President Obama, I have a solution

President Obama, I have a solution. Well, truthfully, it’s not my solution but I was present at its inception and it seems these days when it comes to politics, attendance is all that really counts.

This was a few weeks ago while Linda and I ran a few errands. We have a local market across the street from our house and a larger grocery store a mile away, but once a week or so Linda drives to the neighboring town to shop at Winco. Half big box warehouse, half grocery store on steroids, Winco sells produce by the truckload and canned goods by the case. Unlike Costco, this particular grocer offers large quantities of food in bulk and regular sized packages. Employees wear stiff green vests decorated with buttons that say, “Employee Owned & Operated” and work at a pace on par with government offices. Lines form behind back to back registers outfitted with huge self serve conveyor belts. The idea is that if customers unload their own carts then pack their own bags overhead goes down along with the prices.

It was here, just outside Winco where I witnessed history in the making. A rusted Ford Pinto had just pulled up coughing black smoke out the back and cigarette smoke from the windows and we witnessed a homeless man tumble from inside. He loudly thanked the driver for the lift then proceeded to unload 12 wheelbarrow-sized bags filled with aluminum cans. Winco is home to the largest can and bottle-recycling center I’ve ever seen. Just to the left side of the entrance sits an entrance large enough to drive a truck through. It’s like a cave, dimly lit, and extends back deep enough to hold a small army of patrons. The cement around the entrance is stained with wine and smells so strongly of alcohol it really did provide a perfect environment for such a brilliant idea.

“If President Obama just started a cash for cans program and paid these people more than a nickel a can, he could probably fix the economy in a month,” Linda said. Winco was our first stop, about 9:00 am, and there was already a large lineup of patrons waiting to cash in their evenings take. Linda kept on saying something like, “Publish this on your blog, Christian, send it to the masses.” But I wasn’t listening, I was wondering how many cans we had back in our garage should this plan go into effect.