ABC News Go Tackles Savage Story
No, not the cannibal kind of Savage. The talk radio version. Michael "Savage" Weiner, conservative radio blatherer. Hey, this is America. He has a right to say whatever he wants. Often times, the worst speech starts a conversation that can lead to change. And that's a good thing.
He was on Larry King last night. Dug himself an even deeper hole, when he compared autism to asthma and the "inner city kids whose parents use asthma to get more welfare money." Doesn't that just give you whiplash?Say WHAT? African American kids have an epidemic of asthma, and Savage claims it's a way to de-fraud welfare? It's kind of hard to fake wheezing and shortness of breath for more than a few seconds. Even for a Benjamin or two....
Savage called autistic kids "frauds" and claimed we parents covet the label so we can get government checks. Yeah, that's right. Excuse me while I go check my mailbox and my bank account. (insert footstep sound here.) I'm back. Here's what they look like:
The strange thing is, Savage should be a friend to the autism community. He's knowledgable about the pharmaceutical industry's "pill'ing" (I made up that word) of America. He's against the government telling us what to do. He's into holistic medicine. One visit with my gorgeous girls and I think he'd see we are not frauds. Unfortunately, he has so bitterly bashed the gay community in the past , that I can't find a way to reach out to him. No way, no how.
I'm quoted in THIS ABC News piece on the controversy.
12 comments:
I checked my mailbox too after *the idiot* made his comments about us using the autism label to get money. Zilch, zippo, nada. I can barely get my medical flex spending account to reimburse my boys' prescription meds (as they are specially compounded, I need to use an out-of-network pharmacy, so I need to fill out lots and lots of claims paperwork), let alone tap into state or federal funds (Z is *too high functioning* to qualify for much of the funding that's out there; same goes for funded respite care; and of course I am over the income limit cut-offs).
The guy's an idiot. He's not going to apologize, he's not going to get fired, and his sponsors won't pull their advertisements. I won't waste any more energy on Savage and his ilk.. I'll focus on helping my own and other kids instead.
(but my offer to Savage to come live in my house for a week stands)
Kim I have done a linky thing from me to you about this prat so expect more visitors!
Prat! Is that like a "git?" VERY Harry Potter. It took me three movies to figure out "git" and "snogging." Thanks for the linky for the Savage dinky!
In my neighborhood friend circle (I live in a small complex), there are two children with autism, one with speech apraxia, and two with an "undiagnosed" developmental delay. One of the moms questioned vaccines at her daughters two year old check up, and don't you know the pediatrician used this LAME fraud excuse to say why there was more autism. She told my friend that we wanted our children labeled as autistic so we could get more money and services from the government!!! Okay, I so have to laugh because my son, who has been diagnosed by three separate facilities, receives two half hour sessions of speech therapy during the school year. There you have it...I get ONE hour of free services a week from the state!!! I guess people like her and Weiner have to tell themselves such a ridiculous lie to justify the rise in autism.
Oh, hope, you relentless parasite! Sucking the teat of the system!!! Sigh.... Ignorance. It keeps me busy! K
Word very: MVX IEP! LOL!
Prat is along the lines of Git but I would say more derogatory. Git has an element of endearment about it, or should I say familiarity. Prat is more dismissive.
House of Highlandmadness Linguistic School open for questions...
Savage is an utter wanker; he thrives on this kind of publicity.
I posted about Mikey, too! Yeah, I love how much free stuff we get once you get that autism diagnosis! The big goody bag they pull out from behind the desk as they smile and announce the good news! What, you didn't get that? You don't get checks from the government every week? Nevermind.
No, add us to the, "Crap, we owe another thousand to the UW for ABA. Darn, I ran out of those vitamins. I'll go get more and spend about $100 to get a few bottles of supplements that will last about a month. Gee, I wish I could work again so we could have two incomes, but I wouldn't be able to find a part time job to pay enough, and I can't work full time and still get Hutton to all of his therapy sessions." Yep, autism is such a great money-maker!
Avrahn, I agree - we're dosing him but good with publicity - but I look at it as more edification for others - our words will roll off of his back. And the backs of many of his Yay-hoo listeners. But some will get the message. K
i'm so with you. i couldn't care less about reaching out to this incendiary, self serving idiot. however, it is incumbent upon all of us to keep the dialogue going .. to battle the ignorance that is our children's worst enemy.
i said it all here: http://jesswilson.wordpress.com/
please take a minute to check it out if you can handle one more mom's take on it.
thanks for all you do in being such a visible and eloquent voice of sanity and reason.
What the hell is that pink thing?
Okay, I really mean it!!! I'm almost peeing my pants over this whole damn post.
Hello Kim,
Mr. Savage does have a point about some of the incentives. We have some government and education programs to help autistics, Aspies and our families, because we as a society are determined to make sure as few autistic and Aspie children as possible go undiagnosed. And rightly so.
Doctors and other professionals, imperfect humans in a society full of them, are at least sometimes encouraged to err on the side of overdiagnosing. That happens. Likewise, families, understandably wanting some kind of help for their children who have severe problems, occasionally err and ask others to err on the side of overdiagnosing. That happens too.
Worst of all, a few evil people do deliberately overdiagnose, and ask others to overdiagnose, to get benefits.
You are absolutely right in that the benefits are probably seriously inadequate...for families with autistic and severly affected Aspie children. They may be just fine precisely for fraudsters.
And Mr. Savage seems to be the worst possible person to try to communicate these issues.
Let's take a look at Mr. Savage's ways of expressing himself:
* He apparently has great difficulty empathizing, at least with autistics, Aspies and our families;
* He has trouble showing his concerns in ways that engage others, not alienate them and
* He expects others to address autistic and Aspie children in ways many, if not most or all, will find highly offensive and in all probability counterproductive.
I'm getting the feeling that if he were to apply for and use Aspie benefits, it wouldn't be fraud....
Keep up the good work. I have no doubt that your daughters are in good hands.
Cheers,
Jeff Deutsch (an Aspie happily married to an NT)
Post a Comment