Great discussion! I'm 76 and to keep busy and doing something that makes sense in a Trump World to keep from going nuts, and accomplish something that makes me feel I'm doing some good when everything looks like it is headed straight to hell, I pick up cans and bottles for the deposit along with the "slaw" and the stuff I call "road Kill" that I can't get deposirs for and take it to the scrapyard. It is great exercise and I give away the money to charities and places that could use some cash to make things work better. My "business"that comes from dumpsters is always expanding as I recycle clothes , household items, furniture, and even food. which brings up several things that really bother me. When food distribution comes in a box with all sorts of items, there are people who have no idea how to even go about using items they get, so they take what they know how to fix and the rest I find in the dumpster! There are people who don't have enough English skills to even read a label or instructions on cooking an item at times. There is a lack of community in some of this, people don't share or even talk to each other to find answers to their problems. Even those who are better off and living in apartments can't seem to bring themselves to share food they normally just pitch! Especially true when they move. I was in an apartment house dumpster one day and found a rack of ribs that were still frozen on the bottom of the dumpster. It has a sixty dollar price tag on it and had never been cooked! Bags of oranges and apples that aren't even opened are not uncommon. Fast food is by far wasted more than anything, and bakery items like donuts and pastries you find quite often. My pet peave is drinking water, whole bottles of good drinking water get thrown away alot. I tell people to pour it on the ground and let nature take it back rather than mix it in with all sorts of stuff that will never allow it to be drinking water Again. I write this to enlighten people and maybe some of this can be prevented, that is my hope!
My most disappointing interactions as a state legislator with government affairs reps were my interactions with Hy-Vee representatives who, despite both the moral and business imperative to do so, never called on Gov. Reynolds to adopt Summer EBT or reverse course on food assistance policy.
Great discussion! I'm 76 and to keep busy and doing something that makes sense in a Trump World to keep from going nuts, and accomplish something that makes me feel I'm doing some good when everything looks like it is headed straight to hell, I pick up cans and bottles for the deposit along with the "slaw" and the stuff I call "road Kill" that I can't get deposirs for and take it to the scrapyard. It is great exercise and I give away the money to charities and places that could use some cash to make things work better. My "business"that comes from dumpsters is always expanding as I recycle clothes , household items, furniture, and even food. which brings up several things that really bother me. When food distribution comes in a box with all sorts of items, there are people who have no idea how to even go about using items they get, so they take what they know how to fix and the rest I find in the dumpster! There are people who don't have enough English skills to even read a label or instructions on cooking an item at times. There is a lack of community in some of this, people don't share or even talk to each other to find answers to their problems. Even those who are better off and living in apartments can't seem to bring themselves to share food they normally just pitch! Especially true when they move. I was in an apartment house dumpster one day and found a rack of ribs that were still frozen on the bottom of the dumpster. It has a sixty dollar price tag on it and had never been cooked! Bags of oranges and apples that aren't even opened are not uncommon. Fast food is by far wasted more than anything, and bakery items like donuts and pastries you find quite often. My pet peave is drinking water, whole bottles of good drinking water get thrown away alot. I tell people to pour it on the ground and let nature take it back rather than mix it in with all sorts of stuff that will never allow it to be drinking water Again. I write this to enlighten people and maybe some of this can be prevented, that is my hope!
As always Steve, thanks for what you do and for your reporting.
My most disappointing interactions as a state legislator with government affairs reps were my interactions with Hy-Vee representatives who, despite both the moral and business imperative to do so, never called on Gov. Reynolds to adopt Summer EBT or reverse course on food assistance policy.
Sad. So sad.
Thank you, Bob and Luke. I am reposting.
Elimination of safety nets for basic needs indicates how much our society has deteriorated from civility and compassion to basic cruelty.