Do you have the strength to do what is right? Do I?

So far this early in the day I have seen homeless people soliciting on street corners, people rude in traffic & trash in the street...it is only 0900 AM as I write this. When I see someone who is truly in need I give, not to everyone, but I give blood, time and in certain cases money, I do let people merge in front of me and I will and do pick up trash littered about on the ground. I have never stopped a rape or murder, never been present to stop an abusive parent from beating their child. Not once have I driven into a disaster area to deliver aid to those who desperately need it. I gave to the red-cross after Katrina and my wife to the pet rescue efforts, but neither of us volunteered in the months or years after to contribute. What I need to ask myself is, am I doing my share, I think that there is room for improvement. So far this year I have volunteered at one charity event and given to the American Red Cross one time, I have one school charity gala planned for this year. Is that enough? I know I need to do more, I know I need to encourage others to do the same. If you read this please Google your County or City name followed by the words Volunteer opportunities, you WILL find many opportunities to give back close to home where you can see the results and your community can directly benefit. If we set the example of what a few stronger Americans can accomplish others will follow, they just need role models.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -Edmund Burke

-TODD

+1

Every student has heard that there is strength in numbers. The more numbers in your bank account the more financial strength you can bring to bear, the more Marines in your Corps the more strength you can project on the world, etc. It is time to take a look at the number of people you surround yourself with at the most critical times; How many people do you consult when you need to make an important life or business decision, how many people are in your support network that you can look to when you need it the most...how many people are you there for when it matters. Unless you drink with experts in your field of business your drinking buddies may not be the best to consult, unless you really know the people you surround yourself with you may find you are turning to the wrong people at the wrong time. Unless you are a good friend, you may find that no one wants to be yours when you need it the most. Take some time to evaluate the relationships you have, take more time to cultivate relationships that will strengthen your life and the lives of the people you bring into your inner circle. It has often bee said that a man is judged by the company he keeps, I think that it is much more appropriate to say that a man (or woman) is limited or empowered by them.

Work together and be strong.

-Todd

Go stand in the employment line

We are coming to a time in the history of the world where more people are literate than are not, where higher education is available to everyone (even those who did not complete high school.) When I was a child my mother told me that by the time I grew up I would need a college degree just to work at Mc Donald's. What I am finding out however is that even for those with an advanced degree there is no guarantee of employment. Knowing that I need to spend time on professional development, I recently underwent aptitude testing to provide some direction as I prepare to go back to school. The testing has provided me with some invaluable insight that is paying me back even now before attending any further schooling or changing careers. Even armed with this information I realize that in addition to new skills to better work within the guidelines of my own aptitudes I need to learn new career finding skills. To this end I have been reading "What color is your Parachute" by Richard Bolles. This book is updated annually and full of valuable resources and information and I highly recommend it to anyone seeking employment. I am posting this information as a reference to anyone reading, we all know that one of the largest problems we as Americans are facing is unemployment. My problem is not unemployment, I am searching for a more rewarding vocation. If anything from my journey helps even one American find stronger employment all I ask in return is that you pass it on and help another. With unemployment rates hovering above 10% in most of thee country we need not only to create jobs, we need to be worth employing and capable of finding those that need our skills before the job that could have bee ours is sent overseas. Learn about yourself, your strengths, your weaknesses and go apply yourself in a way that is uniquely yours, do your job in a way no one else can and rise to the top, do it for yourself, do it for your family, do it for America.

When we work together strategically to gain better employment and provide it to others we all become stronger.

-TODD

Politically or actually correct

In 1994 The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came in to force. The premise of this agreement is to allow easier trade between the U.S., Canada & Mexico. The reality however is that products made in these countries are no longer subject to tariff, tariff is a tax that is applied to foreign made goods and products as they cross the border into our country. This tax is supposed to provide a price barrier to allow American workers to receive a fair wage and still have our pricing be competitive with goods produced by underpaid foreign workers. Since 1994 and the end of the tariff on Mexican goods the importation and sale of Mexican made goods has increased exponentially. The manufacture of American made goods has declined at a similar rate and many of the goods previously made by American hands sadly are now made south of the border, the price paid to the remaining manufacturing workers here at home is substantially (on average) well below what workers were receiving at the time. There are multiple other countries (China, Taiwan, Etc.) that sell us a multitude of cut-rate goods pushing our products off the shelf based on expense, but this one speaks to me directly since I am originally from Michigan and I watched so many Auto manufacturing jobs go to Mexico as a result of this agreement. There are a terrible number of working opportunities that have left our borders however as a result of the implementation of NAFTA from Every State please take a look at this link to Citizen.org's map of job loss that provides greater detail on this subject. It is no secret that Congress has recently been heavily lobbied to vote for expansion of this agreement and undoubtedly will again, please remember that this only works in our favor if they buy more of our goods than we do of their's. At last tally we are as a nation making money on the trade agreement, my concern is not only the national profit--which is great, but the manufacturing jobs that have made our country a power and the economic center of the world. We must continue to purchase American made goods from American owned companies, this will increase the U.S. manufactured goods market and if more goods are made here, more goods can be sent to other countries for them to purchase.

We as Americans and trade partners can do better and we owe it to ourselves to do so.

-TODD

American Cheese update

While speaking with a close friend today on Facebook this very topic came up (fortuitous huh?) so I did a little on-the-fly research and came up with the following quick facts: One in eight Americans go hungry on a regular basis, one in 6 Americans live in poverty, Southern States high school graduation rates average between 47.6 and 67.1%, there are an estimated 380,000 homeless youths living on American Streets right now, there are an estimated 2.9 million children who are orphans or live without a parent in the U.S., there are an estimated 1,200,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in America. I thought that this was pertinent to today's topic and felt the need to share it. the truth is if you look, really look, you will find something just about everywhere that needs to be fixed and people that need help to do it.

"Help" -the Beatles---Yeah I know, they are a foreign band, the irony is killing me.

-TODD

American Cheese

I found something on Facebook yesterday that a friend posted stating, "Welfare was not meant to be a career option." I liked it, even shared it. It kept popping up in my mind all day that there are plenty of Americans out there that actually do need some form of help so I started doing a little research for today's post and discovered that the United States sends out more foreign aid than any other nation in the world and has more foreign support charities than any other country in the world. Now I find myself torn...is it better to send our money overseas to be distributed by other sovereign nations as socialized relief or is it better to let charity truly begin at home, if you read the title of this blog I don't need to answer my own question. Since as a taxpayer I am already contributing to the largest foreign aid programs in the history of the world I will share some info for giving at home. I have a soft spot for those who truly are not responsible for their situations in life and starting with kids and my list will reflect that, but what about victims of natural disasters and those that dedicate their lives to serving us, yeah they make the list too. At the top of my personal list is St. Judes Research Hospitals, The make-a-wish foundation, and American Red Cross, I have to include Goodwill since my Grandmother worked there for most of her life rehabilitating workers and testing them for job placement, If you would like to support the families of fallen law enforcement officers take a look at the BTLS Foundation My list would not be complete if I did not include the Wounded Warriors. If my list is not what you are looking for check out greatnonprofits.org or guidestar.org, guidestar is unique in my view as being a reference for the tax papers of non-profits so you know how much of your money gets to where you are trying to send it.

If you give of yourself, give of yourself to make America Stronger.

-TODD