Happy Retirement Ronald McDonald

I saw in the news that a group is protesting McDonald's Corporation. It seems they want Ronald McDonald to retire because he represents unhealthy foods and eating habits that are causing obesity in children. Like the Pied Piper he has lead the children of this country into a world of junk food and health problems.

The last time I looked the children eating at McDonald's were paying for their food with money they got from some responsible adult and the younger ones were transported there by that same adult. In other words the blame lies not with Ronald alone, but with also with the child’s family. Blaming the character of Ronald McDonald for the problem of childhood obesity and its related health problems is just shifting the responsibility away from the parents and the lifestyle they have chosen for their family.

One could ask what is next. Should we blame the Easter Bunny because of all the candy kids get in their Easter baskets? How about the Keebler Elf, the Trix Rabbit, or any of the other advertising icons that represent sweet, fattening, and unhealthy food and snacks.

It is easy to blame someone or something else; it is much harder to shoulder the responsibility that is rightfully yours.

Fire Season

Spring came early this year and here in Michigan it has brought with it tinder dry conditions. There has been no rain to speak of for the last month and we have been blessed with above normal temperatures. The result has been very high fire danger postings for the State, most areas are not issuing fire permits, and people are getting out and doing yard work.

Yard work that unfortunately often leads to burning brush and trash, and that can and does lead to grass fires. It only takes a spark with the wind behind it and someone’s field or house is burning.

In a normal year there would still be patches of snow around and things would be wet from spring rains, but this is not a normal year and it won’t take much to start a bad fire. Until things green up we need to be as careful as possible. A camp fire, a cigarette tossed out the car window, burning that pile of grass and leaves you raked up in the yard, any of these things can and do lead to out of control fires that burn hundreds of acres every year.

So please be careful out there and as Smoky says “only you can prevent forest fires.”

Buidget Cuts

The State is does not have the funds to cover the cost of running the government, so the thing to do is cut services and raise taxes. There isn’t enough money for road repair so they want to cut repair and maintain programs and add four cents a gallon to the gas tax to help pay for road work. A smart move when people can barely afford to pay for the gas they need to drive to work each day. At a time when we depend on tourists to drive up north to see the scenic wonders of our wonderful land, bringing their much needed dollars with them. Truly one of the greatest ideas our elected leaders have ever come up with.

Unemployment is the highest it’s been in years so cutting budget costs by letting people go is truly leading by example. Let’s hope our leaders keep up the good work. Perhaps instead of laying people off they could be finding ways to put people to work. A few government sponsored jobs in the State park system or cleaning the streets and parking lots in our towns could go a long way to getting those much needed dollars flowing though the economy.

Whatever the answer we need to streamline the budget, but not at the expense of the little guy at the bottom.