This grandmother is a news addict, but for the last few months I have been hoping to bury my head in the sand of forgetfulness.

Because of my love for sports, I managed to avoid the news. So far, in 2025 I have escaped the news in the college and professional soccer playoffs, the Super Bowl, the WNBA and the NBA. We go into March’s insanity for one of my favorite times of the year, college basketball.

My doctor recently told me not to read or watch the news when I increased my blood pressure medication dose. When I feel stressed, my stomach stirs and I reach for antacids. I’m selective about what I read and limit my time watching news and talking heads on TV.

I have to prepare emotionally before another government program is cut. Another group of people attacked or long-standing foreign policy for the US makes a 180-degree turn. Therefore, I rank anxiety by the number of antacid tablets or liquids that I have swallowed based on political actions taken so far this year.

Any action taken by the federal, state or local government will soon become eager to swallow an entire bottle of Marox, Pept Bismol, Milanta or Tam, to feed our children everywhere to take away our programs.

Federal programs established during the recent pandemic have been suspended, and many of our children will be hungry if our government doesn’t help, so we don’t know how a state like Tennessee will respond. Last March, news from Vanderbilt University Medical Center reported: Most families (71%) say they continue to change their food spending habits due to high prices. ”

Medicaid cuts, the most likely, will be hit hardest in rural areas

Can I have a hungry child in 2025 and how can some of our leaders sleep without fixing it? Hungry children mean at least half antacid bottles per day.I increased the supply of chewable antacids with the suggestion of cutting Medicaid. What are we going to do for the people in nursing homes who rely on this fund? How are they cared for?

Tennessee’s Medicaid version of Tenncare provides healthcare to minor children, children, or elderly people or individuals with disabilities, primarily low-income pregnant women, parents or caretakers. The Tennessee Legislature has rejected billions of federal dollars to help expand Tencare. When Affordable Care Act created the Medicaid expansion in 2010, 16 Tennessee hospitals were closed, of which 13 were in rural areas. Consider connecting. Medicaid slash means a full bottle of antacids per day for me.

I am qualified for Medicare. What would I do if Medicare funds were cut? How will members of the Congress explain this decision to their members? Will reductions in Medicare spending affect current and previously elected officials? Another half bottle.

Already, the Trump administration has proposed massive cuts to staff at the Veterans Affairs, and with Fort Campbell, home to the legendary 101st Airborne Division in Clarksville, I am worried about the impact on many Tennessee veterans.

The USDA cuts $1 million grants for the Nashville Urban Canopy Program. Nonprofits say travel hurts tree farms

It is difficult to understand why our country does not provide as much support as possible to help and support our military and members of our families. They keep their lives on the line for all of us, and we should never take them for granted. If you want to stop supporting military service, particularly for Ukraine, you should have antacids on hand.

Scientific research is about chopping blocks and I wonder if jobs will be lost if the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is cut. Will our College of Health and Education continue to explore treatments for illnesses? If any of them stop their work, it could be devastating for the Tennessee economy.

When I wonder if vaccinations will be available in the near future, I don’t have enough antacids available.

My family is on vacation in many of our national parks. Reducing the number of employees working at Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee will give you results. Such reductions will hurt the economy of East Tennessee towns, which rely on tourism for the dollars spent on reducing park visitors and tourists. This means that local businesses, including people in Gatlinburg and Hat Forge, will also lose jobs.

I enjoy all the hikes I take in the park. Spending time in nature means I reduce my need for antacids and better health, which is a great way for everyone to escape the anxiety of current events.

I played basketball so I’ll have an opinion during the insanity of March and talk to TV. I will not admit how many antacids I have experienced when my team is not moving forward.