t recall. Boy have we come a long way. What is the rule now? You have to be able to see a river from the casino or at least have a painting of one in the lobby?

One interesting provision of Prop A is to lock in the number of gaming licenses to those currently operating or under construction. So the casinos will make more money and competition from within the state will be fixed. Within a decade they’ll be back saying we need more casinos.

Why don’t we just become like Nevada? Let’s have slot machines everywhere.

I say we support the no loss limit as soon as we ban smoking across the state. That would put Missouri casinos on an even footing with Illinois casinos.

So here is your chance to argue pro or con for Prop A, which way should us undecideds vote?

Fox2; The Story is More Important Than Pedestrians

How important is getting the news? Important enough to inconvenience others? Fox2 seems to think so.

Today I spotted this Fox2 news van on the sidewalk and blocking the ADA ramp at Tucker & Olive. Not much room left for the able-bodied. Anyone in a wheelchair is out of luck. Anyone crossing Olive or Tucker at this intersection would be left out in the rain. But hey, they had a story to do.

Sidewalk Closed, Use Other Side of Street

We’ve all run into a closed sidewalk before. Well, at least those of us that live in places with sidewalks. Most of us have been detoured before — forced to cross the street to keep heading in the direction we were headed.

Last night after leaving City Grocers at 10th & Olive I wanted to go East on Olive, in my power wheelchair. Drats, the sidewalk on the South side of the street is closed:

And so is the sidewalk on North Side of Olive:

Most folks could simply walk around the barrier but in a wheelchair that isn’t an option. One option would be to ride in the street and take the next curb ramp to get back on the sidewalk – not exactly safe during the day and worse at night. Or, convince myself that I really didn’t want to go East after all. I chose the latter and went North on 10th to get to Washington Ave to head West to get back to my place at 16th.

I’ve accepted that in the chair I’m going to encounter missing, difficult or even blocked curb ramps. Sidewalks will be closed due to construction – even though the ADA says the route is to remain open. What caught me off guard was having both sides of the street closed simultaneously. The second one on the North side of the street is very temporary — a bit of concrete was poured on the corner earlier in the day.

As downtown gets more pedestrians we need to ensure that different contractors pay attention to each other and leave one route open.  Removing barriers as soon as the concrete is set enough is another solution.  Making pedestrian friendly neighborhoods requires making sure pedestrians can get from A to B.