The Resident's Eye View
By Mission Terrace
on Sep 25, 2013 at 09:05 AM in Santa Barbara Retirement Community Events
The ice machine at Mission Terrace broke down on Labor Day, which was an especially hot day. It’s seriously broken and may or may not be fixed. But, since that day, Mission Terrace has had ice available for all residents who request it. (I’m one of those residents. There’s no drink of any kind that I like better than a tall glass of ice water.) This, of course, is not cheap. But Mission Terrace spares no expense and effort in making sure the residents are comfortable. Good to know, especially during this unseasonably warm September.
MT
Ice water is not a good example about sparing no expend
Respectfully, try going to an old folks home for people who need care but are poor.
I have personally seen a place like this in San Francisco.
Without going into details, I can tell you that someone who is poor and was able to get into a rent controlled place is lucky in a way, because if they only have Social Security they will have a place to live.
By coincidence, I learned that the ice machine in the San Francisco place I know about broke. It took several days until the machine was repaired, so the people had no ice for several days.
This was not the only problem. Because the people were poor, they had to live in small rooms, with a roommate. For some, the bathroom was public. The worst part was that repairs were often not made, mice would appear in rooms, and bedbugs too. Food was similar to a TV dinner.
People who live at this place in San Francisco are lucky in a way, because many somewhat disabled people in San Francisco today sleep in the streets.
Anyone who has enough money to live in this Santa Barbara place is lucky. Buying some ice when the machine breaks is a minor example of the quality of living and care they obviously receive.
Because I'm smart and lucky, I live well and will have good care when I need it.
But I've also seen the other side of the coin.
Starting 45 years ago, massive tax breaks have been given, with 90% going to the top few percent. The rich have gotten richer, while the majority are left to eat dirt.
It's wonderful that this place in Santa Barbara exists, for wealthy people, but 95% will never afford it.
The gap today between rich and poor is obscene.
It doesn't have to be this way. If you or your relatives can afford this place, I urge you to search Google and find out about the legislation supported by the movie star Michael Douglas, who lives in Santa Barbara.
Life in the US is much worse than people know. It's wonderful that this care facility exists for the top few percent, but what about the bottom half?
If the legislation that Michael Douglas supports, which has already had some success, continues to succeed, the US can be a more decent place to live, instead of a place where the top few percent take so much and do not care about the suffering of so many.
Travel the world and you'll see that most countries are much, much, MUCH better than the US.
It's swell that a few people have an uninterrupted supply of ice water, and so much more, but if you are decent, consider doing some research to find out what Michael Douglas and many others are doing to make the US a better place.