So this year instead of going out to the mall and buying something random.  Why not make this year different.  Buy gifts with a social message attached to them.  There are many non profit companies that make items that benefit society. Shopping at these retailers creates a demand for goods that are free trade, meaning that the goods and products are made without any human trafficking or slavery.

Most of the organizations that produce products that are sold in the U.S. are made from the people that the organization wants to help.  For instance, I just bought a beanie from Krochet Kids.  Krochet Kids was started from by a few guys who knew how to crochet and when one of them went to Uganda, he had an idea to sell beanies made from women who need the work.  The organization puts women to work and allows them to get out of the cycle of poverty that many are in.

Many of the items that are bought are clothes and jewelry.  A friend of mine started Freedom and Fashion, an organization that puts on an annual fashion show to highlight the organizations that are making jewelry and clothes.  These manufacturers are making these products that are free of human trafficking, modern day slavery, and other human rights issues in mind.  They just recently had their second show and was a huge success.

So this holiday season, do something out of the norm and buy something that will make the world a better place.

A controversial list of cuts proposed by Obama's debt panel hopes to cut about $4 trillion from the U.S. deficit over the next 10 years.  The report for cuts is uncompromising in that both sides the left will not like the spending cuts and the right will be unfavorable to revenue increases.  

The $4 trillion dollar cut would come from a majority of spending cuts while the other will come from a reduction of tax breaks.  The report basically says that this country can't afford to spend more than it takes in.  Something that most households already knows but somehow the federal government doesn't seem to grasp this concept. 

In order for the commission to make the official recommendations to Congress, the panel of 18 members would need 14 members to approve it.  Currently, the panel only has 7 yes votes.   It is expected that the commission will fail to generate the necessary votes to submit the recommendations to Congress.  This is another example of wasted money and time in the federal government.