Rox and Roll

An Alternative to the Occupation

Many folks responded to my last post either on Facebook or privately, and most didn't care for my tone.  To those I offended, please know that I approach much of my blogging as op-ed style journalism.  This comes from studying with Katie Orenstein's The Op-Ed Project.  When I share an opinion of mine, it is just that: my opinion.  And I welcome -- embrace, even -- your disagreement.  It's my firm belief that healthy dialogue among those with differing points of view is at the very heart of democracy. 

To clarify my viewpoint on the Occupation of Wall Street, I offer the following: I spent my first years of life in a trailer on a farm in rural Appalachia.  And I now live comfortably in a house I own in one of the most high-earning zip codes in America.  When it comes to the range of wealth in this country, I truly understand it, for I've lived it -- not to the tunes of millions, but I'm lucky in that, at times, I've had more than I've needed.  Enough said.  But what sticks with me from my youth, especially, isn't the feeling that I had less than somebody else.  (I don't think I ever felt that our circumstances were meager since I had a place to live, food to eat, clothes, and cousins with whom to play.)  It's the trips I took with my mom to deliver boxes of food to families in some pretty extreme circumstances.  Sometimes, we would drive these boxes down dirt roads to shacks in which the living conditions were comparable to the slums of India depicted in "Slumdog Millionaire."  I understand poverty in America, I really, really do.  I work, now, for the day when I can "retire" to a job that actually does something meaningful for the 535 American counties affected by something called rural persistent poverty.  As a native West Virginian, I see it as my longer-term calling in life to revisit the walk Bobby Kennedy once took with MLK through Appalachia, tying the fight against economic oppression to the struggle for civil rights.  I've studied it from an academic perspective, and I'm taking time to build my own service ethic and network such that I actually have the connections to effect change, whether in Washington or with nonprofit work.  If I ever do have excessive wealth, it is likely that it will be spent in and on West Virginia.

My cards are on the table now, and it should be clear that I care very deeply about this fight against poverty.  While it is not wholly incompatible with the "occupation" movement, depending on whose sign you read or whose perspective you believe, I do believe that the fight against poverty is a wholly different thing.  I am more bothered by poverty than I am by the widening income gap; they are related, but different, causes.  The United States is not yet living up to the standards demanded by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  This is a very major problem, and we have to ask ourselves where the answer to that problem is found.  I think it's found in holding our politicians' balls to the fire.  (Not feet.  Feet aren't sensitive enough.)  Wall Street can't vote on a living wage.  Wall Street can't make sure early childhood education is strengthened throughout the nation.  Wall Street can't guarantee our citizens' healthcare.  And neither will our government unless our ire is directed at it.

So what do I think can be done differently?  I really like change.org's "Top 10 Ways to Fight Poverty" -- especially, as I mentioned in my last post, the call to volunteerism.  The Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign  is dated but still rife with information.   I also believe in tracking anti-poverty legislation.  My representatives in Congress know what I think; do yours? 

At the end of the day, I do respect people's right to protest on Wall Street -- of course, I do.  I still reserve my right to opine that there time would be better spent elsewhere.  Unless our entire government is going to be recalled, the point has been made; and now, it's time for people to start figuring out a way to "think globally, act locally" when it comes to concerns about the economy -- whether jobs, hunger, education, or whatever is your hot-button.  We have the world's attention now; and now, we can do some great things.  We don't have to wait for government action, though we can work locally to impact that.  There's so much that we can do ourselves to make a difference where we live.  That movement could be called "occupation backyard."  Or, as Gandhi says, "be the change you wish to see in the world."  Change starts with me -- and you.

Cross-posted on Rox on a Soapbox

The Hypocrisy of the Occupation

When I add up the man-hours wasted on the "occupation" of Wall Street (and other sites around the globe) over the last couple of months, I fear for the future of a nation growing more impoverished by the minute.

How many Habitat for Humanity homes could have been built in that same amount of time by the same amount of people?

How many boxes of food could have been packed at food pantries?

How much Hurricane Irene damage could have been cleaned up in Vermont, where there is still plenty of mud to shovel and roads to repair?

How much furniture could have been cleaned out of their own homes and donated to transitional housing programs for the homeless?

How many suits could have been collected out of their own closets and donated to Dress for Success?

How much could have been done to actively fight poverty in America?

All of the above are things that cost no money at all and are things that most of the entire 100% of the people involved in this occupation could do to alleviate poverty in our backyard.  If this "occupation" is at all about 1:6 Americans living in poverty, shame on every damn person who has stood there holding a sign when they could have used their own two hands and the same amount of time actually doing something about poverty.

I believe in the power of protest; I really do.  Most recently, during the last major election in 2008, I stood on a corner with my kids for hours demonstrating against Propostion 8, the proposition which, unfortunately, passed and, therefore, ended gay marriage in California.  Many people worked for months fighting for civil rights for all Americans, and I was proud to be among them.

But this, this "occupation," what is its goal?  To end corporate greed?  To change tax code?  To demand a distribution of wealth?  Does anyone believe that Wall Street itself is going to do anything about that at all?  Or might Congress actually effect some changes -- in which case, shouldn't the protest be there?

Shouldn't the protest be directed at a government which continues to fund costly wars while 1:4 children in America go to bed hungry every night?

Shouldn't the protest be directed at a government renowned for wasteful spending, where the cost of one state dinner is rumored to be close to half a million dollars?  How many soup kitchens could open and operate with half a million dollars in the bank?

Shouldn't the protest be directed at a government that promised universal healthcare, where the option to buy-in is still years away -- unless power shifts again, and that right disappears again?

Shouldn't the protest be directed at a government that is elected time and time again over promises to improve education in America -- then systemically panders to the interests of unions that protect workers, while children have no union to defend their interests?

The list could go on and on and on.  I understand this "occupation," I really do.  I understand that it is "showy" -- and it shows our children that when one is angry, one can show that anger.  If you want to have more money, you can ask the government to redistribute wealth.  You can blame the millionaires, for, if they paid more in taxes, little Johnny wouldn't go to bed hungry tonight.  You can believe in social revolution, in a world where there is no top 1%.  You can kill the American dream like that, just by waving a sign. 

Does anyone really believe that any of that is going to come to pass?  Does anyone believe that if millionaires suddenly pay more in taxes, fewer children will be hungry in America?

When I donate soup to our school's food drive for the local pantry this week, I know that fewer children will be going to bed hungry in my backyard.  Instead of going out and buying food for this drive, I used what was in my pantry and made cutbacks to my own grocery budget, so I didn't end up spending a thing "extra" on these donations.  (The point of that will follow, below.)

When I cleaned out my closet and gave dozens of suits to the local transitional housing shelter for borderline-homeless families last week, I knew that some ladies and gentlemen would look pretty spiffy for their next job interviews.  It cost me the gas to drive to the shelter.

When I volunteer this weekend for a group rebuilding a playground at a low-income school, I will be putting my two hands to work and expending a lot of energy, but not a dime otherwise.  The cost to me is just time and, again, gas money.

Look, I know I sound preachy, morally indignant, even.  While I apologize if that offends you, I don't regret it.  I proudly refuse to participate in this Occupy Wall Street movement, for if I had the time, the talent, or the treasure, there are other ways to effect change in this country -- ways that don't involve Wall Street, the government, or a single picket sign.  If you really care about poverty in America, I urge you to do something about it in your own backyard.  It may not cost any money at all (see above).  The way out of poverty is through working together to do what we can do to care for our own neighbors.  No picket sign will ever have the same effect as a Habitat hammer. 

I'm done looking to our government for solutions, and I'm ready to work.  I'll be occupying a local playground this weekend with my hammer.  What will you do to make a difference?

cross-posted on Rox on a Soapbox

Holiday Gift Guide, Part One: Gifts for a Cause

(Pssst: I'm giving away Modern Family: Season One over on Good Stuff Rox!  Enter here.)

In keeping with my theme this year, I'm encouraging gifts of experiences and charitably-focused gifts both for my own family and for yours this holiday season.  Hunger in the U.S. is at record high, and, with high unemployment this year, too, it's hard to find that extra bit to help someone in need -- and the fact of the matter is that that someone in need may be your own neighbor.  There are tales in my town left and right of folks who lived high on the hog during the dot-com boom losing their homes right now.  As in every year, but especially this year, when those Toys for Tots, Food Drive, and other solicitations come home from work, school, church, or wherever, I'm going to be giving until it feels good. 

If you're looking for charitable giving ideas, here are some you might want to consider:

For Food:

• Office gifts for any food cause: Instead of gifting each person that works for or with you, think about adopting a local food pantry, like Second Harvest Food Bank if you're in Silicon Valley; Second Harvest states on their site that they need "food, funds, and time."  How about collecting food in-office, then having your holiday party there, sorting it?  If you want to do something in-office as well that includes a personal holiday gift, you can hang stockings outside of offices/cubes and do a low-limit secret-Santa or host a Yankee swap or a White Elephant gift exchange with a cookies-and-milk party on a Friday afternoon.  Maybe your holiday party is usually a free-flowing booze happy hour with passed hors d'oeuvres, but ask yourself: is this the year for that?  Sorting food at the food bank together will create much better memories than what John from the copy room did after his fourth double-Scotch!

• Local food banks: Check CharityNavigator.Org to find a good one near you, and find out how you might give a donation in honor of a family.  When I checked the site, I learned that California Emergency Foodlink in Sacramento received their highest rating for a Food Bank.  It's not close to me, but, if it were, I'd love to give some of my time, effort, food, and money there, for I know that it's been thoroughly screened and proven to be a well-managed charity.

• Farm Aid: Farm aid's goal is to keep family farmers on their land.  Having grown up on a family farm, I am deeply grateful for their work; and, as a purchaser of produce provided by family farms at my local farmer's market, supporting Farm Aid (as well as the farms directly) is a way to make sure that I'll still be shopping there a decade from now.  A copy of the Food, Inc. movie and/or an earth-friendly cookbook, like The Earthbound Cook, along with a Farm Aid tee is a great gift for a friend or family member who values good produce. 

For Health:

• Christmas Seals from the American Lung Association: This year, I'll be sealing my holiday cards with these seals, as I have been fighting a lung illness for quite some time and, last week, received a diagnosis of a disease that falls under the American Lung Association's purview.  If you know someone with lung issues, there's an online store that supports the lifesaving work of the ALA.  If you're not comfortable donating money outright to a charitable cause, buying something from a cause's store is a subtle way to say, "I know, and I care."

• Gear from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure store: When I reviewed Hanes tees during breast cancer awareness month, I had no idea there was a whole on-line store devoted to fundraising for the fight against breast cancer.  Knowing so many women touched by cancer either directly or through their mothers, sisters, friends, there are a whole lot of ways to show support for these folks -- but it can be awkward.  It's tactless and tasteless to say, "Hey, I heard your sister's a cancer survivor, so here's a pink ribbon pen."  But if you're looking for gifts for your office and don't want to give everyone yet another box of See's chocolates, what about designing a custom tee as a gift for everyone, giving money to the cause of breast cancer awareness, and organizing or attending a walk to fundraise for Susan G. Komen?  I also love this "I Am the Cure" gear based on a rallying cry from the Race for the Cure; they're great gifts for ladies I know who run in those races every year.

• Office gifts for any health cause: Get your office fit and healthy by outfitting everyone with pedometers.  (There are a bajillion at REI alone.)  Have everyone name his/her favorite cause, and put it on a tracking white board (or just a peace of paper near the water cooler).  If you're the boss, kick off the kitty with some money, and have a jar available for loose change.  Donate each week or each month to the winner's cause -- the cause chosen by the person with the most steps.  Or, choose a cause together, maybe a cause in support of an illness someone close to a coworker is fighting, and decide to make a donation when everyone has achieved a million steps.  The pedometer's the gift, but there's an added bonus of health benefits and money for a cause.  If you want to be the world's best boss, offer extra time at lunch on Fridays to buddy-walk!

For Shelter:

• Habitat for Humanity: If your church group, office, knitting circle or other group hasn't done a Habitat outing yet, I can't encourage it enough.  I participated in one a decade ago, and its memories linger.  It's one thing to e-mail each other quarterlies or to sit in a pew and listen to teachings; it's another to swing a hammer and make someone's dream of home ownership come true.  There are lots of ways to support Habitat, including an on-line store and resale outlets.  Just think: if you're gifting someone who just bought a home, how about giving them some of these cool soup mugs with a note: "now that your dream of home ownership has come true, I'm honoring that by helping others achieve that goal through donating to Habitat in your name."

• The National Alliance to End Homelessness: Once, I was walking down the street with a friend's kid, and the kid complained about the odor and very presence of a homeless man on a bench nearby.  This led to a great discussion about what we owe others as fellow human beings, including treating them without disdain.  Homelessness is a growing issue in our town; if it is in yours, think about a donation for an "End Homelessness" tee, and read about some of the advocacy this top-rated (per Charity Navigator) group undertakes.

To be continued...

I wanted to get some ideas out there before Black Fridays doorbusters, as I think there are so many ways to gift this year without buying stuff that you can get on special at WalMart.  It's important to shop to support the hurting economy, but it's also important to think about how we all might reallocate some of our shopping to offset the hurt: pets are often the greatest victims of recessions and of natural disasters, as are parks, wildlife conservation groups, and the arts.  For more ideas, click here for Charity Navigator's Holiday Giving Guide, listing the best-rated (and the worst ... let's avoid those) around the world. 

Wishing you festive holiday shopping, however you choose to do it.  Next up: Part Two: Gifts of In-home Entertainment (Books, Movies, and Games)!

Disclaimer: While I received a complimentary Hanes tee as well as a copy of The Earthbound Cook for past reviews, the inclusion of these items in my gift guide is my choice and was not requested by the companies providing me with the items. 

Cross-posted on Good Stuff Rox