This story is so funny that I have to post it separately:

LENA AND OLE...

Lena is pregnant with Ole's child. Late one night,
Lena vakes Ole and says, ' I tink it's time!' So Ole fired up the Yohn Deere tractor and took her
to the hospital to have their first baby. She had a little boy, and the doctor looked
over at Ole and said, 'A son! Ain't dat great!'

Well, Ole got excited by dis, but yust den the
doctor spoke up and said, 'Hold on! We ain't finished yet!' The doctor den held up
a little girl.  He said, 'Hey, Ole! You got you a daughter!  She's a pretty little ting, too.'

Ole got kind of puzzled by this, an then the doctor said, 'Holey Moley, Ole, we still
ain't done yet!' The doctor then delivered another boy and said, 'Ole, you yust had
yourself another boy!'  Ole was flabbergasted by this news!

A couple days later, Ole brought Lena and their three children home in the
self-propelled combine. He was real serious, and he asked Lena , 'How come
we got t'ree on the first try?'  Lena said, 'You remember dat night we ran out of Vaseline and you vent out
in the garage and got dat dere 3-in-1 Oil?'  Ole said, 'Yah, I do. Uffda! It's a dam' good ting I didn't get the WD-40.'

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Another one........ 

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Final Draft of Constitutional Change on Council Pay

Yvonne asked to post the final draft of the Constitutional change on Tribal Council pay, so here it is:

Initiative #

Annual Salary Compensation and Stipend Policy for Tribal Council

LTBB Tribal Constitution Article XIV, Initiative and Referendum, A.1 Initiative states:

“Initiative is the power of the Tribal members to propose laws and enact or reject them in an election. The members of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians shall have the power to adopt, by initiative, any statute, and the power to repeal or amend any statute in accordance with the provisions of the Article; provided that statutes addressing appropriations for Tribal Institutions or statutes establishing the Tribal budget shall be exempt from the initiative process.”

WAGANIKISING ODAWAK SATUTE 2012 – XXX

ANNUAL SALARY COMPENSATION AND STIPEND POLICY FOR TRIBAL COUNCIL.

SECTION I. REPEALS AND REPLACES

This Statute repeals and replaces Waganakising Odawak Statute #2010-017 with Waganakising Odawak Statute 2012 – XXX

SECTION II. PASSAGE OF INITATIVE

Upon passage by the Tribal Membership, WOS 2012 - XXX will be adopted and WOS 2010-017 will be rescinded on the Effective Date of the approved statute. Tribal Council and Tribal Chairman shall adhere to all provisions of WOS 2012-xxx and its Regulations.

SECTION III. DEFINITIONS

1. “Annual Salary” means the amount of annual compensation paid during the calendar year for attendance at regularly scheduled Tribal Council Meetings, Tribal Council Committee Meetings, Tribal Council work sessions, Tribal Council Training and Travel, Tribal Council phone polls and conferences, Tribal Community Meeting and any/all other LTBB Tribal events.
2. “Compensation” means an annual compensation to be paid in equal increments to be determined by the Tribal Citizens.
3. “Stipend” means additional compensation to be paid for attendance at unscheduled meetings, trainings and other tribally related activities. Stipends now are forbidden in any instance.
4. “Tribal Constitution” means the LTBB Constitution Adopted by the Tribal Citizenship February 2, 2005.
5. “Tribe” Shall mean the Little Traverse Bay bands of Odawa Indians.
6. “Tribal Governmental Employees and Travel Reimbursement Policy” Rates that area allowed for travel and training of staff including mileage, hotel, airfare, luggage, per diem etc. Per Diem relates to travel from the government center to any training outside of the reservation area only.

SECTION IV. COMPENSATION ESTABLISHED

1. The following Tribal Council Positions will be compensated as follows:

1. Legislative Leader, twenty-three thousand ($23,000.00) dollars.

2. Tribal Treasurer, twenty-one thousand ($21,000.00) dollars.

3. Tribal Secretary, twenty-one thousand ($21,000.00) dollars.

4. Tribal Council Citizens, eighteen thousand ($18,000.00) dollars.

5. Travel to and from the Government Center for training outside of the reservation area, shall be covered following the Tribal Governmental Employees and Travel Reimbursement Policy.

6. Tribal Council Citizens who live outside of the reservation boundaries qualify for mileage to and from Harbor Springs. A Hotel will be provided to those who live more than seventy-five (75) miles from Harbor Springs and during inclement weather if necessary. No per deim is allowable for this travel.

2. The above compensation shall be subject to federal and state if applicable taxation. Tax withholdings are elective and may be withheld from each payment.

3. It is mandatory that all Tribal Councilors be on at least one Committee that is currently established.

4. It is mandatory that all Tribal Councilors attend the yearly Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Community Meeting.

5. It is mandatory that all Tribal Councilors attend the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Public and Traditional Pow Wow’s.

6. It is mandatory that Tribal Council have at least one representative in place at every community tribal event (not including training) selected by motion at Council Meeting prior to the event. This must be a rotation of all Tribal Councilors.

7. It is mandatory that Tribal Council attends work sessions, special work sessions and committee meetings assigned to them. If a Tribal Council member misses two or more Tribal Council meetings/work sessions during a twelve (12) month period, they will forfeit their pay for those meetings with no exception.

8. However, if an absence is due to an emergency, Tribal Council will vote retroactively by motion on an exception on above sections C, D, E, F and G. The Tribal Council Treasurer is responsible for ensuring that this is adhered to.

9. It is the Tribal Council's responsibility to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner at all times but especially concerning coming in late or leaving early for meetings.  If it becomes a pattern such as three (3) instances of tardiness for the beginning of work sessions/meetings, (3) instances of being late from lunch or three (3) instances of leaving meetings/work sessions early, Tribal Council shall take whatever action it deems appropriate to ensure that this conduct is dealt with, including, but not limited to, docking of pay, censure, and if need be removal from office.  

SECTION V. TRAVEL EXPENSES

Travel expenses for Tribal Council shall be reimbursed at the same rate as allowed employees in the Tribal Government Travel Reimbursement Policy.

All off reservation training and travel will be approved by motion. Only one Councilor may attend any training at any one time. This must be done on a rotation basis. If a Councilor does not want to travel when their rotation comes available, they do not have to attend and the next Councilor in the rotation may attend.

Any Councilor who is currently employed by any of the Tribal Enterprises, shall attend a conference as an employee of the Enterprise and not as a Councilor if the conference/training pertains to the Enterprise. The Enterprise will be responsible for funding this training/conference if they deem it necessary for the Councilor to attend as an employee. Because the Councilor will not be voting on any issues dealing with the Enterprise they are employed, Council will not pay for any training in this area.

Effective with the next general election, Tribal Councilors may not be employed within the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Tribal Government or its Enterprises.

SECTION VI. COMPENSATION PROHIBITIONS

Persons receiving compensation authorized by this Statute shall be prohibited from:

1. Receiving unemployment compensation for any reductions or termination of said compensation.
2. Receiving any other type of payment for compensation not explicitly listed in this Statute.
3. Receiving overtime.
4. Receiving stipends.

SECTION VII. EMPLOYMENT

Councilors may not hold more than one full time position outside of the Tribe even if they decline a salary.

Councilors may not serve on any commission.

SECTION VIII. SAVINGS CLAUSE

In the event that any phrase, provision, part, paragraph, subsection or section of this statute is found by a court of competent jurisdiction, to violate the Constitution, laws or ordinances of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, such phrase, provision, part, paragraph, subsection or section shall be considered to stand alone and to be deleted from this statute, the entirety of the balance of the statute to remain in full and binding force and effect.

SECTION IX. EFFECTIVE DATE

The Effective Date of the approved statute is the first day of the next fiscal year following the year of the approval by the Membership.

Social Security Info

By Emily Brandon | U.S.News & World Report LP – 7 hrs ago

Social Security recipients will see bigger payments this year for the first time since 2009. But the future of Social Security taxes for workers remains uncertain. The 2011 payroll tax holiday has been extended only through the end of February and is scheduled to increase in March under current law. Here's a look at the Social Security changes workers and retirees will experience this year.

[See 10 Ways to Boost Your Social Security Checks.]

A boost in monthly payments. Social Security payments for more than 60 million Americans will increase 3.6 percent in 2012, the first increase since 2009. The typical retiree will see an increase of about $43 per month, although a portion of the increase may be deducted to pay for higher Medicare Part B premiums. Since 1975, Social Security payments have been automatically adjusted each year for inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. Cost-of-living adjustments have ranged from 14.3 percent in 1980 to zero in 2010 and 2011.

Higher Social Security tax cap. The maximum amount of earnings subject to Social Security taxes has increased from $106,800 in 2011 to $110,100 in 2012. The Social Security Administration estimates that about 10 million high earners will pay higher taxes as a result of the increase in the taxable maximum.

[See 10 Things You Didn't Know About Social Security.]

Social Security tax holiday temporarily extended. The 2 percent payroll tax cut that workers received in 2011 was recently extended through the first two months of 2012 by the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011. Nearly 160 million workers will continue to have 4.2 percent of their pay deposited into the Social Security trust fund instead of the usual 6.2 percent until Feb. 29, 2012.

However, higher-income employees who earn more than $18,350 in January and February 2012 must pay a 2 percent Social Security tax on the amount they earn between $18,350 and $110,100. "This additional recapture tax is an add-on to income tax liability that the employee would otherwise pay for 2012 and is not subject to reduction by credits or deductions," according to a statement from the IRS. "The recapture tax would be payable in 2013 when the employee files his or her income tax return for the 2012 tax year." Under current law, Social Security taxes are scheduled to return to 6.2 percent of pay in March 2012.

[See 5 Things to Know About the Payroll Tax-Cut Extension.]

Higher earnings limits. Early retirees who work and collect Social Security benefits at the same time can earn $480 more next year before a portion of their Social Security benefit will be temporally withheld. Social Security recipients below their full retirement age (66 for those born between 1943 and 1954) can earn up to $14,640 in 2012, above which 50 cents of each dollar earned will be withheld from their Social Security payments. For retirees who will turn 66 in 2012, the limit climbs to $38,880, after which 33 cents of each dollar earned will be deducted from monthly payments. Starting the month you turn your retirement age, there is no penalty for working and collecting Social Security benefits at the same time. At that time, your benefit will also be adjusted to reflect your continued work record and any benefits that were withheld.

[See 12 Ways to Fix Social Security.]

Maximum possible benefit grows. The maximum possible Social Security check will grow to $2,513 per month in 2012, up from $2,366 in 2011. To get this amount, a worker would need to earn the maximum taxable amount ($110,100 in 2012) every year after age 21.

Twitter: @aiming2retire

Elder/s Information

This is where we will post information that's relevant to Elders.
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You should always see your doctor for any health problems.  Please note that I haven't been to the doctor about either of the complaints listed below.  These are just some things that have worked for me and mine and MAY NOT help you:

Last Fall, my feet were killing me and it hurt to put my feet on the floor and thought I might have diabetic neuropathy or simply being old.  Well, the same day I had decided to do some research, there was an article about foot pain on Yahoo! News.  I read it, and it said to try taking multi-vitamins and that might help.  Well, I figured, why not give it a try?  I did take the vitamins and about a week and a half later, I noticed the pain in my feet was gone.

One other thing I found out:  If your eyes are bothering you, particularly at night and you see glare or even have a hard time seeing, try taking Vitamin K.  I got that information also from Yahoo! News.  My mate tried that and it worked.
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A story....

  
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The following information is posted for information only, particularly for those who are elderly and diabetic:
Facts About Diabetic Retinopathy
This information was developed by the National Eye Institute to help patients and their families search for general information about diabetic retinopathy. An eye care professional who has examined the patient's eyes and is familiar with his or her medical history is the best person to answer specific questions.
Table of Contents

• Diabetic Retinopathy DefinedCauses and Risk FactorsSymptoms and DetectionTreatmentCurrent Research 
  

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Diabetic Retinopathy Defined

What is diabetic eye disease?
Diabetic eye disease refers to a group of eye problems that people with diabetes may face as a complication of diabetes. All can cause severe vision loss or even blindness.

Diabetic eye disease may include:

• Diabetic retinopathy—damage to the blood vessels in the retina.
• Cataract—clouding of the eye's lens. Cataracts develop at an earlier age in people with diabetes.
• Glaucoma—increase in fluid pressure inside the eye that leads to optic nerve damage and loss of vision. A person with diabetes is nearly twice as likely to get glaucoma as other adults.

What is diabetic retinopathy?
Diabetic retinopathy is the most common diabetic eye disease and a leading cause of blindness in American adults. It is caused by changes in the blood vessels of the retina.
In some people with diabetic retinopathy, blood vessels may swell and leak fluid. In other people, abnormal new blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina. The retina is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. A healthy retina is necessary for good vision.
If you have diabetic retinopathy, at first you may not notice changes to your vision. But over time, diabetic retinopathy can get worse and cause vision loss. Diabetic retinopathy usually affects both eyes.

What are the stages of diabetic retinopathy?
Diabetic retinopathy has four stages:

1. Mild Nonproliferative Retinopathy. At this earliest stage, microaneurysms occur. They are small areas of balloon-like swelling in the retina's tiny blood vessels.
2. Moderate Nonproliferative Retinopathy. As the disease progresses, some blood vessels that nourish the retina are blocked.
3. Severe Nonproliferative Retinopathy. Many more blood vessels are blocked, depriving several areas of the retina with their blood supply. These areas of the retina send signals to the body to grow new blood vessels for nourishment.
4. Proliferative Retinopathy. At this advanced stage, the signals sent by the retina for nourishment trigger the growth of new blood vessels. This condition is called proliferative retinopathy. These new blood vessels are abnormal and fragile. They grow along the retina and along the surface of the clear, vitreous gel that fills the inside of the eye. By themselves, these blood vessels do not cause symptoms or vision loss. However, they have thin, fragile walls. If they leak blood, severe vision loss and even blindness can result.

Causes and Risk Factors

How does diabetic retinopathy cause vision loss?
Blood vessels damaged from diabetic retinopathy can cause vision loss in two ways:

1. Fragile, abnormal blood vessels can develop and leak blood into the center of the eye, blurring vision. This is proliferative retinopathy and is the fourth and most advanced stage of the disease.
2. Fluid can leak into the center of the macula, the part of the eye where sharp, straight-ahead vision occurs. The fluid makes the macula swell, blurring vision. This condition is called macular edema. It can occur at any stage of diabetic retinopathy, although it is more likely to occur as the disease progresses. About half of the people with proliferative retinopathy also have macular edema.

Normal Vision and the same scene viewed by a person with diabetic retinopathy.

Normal vision

Same scene viewed by a person with diabetic retinopathy

Who is at risk for diabetic retinopathy?
All people with diabetes--both type 1 and type 2--are at risk. That's why everyone with diabetes should get a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year. The longer someone has diabetes, the more likely he or she will get diabetic retinopathy. Between 40 to 45 percent of Americans diagnosed with diabetes have some stage of diabetic retinopathy. If you have diabetic retinopathy, your doctor can recommend treatment to help prevent its progression.
During pregnancy, diabetic retinopathy may be a problem for women with diabetes. To protect vision, every pregnant woman with diabetes should have a comprehensive dilated eye exam as soon as possible. Your doctor may recommend additional exams during your pregnancy.

What can I do to protect my vision?
If you have diabetes get a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year and remember:

• Proliferative retinopathy can develop without symptoms. At this advanced stage, you are at high risk for vision loss.
• Macular edema can develop without symptoms at any of the four stages of diabetic retinopathy.
• You can develop both proliferative retinopathy and macular edema and still see fine. However, you are at high risk for vision loss.
• Your eye care professional can tell if you have macular edema or any stage of diabetic retinopathy. Whether or not you have symptoms, early detection and timely treatment can prevent vision loss.

If you have diabetic retinopathy, you may need an eye exam more often. People with proliferative retinopathy can reduce their risk of blindness by 95 percent with timely treatment and appropriate follow-up care.
The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) showed that better control of blood sugar levels slows the onset and progression of retinopathy. The people with diabetes who kept their blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible also had much less kidney and nerve disease. Better control also reduces the need for sight-saving laser surgery.
This level of blood sugar control may not be best for everyone, including some elderly patients, children under age 13, or people with heart disease. Be sure to ask your doctor if such a control program is right for you.
Other studies have shown that controlling elevated blood pressure and cholesterol can reduce the risk of vision loss. Controlling these will help your overall health as well as help protect your vision.

Symptoms and Detection

Does diabetic retinopathy have any symptoms?
Often there are no symptoms in the early stages of the disease, nor is there any pain. Don't wait for symptoms. Be sure to have a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year.
Blurred vision may occur when the macula—the part of the retina that provides sharp central vision—swells from leaking fluid. This condition is called macular edema.
If new blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina, they can bleed into the eye and block vision.

What are the symptoms of proliferative retinopathy if bleeding occurs?
At first, you will see a few specks of blood, or spots, "floating" in your vision. If spots occur, see your eye care professional as soon as possible. You may need treatment before more serious bleeding occurs. Hemorrhages tend to happen more than once, often during sleep.
Sometimes, without treatment, the spots clear, and you will see better. However, bleeding can reoccur and cause severely blurred vision. You need to be examined by your eye care professional at the first sign of blurred vision, before more bleeding occurs.
If left untreated, proliferative retinopathy can cause severe vision loss and even blindness. Also, the earlier you receive treatment, the more likely treatment will be effective.

How are diabetic retinopathy and macular edema detected?
Diabetic retinopathy and macular edema are detected during a comprehensive eye exam that includes:

1. Visual acuity test. This eye chart test measures how well you see at various distances.
2. Dilated eye exam. Drops are placed in your eyes to widen, or dilate, the pupils. This allows the eye care professional to see more of the inside of your eyes to check for signs of the disease. Your eye care professional uses a special magnifying lens to examine your retina and optic nerve for signs of damage and other eye problems. After the exam, your close-up vision may remain blurred for several hours.
3. Tonometry. An instrument measures the pressure inside the eye. Numbing drops may be applied to your eye for this test.

Your eye care professional checks your retina for early signs of the disease, including:

• Leaking blood vessels.
• Retinal swelling (macular edema).
• Pale, fatty deposits on the retina--signs of leaking blood vessels.
• Damaged nerve tissue.
• Any changes to the blood vessels.

If your eye care professional believes you need treatment for macular edema, he or she may suggest a fluorescein angiogram. In this test, a special dye is injected into your arm. Pictures are taken as the dye passes through the blood vessels in your retina. The test allows your eye care professional to identify any leaking blood vessels and recommend treatment.

Treatment

How is diabetic retinopathy treated?
During the first three stages of diabetic retinopathy, no treatment is needed, unless you have macular edema. To prevent progression of diabetic retinopathy, people with diabetes should control their levels of blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol.
Proliferative retinopathy is treated with laser surgery. This procedure is called scatter laser treatment. Scatter laser treatment helps to shrink the abnormal blood vessels. Your doctor places 1,000 to 2,000 laser burns in the areas of the retina away from the macula, causing the abnormal blood vessels to shrink. Because a high number of laser burns are necessary, two or more sessions usually are required to complete treatment. Although you may notice some loss of your side vision, scatter laser treatment can save the rest of your sight. Scatter laser treatment may slightly reduce your color vision and night vision.
Scatter laser treatment works better before the fragile, new blood vessels have started to bleed. That is why it is important to have regular, comprehensive dilated eye exams. Even if bleeding has started, scatter laser treatment may still be possible, depending on the amount of bleeding.
If the bleeding is severe, you may need a surgical procedure called a vitrectomy. During a vitrectomy, blood is removed from the center of your eye.

How is a macular edema treated?
Macular edema is treated with laser surgery. This procedure is called focal laser treatment. Your doctor places up to several hundred small laser burns in the areas of retinal leakage surrounding the macula. These burns slow the leakage of fluid and reduce the amount of fluid in the retina. The surgery is usually completed in one session. Further treatment may be needed.
A patient may need focal laser surgery more than once to control the leaking fluid. If you have macular edema in both eyes and require laser surgery, generally only one eye will be treated at a time, usually several weeks apart.
Focal laser treatment stabilizes vision. In fact, focal laser treatment reduces the risk of vision loss by 50 percent. In a small number of cases, if vision is lost, it can be improved. Contact your eye care professional if you have vision loss.

What happens during laser treatment?
Both focal and scatter laser treatment are performed in your doctor's office or eye clinic. Before the surgery, your doctor will dilate your pupil and apply drops to numb the eye. The area behind your eye also may be numbed to prevent discomfort.
The lights in the office will be dim. As you sit facing the laser machine, your doctor will hold a special lens to your eye. During the procedure, you may see flashes of light. These flashes eventually may create a stinging sensation that can be uncomfortable. You will need someone to drive you home after surgery. Because your pupil will remain dilated for a few hours, you should bring a pair of sunglasses.
For the rest of the day, your vision will probably be a little blurry. If your eye hurts, your doctor can suggest treatment.
Laser surgery and appropriate follow-up care can reduce the risk of blindness by 90 percent. However, laser surgery often cannot restore vision that has already been lost. That is why finding diabetic retinopathy early is the best way to prevent vision loss.

What is a vitrectomy?
If you have a lot of blood in the center of the eye (vitreous gel), you may need a vitrectomy to restore your sight. If you need vitrectomies in both eyes, they are usually done several weeks apart.
A vitrectomy is performed under either local or general anesthesia. Your doctor makes a tiny incision in your eye. Next, a small instrument is used to remove the vitreous gel that is clouded with blood. The vitreous gel is replaced with a salt solution. Because the vitreous gel is mostly water, you will notice no change between the salt solution and the original vitreous gel.
You will probably be able to return home after the vitrectomy. Some people stay in the hospital overnight. Your eye will be red and sensitive. You will need to wear an eye patch for a few days or weeks to protect your eye. You also will need to use medicated eyedrops to protect against infection.

Are scatter laser treatment and vitrectomy effective in treating proliferative retinopathy?
Yes. Both treatments are very effective in reducing vision loss. People with proliferative retinopathy have less than a five percent chance of becoming blind within five years when they get timely and appropriate treatment. Although both treatments have high success rates, they do not cure diabetic retinopathy.
Once you have proliferative retinopathy, you always will be at risk for new bleeding. You may need treatment more than once to protect your sight.

What can I do if I already have lost some vision from diabetic retinopathy?
If you have lost some sight from diabetic retinopathy, ask your eye care professional about low vision services and devices that may help you make the most of your remaining vision. Ask for a referral to a specialist in low vision. Many community organizations and agencies offer information about low vision counseling, training, and other special services for people with visual impairments. A nearby school of medicine or optometry may provide low vision services.

Current Research

What research is being done?
The National Eye Institute (NEI) is conducting and supporting research that seeks better ways to detect, treat, and prevent vision loss in people with diabetes. This research is conducted through studies in the laboratory and with patients.
For example, researchers are studying drugs that may stop the retina from sending signals to the body to grow new blood vessels. Someday, these drugs may help people control their diabetic retinopathy and reduce the need for laser surgery.

More Information
View Eye Health Organizations
Tips on Talking to Your Doctor
How to Find an Eye Care Professional
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