Friday, February 16, 2018

Runnin’ down a dream






Motor vehicles deaths reached a peak of 54,589 in 1972, and have decreased every year since – except for the last 2 years, when they started to rise again. In 2016, the number of people who died in motor vehicle accidents was 37,451.


For the first time since records have been kept, accidental injuries are now the 3rd leading cause of death in America, right behind cancer and heart disease. The increase in preventable injuries (10% higher than it was in 2015) was due to two factors: (1) an increase in motor vehicle deaths and (2) drug overdoses arising out of the opioid crises. In fact, more people died from drug overdoses (37,814) than from car crashes.


There’s a reason for that.

The United States holds 45% of the worldwide pharmaceutical market. In 2016, the share was worth $446 billion. Most people (including me) take more than one medication every day, and it’s relatively easy to take the wrong medicine at any particular time due to the sheer numbers we all take. Unfortunately, the medical profession is unable to prescribe any NATURAL alternatives, since they have no training in that. Medical marijuana is one possible solution, but the current administration is trying to DECREASE the amount of marijuana available to the citizens, when the trend should be in the opposite direction.

https://www.statista.com/topics/1719/pharmaceutical-industry/


On January 29, a former drug company executive named Alex Azar was sworn in as Trump's new health care chief. He replaces Dr. Tom Price, who was forced out of the position last fall due to spending irregularities, principally the use of expensive private jets for official business. That lesson apparently has been lost on Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who flies first class due to the fact that people in coach are often mean to him.


Incidentally, if you think appointing a drug company executive to head a department charged with tackling a drug problem is a bit like a fox guarding the hen house, you are exactly right.


https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/29/watch-alex-azar-sworn-in-as-trumps-new-health-care-chief.html


In order to combat the opioid crisis, logic would tell you that you need a drug czar who had had many years experience dealing with drug issues to solve the problem. True to form, Trump nominated 24 year old Taylor Weyeneth, whose only work experience after graduating from college in May of 2016 was working on the Trump campaign. Since he was expected to resign by the end of January, it is likely that he is already gone.


https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/taylor-weyeneth-resign_us_5a696507e4b0022830094616


Being a professional musician is physically, emotionally, and mentally very taxing, which Bob Seger explained in his 1973song, “turn the page”.






Tom Petty got the bug to perform when he was 11 years old. Elvis Presley was filming “Follow That Dream” in a Florida town close to where Petty lived, and he invited Petty to the set.

Petty’s first band was called Epic, and it later changed to Mudcrutch. In 1976, he started Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and performed with them through 1987. In 1988, he joined the Traveling Wilburys, and he also started a solo career. Runnin’ down the dream was one of the songs on his first solo album.

In 2017, the Heartbreakers embarked on a 40th anniversary tour, which ended on September 25 in Hollywood. After that tour, Petty continued to perform solo, and was still performing at the end of September.

Due to the fact that his body was wracked with injuries due to his performing, Petty took a variety of prescription drugs. 4 were opioids, 2 were analogs, 2 were sedatives, and one was an anti-depressant. During his last performance, he fractured his hip, which caused him great pain. On the morning of October 2, the fracture gave way and became a full break, causing him even MORE pain. In desperation, he took more pain killers, which led to a full cardiac arrest the same day. 

He was 66 years old.

There are people who claim that Petty’s death was a suicide - but I think that’s utter nonsense. Petty was simply a young man, inspired by Elvis Presley, who was simply following a dream. In spite of the words to his best known song, his dream DID come to him. 

In the end, though, it exacted a very high price.


It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down
I had the radio on, I was drivin'
Trees flew by, me and Del were singin' little Runaway
I was flyin'


Yeah runnin' down a dream
That never would come to me
Workin' on a mystery, goin' wherever it leads
Runnin' down a dream
I felt so good like anything was possible
I hit cruise control and rubbed my eyes


The last three days the rain was unstoppable
It was always cold, no sunshine
Yeah runnin' down a dream
That never would come to me
Workin' on a mystery, goin' wherever it leads
Runnin' down a dream












No comments:

Post a Comment