Who owns the USA?

Here's a quick and fascinating breakdown by total amount held and percentage of total U.S. debt, according to Business Insider:

• Hong Kong: $121.9 billion (0.9 percent)
• Caribbean banking centers: $148.3 (1 percent)
• Taiwan: $153.4 billion (1.1 percent)
• Brazil: $211.4 billion (1.5 percent)
• Oil exporting countries: $229.8 billion (1.6 percent)
• Mutual funds: $300.5 billion (2 percent)
• Commercial banks: $301.8 billion (2.1 percent)
• State, local and federal retirement funds: $320.9 billion (2.2 percent)
• Money market mutual funds: $337.7 billion (2.4 percent)
• United Kingdom: $346.5 billion (2.4 percent)
• Private pension funds: $504.7 billion (3.5 percent)
• State and local governments: $506.1 billion (3.5 percent)
• Japan: $912.4 billion (6.4 percent)
• U.S. households: $959.4 billion (6.6 percent)
• China: $1.16 trillion (8 percent)
• The U.S. Treasury: $1.63 trillion (11.3 percent)
• Social Security trust fund: $2.67 trillion (19 percent)

The National Budget Crisis Solved

The National Budget Crisis Solved

I just don’t understand the thinking when it comes to the National Budget. I think that if you gave the budget to 10 housewives, complete with a breakdown of every penny budgeted, just a shopping list type breakdown, they could balance the budget in a week without cutting Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security nor the Military or education.

Any working family today knows what it takes to make your budget, and what it means to cut back.  You don’t cut back or don’t pay your mortgage or rent.  You don’t cut back or don’t pay your health insurance.  Yes, it may be considered a luxury, but you have to have it.

A normal, working class family’s austerity plan includes:

·         Cutting the grocery bill

Ø  buying store brand groceries,

Ø  eating cheaper cuts of meat,

Ø  more casseroles, and

Ø  taking your lunch to work

·         Cutting the electricity bill

Ø  Turning the thermostat up, closing blinds and curtains

Ø  Turning off lights

Ø  Unplugging unnecessary appliances such as unused tv’s, vcr’s and cable boxes

·         Adjusting the car insurance, maybe increasing the deductible

·         Cut the family’s gasoline costs by staying home or taking public transportation when possible

·         No more extra classes such as ballet, music or ceramics

·         Limit eating out

·         No more vacations and absolutely unnecessary trips, and

·         Limit luxuries

And so forth.

The US Government, the President and Legislature, are cutting the important things.  Benjamin Franklin said, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” 

·         We save pennies by cutting pork barrel items.  

·         We stop funding research and studies. Yes, I know it’s controversial.  But the private sector will step up. 

·         We stop paying $1000 for a screwdriver we can buy at Home Depot for $20.

·         No more traveling to other countries for “diplomatic reasons.”  We aren’t dating. We are adults.  Other countries will understand, and if they don’t – tough.

·         No more diplomatic dinners.  My gosh, the invitations alone probably cost more than the average family makes in a year.  That doesn’t even count the food, the flowers, the wait staff and the security.  A visiting dignitary will have to just understand that we are tightening our national belt.  Twenty guests work just as well, if not better than, as 2,000 or even 200!

·         No more free lunch for the legislators.  We have to pay for our meals. They should, too!

·         No more running to the rescue of every Tom, Dick or Sally that cries foul.  We can’t save them if we can’t save ourselves!

·         No more owing money to other countries, like China (OMG! WE OWE CHINA MONEY?????????!)

·         No more acting like we have more money to spend than we do.

 We stop all of the non-essentials until we get back on our feet.

We won’t have to raise taxes or cut paying our MAJOR obligations – the Military, who deserve more respect than we give them, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and Education. (Yes, education.  An educated work force earns more and eventually pays more in taxes.)

We can live within our means, if we actually try.  Just ask a million moms across America.  If we can do it, so can the U.S. Government.

Obesity as abuse? Or are we just repeating societal abuse?

Researchers from Harvard University say that parents of obese children are guilty of abuse and neglect.  They firmly believe that the children should be removed from their homes put into state care and “managed” properly.   Are they that far removed from society to believe this malarkey? Do they not understand the times we live in, the difficulties of parenting or of being a child today. Do they not remember their history? 

The majority of today’s parents are both working outside of the home. Children over the age of 10 are generally left at home under the care of a teenager or by themselves.  Either way, they are not able to go outside to play as children of previous generations were.  They aren’t working the farm, or tending the animals.  Today’s children are stuck in their homes for hours each day. This is not from parental neglect or abuse.

 It costs a lot just to make ends meet.  Most families cannot afford day camps, summer schools and activities for their children. When an affordable alternative is available, it does not last until the work day is over.  No employer will tolerate Mom or Dad coming in late or leaving early to drop off or pick up Junior every day for a week, a month or a summer.  

Today’s children cannot go out to play, roam the neighborhood, ride a bike, or walk to the park or pool.  It’s just not safe. Just ask Jaycee Duggard or any of the millions of children who have been stolen off of the streets, schools and parks.  For their own safety, children are relegated to their homes behind locked doors.

Unattended children do not have someone to tell them they can’t eat the entire bag of chips or cookies.  They don’t have Mom or Dad to tell them to turn off the television. They don’t have someone at home to encourage them to play.  They are not being ignored nor mistreated.  Mom and Dad most likely are calling and doing what they can, but that’s just it, they are doing all they can.  And, Junior is still at home eating everything in the pantry out of boredom.

In poor families, food takes on a skewed importance.  Money for food is hard to come by.  Food, let’s face it, is terrifically expensive.  Healthy food is even more costly.  Unhealthy and fattening foods are cheap and readily available.  Yes, there are programs such as WIC (Women, Infants & Children) but they stop at age 5.  Food pantries are available, as well.  However, fresh fruits and vegetables are hard to come by.   School free lunches are only available on school days and not the weekends or summer.  We also know that when a body is starved, or thinks it is starved, the body stores as much fat as it can to survive.  So, these poor children are hit with a double whammy – unhealthy food and an irregular food supply.

Obese parents are at a disadvantage.  They can have poor eating habits, through ignorance or circumstances, and / or poor self-esteem which they teach their children through example.  If a parent does not know how to cook wholesome, healthy food their children will not learn to make good food choices.  If a parent makes poor choices in their food, their children will learn to think that is normal. It’s not from neglect or abuse, but just life.

Taking children from their parents because society thinks it knows better only causes more harm to the child, the family, the community and society.  Between 1870 and 1930, over 100,000 Native America children were forcibly removed from their homes and placed in government mandated schools and missions.  They were punished for speaking their native languages and forced to learn English ways and Christianity.  While this was done in the name of “good” and “benefitting the children” it was clearly abusive and clearly wrong. The effects to the children, the culture and communities are still apparent today.  Rampant alcoholism, disconnection from society and self, violence and abuse are the results of the National Indian Child Welfare Act.

Legislating and mandating a behavior never works.  Governmental interference and mandates are major steps into socialism.  We cannot provide mandatory jobs, mandatory child care, mandatory food supplies to everyone with everyone getting an equal share.  We cannot give up our rights to work, play, live, marry and have children as we wish even if that means some children are obese.  

We can give each other helping hands.  We can work with each other to lighten the loads.  Take turns taking the kids to parks or to the pools. We can plant community gardens where families and communities can enjoy the evenings working and laughing together as they grow not only healthy vegetables, but healthy communities of friendships.  We can walk together, play pick-up games, laugh and grow. We can donate food and time to community pantries.  We can fight obesity in adults and children by friendship, understanding and sharing good food.

United we stand. Divided we fall.  It’s not just about fighting a revolutionary war, but in everyday life. Staying together as families and communities makes us all stronger.

Is it me or do they not understand?

I am allergic to peanuts, in any form.  The smell even makes me start wheezing, my eyes swell and my skin crawl. Physical contact or eating peanut products can kill me in as little as 20 minutes. It really limits what I do, where I go and where I eat.  If you watch or read the news, you have probably heard about the children with peanut allergies. It's not just children. There are adults with peanut allergies, too. People say it’s overkill to limit peanuts and peanut butter in schools and  workplaces for one allergic person. It’s not.  Saying that tells me that you think my life is worth less.

When people handle peanuts or peanut products and then handle something else, they contaminate it.  Subway, for instance,  uses one set of tongs, one set of baking pans for all of their cookies.  If they use them on peanut butter cookies and then touch another cookie that I happen to eat, I would have an allergic reaction as though I had taken a bite of the peanut butter cookie.  In the workplace, in public, If someone handles peanuts or peanut butter, then touches say the door knob to the ladies room and  I touch it, I could have a reaction to the peanut traces they left behind.   It’s not just the bathroom door, it’s the copier lid, it’s the pen handed to me to write something down, it’s the chair arm or table top in the conference room.   They are all potentially lethal to me.

We go to so much trouble to install bathrooms and ramps for the handicapped.  There are handicapped parking spaces .  There are so many accommodations for the disabled, but not for those who are allergic like I am. Yes, peanut allergies does fall under the American’s with Disability Act.   However, I have been and worked many places where “the needs of the many “ – being able to eat peanut butter or peanuts around me or not washing their hands afterwards – “outweighs the needs of the few.”   It’s unacceptable to discriminate against a disability such as needing a wheelchair or a speech impediment, or any one of a million other things, but perfectly fine to discriminate against those of us with peanut allergy disabilities.

Misspellings & Misgivings

Self-identity is such a hot topic right now.  Each of us is an individual, separate and different from everyone and everything else. We all want to be recognized, accepted and respected.  Part of that is getting someone’s name right.  Calling someone by the wrong name is, simply put, insulting.  It shows that we don’t care enough about the person to remember their name.  It is a passive aggressive slap in the face.

So is misspelling people’s names.

Letters and notes, I understand sometimes. Writing something by hand is a lost art. However, there is not an excuse in the world to misspell a greeting on an e-mail. The recipient’s name is at the top of email in the “to” section!   Incorrect spelling, in this case, is either a case of laziness or a major slap in the face.  Oy! You don’t matter enough for me to take the 1/100^th of a second it would take to look up a few lines to spell your name correctly.  

My name, Terri Gray, is a rather simple one. Nine times out of ten, people misspell one or both.  As I said, it’s simple.  1) I am a girl and girls generally spell Terri with an i or an ie.  2) Gray with an A, as in the color.  GrEy is a colour in England. We aren’t in England. Our ancestors fought and died for us to spell it with an A and not an E.  When we think of the civil war, we don’t write it “the blue and the grey”. It’s “the blue and the gray.”  It’s written as grAy on Crayola crayons for crying out loud.  And finally, 3) It’s not like my name is Truewilllaughinglifebuckyboomermanifestdestiny, a real first name by the way, nor anything exotic or with a lot of consonants shoved together. 

Names are important.  Verbal and written acknowledgement of someone’s individuality is paramount. Using the correct name, and spelling, not only acknowledges them, shows respect and acceptance, it is a kindness.  The correct name usage will let them know that you are a respectful person and make them feel good about themselves all in one tiny action.

Food! Glorious Food! Not!

When I was a child, I never had to decide what to eat.  It was decided for me.  My mother cooked breakfast and dinner and packed my lunch.  I just showed up and something wonderful was ready for me to enjoy.  No decisions. No cooking. Just wonderful food to enjoy.  Now that I am the mom and have been “the mom” for well over half of my life, I am sick of food.  I have to decide what’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner for my family.  Even if it’s just lunch for me, I still have to decide.   I miss the good old days.

I have food allergies.  This means, I have to really think about what I am going to eat and where I will eat it. I have to read ingredient labels every time as the manufacturers are always changing what they use.  Since my dinners are all based on each other, I can have a complete shopping list go askew due to one little change in one ingredient. 

And, let’s face it - food can be a chore. You have to plan the meal, write out a shopping list, buy the ingredients, wash, chop, cut, slice, dice, sauté, simmer, bake, poach or fry everything, serve it, store leftovers, and then clean the dishes, pots, pans, table, counters, stove, blenders, mixers, cutting boards and so forth. Everything is done just as one of the kids comes in and wants a snack. 

Breakfast is easier.  I buy several cereals, frozen waffles, frozen pancakes, bagels and fruit.  The kids are teenagers and can fix their own breakfasts.  The clean-up for breakfast isn’t too bad.

Lunchtime, ah - there is the breeze!  I give the kids money for lunch at school and they figure that out.  I know I didn’t appreciate my mother when I was a kid.  Since I had food allergies and teachers of my time were notorious for making children eat everything on their plates, my mother had to pack my lunch every day.  I always had either tuna salad or pimento and cheese sandwiches.   Every morning, Mama fixed us toast and packed my lunch.   I never gave it any thought until I became a mother myself.

Dinner is more hectic now than ever.  I work full time, I go to school half-time, I babysit the grandbaby two evenings each week, and we still have 2 children at home.  My husband travels 50 weeks out of every year.  We have the world’s messiest teenage human garbage disposals at home.  I call them the Yeti.  If I have time to cook, it’s generally something uninspired that I grabbed at the store as I rushed home.    I have found that the amount of time I spend planning menus and grocery shopping is in direct proportion to the amount of food the yeti eat before I get a chance to cook it.   Just this past weekend, as I knew I would be rushed for time, I bought 2 packages of pre-cooked chicken to throw into a casserole.  I put everything together, opened the fridge to get the chicken only to discover that it had been eaten.  

The kitchen is always, always, always messy no matter what my husband and I do.  I used to complain, well, honestly - explode - about the constant mess in the kitchen.  Now that my sweet hubby is helping so much with the kitchen and house when he’s home on the weekends, he has complete understanding of my kitchen melt-downs.

Last year, I was so happy to have a new glass top stove.  It was the final piece of the kitchen appliances to be replaced. Everything matched and was relatively new. The kitchen was freshly painted.  I had my dream kitchen.  The older yeti didn’t want to have to wash a pan, or to have me yell at him to wash it, so he decided to cook on a piece of foil.  Yep, you guessed it, the foil melted onto the cook top, ruining it, and catching the foil and his food on fire, which he then dropped onto the floor which burned holes in the flooring.  We call that “the incident.”  Not much later, the same yeti ran through the house, tripped on a cat and planted his face into the side of the kitchen island.  He was fine.  The island was not.

The yetis have friends over as yetis do.  They sit at the kitchen table, eating and playing games or on their laptops. Because of the proximity of the kitchen, they occasionally cook.  I have come home from work or school to find that a swarm of Yeti has been, decorating the kitchen, cabinets, floors and walls with their attempts. Dishes, pots and pans litter the counters and table. Trash cans are overturned.  The refrigerator and dishwasher doors are hanging open. Yet, neither one single piece of food nor one single Yeti is to be found.

Eating out isn’t any easier.  I am limited on where I eat.  So, it seems that we eat at the same places time after time.  Kids love the golden arches.  If I eat there one more time, I think I will turn into a French fry!  On school nights, I get fast food and drop it off at home on my way to school.  The yeti and I are getting pretty tired of fast food.  But, with their schedules,(and the mess they make!) they don’t have time to cook either.

Weekends are about the only time we have to spend with the Hubster.  I won’t spend an entire day cooking for the week as this time is too precious.  Besides, the Yeti will eat all the food before I get a chance to serve it.

I long for the days when my mother planned and cooked the meals or when I was a full time, stay at home mom cooking all day and the Yeti were too little to wreak their food destruction.  Food was an adventure, a comfort and even a bit of an art. Food was enjoyable.

Why?

In the scheme of the universe,  our Earth is very small and fragile. Everyone on this planet are travelers together. We are traveling  through this vast, dangerous wilderness.  Natural disasters, errant asteroids, failure of the sun are just some of the dangers we face.  Like it or not, it's a journey we are all on together. All of us.   All races. All religions.  All countries.  Young and old.  

So, why do we fight?  Why are we rude to each other?  Why do we treat each other horribly?  War, genocide, rapes, jihads, forced beliefs, forced religion, slavery.  We are all citizens of Earth.  We are all family.  All of us eat, breathe, laugh, cry, love and hope.

United we stand.

Divided we fall.

Hatred diminishes us.

Caring, kindness and courtesy  and consideration makes us all better.