Share this pagePresident Obama - Did You Forget NAPA and Your Public TV Declaration of National Priority?
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- Published on Monday, 04 February 2013 13:51
- Written by Stanton O. Berg
4 February 2013: I sent an email letter to President Obama using the President's official Web site and utilizing the site's "Corresponding With the White House" format and procedures...I referenced the recent frenzied activities of the President in connection with Gun Control while no apparent activities were taking place in areas of far greater loss of life...I referenced the Congress passage of the "National Alzheimer's Project Act" (NAPA) at the end of 2010. I further referenced his signing the act into law in January of 2011 and his immediate follow up with a TV appearance in which he declared that he was making Alzheimer's a National Priority. I pointed out that over 2 years have now passed and nothing has happened and the pathetic funding through the NIH for Alzheimer's research and finding a cure remains at the same or lower levels than the Bush Administration.
I requested his response...I also advised him of my world wide postings on Alzheimer's funding, research and care practices with many people world wide wondering how he will respond. The White House Correspondence web site page acknowledged receipt of my email message to President Obama!
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11 February 2013: I sent a formal letter by regular mail reaffirming my earlier email message to him and documenting the world wide comments and attention to the direction of his leadership in finding a cure for Alzheimer's. (Below is a copy of my formal letter February 11th letter to President Obama.)
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12 February 2013: The President gave his "State of the Union" address...in that address he briefly mentioned "Alzheimer's" on one occasion in his speech but included or grouped "Alzheimer's" among a number of other needs...he referenced what is being done in one small area of research...while the President made a comment that indirectly suggested some government funding needed in this and the other areas, I see no specific promises that would at all come to grips with what is needed at this time to make a difference in Alzheimer's...Here is the total comment on "Alzheimer's". He lumped "Alzheimer's" into a grouping along with drugs for damaged organs and powerful batteries...it seemed as if the President had a check of list of things to be mentioned but with no specific promises...
"Today, our scientists are mapping the human brain to unlock the answers to Alzheimer's," "We're developing drugs to regenerate damaged organs, devising new materials to make batteries 10 times more powerful. Now is not the time to gut these job-creating investments in science and innovation. Now is the time to reach a level of research and development not seen since the height of the space race. We need to make those investments."
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16 February 2013 - (Huffpost Article):This is my point exactly...in the end it costs far less to find a cure then to provide endless and evermore expensive care...
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi (Mizrahi/Alzheimer's Cure): "Fiscal Cliff Means We need More Health Cures, Not Helath Care", Huffingtonpost 14 November 2012.
"With the election over, America is facing a fiscal cliff that could impact everything the government does. Meanwhile, somewhere in America, in the next minute (and roughly every minute after that), another American will get Alzheimer's or dementia.
These two points -- the fiscal cliff and rising incidence in disease -- are closely connected. And so if we can address the disease crisis, we can help address the fiscal crisis."
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2 April 2013: Finally someone of note (Sandra Day O'Connor - a former Justice of the Supreme Court) has called on a delinquent President to get going on Alzheimer's...his efforts have been nothing short of pathetic...it has been all talk and no action..Maybe he will finally wake up to what is going on in this country...and do something about it...
4 March 2014 Now I have heard everything….
Obama and Kerry are putting together a 1 Billion dollar Aid package for the Ukraine…
We do not even belong over there in that mess…we are not the world’s policemen nor the world's welfare train…
This is the same President that can only come up with ½ of that amount for Alzheimer’s research…meanwhile over 230 American Citizens die every day a long and slow death from Alzheimer’s…the same president that funds obesity at 50 percent more than he funds Alzheimer’s research…
And to think that I suggested George W. Bush be indicted for Negligent Homicide because of his handling of funds for Alzheimer’s research…compared to this President, Bush was a hero….
When I think of the 12 long years that June traveled into the darkness of this terrible disease and how the last year and a half she lived in another unresponsive world with fear her daily companion…this current hypocrisy brings tears to my eyes…
Why is everyone silent about what is going on…why….
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."…
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
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Letter to President Obama
"11 February 2013
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Obama:
On the 4th of February 2013, I utilized your contact procedures on your Presidential web site and in accordance with the suggestion on the site’s procedural outline for contacting you, I did fill out the form and submitted an email letter to you. Because of the procedural way your site is set up, I received an acknowledgement that your office had received my email letter but I did not receive a copy of the letter. I have not received a response to this letter!
My wife of 56 years, June K. Berg died from Alzheimer’s on October 23rd 2008 after an 11 year struggle with this disease. My mother Ellen also died from Alzheimer’s just one year before my wife’s death. I have accordingly become an advocate for doing something about finding a cure for this most terrible of diseases.
In June of 2008, I set up a memorial web site to honor June and to also provide information on Alzheimer’s as well as provide care practice information to the world’s many victims an caregivers. The web site now has over 250 pages and essays devoted to Alzheimer’s and it’s care with latest research. We average approx. 1000 page visits per day. The Minnesota Department of health has advised me that June’s web site is a resource for professionals. The site address is: www.junebergalzheimers.com.
I also do a daily posting on approximately 20 of the worlds Alzheimer’s websites every night so there will be a message from June and I on their site first thing in the morning. I provide care practice information and other related Alzheimer’s information in the postings.
The reason we have not had a cure for this terrible disease is simple…the total amount of research and the NIH funding for such research can only be described as pathetic…
Your recent frenzy of activity in connection with gun control stirred me into action and caused me to contact your office…since a week has gone by and I have received no response, I assume that none is forthcoming and I renew my request…
Following my email letter to you of 4 February, I sent a paraphrased version of the letter to each of the 20 plus world wide Alzheimer’s sites…this has caused much interest and response and all are waiting to hear from you.
I reproduce below a copy of the paraphrased version of my email letter to you along with some of the numerous reader responses and comments from the US and around the world…they range from the US, to the United Kingdom, to Germany, to the Philippines and to India…may we all hear from you…what ever your response, I will pass it on to them. These reader’s all represent either victims of Alzheimer’s or their caregivers and families. I hope that your message will result in encouragement to them and not be another disappointment to them.
I have written over 40 letters to previous presidents, the congress and national religious leaders trying to save June…all to no avail…I gave up letter writing for a few years…now I am back trying again in behalf of all of the other Alzheimer’s victims and the families of such victims.
This letter will be posted on June’s website as well as well as your responses and will be posted around the world on other Alzheimer’s web sites.
Yours very Truly,
Stanton O. Berg"
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Email Letter (Paraphrased copy) to President Obama – 4 February 2013
“During the years that June was struggling with her personal battle with Alzheimer’s, I wrote a series of 40 some letters to the President, Vice President, Congressional leaders, my congressman and national Religious Leaders…I thought there was hope for saving June…
June died after almost 11 years and I finally stopped my letter writing because it became rather clear to me that no one in government leadership positions really gave a dam…
Today after reviewing the latest display of the frenzied activities of our President and Vice President resulting from their reactions to the most recent school shootings…I decided to once again write the President a letter…while these occasional shooting incidents are tragic and heart rending, compared to the many other huge losses of lives, they could only be ranked far lower on the scale of comparative importance…to me they represent an exploitation of the death of children to satisfy the personal agenda’s of others.
I told the President I noted his activities on Gun Control while also noting no activities on areas of great need involving the loss of many multiple times more lives…
With that I discussed both Alzheimer’s and Tobacco deaths…
I described the 230 daily Alzheimer’s deaths in the US and that Alzheimer’s was the 5th leading cause of disease death with an estimated 450,000 new cases every year. That I had lost both my mother Ellen and my wife June to Alzheimer’s.
I pointed out that Congress passed the NAPA law (National Alzheimer’s Project Act) at the end of 2010 and that he Obama signed the bill into law in January of 2011 and that he Obama then went on National TV to tell the nation about it and that he Obama was making Alzheimer’s a national priority.
I pointed out that 2 years have now since passed and the present national funding for Alzheimer’s remains even more pathetic then it was under the Bush administration when funding was cut for the first time in decades…that AIDS gets 7-8 times more funding than Alzheimer’s in spite of AIDS not being one of the 15 leading causes of death and that Alzheimer’s is the 5th leading cause of disease death with 10 times more deaths than AIDS…
I also pointed out losing my son David to a tobacco caused cancer death. That the CDC says that tobacco disease deaths are the most preventable form of death of all diseases and that over 440,000 die every year from this poison…more than all the US deaths of WWII…that if the President wants to save children this was a way to do it…that every day 3000 children smoke their first cigarette and 1000 of them will later die as a result of starting this poisonous smoking habit.
I also suggested that the President’s staff could learn much about Alzheimer’s by visiting and reading June’s website at: http://www.junebergalzheimers.com/.
My letter was submitted by email on the Presidential National web site and their system acknowledged receipt of the letter…Will advise everyone of the results and any reply to my letter…
Yours very truly,
Stanton O. Berg
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Letter Addendum - Reader’s Responses - Attached Both Letters
Tina Marie Luckey O’Brien - (4 February 2013): “While it may or may not get the attention you hope for and it deserves, I applaud you Stan, for standing up and making your voice heard. You keep writing letters. “
Lois Duncan - Sarasota, Florida – (4 February 2013): “Don't hold your breath, Stan. You're not going to get a personal response, (although it may start out "Dear Stan.") Our letters and e-mails mean nothing… I've suggested to many people--especially those whose loved ones have Alzheimer’s or related dementia--that they go to Stan's Web site for June to learn more about this. Stan is helping more people than he realizes.
Beth Ann Doucette - Lino Lakes, Minnesota – (4 February 2013): “Way to go, Stan!!...Keep us posted.”
Melissa Vaughan - Newburgh, Indiana – (4 February 2013) “ Mr Berg, my respect grows more for you daily...(Letter to the President).”
Maxine J. Bailey - Rotherham, United Kingdom – (4 February 2013): “Even though there's been no reply, you got to keep fighting Stan as if you didn't who would?”
June Mooney Nolen - Mechanicsville, Virginia – (4 February 2013): “Good job.” (Letter to the President)
Connie L. Malm Anderson - Osseo, Minnesota – (4 February 2013):”GOOD JOB! STAN. !” (Letter to the President)
Sally Gore -- Mason, Ohio – (4 February 2013): “Really good job.” (Letter to the President)
Ada Padron Criscione - Edgewater, New Jersey – (4 February 2013): “Wow. Do you think I can follow up with my own letter? Let me know what to do if you can. Thanks. So much…(5 February 2013): “Thank you. That is a great idea. Please keep us posted.”
Marilyn Singer - Bothell, Washington – (4 February 2013): “Thank you for writing that letter, Stan. I so agree with you.”
Diana Corona - Santa Paula, California – (4 February 2013): “100 Kudo's to you Stan, good job.”
Gilda Yen Torino - Manila, Philippines – (5 February 2013): “You deserve to be acknowledged. I am so proud of you my friend and I hope THEY listen.”
Sarah Stagnell - York, United Kingdom – (5 February 2013): “Well done to you sadly its not just the USA that priorities that’s the most "fashionable" at each point, it’s here in the UK too… my dad who is 62 and has dementia has been in hospital for 16 weeks with no end in sight just because the care/help isn’t there. He stopped walking and now has to walk with an aided frame but needs a lot more care to return home and we (my mum me and sister) are literally fighting to get help like u say wrong priorities for funding.”
Rohit Barman - Calcutta, India – (5 February 2013): “Thank you!." Letter to the President)
Vicki Cadogan - Limerick, Ireland – (5 February 2013): “Well done Stan, if Alzheimer's affected the young more I'm sure a lot more money and research would go into finding a cure.”
Debra Gomez - Lake Elsinore, California – (5 February 2013): “IT’S BEEN TWO YEARS THAT I LOST MY HUSBAND OF 34 YRS TO ALZHEIMERS...GREAT LETTER STAN.”
Richard Criscione - Cliffside Park, New Jersey – (5 February 2013): 2/5“Very well said Stan !...I would like to post this in the COEP group if that's alright ?...Told like it is from a person who has seen the darker side of this incurable disease. Alzheimer's WILL one day be cured because of the tenacity of people like you Stan…Thank You!”
Gill Denman - Essex, United Kingdom - (5 February 2013): “Will be interesting to see if you get a personalized reply or a stock letter. Do you know if any senior politicians have dementia in their families, if so, what are they doing to make this evil a priority to be dealt with?
Wendy Adams - San Antonio, Texas – (5 February 2013): “Great job Stanton O. Berg!!!!”
Amy Stiel Almas - Waterford, Michigan – (5 February 2013): “Good for you, Stan. We can only hope and pray that your letter makes an impact. Sadly, it will probably take the president or vice-president’s own Mother to get this horrible disease before it matters to them.”
Dianne Cogar - Springfield, Ohio – (6 February 2013): “I hope , in your lifetime, you see the victorious results you have long been searching for. It only takes one voice to make a multitude of differences ... and as far as I am concerned, the rest of us couldn't ask … spokesperson than you. These subjects (tragedies) are circumstances you have witnessed first hand in your family. Because of your unfortunate experiences, you are informative, intuitive, and… educated on both these matters, and you have a great understanding of what could, and should, be done to help bring an end to Alzheimer and tobacco related deaths in this country. Your knowledge alone, along with your drive, your determination and your enthusiastic spirit is…in putting forth such great efforts to find a cure and to educate people on subjects like these. I hope for the sake of countless others who are going through what you have, and for the sake of each and every one of us who have not felt such pain and suffering, there will come a day when the world benefits from all years of research, oceans of tears, mounds of heartache, tons of headaches, and…you have…given in hopes to open the eyes of those who have the capability to fund such research and bring these diseases…to an end considering the facts that they equally tower in the death rate over others…that are being funded…Keep up the great work... I have a gut feeling that you're on your way to making a monumental difference in the lives of us all…
Karen Maxwell-Cress - Liberal, Kansas – (6 February 2013): “You have my wholehearted support! I have a special place in my heart for research for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease. It amazes me what this country wastes on trivial things, while our elderly are suffering. Thank you Stanton for your diligence!”
Marion Reinartz - Cologne, Germany – (7 February 2013): “Thanks for sharing Stanton … I hope, he'll answer very soon ... this is a Problem worldwide ...”
Susan Venezia Rebholz - New Jersey – (7 February 2013): ”I'd like to hear what he has to say back.”
Audrey Warden - Longmont, Colorado – (7 February 2013): “You never will, Stan. I'm sorry”…”I've a pretty good idea what the Prez will do and that is N O T H I N G”… “it won't hurt to give it a shot, Stan, but not holding out hope he'll respond or do anything, not even for a former president, I'm referring to President Reagan.”
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President Obama responds to Email letter of 4 February 2013
Today, Monday 23 September 2013, I finally received an undated email letter from President Obama in response to my email letter of the 4th of Febrauary 2013. See the President's letter copied and reproduced below...the email to which it was attached showed an address of: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 9/20/2013 2:20:09 P.M.
President Obama's letter in reply to my email February 2013 letter was received over seven (7) months after I had sent my letter to him. His letter to me was a form letter to end all form letters. He did not respond to a single point of the several raised in my letters to the President nor did he mention or respond to any of the 25 comments made by persons in the US and world wide that I had attached to my letter. It is my impression that the President was using this general form letter to respond to every letter he had ever received in this past seven (7) months time period, that in any manner touched on the subject of medical research. He totally ignored the NAPA bill that he had signed into law in early 2011 and his promises to make Alzheimer's a national priority as he had also told the American people on National TV in January of 2011. I wonder if I will receive a reply to my more formal regular mail letter sent a few days later on 11 February 2013.
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THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON |
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Dear Stanton:
Thank you for writing. I have heard from too many Americans whose lives have been affected by a wide range of health conditions and diseases. Whether they are common, preventable ailments or rare, life-threatening illnesses, we must do more to find cures and improve treatments for patients.
I have always been a strong supporter of medical research because of its potential to save lives, relieve suffering, and improve our quality of life. From mapping the human genome to unlocking new vaccines and cancer treatments, Federally funded research has spurred advances in science and health care that help millions of Americans every day.
Medical miracles do not happen by accident. They often grow out of painstaking and costly research, and years of trial and error. But when these investments pay off, they change our lives in ways we could never have imagined. And as a Nation, we need to keep taking bold steps toward the most promising solutions in medicine and human health.
Under the Recovery Act, we made available $10 billion in new resources to support research at the National Institutes of Health—an unprecedented amount. I also lifted the ban on Federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, which has the unique potential to help us better understand—and possibly cure—some of the most devastating diseases and conditions.
Those were big steps forward, but we had to keep going. So in 2013, I announced the next great American project in medical research: the BRAIN initiative. By investing in basic research, this initiative aims to give scientists the tools they need to get a dynamic picture of the brain in action and better understand how we think, learn, and remember. And that knowledge could transform how we treat illnesses like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, post-traumatic stress disorder, and epilepsy. To learn more and see other projects we are pursuing, visit www.NIH.gov.
At times, our pride in discovery of innovative treatments is tempered by shortages of vital medications, including some used for the treatment of cancer. That is why in October 2011, I directed the Food and Drug Administration to do more to reduce and prevent drug shortages, protect consumers, and prevent price gouging. Since then, hundreds of drug shortages have been averted. And moving forward, we will keep working to ensure patients have access to the lifesaving medicines they need.
Thank you, again, for writing. Medical research holds promise like no other area of human endeavor, and by claiming that promise together, we can keep making progress toward a brighter future for everyone.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama
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Obama and the State of the Union Address 2014
Obama talked for over 1 hour in his State of the Union address on Wednesday the 28th of January 2014…
I did not hear a single word about Alzheimer’s or the research to find a cure…
I have taken the time to read the full text of his talk, thinking that perhaps I had missed it some place…my reading of the text finds not a single word about the disease.
This is the disease that ranks 5th in the mortality tables of leading causes of death by disease…it is the only one of the top 10 that has had the rate increase while all the others have gone down… it is the only one that is always fatal and the only one that has no prevention.
It was in January of 2011 that Obama signed into law the NAPA bill passed by Congress in December of 2010. (National Alzheimer’s Project Act)…after signing the bill he went onto live TV and told the American audience that he was making Alzheimer’s a national priority…
Mr. President, I ask you the same question that I asked you a year ago…what happened…did you forget your promise? Your NIH budget funding for Alzheimer’s is lower then the Bush years…
When it comes to Alzheimer’s research I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat but an American wanting to see an end to this terrible disease…
I was very angry at George Bush who was President for 8 of the years that June was fighting her battle with Alzheimer’s…and all of the years that my mother Ellen was fighting her battle…I said George Bush should have been indicted for Negligent Homicide because of the needless deaths on this watch that could have been prevented by the priority type research devoted to finding a cure…Obama is worse then Bush ever was…I wonder if he ever looked at his NIH budget…there is over 140 billion dollars in this budget for research funding…Alzheimer’s get ½ of one billion dollars…obesity gets 50 percent more then Alzheimer’s and in fact obesity received comments in Obama’s State of the Union address…AIDS gets 7 times more funding and it is no longer a death sentence…it is not even one of the 15 leading causes of death…Obama’s efforts towards Alzheimer’s research can only be described as pathetic and shameful...Stan Berg, 19 January 2014
(A complete copy of the above commentary was submitted to President Obama on the official White House web site page's online communications program on 30 January 2014.)
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President Obama responds to my letter of 11 February 2013
On Wednesday 29 January 2014, I received a regular postal letter by regular US mail from President Obama that apparently is in response to my letter to the President that I sent by regular mail on 11 February 2013. His reply was received over 11 months after I sent the President my letter.
This regular mail letter was word for word identical to the email letter he sent to me in September 2013. Both letters had seven paragraphs and every word in every one of the seven paragraphs of both letters were identical. The only differences between the two letters is that the regular mail letter has a date on it of 24 January 2014 (email had no date) and contains President Obama's signature rather than his printed name...
This is obviously a form letter sent to any one and every one who wrote to the President about any type of health matters or health issues...I assume that his form letter was used to respond to every letter he received in 2013 that referenced any health issue or problem of any kind. It did not address a single one of the many issues I raised about Alzheimer's, Alzheimer's funding and finding a cure for Alzheimer's. It also ignored the many (25) comments that I attached from all around the US and the world.
The president's reference to his "Brain Initiative" program is a relatively low budget, long term brain mapping effort that he unveiled a year ago and a program that holds little promise for any impact on Alzheimer's research. This program is not focused on Alzheimer's or any of the dementia diseases.
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Obama’s State of the Union Address and Alzheimer’s…2015
I have carefully waded through Obama’s 14 pages of partisan politics in his state of the Union address and find no mention of anything about his National TV commitment nor his promise made to the American public in Jan 2011…his promise at that time was to make Alzheimer’s a national priority…
Not a word about any health problem research agendas of any kind or that he ever intends to live up to his promises…
I heard Obama tell America that Alan Gross is back from Cuba…(wow…great news)…that we are preparing to send men to Mars…that we are doing great in Ebola control…his arguments that we may not be scientists but should understand climate control…and for those of us in the Minneapolis area he told of a hard working local lady Rebekah (I assume a Democrat) with husband and family caught in the great recession, struggled to make ends meet, put her self through college with student loans and are now doing well…frequently patting himself on the back for national and international achievements and other partisan political commentary…not one word in those 14 pages about Alzheimer’s or the other dementia diseases…
One of the most important subjects that Obama could have discussed, he was totally silent about…Latest research now shows that every day in the US over 1400 persons on average, die from Alzheimer’s making it the 3rd leading cause of death next to Cancer and the only one of the top 15 leading causes of death in the US that continues to rise in number and rate and is always terminal…and this president has turned his back on the US and the world’s victims of this disease…
Obama funds the present Alzheimer’s research at only 66 percent of the funding done by his predecessor Bush…yet he funds obesity at 50% more than Alzheimer’s…Obama has an NIH budget for research grants with over 140 billion dollars in it…Alzheimer’s gets ½ of 1 billion…does he ever even look at this budget…and his low level performance is in spite of what he has told and promised the American Public…my letters to him with supporting commentaries by world victims of this disease and their caregivers are ignored and responded to only by form letters…form letters that do not even address a single point raised in my letters..
I lost my mother to Alzheimer’s in 2007, my wife June to Alzheimer’s in 2008 and since that time have lost nine (9) other family members or close family and church friends to Alzheimer’s or other dementia diseases for a total of eleven (11) family and friend who have slowly been taken away by this most terrible of diseases…three of these were all late in 2014. (these last three were all good friends from my weekly bible study class…One was Stan Berquist a good friend that I often referred to as the other Stan Berg…another was Albert Ringerud who I kiddingly called the English Colonel due to his distinguished and formal looking appearance...how does one measure such losses of friends and family…and this president had not a word to say about such losses nor the huge daily national loss by this disease.
My liberal friends have nothing to say about this pathetic performance by their president in spite of many of them also having family and friends as victims of one of the dementia diseases…why is one’s politics more important then the life of family and friends…all they offer is their silence…Although I am of conservative persuasion, when Bush was president I did not like his low level of funding…it was during the time that I thought I could save June’s life…I was so angry at Bush that I posted a notice in the local paper (it is still on June’s website) that I thought Bush should be indicted for Negligent Homicide…but comparing Bush’s pathetic funding to the current Obama funding would indicate that by comparison, Bush was a hero…we need to stand up for what is right not for the worst of all reasons, our politics…funding of Alzheimer’s at the current level of AIDS funding would change the face of this disease and save many hundreds of thousands of lives…every year…what is your choice, life or politics?
We just celebrated the life of Martin Luther King Jr. as a national holiday…I remember Dr. King very well and also remember very well his speech in which he said:
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."…
Martin Luther King Jr.
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Obama's State of the Union Address - January 2016
Another Obama State of the Union message -and another Obama stab in the back for all the Alzheimer’s victims, families and loved ones…So what did he say about health problems and health needs…
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He appointed Biden the man in charge of doing something about finding a cure for Cancer…well there are many different cancers and our research in that area is going very well with funding in the several Billions…much of it can be avoided by simply changing bad habits like smoking…most are curable if found early…that is an area we are doing well in…for example, my kidney cancer was taken care of by surgery…my prostate cancer (number one killer of men) will probably do me in some day but for now my treatment is giving me a good life…I will know more next Monday when this weeks lab tests are in…but for now I have had 7 more years then June had and I have been spared June’s suffering of several years…
But not one word about Alzheimer’s for which there is no cure, no slowing it down and no preventing it and no effective treatment…it is always terminal and a long slow death in which the victims live in constant fear in their late stages…and latest research shows that the rate is much higher then at one time thought to be and ranks 3rd in mortality and right next to cancer in frequency with over 1400 victims dying each day…yet the funding is pathetic at about ½ of one billion per year for all the years of Obama’s time in office…He even gives obesity 50 percent more than Alzheimer’s and AIDS which is no longer even one of the 15 leading causes of death gets 3-4 billion every year…the money is there…just use it properly…the NIH budget is over 140 billion…I have offered to show him but get nothing but a form letter in reply…
It was in January of 2011 that Obama went on national TV to tell the nation he was responding to the new congress passed NAPA bill and making Alzheimer’s a national priority…now 5 years later nothing has changed…funding remains at the same pathetic level and the Alzheimer’s victims are totally ignored…and my contempt for him continues to grow…we are also in a time period in society when social, racial, political, and religious animosity and distrust are at an all time high…
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Reader's Comments
Marion Reinartz - Cologne, Germany - (15 February 2013): "Thank you, Stanton!"
Lin Schmitt - Anoka, Minnesota - (16 February 2013):"Hmmm, maybe your letter DID have an impact on him, Stan!"
Gary Irvin - Gillespie, Illinois - (6 March 2013): "My February letters to the President (email and regular mail) remain unanswered…." Did you really expect an answer? I'm sorry Stan, I get a little cynical at times. Keep up the good work. Maybe our "leaders" will get their priorities in order some day, although I have my doubts."
Cyndy Farrar Latka - Casper, Wyoming - (6 March 2013): "Actually I need a dislike button!!... but like you sharing this info Stan!
Richard Criscione - Cliffside Park, New Jersey - (24 September 2013): "I am sharing this on my Home page if that OK with you Stan?"
Donald Hiatt - Clovis, California - (24 September 2013): "Stan, you've done your part! We'll soon see more if prodding will be required for the President to do his. I am honored to receive your writings and fully agree with your view that finding a cure will prove far less costly than paying for largely untreated care. Blessings...Don."
Audrey Warden-Dunn - Longmont, Colorado - (24 September 2013): "Stanton, this does not surprise me one bit. He just doen't care...I hope you don't mind, but I am borrowing this and reposting it. Thanks...I am also sitting here thinking that even our military veterans get this horrible disease, sadly, and quite possibly comes from TBI and PTSD."
Emily Placido - Manhattan, New York - (24 September 2013):"He never cared!! He just wanted another opportunity to be on tv, and tells people what they want to hear just to appease them. I wrote to President Bush about the abundance of prescription med ads on tv aimed at seniors. At least he answered in 3 months, and he addressed my concern."
Betty Hendrickson - Louisville, Kentucky - (24 September 2013): "Unbelievable...well not really look who you're speaking of."
Mary Monson - Minneapolis, Minnesota - (24 September 2013): "Sadly, I am not surprised, Stan. Kudos to you for trying."
Gill Denman - Dublin,Ireland - (24 September 2013):"Would be interesting to find other people who have had replies from him on various subjects so that contents/format could be compared, could be a huge embarrassment for his administration if everyone got pretty much the same letter. Does whoever writes his letters realise how widely circulated your posts are."
Chris Law - Detroit, Michigan - (24 September 2013): "Great work Stanton! We`ve got to stay on these politicians."
Marsha McKneely Ault - Nacogdoches, Texas - (24 September 2013): "Disappointing I am sure."
Beth Ann Doucette - Lino Lakes, Minnesota - (24 September 2013): "I think he is all talk and no action:- He never misses a photo op!! - Too bad...(30 January 2014):"I totally agree with you, Stan. I don't blame you a bit for being upset...Too many who haven't been affected by this horrible disease don't realize the seriousness of it. It is too bad but maybe Mr Obama will realize it if and when he is affected by it. I feel your pain!!.""
Alzheimer Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, Inc. - Mount Pearl, Canada - (30 January 2014):"Thank you so much for your efforts to make ending Alzheimer's disease a National priority, and for doing so much to spread awareness on the effects of Alzheimer's disease! -Amelia White, Events Coordinator."
Cher Riley-Hart - Bristol, United Kingdom - (30 January 2014): "OF course they will set out to help you and change the system when these things happen in their own family .. suddenly it all becomes so very important to them..."
Chris Law - Westland, Michigan - (30 January 2014): "Great work Stan. As they say every little bit can help. Thank you my friend."...(1 February 2014):"Nice going Stan. That`s great!"
Vicki Cadogan - Limerick, Ireland - (30 January 2014): "Its a disgrace. Its makes me so angry that this horrific disease is ignored time and time again."
Audrey Dunn - Longmont, Colorado - (1 February 2014): "grrrrr. he has and always has had his own agenda."
Bernadette Barbour - Ireland - (1 February 2013):"That's so disappointing Stan to say the very least. I do believe, if you start a campaign and get 100,000 signatures, it has to be addressed ...and various worthy causes. Perhaps you will look into that, we can all put our comments on it, and I have no doubt whatsoever that you will get 100,000 signatures. Don't give up."
Cheryl Newman - (1 February 2014): "So sad ... Sure hope Obama or his wife doesn't get struck with this death sentence like some of us already have!! If only he could walk a mile in our shoes, then maybe just maybe he might help us who still hold out hope for brighter tomorrows. God Bless your heart..."
Jill Renee Bowden Mitchell - Austin, Texas - (1 February 2014): "Hurts my soul."
Cher Riley-Hart - Bristol, United Kingdom - (1 February 2014): "At least you got a reply, such as it is then, as it wasn't actually much help to you if both are almost the same.. Maybe the signature is hand signed and will one day be worth something, and then you can sell it and put the money into your chosen charity, maybe that way he will have helped in some way...
Bridie Breen - Manchester, United Kingdom - (2 February 2014): "Stan, in this world of ours, not many people wish to hear about health and well being messages, so mention of brain disease is not considered palatable information. It would require a sea change and certainly would place the focus on the government to assist by having services in place. Don't lose hope that your voice for June and all Alzheimer sufferers will be heard."
Jane Moore - Camelford, United Kingdom - (2 February 2014): "Stand outside the White House Stan with a huge screen and showing June's website to all. I'm not being silly here, I think something like this would be a huge effect. I don't know much about congressman but my local MP here has really taken the angel to heart!"
Andrea Ward - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - (3 February 2014): "Don't get me started."
Jon Nichols - Springfield, Virginia - (2 February 2014): "Shocker..."
Lin Schmidt - Anoka, Minnesota - (22 January 2015): "I'm right there with you, Stan, since my mother died of Alzheimers, too. Lin."
Vicki Cadogan - Limerick, Ireland - (22 January 2015): "A disgrace Stan."
Susu Ibie - London, United Kingdom - (23 January 2014): "Sounds like misplaced priorities Stanton. We'll all get old eventually, and possibly wind up as victims of Alzheimers. You keep doing what you do, and inspiring all of us. And do not be discouraged by a few people who are probably too scared to confront the subject. Keep on keeping on. May God bless you."
Tracey Bressler Muldowney - Pensacola, Florida - (23 January 2015):"It's true that Education and especially research is very very important .. But without funding , neither of those 2 can happen. The squeaky wheel gets the oil and you are right , Mr Berg, for some sad reason, the humiliating , slow, suffering death caused by dementia is not at the top. I try to do what I can- donate, walk, teach.. But it'll take a lot more than a few to put a dent in finding a cure for this. Also, what about funding for those still alive and their caregivers who DESPERATELY need help ? That stinks too, you are so passionate and have inspired so many, June was one lucky lady wearing daddy's shirt today btw to walmart, lol .. Have a great day Mr Berg"
William Wilson - Rhyl, United Kingdom - (23 Janaury 2014): "Hi Stan. You are Right its the same here. The World Talks And Talks But No Money. Cheerio Bil."
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June's Passing
On October 23rd, 2008 June K. Berg passed away after almost eleven years of an exhausting battle with Alzheimer’s. June's last three years and 8 plus months of life were spent in an Alzheimer’s facility...The last 2.5 years were at the Alzheimer’s “Villa” of the Benedictine Health Care Center of Innsbruck, New Brighton, MN. See June's funeral notice as published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
“June K. (Rolstad) Berg – In Memoriam”