Can We Keep Surviving?

Can anyone explain to me...How are we expected to feed 7 BILLION PEOPLE on the Earth if we are not allowed to grow food faster? There are so many that are against pesticides and GMO's are Satans work.

We keep people alive longer by curing diseases, we have procreation happening in 3rd world countries where babies starve to death, we are not allowed to teach safe sex in schools, we have the one country with the largest population allowing their couples to have more children and we are not allowing scientists to engineer our food supply so we have enough? "Shaking my head".

Do you notice the price difference between organic food and the food chemicals are used on? I have to take my chances living on a budget and I know I am not the only one. I had two children when I was more financially capable but disease does not discriminate. Financial hardship does not discriminate either. 

North America is the youngest populated continent, but is the most commanding in many respects. 

Why? I wish it had something to do with being ethical like Honesty and Integrity, but really...all it has to do with is...money.

The United States is controlled by money, we all know that..and money controls much of the world as well...

So the only way to have things like Organic farms or Solar/Wind/Water power take the lead in innovation and cost efficiency is to have the people with money be more interested in these improvements than in the oil/pesticide/drilling industries. 

Now there are those who, if they have enough money in their pockets to do them until they die, may take an interest and put up a fuss for the good of mankind, but for the most part people with that kind of dough are pretty miserly and will tell you to bite them until the very end.

Government parties do as they are told by the "money people" not by the voters and not by petitions. 

Growing my own garden helps me during the summer in many ways. Financially as well as mentally. 

In all honesty though, we all got to go some time some how. Going painfully is not something I would wish on anyone, but it happens. Whether it is from a car accident, poisoning or peacefully after a long life...

...We die. 

But we have to be realistic, we cannot all go in our sleep.

Why do We Still Allow it to Happen?

              October 19^th, 1979 was a very long time ago. Back then there were no computers to hide you, we played outside. It was nothing to see kids riding in the back of pickup trucks. Biking was for fun, not just to get somewhere, seat belts were not mandatory, drinking out of the hose was easier then getting a glass of water and we still live. One thing that would maybe have helped would have been cell phones, but that was many years away.

Revving engines of large pick-up trucks and tires squealing on the paved highway a mile north transports me back in time. A time where longing for a different past was all a young girl wished for after a devastating crash that killed one parent and almost took the life of her brother, the best friend she had at that time.

            The area we lived in was very similar to any country area near villages and small towns; Farming/ranching families.

            At the young age of 28 my father’s truck was hit head on by another truck, alcohol was a factor and the driver of the other vehicle was killed as well.

In 1979 the Trans Canada Highway was not twinned between Medicine Hat and Calgary, very much like the roads in rural areas where homes are kilometers apart, it was being looked into. But, there were vehicles, there was alcohol and there are always the people who think they are invincible.

A daddy’s girl from what I have been told by aunts, uncles and my mom. We were living on a farm not far north from Redcliff, but south of Suffield, Alberta. We hadn't been living on the farm for very long, just over a year I believe; the house was built by our family and from what I was told it was only the beginning of what my father had planned for our country home. I found my love for living in the country in that very short time. It is peaceful to hear the trains passing by instead of police sirens and still is.

 My father worked hard to support his family, working in Medicine Hat during the day and working on the farm each evening. 

On Friday, October 19^th, 1979 the grand opening of the Medicine Hat Mall; the second mall in Medicine Hat, brought people from the surrounding rural areas. My mother drove in from the farm and afterwards we visited with my aunt, uncle and cousins. With my parents’ vehicles in “The Hat”, my father and brother followed in the pickup truck while my mother, cousin and I were in the lead car.

Waking up the next morning to what was supposed to be a fun weekend with my cousin became the worst day a shy little girl, who would cling to her father’s leg for comfort, to endure. 

I remember someone taking me into my parents’ room, my mother crying on her bed. I was to sit next to her to hear of the tragedy that would change my families’ lives forever.  I have cousins that never got to meet their Uncle Norman. The cousins I did have were all very young; the oldest being 2 years my senior and was the other passenger in my moms’ car.

A month and a half later Christmas was probably the last holiday anyone would want to celebrate in our family. With the rest of the children under the age of 5, how can you not? I always wondered how my aunts and uncles from both sides were able to deal with the holidays for their children.

It is easy to remember good times, when it is a natural death to an older person. But this was a young father taken before his 30^th birthday in a horrible way with so much to live for.  

I absolutely refused to believe that my father was dead, that it could not be true, he would never leave me. It was a nightmare that lasted for many years of waking up screaming. For several years I would wake up with night terrors of the death of my father. There are times I still wake up from a dream of that night.

The truck that killed my father and almost took the life of my brother was playing “chicken” with another vehicle. The young men were intoxicated and in 1979 there were no set rules about drinking and driving like there is today. We didn't recognize the debilitating affects alcohol can do to a person while driving and people unlucky enough to be around them were casualties in waiting back then.

Today, we know that booze impairs our judgment--liquid courage as we tend to call it--to do things we know are wrong whether it is against the law like drinking and driving, being abusive or even making a fool of ourselves.

            We all know that drinking and driving still happens and we all know it kills. Maybe not the first time or even the one hundredth time, but eventually someone will pay for another persons’ idiocy.

            What can we do about it?

            Many things can be done, but it has to be done by family and friends around the person who persistently drinks and drives.

             Parents, Family, Friends…

            Do your children know you will come get them even at 3am no matter where they are or if you know they will be drinking and are not responsible enough to sleep it off, are you willing to pay for a hotel room for them to sleep it off instead of them driving home on those dark roads antelope and moose tend to play on?

            Do you take a stand when you know your child drinks and drives by taking keys away? Are you willing to save someone’s life by making sure your young adult children are not behind a wheel of a vehicle after a party?

            That brother that has a drinking problem and has to drive into town to get another bottle and stays for a few beers before going back to the farm, are you willing to follow him? Are you willing to take his vehicle away? Are you willing to report him?

            You are not doing him any favors when he rolls his truck on an icy road and you go to get the truck out of the ditch for him the next day instead of reporting him to the RCMP. He needs help, but not the kind of help you are giving him by covering up his addiction.

            Many family members have probably heard that there isn't a problem, they only had a few or they can handle the alcohol.

            Many people have heard victims say how it destroyed their lives. I don’t think the killing of my father destroyed my life, it changed it dramatically but there has been good in the last 35 years; Too much good to dwell on the “what ifs”.

            What I do want to explain to those who know of a family member who drinks and drives is how it changes the lives of the victims, including their own.

            The ripple effect happens instantly. My mothers’ family lived in Medicine Hat, while my dads’ family lived in the country. Rarely did I get to see my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins on my fathers’ side after my father died and when I was able to, it just wasn't the same. It was hard to be around them, it reminded all of us who was missing. I loved being with my dads family, but my tears were always there because dad wasn't.

            The entire family are victims.

             It is not just the lives of children and spouses that are altered. Brothers, sisters, parents, the list goes on, family friends and even children that are not born to a family, like grandchildren, are effected by someone being dim-witted enough to think they are capable of driving after a night out on the town or even someone who ran out of booze and needs more.

Would you want to live with the fact that you could have stopped the death of another human by taking a stand with a family member who thinks they are invincible? or can you be okay with that?

Death is permanent. You cannot take back killing someone and you cannot take back the life of your loved one who may just be killed as well. It is something you have to live with for the rest of your life, your family lives with the death caused by lack of common sense for the rest of their lives. You can forgive yourself, you can receive forgiveness from those whom you hurt, but it will always be there.

Would you want to live with the fact that you could have stopped the death of a neighbor by taking a stand with a family member who thinks they need one more drink?

Yes, I know people who are selfish enough to drink and drive, after trying to explain my past to them they either take what I have said to heart or they chose to ignore me, if it is the latter, I walk away from that friendship and have reported them. My children’s lives depend on other people making the right choices. 

It has taken a lot to be able to say that while my life would have been completely different had my parents chose to stay home that night there are no guarantees. It was a difficult time, some lessons would not have been learned the same way but many things for the good happened after the death of a young husband and father many years ago. 

These days society knows better. It is not just propaganda, driving while drunk kills.

Knowing you could have done something, anything to stop your loved one from killing another human by not allowing them to drink and drive would be overwhelming. But if it means a loved one is alive but behind bars, they are still alive.

The only reason I share my experiences is to maybe help one person, selfish of me?

Can I help one person know that it is better to see a prisoners outfit on their child or family member then to see them in their graduation suit/suit in a coffin?

It is okay to take a stand. It is okay to say no to your children. It is okay to take their vehicles away if you know they are going to do something stupid. It is okay to be the “rat” now and be able to see grandchildren one day.

            We all know drinking and driving kills and many know the pain of losing someone because someone broke this law. I would never wish my pain or any of my families’ pain on anyone.

            Knowing you are drinking and driving makes you a murderer today, we know too much about being under the influence while driving to call it anything else, but knowing someone that drinks and drives and not doing anything about it, makes you an accessory.

   Please stop the person you know who drinks and drives.

Anyone's Life Normal?

It has been an eye opener for me what people think of my life experiences. People who have heard my story keep telling me WRITE IT.

Whether I am in a depression, a manic phase or healthy one…I always believe there are others out there who have it one hundred times worse than me. 

It keeps me grounded when I’m manic, it helps me understand that there are worse things in life when I am depressed and when I am healthy, I feel for those worse off and I try to help them.

By the time I was 14 so many negative things had happened in my life that even an adult would have had a meltdown.

All these negative things were being blamed for my acting out. 

People believed I was being a spoiled brat by taking advantage of the heartaches that had happened to our family over the years, it wasn't because I was sick and needed medications; nobody knew that yet. 

It was because I was selfish. Looking back, the symptoms of Bi-polar Disease were evident from the age of 14, but diagnosing teenagers did not happen in the 1980’s.

Being Bi-polar has been a big part of my life it has made life difficult and it has made me learn how to cope with things the hard way, but it has not been all of my life. 

All lives have their soap operas. 

There have just been a few more bad things earlier in my life then some people have to live with at all in their lives…

The first most people will go through. Young or old we all lose a grandparent, but my grandfather was the beginning of young deaths. He died when he was fifty years old in 1977.

My grandfather was an alcoholic; he died of cirrhosis of the liver. I was five and he never got to meet most of his grandchildren or any of his great grandchildren, but we were told that the grandchildren he did get to know were loved by him very much. This was the first taste of loss, not too bitter of a taste at that age, but a loss none the less.

The next loss was to start me down a very depressing road for a very long time. October 19^th, 1979 a drunk driver killed one of the people dearest to me in my life. I was seven at the time.

People wonder why I am so adamant about drunk drivers; well here is a lesson many others have had to deal with as well.

We lived only about 20 minutes out of Medicine Hat, Alberta. The night was the grand opening of the Medicine Hat Mall. It was a thought in my brain that if I had not been so desperate to have my cousin out at the farm we would have only brought one vehicle home and we all would have survived…a lot for a little girl to burden herself with for so many years.

Our car, mom was driving, was in the lead and she saw the truck coming at her in her lane (the highway was not yet twinned), she had time to swerve. My dad, however, was behind us and probably didn't understand why my mother swerved until it was too late…

Imagine sitting in the car, what do you think my mother saw in her rear view mirror? I never knew that my dad’s truck exploded that night, not until I talked to a psychic. (Believe what you want) I always thought it was the next death, my step fathers, that there was an explosion. I had never been told the truth about any of the deaths until I was in my '20s…AFTER seeing the psychic. When I brought it up with my mother, she went white like she had seen a ghost, but told me what she had seen.

My dad was 28 years old when he died in that explosion. Could we think about this for a minute…28 years old? To lose your parent or grandparent is one thing, but Grandma and Grandpa were never the same after my dad died.

Christmas was hell that year how did the adults put smiles on for the younger children I have no idea and birthdays in January were not enjoyed without a father there and 35 years later I still have the cards my classmates made me, telling me that they hoped I would be back soon.

I was a different child after this.

The teachers could see it, the kids could feel it. I became very introverted. I stopped playing with the other kids. The friends that I had were growing further away because they did not need to be around a sad child. Emotionally I was heading in a downward spiral at the age of seven. All I have to do is think about what my mother saw in her rear view mirror to know someone else on this Earth had been hurt more than me.

Mom did find someone. He put up with me pushing him away. He was not going to replace my dad, but he was one person who tried. He was there when the nightmares happened.

When the wedding happened I was 11.

The summer before the wedding though, I had gone through a different type of nightmare.

The sexual abuse happened while I was in British Columbia visiting people.

My mom and step fathers’ wedding was a very big affair. I could smile again. When my new dad was killed 3 weeks later, life drained from me…I really couldn't keep losing people like this. 

Many other things have happened since then, good and bad. 

My abuser asked for a letter of apology because I contacted his daughter, who knew what I had gone through. I have been divorced and separated twice. My “rages” can come and go whether I am on medications or not. 

I have lost family and friends because they do not understand the difference between “crazy” and “mental disease”, I am just bat shit crazy. Suicide has crossed my mind many times and I have tried it many times.

Life has taken me down a very long, broken road. I have lost and gained people in my life, those that are still here on Earth and those who have passed away, both are dearly missed, but I cannot waste time trying to explain myself to people who do not want to give me or my children the time of day.

I can only hope my tales help show anyone that it is better to open up and let it all out even if others don’t think so, then to bottle it up and hide under the covers, being too scared to say how you feel.

You are a breath of fresh air by speaking out about how the world could be a better place if people would only try to be nicer to others. Remember that, because while there are those out there that think we are bat shit crazy, there are more people out there that think the opposite they believe and understand us. They are the people we need to surround ourselves with, find them. Start with a councilor.

Whether it is to a family member who has the drunk who cannot stop driving and shows them how a drunk driver affected my family’s life or the teenager who doesn't understand why they can’t control the tears when a family member called them “bat shit crazy”. 

I hope my “rants” help. 

Whether people believe me or not, I don’t try to make people feel guilt, but if you do...there must be a reason.

Home of the Saskatchewan Roughriders

In 2017, Saskatchewan will be opening doors of two fantastic buildings.

One is The Childrens Hospital in Saskatoon.

At the cost of around $235.5 million dollars this building has seen delays, but hopefully that is in the past and it will move forward with no more hold ups.

Funding is always needed for this specialized care facility as new equipment is forever mandatory and as the province grows, more beds will constantly be needed. Donations are welcome gifts, but our taxes are meant to pay for health and childrens health are they not?

The other massive undertaking is Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

At a cost of around $278 million dollars, the city will have a hard time using this beautiful building for anything other than football until they consider a roof. With our Canadian winters, concerts are out of the question half of the year, so how is this going to be a tourist attraction in the mean time?

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are an amazing team; Mosaic Stadium does need to be replaced. However, when the tax payers across the province are forking out more taxes for a Stadium than for a Childrens Hospital, priorities should be questioned and questions should be asked.

With only $25 million (11%) of the $278 million coming from the Roughriders and an additional 15 million dollars for team specific requirements, why a roof was not feasibly paid for by the franchise is a question taxpayers should be asking. With the $25 million the Roughriders are adding to the pot not coming from their pockets, why can they not help put the roof on their home?

Here is the breakdown of how your Stadium is being paid for…

$80 million grant from the province of Saskatchewan.

$73 million from the city of Regina.

$25 million generated by such things as naming rights, to be coordinated by the Saskatchewan Roughriders Football Club.

$100 million loan, from the province, to be paid down over 30 years through a $12/ticket facility fee tacked onto each football game or any other event at the new stadium.

The Roughriders receive their wages for the job they do and they have bills to pay like everyone. Some renovations have been accomplished to the older Mosaic Stadium over the years, but have also had property taxes waived for more than 15 years and they have revenue coming in from other areas as well, including concerts that are held at Mosaic Stadium. The food, drinks, alcohol and all the paraphernalia that fans buy the team makes money off of.

http://www.cicorp.sk.ca/+pub/Documents/Appendix_8_Possible%20Business%20Relationship%20-%20Roughriders%20and%20.pdf

If the Roughriders are a publicly owned sports team, then shouldn’t the public have choices to choose from when it comes to the house their team plays in?

Financial feasibility is always an issue…maybe that is why the Federal Government will not pitch in on Mosaic Stadium. When governments spend taxes we need to question “how does this benefit all taxpayers”?

I never understand why only one plan is ever offered. When there is a major financial undertaking like this.

When there is this much money at stake there should always be choices and there never seems to be. That is annoying, is it not?

A referendum on the “Plans” would show which Stadium should be built. The cost would reflect and the “winning” architect would proceed.

How is that hard? How would that cost more? and how would that take longer than it already has?

Some will call it Mosaic Stadium,

     

 Most will call it…

Home of the Saskatchewan Roughriders… 

Offensive? Racist? or Just a Name?

The Washington Redskins have come under fire for the long standing name of their National Football League team name and logo; they are not the only sporting team that has had to deal with this issue of late, even school sports teams are being attacked as being racist in their names and logos. 

To be honest, since my home town police stations logo was questioned years back, I am surprised one of the local High Schools has not been told to change their sports teams names and logos.

Words can hurt, I understand this, but it is a name of a sports team that has been around for a very long time.The name was in honor of the coach of the team and by the sounds of it, many Indigenous peoples are not offended by the name.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-oGPYXPo-Q#t=58

Native Americans and bleeding hearts who want The “Redskins” name and logo changed are more than happy with the “Warriors” and have said so, which to me would be just as derogatory if not worse…as it would relate to violence...their history and now, would it not?

Saskatchewan has had some discussions towards a particular team. When a woman was interviewed, she told the reporter that when someone had explained to her what the issue was, it offended her. So in other words, she did not have a problem with the name of the team or the logo to begin with, she had no opinion either way until someone told her how to feel. Now that is wrong.

Being part Irish, should I be offended by the "Fighting Irish"? Really? It sounds like all Irish are mean, maybe even drunks. I do not drink but that is a trait of the Irish is it not? There is a team known as the Fighting Irish is there not? A very renowned school at that, by the way, University of Notre Dame. 

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/why-notre-dame-football-team-known-fighting-irish-222700412--ncaaf.html

Do I care? No, it is a name. That is it. 

Be proud of your heritage.

We all have ancestors that have done horrible things decades, hundreds or even thousands of years ago. We cannot control what happened then. We could change names of sports teams so SOME people’s feelings are no longer hurt, but what then?

What next? 

When will women start protesting that “Hooters” has to change their name because it is derogatory? There will ALWAYS be something that upsets someone and that someone can always get another person to see their point of view. 

I will not get into the debate of who “owns” the Earth or what happened hundreds of years ago. I was not there and neither were any of the people on the Earth today. Bad things happened to many different cultures. The Native Americans are not the only peoples that have lost “their” land; Jewish peoples have been getting kicked off their lands for thousands of years and keep prospering. African Americans have been dragged off their lands and sold into slavery. 

What is the Indigenous peoples excuse? Farm your land, raise cattle or own casinos, do something to become prosperous instead of laying blame for something that happened hundreds of years ago.

Have enough self-esteem to believe that it is just the name of a sports team it is not meant in a derogatory way, at the time of the naming it was a celebration of the Coach who, and I am only guessing, was probably one of very few Native Americans in that position. 

If you were to take a time machine back and watch as the owner announce the naming of the team...and why...what do you thing that Coaches thoughts would have been? 

Honor and Pride? or Anger and Resentment? 

Letting things go is something I have had to learn the hard way and still work at every day. 

There are bigger fish to fry then worrying about the name of a sports team. 

How about feeding the poor? 

Making medication accessible to those who need them? Curing diseases? Stop fighting Wars? Taking guns out of childrens hands? Educating our children? 

These are more important then worrying about a team sports name. 

We waste too much time thinking about frivolous things that do not move MANKIND forward. 

Peace.

A Country Poem

Clouds explode in the clear blue sky…

         ...reaching for the stars that are invisible during the             daylight.

They twist, they turn like a child held back from leaping into a deep, crystal blue pool…

Rainbows with their promise of showers...

         ...bringing bright colors to the day light.

The thousands of white snow geese floating in the sky…

         ...whispering in the air during the bright day, they soar above, dipping and turning.

Thousands of frogs deafen the evening…

         

         ...calling to their own kind come to a blooming garden, they glisten in the sun, hopping just out of your reach.

Geese fly serenely on the excess water Mother Nature gave us…

          ...hiding close in the tall grasses while waiting for their babies to crack the shells that bind them. 

Wind tosses the heaviest oak to the lightest twig…

          ...making them bow to the power of Mother Nature, the foliage waves to the world, held only to the Earth by branches on trees that defy the wicked winds.

As the light dwindles further in the west, the rainbow colored clouds display their massive shapes.

                                                                                        Another day ends.

Pictures are taken by myself as well.

Elitism Starts in Childhood

I am curious as to when it is okay to spend money on the select few.

I noticed a story about a middle school in Rhode Island that is going to stop having an Honors Night. 

According to the article, the students will still be receiving their awards in excellence. They are just not throwing a separate "party" for them any longer.

The school claims that members of the community have expressed the exclusive nature and I get the feeling “elitism” is another issue for the other students that a “party night” was set aside for a few kids who did what they are supposed to do in school, get good grades.

I do understand that these children have worked hard for their grades and do deserve the recognition. However, this story does not go into enough details to make accurate judgments towards the school or the students.

Is this school a private school? If so, yes these students do deserve the night that they have all worked very hard for; their parents have paid enough in tuition for this benefit, but…

By the sounds of it this a public school, so...

Are the students fundraising for the honors night?

Why would the students, who are getting these awards, not want to share their success with their classmates? Would their classmates not want to share the success with them, maybe give them the pat on the back they deserve?

The issues I see happening are twofold.

One being, when these kids get into the real world, there are no “honor nights” to award them every year for doing their best work. Even if there is, not all of them will be recognized. So how exactly is it preparing them for their future giving them a party for doing the work they should be doing in the first place every year?

The second being, we already have an elitism society, how is this helping?

What are we teaching our children when we are willing to throw a party on the dime of all taxpayers for the few students who are doing what they are supposed to be doing?

Yes, they are working hard at school, isn't that what students are supposed to do? Maybe they should be taking their awards in front of other students to set the example. Show the other students that this is what you can accomplish when you apply yourself.

Sharing your achievements with your fellow classmates is not “lording” your grades over them. It does the opposite, as the girl in the article stated; it made her work harder to accomplish what she needed to do to become an honor student. 

A party for the elite few who do what they were supposed to do in the first place is not teaching them humility. It teaches them that they are worth more than those who cannot accomplish as much as they can. There are those who work just as hard as they do, but cannot achieve the same goal. 

What is wrong with the awards being given to them at graduation? That is how they have done it for years where I grew up. You work hard through High School years and are given your dues when you graduate. Not every year.

Whatever happened to teaching our children values? 

Let’s teach our children that elitism does not belong in our public schools. Accept your award in excellence with dignity and humbleness.

A Mac Davis song comes to mind, Its Hard to be Humble…We are so focused on our children learning to be smarter than the next student; we forget to teach them values like Modesty. 

Eating Healthy Big Issue for Poor

Governments, health authorities, doctors and scientists say our population, children especially, are becoming obese at very young age. 

They say we are not exercising enough and families spend too much time in front of the television, computers and game systems. In some cases this may be true.

In many more cases however, it is because of our diet.

I am a limited-income single mother. I am in the not-so-unique position of being able to say I can buy a three pack of hotdogs from SuperStore-enough for 3 meals-for a quarter of the cost of a nice healthy roast for one meal.

It is cheaper to buy generic cheese slices than to buy a block of real cheese. That thick juicy steak is $20 to $30 more than regular ground beef.

You would think that the more the food is processed the more it would cost. So why isn't it?

Could part of the problem be that the cost of farming has skyrocketed as well? Farming is an industry and has become very expensive from what I have seen.

But, why does a head of lettuce cost $2.00 while a bag of chips costs less? Ground beef costs more than buying the convenient pre-packaged beef patties and when you pay 97 cents for a 2 liter bottle of pop but almost $2 for 1L of real fruit juice, eating healthy is very difficult, if not impossible, to do on a limited budget.
Another issue that comes up is when those in need use the local food banks. Much of the stuff donated to the food banks is processed foods. So again, mostly stuff like mac and cheese, packaged noodles or rice. 
Some farmers, greenhouses and local grocery stores do donate their older stock of vegetables and fruit but much of that goes fast or isn't very good by the time people can use it.
The healthy canned goods are gone fast from food banks, baby supplies, female supplies, kids lunch supplies like sandwich meats and juice boxes and other things that we take for granted everyday, cleaning supplies for instance, are not donated.

Exercise is a part of the solution but exercise is not the whole solution. You can be thin, you can exercise as much as you want, but eating healthy is the biggest issue the poor have when it comes to weight gain. 

Before blaming technology for the weight issues of children and adults, professionals should look at changing the cost of feeding families with healthy meals instead of making it cheaper to eat unhealthy and fast foods.

It is not technology or laziness that is making us fat, it is the ever increasing amount of money it takes to eat healthy.

Making Money or Gouging Consumers?

I know I am not the only one who notices that the amount of the contents of everything keeps dropping, the air amount in everything keeps adding up and the prices of everything keep sky-rocking. I guess the problem that I have is not explaining properly what I am saying when I discuss the cost of living when you live on a budget.

What my money conscious mind is trying to say is look at that one can of soup, that one bag of chips, the one box of cereal, and a loaf of bread.

(I know if you live on a budget you shouldn’t own pets, they are expensive. However, if you look at statistics, someone who has a mental disease is more likely to have more better days with a pet then not and my dog, Jewels, meant the world to me, my new dog, Scooter, means the world to me as well, I will budget accordingly)

Wal-Mart has reduced the amount of their cheapest Ol’Roy dog food from 22kg to 18kg over the last 5 years and the price has gone up…the red bag; the higher and better quality Ol’Roy dog food has not only dropped in the amount to 16kg, for smaller bags 8kg to 7.2kg, but gone up in price several times. This is just their brand, I won’t get into the Pet Store/Veterinary brands that people pay $50-$100/bag.

People are becoming “Gluten” conscious. Many people are gluten intolerant or have Celiac Disease which makes it hard to cope with gluten in their diet. 

A bag of Gluten free flour is 1.2kg and is the same price as an 8kg bag of regular flour. Another example, four gluten free buns cost more than I spend on 4 liters of milk. On a limited income, gluten free is not an option, you go without eating the same meal as the rest of your family or you deal with pain.

A can of soup used to be 340g, now they are 284g. Bags of chips were 200-250g but now half that but double the price. A box of cereal was 750g; Shreddies package them in 540g boxes now. (Yes, I am Canadian and grew up with metric but I still bake with cups and teaspoons)

I like simple, but I would like to be able to eat healthy without worrying what the cost of meat is going to be from week to week or wonder why a one liter container of 100% juice is more expensive then 2 liters of pop.

I find it unacceptable of companies like Knorr who charge more for their “noodles and sauce” then the generic versions but there is less content. Yes you are a brand name; does that mean you get to rip off the little guy to make money? I guess so…good for you, give yourself a pat on the back.

I do not complain about the cost of living increases because I live on the poor side of the scale, I get that people are allowed to make a living wage or more for the work they do. I understand the cost of living increase that happens.

What I do not understand is gouging that companies like Wal-Mart, Campbell’s and Knorr are allowed to do. These are just a few companies.

These are the same companies that get tax breaks from the governments, they are ALLOWED to rip off the people by lowering the content we get from the products they make/put on shelves.

Who cares what happens to the masses as long as the VERY WEALTHY, STAY VERY WEALTHY.

They will keep cutting the amount they put in the container, they will keep bumping up the price and they will keep adding more air and who will notice?

The only people who will are the poor, the people who have to budget to buy those things in the first place, they do not matter; no one actually listens to them unless they demonstrate, which no one does anymore. They have no say. (There are many examples of why no one demonstrates anymore that I will not get into here)

There is a middle class society still, they are the people who can walk into a grocery store with their bank or credit card and don’t blink when the cashier gives them the total. They don’t notice (or feel) the cans of soup/beans/jam/peanut butter have dropped in the content amount or that extra dollar is added. They just notice there is only one till open and a long line.

Here is a thought, if these companies were not allowed to pull this crap, do you realize how much more money you would have to spend on whatever it is you like to spend your money on?

Do you realize you could take more trips, pay off that house faster or buy a better vehicle? These companies are not just ripping off the poor; we are just the ones who feel it the most.

People wealthier than me, claim I am jealous, I am envious of what they are capable of doing. I am whining I deserve more money from the taxpayers so I can do the things they are able to do.

I do not want to travel; camping is about the only travelling I like to do. It isn't that I like to go out partying. I cannot drink on my medications and I got my fill when I was younger. Vehicles, cloths, manicures, massages and acupuncture are not priorities and some are luxuries that others may like but unnecessary for me.

What is important to me? Being able to cope with the rising cost without being ripped off by big businesses who don’t care how it affects anyone…only how to put money in their pockets. When their shareholders are making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on the backs of the poor that is wrong.

That is what I am saying when I talk about the poor not getting a fair shake in this world. 

Keep your money, spend your money on what you want and invest if you want, but don’t use it to walk all over the people who cannot afford the things you can. 

Make money, just don’t make money on the backs of others.

It Is Called Humility.