union matters

my mailbox has been stuffed with all sorts of weird mailings from both the local and international union...it's election time again and they are sending out lists of local whores that are our "friends" and for whom i should cast my ballot when i do my civic duty...there's a "meet the whores" called meeting later this month...and they've sent me voter registration applications as well as ones for absentee ballots...all fine and good, but pointless since i vote on my own terms not theirs and we seem to agree on so little anymore...like a marriage gone bad...but without the first blush of romance...just the baggage and burdensome recriminations...i'd get an attorney but i think it's too late for even that...anyway...today i got my dues receipt and a nice letter from the international telling me they're concerned about my health...what a great bunch of guys! today's missive concerns the perils of high blood pressure which, apparently, "...more than one-third of people who work in non-office environments are not aware that they have high blood pressure, and many do not get treatment. please bring this letter along with you to your next doctor visit. it can help you discuss your heart health with your doctor." ( great bunch! always on the lookout for ways they can help me overcome my deficiencies)..it goes on to gently inform me that high blood pressure can be caused by smoking or secondhand smoke, lack of exercise, poor diet, obesity and overweight, drinking too much alcohol, and stress...chiding me mildly to set aside these vices and lead a healthier lifestyle...but ( and this is the real kicker here ) what if that just isn't enough? then my good friend joe j. nigro ( general president of the smwia...honest)tells me that i should ask my doctor about the blood pressure medication EDARBI ( sounds like a demented baseball stat ) which is a trademark of the takeda pharmaceutical company ltd....who, incidentally prepared and paid for the distribution of this letter ( with a kick back to the international? just asking) i bet they're the ones who included the nifty spec sheet with all the chemical composition and possible side-effects too like dizziness, muscle spasms, diarrhea, and, in some "rare" cases, "increased hypertension"...neat trick for a drug that's supposed to palliate it...so...things are so god-awful bad in the sheetmetal industry that my union has taken to shilling for pharmaceutical companies as a sideline...dues must be down ( not that you'd know it from the looks of my receipt)...those poor bastards are making do in these tough times...an inspiration to us all.