Susan Linn

October 28, 2002

To whom it may concern:

I am deeply upset by your proposed plan of “traffic calming” by installing “speed tables”. No matter what you call them in the guise of making them more palatable to the American public, you are still discriminating against a significant segment of the American population, by making our roads virtually inaccessible to us.

If this rule is allowed to pass, we would have little hope of getting out of or homes. Believe me, given a choice of enduring a great deal of pain to travel over speed altering devices in an automobile or stay at home and deal with our usual pain, you could guess we’d vote to stay home!

You know we all have to deal with the hand God gives us, but I’ll never understand why He allows people like some of those on your committee to continually put roadblocks in our way.

We in the disabled community, are doing the best we can for ourselves, our families, & our communities. The more we are able to get out of our homes & work, volunteer, etc., the more productive it is for all involved.

I was lucky enough to not have been born with my disabilities. Mine began in 1985 when I was 40. It became so severe that I had to retire in 1993 from a position I had worked 14 long years to attain. I’m 58 now. I can’t walk. I can’t even stand. The pain is too unbearable, and you know what, I know that there are millions of people who have greater pain than mine. My disability is simply called arthritis. I have Degenerative Joint Disease. It is progressive, spreading to most of the major joints in my body.

I noticed an article on Friday, October 25th The Associated Press ran in my local paper (The San Diego Union-Tribune). It cites a survey that had been completed by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It reports that one out of three people in the U.S., or 69.9 million people have arthritis and other chronic joint problems and they expect that number to continue to rise as the baby boom generation reaches old age.

These people, as well as all of those with painful disabilities, have the right to expect their federal government to make life as pain free as possible by providing for their medical care and through transportation on unobstructed roadways of America. If the government puts in any kind of obstruction on these roadways which causes millions of individuals unbearable pain, it is in my opinion, inexcusable.

Please look into your future; to your families also. Are you so sure you won’t be or you won’t have someone dear to you develop any disability which causes them a great deal of pain.

Would you knowingly vote to cause them more pain?

Could you?

Thank You,
Susan Linn