The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Think sustainability for Mother’s Day this year

Mother’s Day is a holiday where food plays a central role as a token of appreciation or a gesture of love.

This Mother’s Day, Danielle Nierenberg and Ellen Gustafson, co-founders of the Food Tank, offer tips for how to create a better, more sustainable celebration:
 
1. Buy local.

Consider cooking your a mom meal at home instead of going out to a restaurant and trying to buy as many ingredients as possible from local farmers . 
 
A study by the Natural Resources Defense Council about the environmental impact of food transportation in California showed that importing food products into the state released nearly 250,000 tons of greenhouse gases. That’s the equivalent amount of pollution caused by about 40,000 vehicles. Also, shipping food from far away also means that it's not as fresh, or tasty, when it reaches consumers. 

Local Harvest has a search feature that allows consumers to find area farmers markets’ and farms in their communities.  
 
2. Dine responsibly.

If Mom wants to go out for dinner on her big day, do some research and find a restaurant that follow best practices for sustainability.

Use the The Green Restaurant Association’s search feature that allows diners to locate the most environmentally friendly places to eat. In addition, make sure to eat leftovers. The NRDC reports that consumers eating in restaurants leave an average of 17 percent of meals uneaten, and that more than half of that is thrown away. 

3. Learn something new.

Understanding why it’s important to eat locally and to support sustainable operations is vital. Documentaries such as Food, Inc., What’s on Your Plate, and Food Chains can provide great conversation topics for Mother’s Day dinner.
 
Also, these books are worth reading to learn more about food and agriculture: “Cooked” by Michael Pollan; “VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore Your Health . . . for Good” by Mark Bittman; “Bet the Farm: How Food Stopped Being Food” by Frederick Kaufman; “Foodopoly: The Battle Over the Future of Food and Farming in America” by Wenonah Hauter; “Behind the Kitchen Door” by Saru Jayaraman; “The Perfect Protein: The Fish Lover's Guide to Saving the Oceans and Feeding the World” by Andy Sharpless and Suzannah Evans; “Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us” by Michael Moss; and “Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity” by Lester R. Brown.
 
4. Make a donation.

Instead of buying another gift for Mom that she doesn’t need, find an organization that supports a food- and agriculture-related issue and make a donation in her name.
 
About 17.2 million U.S. households didn’t have enough food to eat in 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In New York City, City Harvest collects food from restaurants, grocery stores, and other food businesses for donations, and also supports educational programs about nutrition in low-income communities. Oxfam America also has a gift section where you can donate a vegetable garden for a family in need.

5. Help out in the community.

The latest U.S. census report shows that 46.2 million people were living in poverty in 2011, and poverty is the leading cause of hunger. 
 
Share a meal with those less fortunate on Mother’s Day by lending a helping hand at a food bank or a soup kitchen. Food Pantries has a website to locate food pantries and soup kitchens in your area. Sharing a plot in a community garden is another great activity. For example, Chicago’s Green Network offers a map showing area community gardens and information on how to get involved. 
 
6. Buy fair trade.

Chocolate, fresh fruit, coffee, or flowers are often given as Mother’s Day presents. These are all items that can be purchased from fair trade producers. Fairtrade International helps support smaller producers and farmers who may have a difficult time covering their costs while remaining competitive in the global market. Fair Trade USA offers a global reach map that shows organizations involved in fair trade. 
 
Food Tank co-founder Ellen Gustafson recently launched the Apron Project. The first collection of aprons is handmade in Rwanda by Indego Africa, a nonprofit organization supporting women-owned businesses in Rwanda. It helps businesswomen build economic independence through access to markets and education.
 
7. Plant a garden.

Planting a vegetable garden at home is a fun Mother’s Day activity that will help make sure mom has fresh produce available throughout the summer.
 
It’s also a money saver. The National Gardening Association estimates that the average return on the investment of a home garden is $530. For the urban gardener with limited space, these tips from Inhabitat are a good place to start.

Happy Mother's Day. I hope the tips are helpful. I'll be thinking about my mom as I plant my garden this week.

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Consumers responsible for the deaths in Bangladesh clothing factories? No, no, no

Photo: Sharat Chowdhury

I was outraged yesterday when I heard twice on the news that consumers are responsible for the 350 deaths that occurred this week when a building in Bangladesh collapsed where five clothing manufacturing factories were located.

The comments, one made by a representative of the clothing industry in an National Public Radio story, said consumers are responsible because they want to buy cheap clothes and the only way that clothing manufacturers can do this is keep cutting and cutting the costs of production.

I don’t think so. Clothing manufacturers have the responsibility to provide a safe workplace for workers. One news report I heard said cracks started appearing in the walls, but workers were told nothing was wrong and they should keep working in the building.

Six people, two of the factory owners and four others, have been arrested, according to a Huffington Post article. Others are being sought in the tragedy.

 I think the American companies that contact with these factories overseas, and consumers, too, need to pay more attention the safety conditions for workers in overseas factories.

However, for the clothing industry to try to “get ahead of the story” by blaming the deaths on consumers is ridiculous.

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Mental health, retirement jobs, midlife growth, airport timing, and a fraud warning are the topics for this week’s Best of Boomer Blogs, it’s 300th offering

I’m the host for this week’s Best of Boomer Blogs #300.

The boomer blog roundup is a collection of like-minded blogs cooperating to share their best stories of interest to the Baby Boomer Generation.

For the 300^th Best of Boomer Blogs, Laura Lee Carter of the Midlife Crisis Queen says: "It's been years now since I first joined this blog roundup, and now I run it. What a great way to connect with other boomers and share the bounty of information which can only help us all age in a better way."

Today Laura Lee wants to share new information about boomer mental health. Boomers share a specific time in American history. They grew up on heavier career and job competition and 24/7 in-your-face commercialism, as American culture moved away from trust in each other and in government. How do these facts affect boomer mental health as a generation?  Here's what the Midlife Crisis Queen has learned.

Tom Sightings of Sightings Over Sixty has taken a part-time job, and in his post “Working It Out,” he ponders the pros and cons, as well as the necessity, of working in retirement.

Lisa Garon Froman of TAO Flashes writes that spring is a perfect metaphor for midlife. It’s a time of growth, and it brings an opportunity to step out of the shadows and make space for new interests or long-denied passions.

Sara Cornell of Blue Blinds Media and Life After Married writes that what time you arrive at the airport for a scheduled departure tells a lot about your personality.

On my blog, I let consumers know about an action by the Federal Trade Commission temporarily shutting down a Brooklyn-based company that allegedly used deception, threats, and intimidation to induce elderly consumers to pay for medical alert systems they neither ordered nor wanted.

Be sure to check back next week to see what baby boomer bloggers are thinking and writing about.

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

State of the Union offers much for consumers, but is lacking on housing and benefits for older Americans

President Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday was strong for consumers in many areas.

Obama's emphasis on immigration reform, family wage jobs, early childhood education, a $9 minimum wage, tax code reform, voter rights, and loophole reduction will help move America forward.

The actions he called for on gun violence, energy independence, clean energy, climate change, infrastructure, higher education, violence against women, equal pay for women, stronger families, poverty eradication, and equal benefits for all are of tremendous importance.

However, Obama fell short in his address on benefits for older Americans and housing.

Benefits for older Americans

He began his talk by saying, “It is our unfinished task to make sure that this government works on behalf of the many, and not just the few.”

Americans don’t expect Congress to agree on everything, Obama said, adding “They do expect us to forge reasonable compromise where we can.

On balancing the budget, he said:

The biggest driver of our long-term debt is the rising cost of health care for an aging population. And those of us who care deeply about programs like Medicare must embrace the need for modest reforms – otherwise, our retirement programs will crowd out the investments we need for our children, and jeopardize the promise of a secure retirement for future generations…

We’ll reduce taxpayer subsidies to prescription drug companies and ask more from the wealthiest seniors. We’ll bring down costs by changing the way our government pays for Medicare, because our medical bills shouldn’t be based on the number of tests ordered or days spent in the hospital – they should be based on the quality of care that our seniors receive.

And I am open to additional reforms from both parties, so long as they don’t violate the guarantee of a secure retirement. Our government shouldn’t make promises we cannot keep – but we must keep the promises we’ve already made.

I’m concerned that Medicare is “on the table” and will be cut in a compromise deal. Medicare and Social Security are minimal programs. Even “modest reforms” will have disastrous effects on seniors.

For more than half of Social Security recipients aged 65 or over, the program provides more than 50 percent of their family income and, because of its lifetime income protection and survivors benefits, Social Security is particularly important for elderly women.

Housing

On housing, Obama said the housing market is finally healing from the collapse of 2007. But, even with mortgage rates near a 50-year low, too many families with solid credit who want to buy a home are being rejected, he said, adding:

Right now, there’s a bill in this Congress that would give every responsible homeowner in America the chance to save $3,000 a year by refinancing at today’s rates. Democrats and Republicans have supported it before. What are we waiting for? Take a vote, and send me that bill.

And Obama said:

Right now, overlapping regulations keep responsible young families from buying their first home. What’s holding us back? Let’s streamline the process, and help our economy grow.

What’s needed that the president didn’t address is that banks aren’t willing to refinance homes for consumers who are underwater. And, mortgage reform is still needed and consumers who are in danger of foreclosure must receive help.

Banks continue to prefer to kick homeowners out of their homes if they are behind on their payments. Federal programs that have been set up are only helping a fraction of those who need assistance.

And the comment about overlapping regulations for first time homeowners? It sounds like the president was throwing a bone to the housing and real estate industries.

We just had a Great Recession based at least partially on banks and other financial institutions selling mortgages to anyone, regardless of their qualifications.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other federal agencies have been working on rules to curb these mortgage abuses. Most of them will go into effect early in 2014.

Certainly the president didn’t mean those rules are going to be eliminated?

More help is needed for homeowners. This is part of the assistance for Main Street that has never materialized after Wall Street was bailed out.

In last year’s State of the Union address, Obama announced the creation of a working group aimed at exposing and prosecuting financial fraud behind the housing crisis.

While some action has been taken, the group needs to do more to charge and convict those responsible for the housing crisis.

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

President’s inaugural address includes some positive items for consumers, and admonishes political parties to work together

Four years ago after I watched President Obama’s inaugural address, I wondered if the president could do what was needed for American consumers. Special interests were so strong during the George W. Bush presidency and did so much damage, I wondered if Obama would be successful in fighting for consumer interest.

As we now know, the results of Obama’s first four years were mixed for consumers.

What can consumers expect from Obama’s second term?

In his inaugural address Monday, the president gave a clear message about the need for people, especially political parties, to work together to move America forward.

He talked about the need to improve economic conditions, the importance of equality, and the value of a rising middle class:

We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work; when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship.  

Interestingly in relation to the growing anger of younger generations against aging baby boomers, Obama referred to meeting the needs of both older Americans, which includes boomers, and young people. He said:

But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future.

On programs for older adults, he said, “The commitments we make to each other through Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security, these things do not sap our initiative, they strengthen us.”

On helping those in need, Obama said: “Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life’s worst hazards and misfortune.” 

The president also mentioned:

• Regulating the business sector: “Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play.”

• Climate change: “We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires and crippling drought and more powerful storms.”

The president also spoke at length about equality:

We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone...  It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began.

Obama said our journey isn’t complete until:

• Our wives, our mothers and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts.

• Our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.

• No citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote.

• We find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity – until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country.

• All our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia, to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for and cherished and always safe from harm.  

The president said to make the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness real for everyone doesn’t require us to define liberty in exactly the same way or compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time. But, he said, “It does require us to act in our time.”

He urged others who take oaths and serve in the capital to faithfully execute their pledge.  

Let us, each of us, now embrace with solemn duty and awesome joy what is our lasting birthright. With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom.

We’ll see how the president’s second term turns out.

Politics has been called the art of compromise. Let’s hope that lawmakers will be willing to make decisions that will move the country forward, and that most of their actions will be in the interests of consumers, not corporations.

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Fiscal cliff deal largely disappointing for consumers

Despite the significant hype, I wasn’t very worried that Congress and the president wouldn’t reach a deal on the so called fiscal cliff. What I was concerned about was how the deal would affect consumers, particularly older Americans.

The fiscal cliff deal has a number of items that will benefit consumers. They include:

• All income below $450,000 for families and $400,000 for individuals will permanently be taxed at Bush-era rates.

• The 2009 expansion of tax breaks for low-income Americans – the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, and the American Opportunity Tax Credit – will be extended for five years.

• Federal unemployment insurance will be extended for another year, benefiting those unemployed for longer than 26 weeks.

• The Alternative Minimum Tax will be permanently patched to avoid raising taxes on the middle-class.

• Medicare and Social Security weren’t slashed.

However, Congress missed a big opportunity to truly pass positive measures to help consumers with these missteps:

• The deal doesn’t address the debt-ceiling.

• The payroll tax holiday will be allowed to expire, which means taxes will go up for consumers.

• A full package of temporary business tax breaks will be extended for another year, including breaks for race-car track owners, electric scooters, Goldman Sachs office space, coal produced on Indian lands, and Hollywood films. 

• Funding is cut for the Affordable Care Act’s consumer oriented and operated plans – non-profit, customer-owned and operated plans that could test out new ways to deliver health care – by about $1.9 billion.

• The sequester will be delayed for two months. Half of the delay will be offset by discretionary cuts, split between defense and non-defense. The other half will be offset by revenue raised by the voluntary transfer of traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs, which would tax retirement savings when they’re moved over.
  

The upcoming budget cuts required by the fiscal cliff deal will be part of discussions on the budget on Capitol Hill, and no one knows what agencies and programs they’ll affect. That’s a problem for consumers because vital programs may be slashed, especially with heavy lobbying from the military industrial complex not to cut military spending.

Even though the Democrats won big in November, Congress is gridlocked due to faulty policies supported by Republicans, the conservative media, including Fox News, and American corporations. It’s frustrating when so much needs to be done in this country, but special interest groups squash progress and the ability of the government to move forward positively.

Instead of adequately funding needed programs for consumers, Congress will be bogged down with what to cut, then we’ll have another fiscal cliff debate and – oh, yes – another debt ceiling debacle.

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Jobs, cell phones, federal finances, and holiday happiness are topics for this week’s Blogging Boomer Carnival

Tom Sightings at Sightings from 60 is this week’s host for the Blogging Boomer Carnival #288.

The carnival is a collection of like-minded blogs cooperating to share their best stories of interest to the Baby Boomer Generation.

For the first December carnival, baby boomer bloggers are writing about happier holidays, job losses in communities, the fiscal cliff, and a survey of cell phone companies.

Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, are leading corporations, serving as governmental officials, heading up non-profits, worrying about retirement, and experiencing layoffs at a higher rate than younger workers. They’re also reinventing themselves in trying economic times, with some looking for their dream jobs to keep them happy in retirement.

At each stage in their lives, boomers have changed things. They’re continuing to make America different as they begin entering into their retirement years.

In addition to The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide, members of the Blogging Boomer Carnival are: The Midlife Crisis Queen, Sightings From 60, Arabian Tales and Other Amazing Adventures, So Baby Boomer, and Vaboomer.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Corporations doing increasing well, while workers and consumers suffer

It was startling to read a Huffington Post article Friday that finance companies are raking in profits.

Corporate profits reached a record high in the third quarter, and the financial sector is doing particularly well, the article said, quoting a Commerce Department report released Thursday.

The article also said that workers are struggling. Average hourly pay, when adjusted for inflation, has fallen 0.7 percent over the past year, according to the Labor Department. And the unemployment rate in October was 7.9 percent, compared to a low of 4.4 percent in May 2007 before the Great Recession.

Consumers, too, are suffering, with layoffs and foreclosures continuing.

It’s becoming increasingly apparent that, although corporate America brought the country to its financial knees with the housing bubble debacle, it has learned new tricks for making record profits while leaving workers behind.

It’s appalling. Corporations want more and more money for themselves, while requiring employees to work harder for less and gouging consumers.

Americans gave Republicans and corporate America a clear message through the Nov. 6 election – we don’t want a country that runs on policies for corporations and the rich.

However, corporations are continuing on, as though nothing has changed.

An example? Another Huffington Post article said that Goldman Sachs is telling its clients to buy subprime mortgage investments again.

How can such a disastrous history be repeating itself in just four short years?

Workers and consumers need to fight against corporate power by joining together to further their interests.

Among groups that do effective work for consumers are Public Citizen, Center for Science in the Public Interest, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Environmental Working Group, Consumers Union, and Natural Resources Defense Council.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Hurricane Sandy is the big topic on this week’s Blogging Boomer Carnival

Anne Maxfield of the Accidental Locavore is this week’s host for Blogging Boomer Carnival #284.

The carnival is a collection of like-minded blogs cooperating to share their best stories of interest to the Baby Boomer Generation.

Baby boomer bloggers were without power for days, watched as others were hard hit, were unable to blog, warned of scams, and told of lessons learned due to Hurricane Sandy.

Other bloggers reported on increasing jobs for boomers and Thai cooking in Dubai.

Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, are leading corporations, serving as governmental officials, heading up non-profits, worrying about retirement, and experiencing layoffs at a higher rate than younger workers. They’re also reinventing themselves in trying economic times, with some looking for their dream jobs to keep them happy in retirement.

At each stage in their lives, boomers have changed things. They’re continuing to make America different as they begin entering into their retirement years.

In addition to The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide, members of the Blogging Boomer Carnival are: The Accidental Locavore, The Midlife Crisis Queen, Sightings From 60, Arabian Tales and Other Amazing Adventures, So Baby Boomer, Vaboomer, and Books Is Wonderful.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Books, food, jobs, finances, mortgages, Islam, and brain changes are the topics for this week’s Blogging Boomer Carnival

Laura Lee Carter of the Midlife Crisis Queen is the host of this week’s Blogging Boomer Carnival #283. Although she doesn't like the leaves falling and the snow starting, she's celebrating up a storm because her blog turns five this week.

The carnival is a collection of like-minded blogs cooperating to share their best stories of interest to the Baby Boomer Generation.

This week, boomer bloggers are writing about books, Duck Confit Shepherd’s Pie, jobs, financial planning, mortgage fraud, the Islamic religion, and computers changing the brain.

Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, are leading corporations, serving as governmental officials, heading up non-profits, worrying about retirement, and experiencing layoffs at a higher rate than younger workers. They’re also reinventing themselves in trying economic times, with some looking for their dream jobs to keep them happy in retirement.

At each stage in their lives, boomers have changed things. They’re continuing to make America different as they begin entering into their retirement years.

In addition to The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide, members of the Blogging Boomer Carnival are: The Accidental Locavore, The Midlife Crisis Queen, Sightings From 60, Arabian Tales and Other Amazing Adventures, So Baby Boomer, Vaboomer, and Books Is Wonderful.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist