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Edited on Sat Oct-10-09 06:39 PM by Cleita
I remember when I first moved into this community, everyone was trying to stop Wal-Mart from building a store here. Well, Wal-Mart did get in. They always do, however, this Wal-Mart isn't the usual square navy blue box that most of them are, but is done in Spanish mission style on the outside anyway. Inside is the same old Wal-Mart. Also, the local nurseries won a coup of sorts. This Wal-Mart can't sell nursery plants although they can sell gardening equipment indoors. RVs and motor homes aren't allowed to park overnight. I for one don't shop there anymore because of principle although everyone else I know does.
I have tried to identify the merchants who are small and local or who are progressive like Trader Joe's and CostCo. I believe it starts with boycotting those corporations who got us here. I have switched my bank to a credit union and am in the process of doing so with my credit cards. Even though they are the same VISA and MC, they still have to operate under the contract that they have with the credit unions, which is more user friendly that the ones that are robbing everyone blind with usury.
I live in a rural area but it's semi-arid making it hard to do extensive gardening. Most of the available water for irrigation is used up by the agri-businesses and wineries. Mostly, people keep horses. This year I'm going to make a driven effort to grow food in raised beds. I'm looking into recycling the gray water to irrigate with. I've been talking to the neighbors about them cultivating small patches too. We could probably eventually get to a place where we swap crops, seeds and eggs. Most of us, who are transplanted city people, don't have the stomach for raising and killing animals for meat.
Medical access is a problem as the insurance companies really have everyone held hostage, even the seniors on Medicare who must also get a supplement or sign over their Medicare rights to a Medicare advantage program. I would really like to see permanent free clinics in the area that could accept insurance and Medicare, but that could also give free care to those who need it or according to their ability to pay. No one turned away in other words and everyone getting the same care. Of course this would take fund drivers all the time.
Also, it's going to have be at a local level that we start bringing in election reform. I think this is really where we have to start. I guess I'm going to have to start going to my local Democratic club meetings again. I stopped going because they got nothing done but talk and no young people attended, whom are really needed. I myself am at an age where I'm waiting for the grim reaper although I am willing to do what I can.
I'm still driving the same ten year old car and intend to keep the old clunker going until we finally get cars that will run on solely on electricity, which we plug into from solar panels, and bio-diesel that can be produced environmentally and with a network of stations where you don't get stranded. You'd think McDonald's and other fast food joints could envision a secondary market here from their discarded french fry oils.
In the long term, we really have to address the overarching problems of unemployment, poor wages, poverty and ultimately homelessness. Oh, yes, there are still the natural and not so natural disaster looming that we live with all the time, earthquakes, wild fires, nuclear plant accidents and yes, even possible tsunamis.
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