plastic bag user- turned Paper-tarian

So how many people here NEVER use plastic bags? and i mean - go vegan on the whole plastic bag thing and NEVER EVER EVER use them- don't let them touch your food - don't let them near your home... hmmm? how many?

*crickets*

How many folks know about how much plastic is in our ocean, in our world? killing off other speicies? toxifying the whole place? hmm? anyone? ya you all know its true...

but why do i meet so many Vegan people. raw food people? people who NEVER buy chemical products that choke and kill streams? people who only buy local... but i never ever meet anyone who is so ANTI Plastic shopping bag that they talk about it, wear shirts promoting it, fight for taxation on the stupid things, or even talk to people about it. Why? is it not important? Is it that packaging is SO invisible that we can't see the mess we are making?

So i was at Ingles, a local grocery store - not organic or local grocery- just your general regular every day store. They do promote organic items on the shelves and sell a broad range of choices from the always save type to the organic to the high end stuff.

I forgot my fabric bags. I knew i was going to the store and had made a mental note- but that got tossed when my house mates added some to do's to the mental list and it didn't go on paper... so i'm at the store with no fabric bags- EEEEK! WHAT TO DO?! oh god please say they have paper!

Well they did. Walmart does not carry paper bags at all anymore but will sell you a fabric bag for a buck. and its little... ya thats great walmart- love listening to your new green washing that you play over and over again on the loud system to make people feel better about buying your child labor made crap in over packaged plastic. (Has anyone picked up on the hypocrisy of walmart lately talking about how Green they are?! )

So Ingles has paper bags but she had to go get them and made some excuses about that trying to talk me into plastic. I said politely, "No, i can wait."

So the teenager grumbled and went to get them. (the same girl while ringing me up held up my red cabbage and asked what it was and what to do with it so i wasn't working with someone who is at all savy i have a feeling. but she was pretty so i guess she's hoping to get by on that the rest of her life.)

So while she and the bagger are using team work to open the paperbag and put my things in- all my grocery's went into 3 paper bags. I think they would have used like 15 plastic ones because they were putting one item at a time in the plastic ones before i stopped them.

I mentioned this to her- like "Look, see how much fits in there! its so much better!" and she scoweled at me (friendly like of course) and said, "I just hate paper bags, they are such a pain."

I took this opportunity to talk about plastic in our environment, how that plastic bag right there would be in our world for a VERY VERY LONG TIME and go into land fills etc. and that the paper one would go in my compost and in a few weeks be gone to worms and dirt and would go into my garden for me to eat.

She kindof had a blank stare and didn't get it really. just really wanted me to stop talking about the environment I think because it was just too much for her.

But i of course went on... because these three paper bags were very difficult to work with apparently and they were giving me time to get on with the business of saving the environment.

I tried to discuss with her, if the bags were easier to get to, easier to open and fill, would she like them better and offer them over plastic? but by then i think i stretched her brain too much. I don't mean to insult the pretty girl- i was just kindof in awe of her bubbly-ness and apathetic attitude.

She did respond with, "I hear they might ban plastic bags." I replied, "Actually most countries tax them, about .10-.20 cents each and there are groups trying to here but the plastic industry are fighting it." I also continued, "It would make since that since american's are among the MOST wasteful and most consumer driven, that we would institute that automatically to control how many plastic bags get used." She mindlessly agreed.

I realize everyone around me (not including my bubble of environmentally enlightened people) and everyone around you- are apathetic to all the problems of the world: climate change, child labor, prescrip. drugs in our water system, mountain top removal, coal and all that nastyness, GMO foods and pesticides and loss of habitat and biodiversity... and the list goes on and on... so its hard to be focused on every action as it all somehow bloodies our hands with the murder of the world.

I started thinking that really, there are a lot of us educated enough to know - you can grab a cloth bag at the good will for .25 and keep it in the car and get in the habbit of using it - or you can demand paper- but often - people just forget and go- oh... next time... or - i'll save and reuse them... or whatever... but I don't think there are people that are Anti plastic packaging or plastic bag. and maybe its time we did go on a no plastic diet huh? Maybe its time the vegan's and the raw foodists, and the localvores - looked at the WHOLE picture of what they eat and look at what it comes in- maybe we all should... but that isn't enough even. because the minions of folks who go on eating at fast food places (i'm one. i do it. i like taco bell. sorry.) and the folks who never ever think a second thought about any of this... need a little help in controlling the plastic bag extravaganza.

Maybe if we start talking about it more - and talk to the people it matters to- like the folks GIVING IT TO YOU, we could do something about it.

I'm trying to go on a no plastic bag diet now. maybe you can call me a paper-tarian? i have no idea what catchy phrase you need to not have plastic in your life- but join me. Talk to your supermarket check out girls and boys. Hand out fabric bags you pick up from good will or make some out of old jeans... you don't have to buy a fabric bag unless having something nice like one of those makes you feel cool and you will use it more.

But whatever you do- LOOK AT YOUR FUCKING PACKAGING.

don't buy organic if its in mylar. come on. Don't buy the stupid crab meat thats tripple wrapped in plastic - with dolphin safe stamped on it.
buy in bulk. ask if you can reuse the plastic bags.

and if you take an evening walk- take a bag with you to pick up the trash you see. its a great addition to the work out.

ok off my plastic soap box now.

please don't go back to your apathy though.

1 love,
trish

healthcare reality

So, this has most likely happened to you at one time or another. You feel a bit sick... not too bad, but its not the usual and your concerned a bit. But you go to diagnose & treat yourself because your uninsured. (even if you are insured- do you have the co-pay? are they open? will they take you soon or in two weeks?)

In my case I'm uninsured and unemployed with very little income. So its important for me to stay healthy, and to be able to diagnose and treat my illness on my own either homeopathically or with over the counter drugs. In the odd case I do have to go to a physician for a prescription, I usually know exactly what I need before I go, and I go to a local walk in clinic and spend less than 20$- typically...

Apparently not in middle rual TN. So its Saturday afternoon by the time the pain gets to tear jerking status, and by then I was fully aware of what I had, had taken all the homeopathic remedies I could muster, and still felt- now is the time for some antibotics. (I very rarely and usually reluctantly take antibiotics but sometimes you have to go that route.)

So I called 10 min after the walk in clinic had closed. Could not reach anyone else by phone at any other hospital or clinic from my home to Chattanooga 1 hour away. I started loosing hope and sanity by this point- and a friend calls to let me know that there IS a hospital that works with uninsured patients in Dunlap and she gave me directions. I went there and was the ONLY patient there. I was there for 2 hours. I told them what I had. They ran tests, confirmed what I had, made me wait some more, the Dr. asked the exact same questions the nurse did, and confirmed exactly what I had said. Finally wrote some prescriptions and had me go to billing. Which took me another hour.

I left there finally and stopped by 3 pharmacy's and all were closed. I went to a phone as I don't have a cell phone now and no where has a pay phone at all anymore... called 5 more pharmacy's in an hour radius of me and all were closed till tomorrow at either 10 or 12.

The cost of all this frustration: $136.42 up front (after a 65% discount for being poor but able to pay up front) + whatever the doctor bills me- because that comes later + whatever the two meds he prescribed cost (and i am going to look up if one of them can be otc instead of prescrip.)

The benifit of all the time and effort to do all this: not much. I am still in pain, still not treated till tomorrow and misserable- and taking more painkillers than i will admit here. I did get started on the process for State insurance. But thats got way more paperwork and meetings to come so it wasn't really worth all the time i spent on it. If i get approved, I will get reinbursed the whole ammount except the meds.



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Everyone knows this kindof hassle. Hates it and lives with it. Let me tell you an alternative story.

I was feeling sick, not the usual cough and cold. I was in RURAL Namibia. In the middle of the national park to be exact. I was self employed with no insurance and far from a city with what most westerners would think "proper" doctors are found.

My collegue convinced me to go to the clinic. I knew what I had, what I needed but needed her help to navigate a whole different system of healthcare than I had known before.

I walked in, there were maybe a hundred people in the large waiting room. I got in within about 20 min. My whole appointment took about an hour at most. When I got there, they had me fill out one card which they copy and I keep the master. I spoke to a nurse after all the vitals were taken, and told her I thought I had an ear infection, she checked me out, confirmed it, wrote me a prescription - told me how to take it, went over any other concerns with me, and had me shown to the desk to obtain the prescription. Then they had me go to billing and I spent $10.00 USD. That was it. For a consultation and my meds- 10.00.

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So tell me why socialized health care is bad? Tell me what's so great about our system here?

Why do people fill the clinics in Africa- Because they CAN! they are not afraid of an illness because of what it will cost them, so they go in for everything. - (and because the conditions of life are more hazardous in the bush maybe... and lots of other social reasons- but i feel that one part of it is that going to the doctor is so easy- why not?)

And- i've been insured before through employers and i have to say that what i spent/ was taken out of my pay check was a HELL of a lot more than I ever got out of it.

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My solution-
lets have some alternative health care choices in this country and SEE what people choose to do huh? if there's so much debate over which is better- insured - self paid for - healthcare? or- socialized, state provided healthcare with some minimum costs for medications? (which would mean possibly higher taxes- but far cheaper than insurance taken out of every pay check.)
Offer up both and see what people choose.

Oh wait- we sort of do that now a little- So many people don't have insurance and go to Mayo.com and their local walk in clinic. I need to see statistics but I would bet the people going to the doctor most frequently, are not paying for the treatment - they might even be on Medicade or some state program to be there.

With impending collapse of our systems - and possible flu outbreaks like in 1918- i think our health care system will be an epic fail.

share your thoughts... i might add more later... i'm just pissed off and in pain right now.

1 luv, mizz trish.