Absurdity

   I am a pretty literal person. If I say it, I generally mean exactly what I say. 

    I have been reading a lot lately. I have been looking for recipes, gardening tips, and general instructions. I have mentioned that I have also begun to learn about preserving my own meals this year. 

    Inevitably, this has led me to complete distraction. It seems when learning to dehydrate my garden fresh tomatoes, or "can" my own soups, stews and salsas, I have seen several links to doomsday type informational web sites. 

     I am still reeling from a lot of what I have read. 

     I pay attention in class; meaning that I have listened to the stories my grandparents have told about growing up in rural western Oklahoma during the Depression and Dust Bowl.  I have also listened to my father describe visiting nations with overnight explosive inflation. I have heard the horror stories.

    I have read about possible nuclear fallout, EMP's (electro magnetic pulses), rapid inflation and general demise of our local infrastructure. 

     It absolutely boggles my mind that these horrors have happened and could happen again. It disgusts me that somewhere in the world today, people will line up for a small bowl of food and could not even begin to hope for a simple vaccination.

     I am left with the impression that although people can be resilient and amazingly hardy, people are just not quite smart enough yet.

     We have abundant resources on this planet. We have amazing technology and knowledge.  We have all of this and yet we continue to starve each other out.

     This is where I just find myself completely batty. I once worked for a company that provided a service. In fact, that company was supposedly the largest in the world at providing that service. The employees were the best paid in the industry. Yet there was one teeny, tiny flaw that kept rearing it's horrendous head. That company did not make any money on their "service". The math just did not work. So that company chose to sell additional "fluff" items to supplement the income. These fluff items had NOTHING to do with the service the company is known for. Hmmm.. how to explain...

     Think of this. If I were to work at building railroad tracks. I would have to spend the money on supplies, and purchase a train and then sell tickets to provide a service. Now, if I were to go to a bank for the loan, they would expect my ticket prices and expected customers to provide enough in the till to pay for the work on the railroad tracks, the fuel, the train and other necessary expenses as well as provide me, the only employee, with an income. If I could not show the bank on paper how solvent this idea is, they would NEVER loan me the money.

      Okay, but we are all about creative accounting, right? So I realize that I am out of money, the bank won't loan me any, and I have no paycheck to pay for my food, clothing, etc. What do I do? Do I raise the price of my tickets? Why, of course not. There are others building tracks right now. I will make an agreement with the bank that I will sell their credit cards. Then I will make an agreement at the local diner that I will advertise their meals and sell reservations to that diner. Since I do not have to provide any tools or materials, those sales become mostly profit.

     Absurd. My train is not making any money for me. 

     A lot of companies are like this.

     We can see the impact of importing goods on our own families, and yet when charged with a large project at work, we decide to use the lowest bidder so that we can pocket just a bit more money. Wait, the lowest bidder happens to be a company in another country. What is the profit in this situation? There were no U.S. materials used, no U.S. labor used.  We just made things a little harder for a few more U.S. companies.

      It is a bit like defecating in our own bathtub isn't it?

      So, those companies are forced to sell credit cards...to people who will also lose their jobs and not be able to pay...

     Wait, my train appears to be derailing.

      We have plenty of resources. We have plenty of people who are experts at marketing those resources. (How else can you explain people purchasing organic produce and then chugging an artificial energy drink?)

     We just need FOCUS.  That is all. We need to work TOGETHER on a common goal.

       Oh, that is where it is not so simple. We do not seem to be able to view this as US, or WE anymore. We seem to have turned to a ME and MINE society.

      Sigh.

      I am in charge of nothing. I have little influence. I could not even guarantee that the way I do things is the right way. 

      I can tell each and every one of you to look around. How many absurdities are you participating in?

      I can tell you I have more absurdities than I know what to do with. I try to watch labels. I try to support local business. The next thing you know I have purchased baseballs only to discover that my BASEBALLS were made in CHINA!  How in the name of all that is right did that happen?

     How did we ever allow BASEBALLS to be imported from China?

      Sigh.

      These are things that shake my brain in a way that I simply cannot describe.

       Come on America! We are better than this! We can do better! Insist on it!

      This is an election year.  You are being told every day and in every way how important your vote is.

      Guess what, you are voting on even more crucial matters every single day. With every single purchase, WE are voting on what is acceptable.

      If you want to promote local business, VOTE for local business by spending your money locally, to help an AMERICAN keep their job.

      If you want to vote for healthier, safer foods, purchase the healthier, safer foods. Do a little bit of homework.

       Let's make our actions match our words.

      Let's be very literal about this.

      WE can make a difference. There is proof of that in every store. It is our choices that have made the center of the grocery store so large. We wanted our convenience foods and snack foods. Well, we have gotten them, in abundance. I see grocery carts full of everything from the middle and just the top front of the cart (child seat) contains their fresh fruit, vegetables, meats and eggs.  I have seen grocery carts with nothing but frozen dinners and beer. Lovely diet.

      We have also voted consistently enough that even the mega stores now have organic produce. We did it! We made THEM change. 

     We can continue to do this if we can FOCUS and work TOGETHER.

        Purchase locally. If your neighbors still have a job, then they are able to purchase from your company.... The cycle can continue in a positive direction. 

      Let's please reduce the imports and give business a chance right here in the United States.

      At this rate, it will not be a meteor, a nuclear war or an EMP that will destroy us. It is our own wallets. Use your votes well.