The Price You Gotta Pay

Ever hear the expression “freedom isn’t free”? Well, my fellow Americans…it’s the truth. And that expression doesn’t just apply to the brave men and women overseas and around the world courageously putting their lives at risk on the front lines of war every day for our freedom. It doesn’t just apply to our heroic veterans of past, present and future who have served and will serve their country with great pride. And it doesn’t just apply to our fallen soldiers who have paid the ultimate price by sacrificing their lives to provide better ones for us…God bless their souls.

No, that expression applies to every single person who calls themselves an American. Nobody is exempt. We, as citizens of the United States of America-a free country-have an obligation to pay for that freedom. There are prices that we must pay to be able to do and say whatever we want, whenever we want to do and say it. There are prices for living free. And just like the prices of goods and products we need on a daily basis to survive change, and go up or down, so do the prices of living free. And we have a responsibility to pay the prices set by the people that we elect to determine those costs. (Yes, the people that we elect. We elect officials to look out for our best interest. We elect the people to do what is necessary to keep us and our freedom safe. We elect our government.)

Now, some people might not like the prices that have to be paid or the changes that have to be made to those prices or the politicians making all of those decisions-people certainly don’t like paying $3.50 for a gallon of gas, or being told where they can and can’t smoke cigarettes, or that the NSA monitors internet activity to potentially keep us safe from terrorism and other threats, or that when two people love each other they should be able to get married regardless of their gender, or the fact that the government is forcing them to buy health insurance because it is economically responsible to do so and will also keep insurance companies from driving up cost, dropping your coverage when you need it the most and worst of all, flat out screwing-over the elderly and the chronically sick, or that strict universal back round checks should be performed on ALL firearm sales to keep violent weapons out of the hands of criminals, the mentally challenged, the clinically insane and innocent children who just don’t know any better, or the fact that there are certain firearms out there that should be illegal to buy, period, or that their taxes go up on a yearly basis, or the fact that the United States has to “police” the world to ensure homeland security-but it is every Americans responsibility to pay for those rights of freedom, whether they accept the responsibility or not. Do you think members of our military like being targeted and shot at every single day? No, but they do it anyway because they understand that it has to be done.

If you don’t like the way things are then you have the ability to get involved and make a change. That’s what makes America great. That’s what freedom really is. When all you do is argue and disagree, in a non-productive way, with everything the government decides is best for you and your fellow citizens, that’s when you hurt our country, give us a bad name and put our freedom in jeopardy. Until Americans realize the government isn’t trying to take our freedom away from us, they’re trying to preserve it for our children, our young and our youth-the future leaders of the world-then none of us will truly be able to prosper in all the glories of what freedom really is and what freedom really stands for. It’s the price you gotta pay.

Box Tops 4 Education

We’ve all seen those cut out coupons on the top of our cereal boxes, but how many of us can say that we actually cut them out or even know what they are used for. The truth is, unless you’re a parent or a teacher, most people could probably care less what Box Tops for Education is, what it does or how to participate. With this post, I hope to bring more awareness to what Box Tops are and the absolute good they can do for you and your community.

Box Tops for Education is a program designed to help K-8 schools across the country raise money on a yearly basis for necessities to survive. With over 90,000 schools participating in the program, Box Tops have provided $525,000,000 for education since its beginning in 1996.

So, how exactly does it work? Well, when it comes down to it, it starts with us. You can now find Box Tops labels on over 250 consumer products including name brand items like General Mills, Betty Crocker, Bisquick, Reynolds, Fiber One, Gold Metal, Pilsbury, Yoplait, Totino’s, Old El Paso, Progresso, Suddenly Salad, Tuna Helper, Chicken Helper, and Hamburger Helper. Also products like Cottonelle, Scott, Ziploc, Green Giant, Grands, Ocean Spray, Reeses, Alpine Lace, Land O Lakes, Bugles, Chex Mix, Cascadian Farm, Cereal Treat Bars, Motts, Nature Valley, Larabar, Gardettos, Food Should Taste Good, and Hefty and Hanes products. You can also find eBoxTops at over 300 online retailer websites and can even find bonus Box Tops on receipts at participating grocery stores.

Once you find the labels all you have to do is cut or tear them out before you throw away the containers or print them out when you purchase something online. Then, send them to school with your kids or take them to the schools office yourself. You may even be able to find a drop box in your local grocery store. When the Box Tops are turned in, your school gets money for whatever it needs.

Now, here is where it gets a little political. With the national debt eating away at our pocketbooks and across the board spending cuts damaging our educational system, far too few of us participate in this program. We the people have the ability to make a change. We the people still have the ability to run this country and we the people have the opportunity to make things right for our children, our youth and our future.

And it’s so easy. Simply start buying products with Box Top labels (chances are, you probably already have items in your house with the labels on them) and take the time to clip or tear them off. You could even just collect the labels and turn them in once a year. They usually don’t expire for a few years depending on when you purchase the item. Each coupon is worth $0.10. Schools that participate in the program are able to earn up to $20,000 per year from Box Tops.

Yes, that’s $20,000 per year! And most schools don’t even come close to reaching that goal. When you look at the numbers a bit closer and break them down between 90,000 different schools, over the past 18 years those schools have only averaged around $325.00 per year, when they could be maxing out at that $20,000 mark. Granted, some schools achieve more than others and some schools achieve less, but we have far more schools not even coming close to that maximum number than we do reaching it.

 For example, Carter Elementary, in my hometown of Montrose, Michigan has only averaged around $2,332 over the last 5 years. Overall, since the program began, this school has only earned $22,701. That’s just over the total it could receive each year. These labels are essentially free money considering the fact that Box Tops are on items that we already buy and use each day.

It’s on us to help out our schools collect these Box Tops because if the government can’t find ways to fund education, then we the people must step up and do something. Even if you don’t have young children yourself, surely you know somebody that does or somebody that would benefit. $20,000 may not seem like that much but I assure you it could go a long way. Not only does clipping Box Tops help our schools by freeing up money to pay good teachers or make improvements with the newest technology and etc., but when you buy Box Tops products it’s going to help the economy as well. It’s a win-win for everybody and it all begins with us. So, start clipping those Box Tops. It will better our schools, our kids, our economy and our selves.

Sources:

http://www.boxtops4education.com/