Wearing a Sari

I've had a great desire to wear brightly colored garments for a long time. Don't have the money for them until they turn up at Good Will or DAV stores, but Love the feel of silk, embroidery (if the pattern is big enough to interpret by touch) shawls, scarves. They don't turn up very often.

I went on Ebay, just for curiosity's sake and found Loads of ventage sari fabric. I bought one and am wearing it now. I feel more comfortable with a shirt under it, but I Love the feel of the silk, draping around.

Then I began feeling bad. When buying luxury items, I try to buy Fair Trade. I bought this for less than $18, including shipping. So, did a poor family give up something they loved, an heirloom belonging to a grandmother, to survive another day or week?

I can't shop at pawn shops because I know that everyone who has to pawn something Usuallyy Wants it back, and Hopes it Won't Sell.

Native American families have had to sell jewelry or beaded items which have been in their families for generations, bo buy groceries.

I love the sari, but won't be buying more saris or sari fabric on Ebay, unless I find them Fair Trade Certified by the Fair Trade Federation. I haven't found a Fair Trade site selling saris. I don't wear this one in public, it just makes me Very happy to be in it at home. But I don't want to hurt other people by buying them cheap.

New subject: Help Keep Medicaid for low income people who are Fortunate enough to get it.
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Please take action and share with your networks.
Thanks to Families USA and Bazelon Center
for Mental Health Law for much of the content of this email. Michelle
CALL
1-866-922-4970
TODAY AND TELL CONGRESS TO PROTECT MEDICAID!
Medicaid's ability to serve low-income children and adults -- including those with
mental illnesses and other disabilities -- is at risk! Your calls helped prevent
cuts during the debt-ceiling compromise, which created the 12-member, bipartisan
“super committee.” Charged with developing a proposal by Thanksgiving to reduce the
federal deficit by at least $1.2 trillion, the super committee could open the door
to harmful cuts to Medicaid.
It is vital that lawmakers hear from you now about the importance of Medicaid to
children and adults with mental disabilities. Medicaid cuts would jeopardize critical
health care and supportive services, including a range of home- and community-based
services, for vulnerable Americans.
What You Can Do: Take advantage of the toll-free number
1-866-922-4970
to the Capitol Switchboard, provided courtesy of Families USA, to call your
U.S.
representative and two senators. The message:
“TELL THE SUPER COMMITTEE: NO CUTS TO MEDICAID. IT KEEPS PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
HEALTHY AND INDEPENDENT!”
You can keep your message simple by using the talking points below, but if you have
a good personal story about how Medicaid is benefitting someone you know (or yourself),
please share it.
The Super Committee must do no harm to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act! Cutting
Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act would harm millions of Americans, especially
children and adults with disabilities, jeopardizing their ability to live integrated
and independent lives in the community.
Medicaid is a major driver of economic growth in the states -- cutting it could severely
worsen our already troubled state economies.
Use a balanced approach to deficit reduction, with fair revenue increases and careful
spending cuts that do no harm to vulnerable Medicaid beneficiaries.
1 in 5 people with disabilities lives below the poverty line and Medicaid is their
only source for healthcare. Better health means better ability to live in the community
and stay out of more expensive nursing homes.
Medicaid is a lifeline and the major source of funding for mental health treatment.
Many critical benefits such as prescription drugs, case management and rehabilitative
services are optional under Medicaid – but are not “optional” in the lives of individuals
living with serious mental illness.
For more info on this issue:
http://familiesusa2.org/assets/pdfs/Threats-to-Medicaid-Continue.pdf