The RAnts of RA

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s wonderful they are going to take yellow food dye out of macaroni & cheese but come on.  If you are going to try to do something meaningful, don’t you think you should get the GMO out first?

Macaroni and Cheese

Kraft Yellow Petition Update – 175,000 signatures and growing

We want to take a moment to share that this petition is honestly much bigger than just macaroni and cheese or even Kraft. There are many large US companies that use artificial dyes – as well as other additives like GMOs – in their food products here  that are not used overseas. Everyone from General Mills to Kellogg’s to Pepsi,  McDonald’s  and of course Kraft, have formulated safer, better versions of their products for other countries and this petition is a vehicle to let these companies know it’s time for American consumers to get the same.

I quit buying their macaroni & cheese, in fact I’m in the process of going all organic because I don’t think we should be forced to eat something that is killing our bees and butterflies.  This stuff is dangerous and should be banned but for now, I’ll settle for labeling.

If you’re a parent and you’re still feeding your children this stuff, shame on you.  Your children will have health problems and most will die prematurely because of your decision.  Think!  Do your homework.  Protect your family against this invisible intruder.  Just because you can’t see the danger, doesn’t make it not real.

I know it’s costly to buy organic but for most of us, it’s just a matter of eating a couple more meals at home and being smart about your purchasing.  The price of organic is coming down, start small.  You didn’t start buying it all at once, you don’t have to quit cold turkey but think about what you’re eating.  Make a conscious  decision to eat healthier, less fast food and more natural stuff like homemade macaroni & cheese, instead of it’s GMO counterpart.  If you don’t buy it, they won’t make it.  I promise you that.

So, spend your money wisely.  Know the companies that you buy from, call them and ask if they use GMO products.  Let them know that you care about what you eat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd_X1-moZkc

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Have you been out shopping?  I drove down the hill today to pick up some chicken base, so while I was at it I figured I might as well do a little grocery shopping. I remembered I wanted to bake some  Blackberry Bliss Bars  —  they looked so good — so I needed some coconut as well.

First I stopped in at Cost U Less (I love that store), for the chicken base. It seemed like everything was on sale. I walked in the door expecting to buy three items and ended up spending $75.  I can’t believe how expensive everything has gotten.  I saw they had chips on sale 2 for $5, I thought to myself, “that’s more like it.”  Only to find out when I opened one that they’re only 9 oz. I couldn’t believe it!    Guess we won’t be eating chips unless I make them at home.

On the way out of the store, there was a woman going through the boxes stacked up in front of the store.  I was putting away my receipt in my purse, while walking out of the store and accidentally ran over the  woman’s  toe.  I told her I was sorry and kept walking.  She got all ticked off, acting like a jerk. I don’t know what else she wanted me to do —  I said I was sorry.  I sure wasn’t going to kiss it for her.

Then I went to Save Mart.  Big mistake. I had to get coconut and they didn’t have it at Cost U Less.  I went down the aisle where the baking items are and the only coconut on the shelf was their store brand and I wanted the real deal — Baker’s — I think it tastes better. There was a sign that said more coconut could be found at the front of the store.

So, I walk around, and around these little islands they have set up at the front of the store but I’m not finding any coconut.  I asked a stock boy to help me, he turned around, then met up with some co-workers and I was a distant memory.    I asked another person’s help and they ignored me outright.

At the checkout counter, I told the cashier about not being able to find the coconut and you’d have thought I was invisible. It was really strange.  So, as I was leaving the store, I asked another cashier where I could find a manager.  She finally put me in touch with some — I don’t believe he was a manager but he said he was. I told him what had happened and I kid you not, his eyes just glazed over.

I ended with … “that is why I won’t be shopping here any more” and walked out.  He never said a word.

It went downhill from there.

I promised the hubby I would stop at KFC for a bucket of chicken. I left my son to wait for it while I went to Price Co. for the coconut.  Bad mistake.  I was getting frazzled by this time.  There were cars everywhere, so I slipped in between them all to park but I didn’t quite make it into the spot.  I was in fact parked almost diagonal. Some guy took me to task about it.  He quipped that I should slow down.

Well, I’ll spare you the details, let’s just say he didn’t have anything else to say to me after I told him to mind his own business…

By this time, I’m in a foul mood. Everyone else is in a foul mood. Merry Christmas.  If this is how things are out there NOW, what are they going to be like in a couple of weeks?  I know I won’t be venturing out again any time soon.  It will come in the mail (thank you Amazon!) or I don’t need it.

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The next Presidential Election is just around the corner and I can hardly wait. Then I got to thinking about the way voters have really been boxed in over the years.  Laws have been enacted that have  all but guaranteed a Republican or a Democrat would lie their way to the White House.  The entire election process has been corrupted and no longer functions properly.

It just doesn’t seem to me like we are getting the bright, honest men of integrity to run for office these days. Perhaps, we need to make some changes to our current system to better the odds to encourage fine leaders to run for office.

On my wish list for changes that should be made before the next election:

Mandatory Testing for Public Employees

• Anyone running for public office, must submit to an I.Q. test. Those with I.Q.s under 80, are disqualified to run. That should weed out at least 50% of those currently in office.
• Any candidate running for office must have his own house in order. Just like most other positions of trust, prospective candidates must submit to a credit check, chexsystems and he or she must be current with all IRS obligations. That should take care of the other 50%, leaving us with a clean house.

I watch for those campaign mailers and save them each election year. I like to pull them out when I make my choices and consider how well thought out the materials are. In other words, how effectively are they using their own resources. I pay closer attention to the smaller pieces of mail because these are the people who know how to stretch a dollar bill and still get the job done.

I personally hate getting those  huge things that won’t even fit easily into our mailbox.  I know those things are costly and they are a huge waste of money. Even the elderly don’t  need 3 inch type and if they do, it makes far more  sense for that person to grab their eye glasses or magnifying glass — because if their eyes are that bad, you know they  have their own.

The  government  — those who work for the people — must start thinking before spending.  Government workers need to let people do for themselves, and stop trying to take care of everyone. It’s time you start to do the job you were hired for.   Period!

I have a question. Why is it that taxpayers are paying the freight for children to be educated at public schools? Schools keep crying for more money, but do you realize that most parents could pay less to send their child to a private school than it costs to educate a child in the public school?

If we are paying for a private school education, why are our children still expected to received a “standardized education?” Maybe that is part of the problem. We have the resources to create a tailor-made  educational system that is better suited to the needs of a growing child. Just ask John Taylor Gatto, he proved it 20 years ago.

If children are going to be continually tested and grilled throughout their academic careers, maybe we should subject the teachers to standardized testing each year as well. And while we are at it, let’s just extend it to all public workers.

Related articles

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