Okay...I'm on a soap box, but screw it. I don't care.

The following is a blog that my friend Lily wrote. I thought that it was worth reposting for others to see. My reply is below it. Thanks, Vanessa

>>>I have something to say that I feel is important. I believe (even though I don't want it to be true) that it is late evening in America. The sun is setting and it is going to be a long hard darkness, many will not survive.

We are in the beginning of a long recession that I can only hope we will someday pull ourselves out of. Pay attention to the news folks.

We are merely a toddler nation with many levels of organization and promptness that other nations can only dream of. It is our demand for efficiency and convenience that sets us apart from many other cultures. We as a Nation are like the spoiled little brat of the world.
We are in for a rude awakening. Our dollar grows weaker every day. Do you know what this means? As an American, are you even aware of where the dollar stands on the international market? Perhaps you should begin paying attention.

In 2001 when I visited Italy for the first time, the dollar was pretty strong. ((George had just gotten in the white house and started his mass destruction of our nation, -no one was even on to him yet.)) The dollar was equal to about 2,200 lire which was the year of the introduction of the Euro. At that time, the Euro was equal to about 1,900 lire. The Euro was also equal to about $.87. Not too shabby. Remember when the dollar was stronger that Canadian Currency? When we returned to Italy in July of 2002, the dollar and the Euro were almost even, which was rather alarming. Well, get ready for this. At this point in Oct of 2007 the Euro is equal to $1.42. That is as of Oct 24. It was $1.40 on Oct 1st. Think about that and let it sink in.
We are fast moving from one of the wealthiest countries in the world into a recession.
Imagine what the next 10 years has in store.

Our government is spending an average of $9 BILLION dollars each month on the war in Iraq. Let's not even get started on the amount of money made on the contracts to rebuild after the war. How much more damage can our Government do to its own country?

>>>Right on. We talk about this daily. It's so very scary and alarming and it isn't so hard to see us being a hungry, poverty stricken 3rd world country in OUR life time!! It's already happening. Look around at all of the empty foreclosed homes, higher than ever rate of bankruptcies and generations of families shacking up together so that they have a roof over their head and are able to keep up with rising energy costs and out of control gas prices.

Let's not even talk about the environmental impact that we, as a spoiled & arrogant nation are making on earth. The needless packaging of all toys, the need to have more more more material goods and does anyone think about the fact that we are one of the few nations where almost every household has at least 2, if not more vehicles, RV's, Gas Guzzling SUV's, Snowmobiles, Boats...? Did you ever think about the simplest things like how many plastic baggies we use every day? Does anyone ever think about the fact that cars are not the only things that use petroleum products? Every time you put on chapstick, sit in a chair, use furniture polish or many other things - you're most likely looking at something that uses our precious resources! Who gave us the right to CONSUME like that?

Did anyone stop to think that our laziness, greediness an need for higher wages (to pay for our toys and credit cards that buy MORE) with a not-my-job-to-help-out attitude is what is driving companies to China and Mexico where people are just happy to have a job? Look at the big picture! The more companies that say "up yours" to the American worker and skip town, the more people will suffer! When did we get so lazy? Probably about the time McDonalds was invented, I would guess (don't even get me started on McDonalds, either!) Did you forget that we are not indestructible? I guess we did, because we are self destructing faster than you can say "George Bush!"

Look at all of the items consumed and discarded daily at the curbside for the garbage man to pick up that are still usable, viable, fixable!! Look at all of the items that people donate to Goodwill or to a junk store that are out there collecting dust with no home! There are acres and acres of unwanted STUFF! And yet, we still CONSUME more! The general public has this "disposable" attitude of "why fix it when I can just got to Wal-Devil and get a new one for cheap?"

In addition, look at all of the companies and people that do not recycle! My own work place throws literally tons of paper and paper products out per year! I'm just one person, but I always recycle all of my scrap (but I have to take it home to my own personal bins!) or I make unwanted faxes into scrap paper for the employees. I have just begun emailing all of our schedules to our 40+ sales staff, which saves at least a REAM of paper per week! If you reduce, reuse, recycle, it saves our companies money, which, in the end will help keep a job for someone that needs one. This is OUR job to make a difference! Also, think about the amount of junk mail that goes into just YOUR mail box per day - it's alarming!! Multiply that by a million and see what happens!

Even the tiniest gestures can make a difference if people get conscious about the horrible habits that have been developed here among Americans. Right now, we are in a downward spiral and if we don't do something, our kids will have a very bleak future if any future at all! I know that it seems like I have gone off on a tangent here, but all of these things are inner-connected. Greed leads to war, lack of employment = no money, lack of money only speeds up the collapse of our economy (if we're not buying, companies don't make money, which eliminates jobs, which takes away money that we could have spent!) And no money/resources leads to crime! On and on it goes and that, my friends, is a viscious circle!

I can say one thing - we need George Bush gone forever. He's an embarrassment as a "leader" and I don't care what anyone says, this war in Iraq is about oil, not terrorism and we need to get out of there! Terrorism is just a convenient excuse! If we weren't gas guzzling consumers led by an oil tycoon, maybe the greed wouldn't be on the fore front of this economic disaster!

I'll step off my soap box now. I could keep going for a hundred years and I'm not sure that I'm making any sense anymore! But, thanks for posting this blog, Lily!

If there is anyone reading this (or gives a crap), you can stop junk mail from being sent to you by writing to:
Direct Marketing Association
Mail Preference Service
P.O. Box 9008 Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008.

Include: complete name, full address, and your signature

You can also get your name off "pre-approved offers" lists (like credit card offers!)

Send to: Equifax Options
P.O. Box 740123
Atlanta, GA 30374-0123

Include: complete name, full address, and your signature.

Also, check out http://www.freegan.info/ for ideas on how to obtain and reuse and get by in a more gratifying way!

It aint much, but it's a start!
Love you all, Vanessa