Government Spending...I Gotta Do It!

Okay, I held out as long as I could.  But, there really is no better example of lack of common sense out there than our government spending.  Seriously, if any average household were run the way our government is run, it would've been broke a long, long time ago.
Here's the problem, as I see it.  People say that they want the government to do less spending, but no one wants their program cut.  I think that the reason that a federal government was formed in the first place was to, what?  Protect the people and provide services that it was not feasible for local governments or private industry to handle, right?  Things like interstate highways and the postal service.  The problem is that, in the best of times, providing for the people got out of hand.  I'm certainly not saying that people with disadvantages or people who need a leg up occasionally shouldn't be provided for.  I'm just not certain that most of these programs belong under the federal government's care.

You see, a whole lot of these programs could be run by local governments or private industry.  Here's where the whole common sense thing comes in.  When I, personally, complain about what the government spends my tax dollars on, I'm not saying that poor people shouldn't be taken care of.  To the contrary, I would love to be able to keep some more of my hard earned money in order to support charities of my choosing.  People are a whole lot more willing to give to someone in need if they feel like they're doing all right themselves, right?  It's just common sense.
So, while we certainly need the military to protect our lives and freedoms, do we really need the Public Broadcasting Service anymore?  Really?  With all of those cable channels?  Hmmmm........

Loose Change

Have you ever gotten to the end of a long day, reached into your pockets to empty them before slipping into your coziest pajamas, and suddenly realized that you gained five pounds during the day because of the change you've accumulated?  I mean, every time that you buy something with cash (which may not be too often any more, what with debit and credit cards), the cashier hands back a handful of pennies, nickels and dimes.  When Bob and I were first married, we acquired a large water bottle...you know, the kind that sits on a dispenser in an office.  We would put our change from our pockets in there every night.  About a year later, we were able to purchase a new freezer for our basement from that change.  The clerk at the store wasn't very happy with us for making him count all that change!
Anyway, Bob has come up with an idea to save the government money and save the consumer a lot of hassle.  So the idea is to eliminate all pennies, nickels and quarters.  Everything would be rounded to the nearest dime.  The coins that you would carry (no, this plan does not eliminate the heavy pocket problem, but stick with me for a minute) would be the dime, fifty-cent piece and dollar coins.  We could therefore eliminate the dollar bill also.  According to MoneyWeek.com, it costs 1.7 cents to produce a penny.  Let's do our part to save our country some money, and get rid of those pesky pennies at the same time!!

Pants on the Ground

I've noticed a trend that started several years ago:  teenage boys wearing their pants around their hips instead of at their waist.  Now, I'm not one to criticize the latest fad; I'm certain that if you look back at pictures of my teenage years, you'll find some pretty funny-looking hair-dos (and don'ts), color schemes, etc.  But we are talking Common Sense here, and there are some things with this particular look that should be considered.

First and foremost, it's DANGEROUS!  The girls and I were in the car at a stoplight in Naperville a couple of years ago.  A teenage kid was waiting to walk across the street.  It was one of those really quick lights, so as he started across, the light changed.  He started to run, and as he ran across the street, in all of the traffic, his pants suddenly dropped all the way to his ankles!  So, he's tripping across the street, bent over, trying to pull up his pants and make it across the street before the traffic starts up!  If it hadn't been so dangerous, it would have been hilarious...ok, it was hilarious anyway :o)
Another problem with this particular trend is the whole underwear thing.  Seriously, no one wants to see your underwear...it's called that for a reason:  to be worn UNDER your clothes!  When our girls were in the car watching that young man trying to cross the street, their mouths were dropped open to the floor as they watched his pants drop.  NOT exactly a PG family moment.
So please, consider some Common Sense before buying that next pair of pants.

Common Sense Kitchen Safety Tips

Feel free to view my video, recorded with the help of my family, on kitchen safety!

The Giving Nation

Here's something to feel good about...American individuals are more charitable than any other individuals in the world!
Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in people telling us how selfish we are; how rich and bigoted and small we are.  But I'd like to give you some hope; to look deeper at your fellow man.
I was watching a special by John Stossel titled "What's Great About America?".  He had some interesting stuff in there.  For instance, while the American government does give less than some countries (as a percentage of GDP), American individuals rank first out of 36 countries in giving.*  Think of the countries that have suffered tsunamis and earthquakes--Haiti and Japan--and all of the private sector American aide that has gone to those in need.

Did you know that Americans adopt more needy kids from foreign countries than all other countries combined!
Americans give twice as much of their individual income to charities as Canadians; and 10 times more than the French!
Think of the billions of hours of volunteer time that Americans give...everything from scout troops to building/repairing homes to collecting money/clothing to religious organizations...the list goes on and on!
Common sense and goodwill are at the heart of America.  I think that it stems from those first Pilgrims who came to Plymouth Rock so long ago.  Think of the community that needed to happen just for them to survive and eventually thrive to become what we are today.
So look around, find someone who could use your help, and thank your ancestors for the gift of a charitable heart!