YES! THERE REALLY ARE PEOPLE WORKING FOR THE PEOPLE!
This year’s Clay County Commissioner’s Day was far more festive than others due to the many hours Tom Figliuzzi and his tiny staff dedicated to redesigning the Veterans’ Service Office into a showcase of past and present service memorabilia. Tom and Jennifer Williams, along with volunteers, have made three rooms in the bottom of the Clay County Family Service building a Hall of American Pride filled with uniforms, medallions, awards, and pictures from years past and present of the valiant men and women from Clay County and surrounding areas who have honorably defended our country in time of war and peace.
The history of who we are and where we’ve been as a country and as a community should be first on any history teacher’s list for a field trip. The Commissioner’s Day event celebrated on April 30th this year commemorated not only our elected officials, but also our democracy and the men and women who stand at the gates making certain all American citizens remain secure and safe because of our veterans of past crises and soldiers serving presently.
Tom Figliuzzi is Clay County’s Veteran Service Officer who has taken his position personally and is continually fighting for the rights of many of our veterans who have been slighted or forgotten completely. Recently Senator Amy Klobuchar visited to announce that she has co-sponsored a bill introducing the Service Members Mental Health Review Act that will enable thousands of released veterans to receive extended benefits due in large part to having been misdiagnosed as having “personality disorders.” Yet many who have been misdiagnosed and lost benefits due to misdiagnoses were never treated for what in fact has turned out to be post-traumatic stress disorder.
Personality disorder, according to the Veterans Administration, is considered a pre-existing condition and does not afford discharged veterans – as many as 31,000 between 2001 and 2010 – treatment or certain benefits from the VA. A recent Yale Law School study performed found that nearly 60 percent of the 31,000 veterans may have been improperly discharged and were in fact misdiagnosed improperly for having ‘personality disorders.’ Senator Klobuchar said in fact “many of them never even saw a licensed mental health professional.” The rate for female service members was especially high. Many were sexually assaulted, with estimates as high as 19,000 in 2011.
Senator Klobuchar’s bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Tester of Montana and Rep. Tim Walz of Minnesota, will require a mental health professional to be a part of any medical examination for all veterans. It will also make it much easier for any veteran to contest errors found in discharge papers and assessments. Part of the problem has also been the many steps to do this in the past. This particular bill will allow veterans to use medical information from the Veterans Administration or even the Department of Defense in pleading their case.
Veteran Officer Tom Figliuzzi is a major supporter of this bill and agrees this should have been addressed long ago. However, now that it is, he is in full agreement with what Senator Klobuchar said to the room of veterans and reporters the day she arrived announcing this bill: “You made a promise to serve us and now we are making a promise to serve you when you return.”
UPDATE! UPDATE! There will be NO FLOODS this year!!
I just thought I would get that out there in case anyone missed the latest forecast. So much for the town that cried “Wolf!” getting funding from the feds. But then again, from the stand point of a taxpaying citizen who lives on the “higher” side of the Red, I can’t say I feel too badly for a state sitting on a billion-dollar surplus, thumbs its “collective nose” and votes in favor of negating constitutional rights to women, and then asks the rest of us to fund a water diversion so its largest city can expand southward. The question has been posed as to what will happen should a horrific flood wipe out Fargo and all the jobs are lost to the city as well as surrounding areas? Well, maybe next time someone will have the smarts to rebuild on the EAST side of the Red, in Moorhead. Wouldn’t that be fun?
COMING UP!
On the 15th of May the annual Law Enforcement Breakfast will be held for Moorhead and Clay County Officers and administration personnel. This is the fifth year of cooking and serving breakfast for the people who protect and serve all of us every day. Donna McMasters should be recognized as the Mistress of Ceremonies as she is the person who has coordinated the annual breakfast for the last five years, and because I know her well enough to also know she would not want a lot of fanfare attributed to her, I think after five years at least a thank you is in order.
So THANK YOU, Donna McMasters, from those who are not aware of your many hours of dedicated emailing and rounding up volunteers. You are what we should all strive to be far more often.
Today is MOORHEAD MOTORCYCLE/BIKE DAY. Whether you ride a huge hog or a teeny little scooter, head on over to GIO’s on 21st Street south, across from the Moorhead High School about 5 p.m. and meet some of your companion roadsters. Food vendors, bikes of every era and lots of fun are guaranteed.
If you have a question or comment for Soo email: sooasheim@aol.com or call 218-233-8604.