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Kees - you are so right about the cost - I personally am willing to pay, but realistically I know that I don't have much company in saying this. A few weeks ago I went to some political meetings to push for support for the Udall Bill; to make a good impression on their constituents, both politicians (Sen. Brownback and Rep. Snowbarger of Kansas) talked a lot about our taxes being too high. &@#$*! Compared with other societies, both our taxes and our benefits are LOW. Americans are SO provincial. We know NOTHING about the rest of the world. And, BTW, education receives the same attitude. Our teachers are paid too little and receive too little respect, therefore the best and brightest students are reluctant to go into teaching. Another vicious circle! Mary ---------- From: Kees Paap <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Saturday, October 18, 1997 9:18 PM To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Don't use anger Dear Mary and other listfriends, When I read in your e-mail about your frustations and how well we are coping in the Netherlands, I started thinking about what i saw in the USA and in Europe. I have seen here special lines for handicapped, free public transport, free entrance to museums etc. I don't know about a lot of things in the USA, but I wonder if the ppl of the USA are willing to pay for the facilities. And I don't mean the disabled ppl but the healthy ppl. Are you prepared to pay for taxes, social security and pension, up to 60 % of your income? The first $7,000 are free of charge. And we have other taxes, like on the gas and the state taxes. A gallon of gas cost us more than 8 guilders, that's about $4. The state taxes are 17.5 % And we have our local taxes. So our whole community pays for the ill, old, poor and disabled people, but they pay taxes themselves too. This doesn't make me angry; the treatment by our fellow citizens, like the hotel affair. Or people who start talking to the person BEHIND the wheelchair. And specially when they start talking about the "patient" in the wheelchair. Or when people start talk louder or if they start talking to me as if I'm a baby. But most of all I'm getting angry when people act as if my intelligence is effected by this nasty disease. I always challenge them to let them show the quality of my "brains".