Noah Lamaide is a 12 year old American Kid and lives in Wisconsin. Noah really does speak for America at his website called Noah’s Dream Catcher Network. I really like Noah’s website because it is not about him. This is a website where Noah takes up a cause to help other people which is something all of us should do. [Read more…]
Trash is Cash
As kids, teenagers and even adults we often do not realize just how lucky we are to be raised in the United States. Way too many of us want more and more to be given to us. Some of us expect the government to take care of us.
Even those of us that may think of ourselves as poor do not realize how rich we really are until we see how some kids in other parts of the world may live. We complain because we may not have the money for a new cell phone, latest iPod or video game.
In this video Cash from Trash, boys and girls that live in poverty in Nairobi, Kenya have found a way of making cash from trash. These kids know that they are the ones that must take the initiative to improve their own life for if they don’t they die in a polluted environment and true poverty.
These kids are entrepreneurs in every since of the word. Each and everyone of us can take a lesson from these kids. No matter how you feel about rap music, pollution or climate change you will gain a lot by watching this video and listening to the message of these kids.
Paying National Debt
As a kid that keeps getting put deeper in debt before I even got out of middle school I was wondering if the Presidents or Congress is the blame for our continuing increase in the national debt. Math is not my best subject but it looks to me like both are and both the Democrats and Republicans share in the blame. I tried to look at this in the simplest way I could and will share with other kids here at Kids Speak for America what I learned.
The National Debt as of 9/30/1981 was 997,855,000,000 or just under a trillion dollars. Today the national debt is about 28 trillion dollars. Otherwise about 27 TRILLION dollars has been added to the national debt since 1981. Our leadership in both the Republican and Democratic parties are responsible for this out of control debt.
The President of the United States proposes a budget to the Congress and Congress recommends funding levels for the following fiscal year, beginning October 1. (A fiscal year is a 12 month budgeting period and unlike a calendar year it does not always start in January.)
After the Congress approves an appropriations bill, it is sent to the President, who can then sign it into law or veto it. If the bill is vetoed it is sent back to Congress and they can pass it into law with a two-thirds majority in each chamber.
So Democrats and Republicans I do not give a d*** who is at fault for our 28 TRILLION DOLLAR national debt. What I do care about is that all of them get your heads out of your behinds and start doing something about reducing it before us kids are so far in debt we will be working in rice paddy for the Chinese government.
When this article was written in 2011 the national debt was over 14 TRILLION and in 2921 it had doubled to TWENTY EIGHT TRILLION.
~Originally Submitted by Jake K. and updated February 2021~
Trillion Dollar Explanation
I asked my dad, my grandpa and a couple of my teachers what a trillion dollars was. All they seemed to know is that it was a lot of money and a one with 12 zeroes behind it. $1,000,000,000,000. Wow that must be a lot of money but I was still confused. My allowance when I do my chores is $5 per week. Since I don’t like cleaning my room I don’t always get my $5. Now if I cleaned my room for 2 weeks in a row I would have $10. but it would take me 20 weeks to get $100 or 200 weeks to get $1,000. If you get the idea where I am going.
Now to help you visualize it a bit better a MILLION = 1,000,000, a BILLION = 1,000,000,000, a TRILLION = 1,000,000,000,000 and in January 2021 our national debt was over 27 trillion and nearing 28 trillion and it continues to grow
Not even the richest people in the world like Elon Musk, Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos has a trillion dollars. I really don’t know how to explain a trillion dollars but if you will watch this video you will see that it is a whole lot of money and that our government is doing a real good job of putting every one of us kids, our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends and even people who live on the street so deep in debt it will take a whole lot more than a Christmas miracle to solve this one.
Should Presidents Stay Home?
Hearing $200,000,000 a day for the trip that President Obama took to Mumbai, India I did some more checking. I am certainly not an Obama fan but in all fairness I tried to look into it to see if it was possible for this to be the real amount.
I learned that the $200 million per day figure came from the news agency Press Trust of India. This figure might be true or it might be made up.
I heard that about 3,000 people including government officials, Secret Service agents and press will be in the entourage. Even though the press supposedly pays their expense I bet a little or even a lot of it is still paid by the government.
To get ready for one of these trips for Obama or any other President is quite involved. Prior to a trip like this our U.S. security agencies, ships, helicopters and security equipment needs to be in place.
In an Oct. 7, 2009, article for McClatchy Newspapers a reporter by the name of Steven Thomma did a bit of research trying to estimate the costs of these trips and this is what he discovered:
“The costs of the trips — borne by taxpayers — are difficult to measure, but they’re expensive. When (the president) uses the familiar blue-and-white reconfigured 747 as Air Force One, it costs $100,219 an hour to operate, according to the Air Force. And that’s just HIS plane.”
“There also are cargo planes, used to fly in armored limousines, helicopters, staff and other equipment, as well as the Secret Service. A single Air Force C-17 cargo jet, for example, costs $6,960 an hour, according to the Congressional Research Service.”
“A total of 77 other aircraft were used on one multi-country trip to Asia by former President Bill Clinton in 2000, according to the Air Force Times, including 14 C-17 Globemasters, 12 C-5 Galaxys, three C-141 Starlifters and two C-130 Hercules. ABC News at the time estimated the cost of that entire trip at $50 million.”
In another article it stated, “Presidential travel to foreign destinations requires planning, coordination, and logistical and personnel support,” the report stated. “The estimated incremental costs of President Clinton’s trips to Africa, Chile, and China were at least $42.8 million, $10.5 million, and $18.8 million, respectively. The largest of these costs consisted of operating expenses of the president’s aircraft and other military passenger and cargo aircraft; travel expenses, including lodging for the travelers; and telecommunications, vehicle, and other equipment rentals and procurement in the countries visited.”
Both Press Trust of India and the Times of India reported that two US Air Force Jumbos and four helicopters landed ahead of the president’s visit. They also reported that Obama will be protected by a fleet of 34 warships, including an aircraft carrier.
The Times of India also reported the following:
“Obama is expected to fly by a helicopter — Marine One — from the city airport to the Indian Navy’s helibase INS Shikra at Colaba in south Mumbai.”
“From there, he will drive down in a Lincoln Continental — the Presidential limousine — to the nearby the Taj Hotel.”
“Two jets, armed with advanced communication and security systems, and a fleet of over 40 cars will be part of Obama’s convoy.”
“Around 800 rooms have been booked for the President and his entourage in Taj Hotel and Hyatt.”
“The President will have a security ring of American elite Secret Service, which are tasked to guard the President, along with National Security Guards (NSG) and personnel from central paramilitary forces and local police in Mumbai and Delhi.”
“Similar arrangements will be in place in Delhi, with the Air Force One to be kept in all readiness throughout Obama’s stay here from Sunday afternoon to Tuesday morning.”
As I read all of that it sounded to me like we are spending way too much money and non-needed expense but if it really is I do not know. The White House disputes the $200 million dollar a day figure but whatever the cost for a trip like this really cost we need to ask – are trips like this really that necessary for our president regardless of who he is or what party he or someday she is a member of? It makes me wonder should Presidents stay home?
Thanks grandpa for helping me research this article.
