From Bernie:

“During yesterday’s Senate hearing, I asked officials of the Trump administration whether the coronavirus vaccine, once it is available, will be free for everyone. They refused to give a straight answer.

Let me be clear: This pandemic must not become another opportunity for the pharmaceutical companies to engage in profiteering and make billions.

With efforts underway — often with federal funding — to develop a coronavirus vaccine, we must guarantee that it will be available to every man, woman and child in this country without cost. That is the moral thing to do. That is good public health policy. With over 80,000 deaths already, the American people must not be forced to pay obscene prices in order to protect their lives.

Today, I am calling upon the Trump administration to make the vaccine free for everyone.

But it is not enough for them to hear from me. They need to hear from you too, which is why I am asking:

Please sign my petition: tell the Trump administration that any coronavirus vaccine must be free to all people in this country once it becomes available.

It is unbelievable to me that we have a president who cut funding for the World Health Organization and an international program to develop a vaccine, and who is hell-bent on throwing millions off the health insurance they already have.

Our job now is to work with scientists and researchers all over the world in coming up with a vaccine and treatment for this pandemic. This is an international crisis, and it will be solved with international effort. All countries have got to work together.

At a time when so many people are worried about whether they will be able to afford the testing and treatment they need if they or a loved one shows symptoms of the coronavirus, one thing that we absolutely must guarantee in this country is a cost-free coronavirus vaccine.

This pandemic must not become another way for the pharmaceutical companies to bring in huge profits. The vaccine must be available to everyone, regardless of their income, immigration status, or health insurance coverage.

In the midst of this public health crisis, the coronavirus vaccine must be available to everyone at no cost. Can you add your name if you agree?

Sign the petition: Tell the Trump administration to make the coronavirus vaccine free for everyone once it is developed.

Thank you for adding your name to our petition today.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders”

I’ve been wanting to create the above “bumper sticker” for some time, and I’m surprised it doesn’t yet exist.  But it sounds like the anti-Amazon movement is growing.  Not only am I very opposed to the company itself, I’m also opposed to the consumerist idea behind it.  Since when have we all become little Veruca Salts, constantly wanting so many things and wanting them NOW! no matter the cost to fellow human beings or the environment?  It baffles me and saddens me.  But that’s a post for another day…

I’ve been an anti-Amazoner for many years based on the information I’ve read about their practices–the way their workers are treated, the insanely negative environmental impact they have, their ties with ICE.  False promises, tax evasion, destroying local businesses and communities.  And with a CEO who might just be the scummiest person in the world.

Unsure how to approach my strong disagreement with the company, I’ve quietly listened to people discuss their “free” shipping and bargain prices, and watched some–almost all– of my favorite bloggers continually link to this poisonous company.  I get sick to my stomach thinking about Amazon and have found it difficult to get this post out.  A shift is coming though.  This company (which includes Whole Foods, Twitch, Kindle, GoodReads, Audible, Zappos, and IMDB) is being exposed on a grander scale, and they will go down.

Some articles (there are SO many out there, but just waiting for these to outweigh the numb “click and buy” mentality that has made so many blind to this company’s practices):
Why Boycott Amazon? (re: books)
Warehouse Worker Deaths
Amazon Prime Boycotts
10 Reasons to Avoid Amazon
It’s Time to Boycott Amazon

I don’t remember when I first saw The Story of Stuff, but I do remember feeling so excited to see this film and know that people like Annie Leonard were out there spreading this message.  When I saw The Story of Cosmetics back in 2010, my life hit a major turning point.  I had always been on board with environmental causes and doing my part, but to hear about the toxic chemicals in our products, especially in our personal care products, shocked me.  I was eager for more information.  And through books and blogs and articles, I pieced enough together to realize what a major problem this really was.  I immediately began on a path of making my own products.  And with the resources I was using, my world quickly opened up to other areas in my life where I wanted change.  I didn’t like what was in my soaps and shampoo, but I also didn’t like what was in my cleaning products, my packaged food, my craft supplies, and many other of my everyday items.  I went into extreme do-it-yourself mode, making my own laundry detergent and dishwashing soap, bar soap and shampoo.  I made our bread from scratch, but also things like our yogurt and almond milk and chocolate.  Baking soda and vinegar became the only cleaning supplies I used.  And while the arrival of our kids led me back into the land of buying some of these products, I was able to make smarter choices and continue much of what I had started.  And now that I’m coming out of “survival mode” a bit, I’m feeling ready to reduce our packaging and store-bought purchases once again.

I love that this one video changed my life in such a major way.  I love that I became a label reader and learned what ingredients to avoid, not just in food items, but in all our products.  I have seen a big shift since I started my own journey.  I see information and conversation around this topic in more and more places.  I feel like companies are catching on and we will be seeing more products that use fair and good ingredients and that stop trying to fool us with false labels and packaging.  We need to demand safe products in eco-conscious packaging.  We have enough on our plates without having to worry that what we’re buying and bringing into our homes is dangerous to our health and our environment.

If you haven’t seen The Story of Stuff, watch it now.  And if you’re one of the millions who has seen it, I strongly urge you to watch, not only The Story of Cosmetics, but also the many other videos offered by this truly amazing company.  The Story of Stuff Project gives me hope for our people and our world.