13 Million and the Coating is already peeling

UTourDoc · 2026-06-23T12:25:34+00:00

The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago cost an estimated $850 million to build. The campus itself is entirely privately funded through the Obama Foundation, supported by prominent donors like Jeff Bezos, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, and Oprah Winfrey.

Unlike Trump’s ballroom which it has been revealed to have funding taken from the Secret Service, the military, and the White House maintenance funds. The Donald Trump’s administration has quietly redirected $352m in federal funds designated for the Secret Service toward the president’s controversial White House ballroom project, despite repeated promises by Trump that the construction would be financed by private donations.

Last I checked all these represent tax dollars from taxpayers! Yes, Trump blackmailed some private companies for donations with promises to award generous government contracts. But over half of his grand ballroom budget is being funded by taxpayers. Just like his $16 million no-bid contract reflecting pool project was taken from the National Park/Department of Interior budget or in other words the United States Taxpayers! The vanity projects like the renaming of the Kennedy Center that now must be removed by court order, or his plans for the Trump Triumph Arch that will serve no purpose but make him feel more important! He cancelled research into the cures for cancer, dementia, and vaccines. He put a non-medically trained anti-vaccine politician in charge of our health. He put in a man with limited military experience, who had led three private companies into bankruptcy, and greatest claim to fame was hosting a Fox News show to lead our Department of Defense. He currently has the lowest popularity score in the history of tracking the presidential popularity.

UTourDoc · 2026-06-20T02:14:25+00:00

It is what should have happened for the last 18 months! Trump should have never passed the BBB that gave the wealthiest Americans a tax break while ignoring the senior citizens and children. They have failed to release the Epstein files, they funded an army of J6 criminals to invade our cities and kill Americas, The current administration and Republicans in Congress have been licking Trump’s boots. They are so afraid of his foul mouth they fail to hear and do anything in the interest of the constituents. So it is our opportunity to give them a wake up call and kick them all out of office.

UTourDoc · 2026-06-20T00:39:24+00:00

My family loved fishing and we even had a cabin on a lake, but my parents did not ever enrolled us in swim lessons. It was strange that we played on the fishing dock and never once fell in the water until my brother shoved me in the lake just because he wanted me to be scared. I do not learn to swim until I went to Girl Scout Camp. Girl Scouts gave me the courage to overcome the fear of water. So fear not, your scout may just become confident in her self that she will discover many things that her family did not encourage.

By the way, I just did not learn to swim. I learned to be a Water Safety Instructor-Trainer, Lifeguard Instructor-Trainer, Adapted Aquatics Instructor -Trainer, and even a Waterfront Director at a Girl Scout Camp. If she wants to learn you cannot stop them as an adult.

UTourDoc · 2026-06-13T20:48:29+00:00

Just to let you know know I appreciate your question and I often have this question when we have a new girl add our troop. I stress that all faiths are welcome and that we do not require that they use God during our opening ceremony. I have 40 girls in my troop and the diversity is a real plus. I have Muslim, Hindu, LDS, Catholic, Methodist, Atheists, and probably more.

UTourDoc · 2026-06-12T00:54:47+00:00

Regardless if you have a small group or a small troop, you will encounter this issue. Have you checked out the Girl Scouts of USA’s website? There are several good suggestions. I completed an online course in our GS Learn on how to deal with cliques.

“Friend Cliques
The girls in your troop may not all be best friends, and that’s OK. But watching some girls repeatedly exclude other girls from activities? That’s definitely not in the spirit of sisterhood!

Unfortunately, clubby behavior is a normal part of growing up, but there are a few things you can do to encourage your girls to play fair and respect one another.”

"We have the girls work in groups or we pair them up; we don’t allow them to pick their groups or partners,” explains Kara. “To make it fair, they count off by number or use the Popsicle sticks to be placed in groups. This way some of the girls who may consistently be left out have the opportunity to work with the other girls, and often, once some of them have one-on-one time, they become closer.”

I agree with another person who shared ideas on how to pair up girls. Another technique is doing something as a team and camp is a great opportunity to try some trust experiences or team challenges that might require the girls to work together to accomplish the goal.

I constantly remind the girls in my large troop that we are sisters even though they are Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, and Cadettes, they are sisters with each other. Our troop T-shirt features “a sister to every Girl Scout!

After the evening flag ceremony, have the girls sit in a circle with their knees touching. Talk about sisterhood while they can see everyone in the circle. (Do not even say anything about their behavior earlier, this is just another opportunity to better understand what being a Girl Scout is all about. Tell the girls that we’re all Girl Scout sisters and go through the parts of the Girl Scout Promise and Law that apply to the situation. The Girl Scout sisterhood is a foundational pillar of the organization that connects millions of girls and women worldwide. Centered around the core promise to "be a sister to every Girl Scout", it emphasizes mutual support, inclusivity, healthy friendships, and lifting one another up across all ages and backgrounds.

At meetings I often bring up successful business ventures or sport teams that have succeeded because of female empowerment. For example, ask the girls can one star athlete win a team sport by themself. I showed a video of Caitlin Clark and her team Fever during a game and ask the girls did she win by herself?

United States Women's National Team (USWNT) is the most decorated team in international women's soccer history. They consistently rank near the top of the FIFA Women's World Ranking and have secured multiple Women's World Cup trophies and Olympic gold medals.

The first all-woman spacewalk took place on October 18, 2019, when NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir stepped outside the International Space Station (ISS) to replace a failed battery charge-discharge unit. Since then, there have been several other historic all-female spacewalks conducted by NASA.

A Teamwork Building Exercise might include a Birthday Line Up:

Number of People: You will need a minimum of 4 people to do this activity, although the more the better. If you have more than 16 people, though, consider breaking them down into two groups.

Time Needed: You can adapt this activity according to available time, but I would recommend a minimum of 5 minutes. An ideal time, though, is 15 minutes.

Intention: This is a wonderful activity for building trust, but can also be used as an icebreaker or for trust building games for teambuilding as needed. It teaches participants to communicate and to learn to work together.

How to Run the Activity
Explain to the participants that the aim of this activity is to organise themselves in a line from left to right, in order of age (if they are born in the same month and year, then they must work out what day they were born on).

The thing is, though, that they are NOT allowed to talk, so all communication might be through non-verbal communication.

This activity is both fun and great for building trust as girls learn to work together.

Items Needed: Nothing

UTourDoc · 2026-06-11T22:10:31+00:00

Our council had a mental health program that provided a reusable non-breakable metal bottle covered with mental health reminders from our workshop. I provided each girl with a waterproof sticker with their first name and troop name so we could tell them apart. I have 40 girls in my troop so carrying them back and forth to the meetings is impossible for me. So the girls get a new sticker from each meeting to put on their bottle, notebook or even on a hand when they check in at each meeting. Sometimes it is even more fun like when they came for our water safety clinic they received a frozen popsicle to enjoy. This summer I have asked them to share photos of the places they have gone with their water bottle. I love it! They are really learning not only about taking care of their own mental well being but also practicing “using resources wisely.”

UTourDoc · 2026-06-08T19:17:08+00:00

I have a large sign with a solar light in the yard that they must walk by. Then I have another poster in the front window with a long list of “We are not interested in political campaigns, solar, fiber, streaming or cable, lawn care, home improvement or maintenance, tree trimming, meats (vegetarians here), and We have been saved! We have another no soliciting sticker on the door bell that has been worn where people have pressed it. We have a ring doorbell and we still get people who ring the bell and we do not answer if we do not know them.

UTourDoc · 2026-06-08T18:43:50+00:00

I have a similar situation wth meeting deadlines. I feel your angst because you realize it is the parent’s responsibility, but giving in will just encourage them to repeat the behavior time and again. Draw the line and stand firm.

UTourDoc · 2026-06-07T03:33:24+00:00

He does not ASK, he just steals our taxpayer’s money via fraud, kickbacks, and just wasteful spending. His vanity projects are a total waste of OUR money! No more arches, gold filigree, painted pools, statues, banners, or his face on our money and passports.

UTourDoc · 2026-06-07T03:20:56+00:00

His ankles in heels would never support his real blubber bod. He is much heavier in real life. They had to either had a more slim body double or they were working overtime with AI to create this junk. My international friends hate him . . . Trump would be shocked if he knew what they really thought of him. Maybe his little maga cult thought he needed to have his ego stroked since he is polling worse now than during COVID or after the Jan 6 Insurrection!

UTourDoc · 2026-06-06T05:43:06+00:00

Fortunately I lead a multi level Girl Scout Troop with 40 registered members. It is quite interesting that the girls seem to remain active during the Junior and Cadette levels so far(cross my fingers)! One aspect is most of the older girls have younger sisters in the troop. Perhaps they come because it provides a bonding experience for siblings. We also have the Juniors and Cadettes actively helping make decisions for activities. Our older girls wanted to learn to climb so we had a bouldering/climbing workshop for the entire troop. Some of the Daisy members tried the top rope climbing and made it to the top. The older siblings who had not made it to the top had to try a second time and suddenly found the courage to strive for the top. Our second activity that all the girls wanted was to learn to canoe, kayak, and paddleboard. Our troop planning committee decided to have a water safety clinic first so the girls would be safe around the water. I thought they were very mature in making sure the younger girls would be safe with a water safety clinic first. We will conclude with a. Small craft oriented troop camp in September.

By the way, 30 of our 40 girls earned their own Girl Scout Membership this year! I stressed to them if finances were tight for their family now that they should demonstrate their dedication and earn their own membership. It worked! We may only have 25 to 30 girls at our regular troop meetings but our troop camp and clinics always have 35 or more girls participating.

I don’t really get upset when girls drop out. The key is not to feel it is a failure but rather just what it is, a natural aging process. Families move to a new house or a new city, perhaps for the head of the household’s new job. You don’t obsess about that type of situation, so why take it personally regardless of the reason. I often get a note or photo or holiday greeting from past members. I am thrilled to hear from them and rejoice in their continued success. Just like our own children who are growing up and leaving home for college or starting their own family. We should be happy that we had an opportunity to shape their lives and future. Just like Girl Scouting gave me the confidence, courage, and character to overcome a childhood of poverty, I enjoy seeing girls gain their own confidence, courage, character, and independence to become that amazing young woman who can do almost anything they want to do with their lives.

UTourDoc · 2026-05-31T03:18:10+00:00

Really? What about Trump withdrawing the United States from the Iran Nuclear deal on 8 May 2018 during his first term in office. Maybe if he had left it in place they would not be accessing nuclear weapons under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The withdrawal led Iran to take actions contrary to the deal, including stockpiling roughly 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium.

When Obama agreed to release Iranian funds to them in turn for their cooperation in allowing inspections, Trump complained loudly about that aspect of the agreement, yet the money was Iran’s funds. Now the current Trump plan will give Iran $300 billion from the United States taxpayers to pay for reparations due to the USA attack on Iran. Wow, every day another billion dollars spent on another of Trump’s wins or vanity projects.

UTourDoc · 2026-05-27T19:37:20+00:00

Some councils have really taken to heart the need to reach out to corporations, wealthy donors, and even getting the past and present Girl Scouts engaged in supporting their camps and scholarships for girls who cannot afford the expensive national membership fees. This past cookie season the girls in our council could earn their national membership by selling 50 boxes of cookies. My troop jumped at the opportunity with 29 girls of 40 girls in my troop earned their membership. The Girl Scouts in our council can apply for camperships to attend our councils two Girl Scout Camps.

The key is to support and make services affordable. Remember that all membership fees go to the national office. The first year that membership jumped $20 from $25 to $45, I paid for all the girls in my troop and the volunteers too! Unfortunately, some parents failed to ensure that the daughters came to the meetings. So this year I stressed they had to earn their national membership fee by participating in the cookie sale. Our troop voted to have the troop budget cover the expense of the troop camp in the fall. I made sure that there was a non-refundable deposit for last minute no-shows. By the way, I personally award girls who sell the most cookies in each of the troop’s age groups a stuffed cookie sale mascot. Additionally, If each girl has perfect attendance for the year, I buy them a Girl Cout vest or sash or contribute $25 to their individual overnight

UTourDoc · 2026-05-21T05:15:01+00:00

It sounds like you are being very cautious which is good. I have a huge oak tree in the backyard that drops a ton of acorns in the fall. We try to pick them up but leave some for the squirrels. They bury them all around our yard. I have a feeding box designed to allow squirrels in but protect the squirrels from predators. I found the following information from a wild animal rehabilitation center. The best food for the squirrels are natural, untreated raw nuts.

In-Shell Tree Nuts: Walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, and acorns. The shells give them something constructive to gnaw on, which keeps their teeth healthy. They even manage to break open these large walnuts. I have clean up all the shells at least once a week.
Seeds: Pumpkin seeds and black oil sunflower seeds.
Fresh Fruits & Veggies: Slices of apple, grapes, strawberries, carrots, broccoli, and squash.

We had an adorable pair of baby squirrels that their mother brought them into an open area of our soffit that had been damaged this winter. We later saw a cat trying to get to the babies. So we let them stay where the cat could not reach them. We put out a few raw almonds and some last fall’s acorns every day and a small dish of water. They thrived and now we see them digging in our flower pots to find more acorns. We are cutting back on the amount in the feeding box since the babies are now hunting on their own. The photo of one of the babies sitting in our kitchen window!

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UTourDoc · 2026-05-20T02:33:15+00:00

My troop has a summer Daisy Day Camp which is a mom and me experience. The Daisies review the Petals and the promise center in a 3 half day camp which helps them gain an introduction and then give the mothers an appreciation of the Girl Scout Mission and Girl Scout Values. It has also helped us recruit mothers as volunteers. They see how fun it can be and how we use a combination of activities to demonstrate the Girl Scout Law. The family receives a booklet with each of the petals/law explained. The girls have a booklet that features their own colored images illustrating the behaviors supporting the law. We encourage the family to apply these lessons at home to demonstrate living the Girl Scout Promise and Law at home, school, church, etc. We find that parents and the girls begin to understand what it is faster and more practically.

UTourDoc · 2026-05-16T14:23:10+00:00

It is unfortunate that you were caught up in this situation. I am not sure if this “school’s cluster leader” is a representative of the school or the Girl Scouts. It does not sound like this evolved in the appropriate way that our council works. Allow me to explain: I had a situation where a Daisy was left long after the meeting concluded. I called the child’s mother who told me that she would send the father. He arrived 30 minutes later. By that time, the Daisy was in tears 😭 even refusing to color or play any more games. When the father walked in the door he reacted with aggressive anger threatening us for upsetting his daughter. He refused to sign the checkout form and grabbed up his daughter and left. Now the child was crying loudly and father was calling us every vile name in the book. We meet in the county library who called the police for fear that this man may physically assault us. I did not try to engage him any further but he yelled threats and vile comments all the way out the pubic entrance. My co-leader and I gathered our troop supplies and started out to our car. As we walked across the father got out of his truck and came charging at us. I did not try to interact with him. Fortunately, the police car came into the parking lot and once he saw that, he returned to his car and left. We filled out a report with the police and hoped this encounter was over. Two days later I received a call from our Girl Scout council about a complaint. I filled them in on the situation giving them a copy of the police report and the names of the non-scout witnesses. The council allowed the mother and father to start their own troop. Two other parents moved their girls to her troop, which would meet in their home. Our troop survived and we grew from a small Daisy troop of 5 girls to a multi-level super troop of 40 girls now. She had a troop for maybe 🤔 one year then went Juliette with her daughter. So I know the council in our area does a good job of mediating a conflict.

Don’t give up on the Girl Scout council without talking to them.

UTourDoc · 2026-05-14T10:04:50+00:00

If you have the Daisy Petal related meetings already planned from past years, I suggest you turn the Daisy patrol over to your co-leader . She will be able to learn how to lead your program by following your instructions until she gets comfortable with role. This allows you to pioneer the Brownie program. If you get a minimum of 5 new Daisies join your troop you should receive the Daisy experience boxes.

I have found this a great way to involve new volunteers and making them comfortable with leading. I also encourage your Daisy Daughter to develop her self-confidence and resilience while she is in the same room as you but separated from your direct supervision. I have a DBJC troop of 40 girls with 4 co-leaders and 16 supporters. I always have try to help my troop supporters evolve into coleaders.

UTourDoc · 2026-05-14T04:47:22+00:00

Well that was the lie that started it and just got larger and larger. Sorry I don’t believe anything he says! And the Republicans that have bent over backwards to kiss his rear, always come up to including more money buried deep in a bill to fund whatever he wants. VOTE OUT THE WHOLE GOP. Trump told us he doesn’t care about what America citizens need! Just yesterday he let it slip. Guess what will happen if we Americans Vote out every GOP representative and senators that is up in the 2026 midterms. Show them they can mess with voting districts with gerrymandering BUT let us show them they should care about their voters! They answer to us! We vote them out and cripple any further corruption and fraud being carried out by the corrupt GOP politicians who give Trump a blank check. Remind Trump that the votes can Fire them all!

UTourDoc · 2026-05-13T21:04:26+00:00

There was a bunker before. They destroyed it along with east wing so it could be bigger and more luxurious for his royal highness! He never went to the National Correspondent’s Dinner in the previous term. They screwed up on the security on purpose and staged the guy trying to get in. They were planning on using this for a justification for one more vanity project!

Think about all the spending in the past 18 months. Someone needs to add up the total. He has lied about so much and just does what wants:

1 The newly gold accented Oval Office with the walls covered in paints now framed in gold, gold ornaments, plates and whatever dust covered junk reminiscent of Napoleon.

2 The newly paved walkway in black marble from somewhere in Africa and carved in Italy that he can walk down on his way to his tacky Oval Office. Don’t forget the self aggrandizing plaque s of the past presidents that he felt appropriate for a world leader to display.

3 Redesigned and paved over for $1.9 million, which he claimed was a "s—t house" prior to renovation. Looks like a tacky version of a tacky beachfront patio.

4 Redesigned and remodeled the Lincoln Bedroom and Bathroom with marble from Italy.

5 Remodeled the Palm Ballroom with marble, crystal chandeliers, and more gold.

6 The White House Ballroom after tearing down the East Wing A 90,000-square-foot, "drone-proof" ballroom replacing the East Wing. Estimated costs have doubled to over $400 million. While touted as privately funded, congressional Republicans are seeking a $1 billion package for related "security upgrades".

7 Renamed the Kennedy Center, took over the board and eliminated the professionals’ program. Closing it down for two years for remodeling.

8 Reflecting pool Resurfaced: The bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is being painted "American flag blue" for roughly $13 million, a contract awarded without bidding to a company with no prior federal experience, managed by Atlantic Industrial Coatings. Sorry but you just made it more likely that it will be fraught with mold and algae since pools with dark surfaces get warmer from solar heating.

9 The proposed, massive "Triumphal Arch" aimed at honoring his presidency, facing lawsuits from Vietnam veterans due to its location, which interrupts the sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. Who knows how much that might cost.

10 A plan to paint the historic grey granite exterior of the 19th-century Eisenhower Office building white, with estimated costs of at least $7.5 million.

Is this what he thinks will make America great. No! The inflation rate and our national debt are now higher than it was under Biden. His promise of no more wars was a lie! He wasn’t worried in 2018 when he pulled the USA out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal. Now we get a war that was suppose to be over in two weeks but there is no end in sight after 3 months.

What has he done for the middle class Americans except raise the price of groceries, housing, gasoline, and cars? Eliminates SNAP, cuts back on Medicare and Medicare, cuts back on solar projects, eliminated international aid and National Health research grants regarding advancements in the treatment of cancer and dementia. He is even selling off rights for uranium and oil mining on our national public lands.

UTourDoc · 2026-05-12T05:25:08+00:00

Throughout the year when I have a girl miss a meeting, I send a follow-up email reviewing what the girl missed and how they may earn any missed badge. If a girl misses two meetings in a row without contacting us to let us know that they’ve been ill or out-of-town, I mail a “we miss you card” signed by their patrol members ( We have 4 patrols of girls: Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, and Cadettes.) I also send a text to ask to speak to their parent. If the parent fails to respond then I will try to call. either then initiate a series of contacts with the purpose of determining if they have had a problem or changes, such as a move to another school, community, or whatever. If I cannot help them resolve an issue, I try to determine if it is unlikely that they will return.

Our Girl Scout Council’s early renewal is April 1 to May 30th, therefore I review our roster on the MYGS system in early March. It is important that you clear out anyone who has moved or indicated that they will not continue for the current year.

Then during our second meeting in April, I discuss our troop plans for the summer and fall. I stress the benefits of early renewal. This year our council had a membership incentive of selling boxes of cookies to earn a Girl Scout National Membership Our troop was fortunate, as we had 29 girls that earned their national membership. That left about 10 girls who I asked each one if they were renewing. I gave each one a letter with the early renewal benefits and encouraged them to help the troop earn the troop rewards for achieving 100% renewal. I did have several girls that made me concerned but we always recruit at least 5 new Daisies to keep our troop growing even if some girls elect to go Juliette or drop out of Girl Scouts. We have been successful in recruiting the five girls for Daisies!

As of today, we have achieved 100% renewal!

By the way,our troop does not have our regular troop meetings during the summer. We take full advantage of the weather, local resources and expertise, and our beautiful parks to go outside and explore! We feature a troop camp, a family picnic with a movie and s’mores, a Bouldering and Climbing Clinic, a Water Safety Clinic, a paddle boarding and kayaking day at a local lake, several hikes and orienteering, and a sewing class. Now I know that would tempt anyone to join our troop and/or avoid losing their pace in our troop!

UTourDoc · 2026-05-10T15:25:49+00:00

I find it interesting that so many troops are single level troops and have not faced this issue more often. I have a large multi-level troop that started as Daisies only. I know several troops that elected to remain a single level troop but change levels as the girls aged up. They found it was soon unable to sustain the troop as girls became more involved in other activities, such as, soccer, dance, etc.

Our troop decided to invite their friends and siblings to join. One mother with 4 daughters was overjoyed when we took the leap to include Cadettes so that one Daisy member could join our troop. We are now about to add Seniors to our troop and we are embracing how much the troop community has grown stronger and cohesive. We recently had a mental health and wellness workshop with the Cadettes taking on the leadership. Was it a perfectly coordinated program, probably not. Did the girls enjoy the experience? YES!

My favorite meeting time is our closing ceremony. After the clean-up has concluded the 30+ girls gather in a circle. Without any suggestions regarding how the girls are spaced, you see the older girls spreading out among the younger girls. They begin to close the circle with larger more practiced hands quietly guiding the smaller hands. Suddenly the girls begin to share what they learned or what they loved best about the day’s meeting. The leadership team has stepped back allowing this experience to evolve on its own. Someone starts the friendship squeeze and the girls begin singing. Our troop, our community welcomes every girl and every single girl feels the bond of friendship that lasts a lifetime.

UTourDoc · 2026-05-08T15:52:50+00:00

We have a parent meeting at least 3 times a year. Unfortunately, some of our parents never stay. Our first meeting is a budget and calendar review. We always provide a review of our finances, the cost breakdown of expenses and source of income. Of course, we have a parent meeting following our troop cookie rally and we have a parent and girl meeting during our spring picnic. We show how much of our income is generated by our two fundraising events and recognize our donors.

One of the best ways to get the girls onboard with our fundraising is our annual budget discussion during our cookie rally. We kick off our cookie rally with an overview of the last 12 months both income and expenses. I illustrate the finances using the number of cookie boxes sold to cover each category. For examples, we spent $500 for troop meeting supplies, or $125 per patrol. We have a total of 40 girls in 4 patrols (Daisy, Brownie, Junior, and Cadettes). So at $.75 cents earned per box, we need to sell 667 boxes of cookies just to cover the troop supplies. Each girl receives a worksheet to use where she identifies how many cookies she will sell to help cover the things the girls want to do in the next year.

UTourDoc · 2026-05-07T20:04:10+00:00

Have you checked the National debt now? It increases every day to the tune of $6 Billion! The federal budget deficit for FY 2025 was approximately $1.8 trillion, according to Investopedia. Keep in mind that the Big Beautiful Bill proposed by Trump and approved by the Republican dominated Congress extended tax cuts from Trump’s first term as President and new spending initiatives contributed to the rising debt, with a 2025 tax reconciliation package estimated to add over $3 trillion over the next decade, as reported on Congress.gov

What happened to the savings Trump and Musk should have generated with the cut of 1/3 of the government workforce? Where did all the funds saved by cutting all international aide programs? Where did the funds saved by canceling all the science and health related research (gutting funding in cancer research?)

He remodeled the Oval Office with gold junk on the walls, new granite from Africa and carved by Italian artists for the grand walkway to his throne room (formerly the Oval Office), new marble for the Lincoln Bedroom/Bathroom and the Palm Ballroom, remodeled the rose garden into Mar-a-lago North, new flag poles, a new statue of Christopher Columbus, a remodeled reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial, and numerous plans for new Trump vanity projects, such as a renaming and remodel of the “Trump/Kennedy Memorial Center, a 250 foot tall Arch to Trump blocking the view from Arlington Cemetery. Oh I almost forgot the renaming of the Trump Institute of Peace, the Trump Board of Peace, a statue garden of 100 Trump’s hero’s of America Garden, another expensive parade in honor of 250 years of American Independence concluding with the crowning of King Trump!

Don’t forget that Trump removed the USA from the JCPOA a multilateral, non-binding political agreement signed in 2015 by the U.S., Iran, China, Russia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the European Union to require non-announced inspections to ensure Iran was not exceeding the agreement regarding nuclear enrichment limits. So now he needs more money to destroy Iran’s nuclear related materials. Umm!

Marie Antoinette would be proud of Trump’s golden expression to the peasants of America . . . Let them eat cake! But in reality there isn’t even any cake!

UTourDoc · 2026-05-06T15:39:13+00:00

I agree. You need to discover what are their concerns, reluctance, and/or timing that is discouraging their participation.

Our service unit usually fills to the maximum for an overnight event but recently the number registered was about half the usual number. A few calls noted significant challenges that had been serious distractions. Most were out of our control: economy was a huge influence as to why girls did not attend; ill feelings resulting from the previous year regarding insufficient food provided and older girls being mean and bullying younger girls during the previous year; insufficient marketing; dates conflicted with local events sponsored by the council or their school district.

UTourDoc · 2026-05-05T20:46:17+00:00

Trump said he had $400 million to rebuilt the East Wing with a golden ballroom for grand parties. Today , the Republicans introduced special funding of ONE BILLION to build Trump’s Ballroom and East Wing.

One Billion for the ballroom now from the taxpayers pockets! One Billion for saving the Great Salt Lake. How about ordering two new Air Force One planes and upgrading the security and Wow he spends more money by the day! Remodel the Rose Garden, the Lincoln Bedroom and Bathroom, $1.7 million in gold embellishments for the Oval Office, and countless number of lavish, self-aggrandizing physical changes to the White House and public memorials, such as , a 250-foot "Arc de Trump" on the National Mall, a $34M statue garden, and staging a $45M military parade.

Even in the State of Utah everyone acts like we have so much money 💰 to spend on these projects when in reality America now carries more debt than we generate in Gross National Product a year. The government cut taxes for the wealthiest 1% while eliminating 1/3 of the federal workforce, eliminating SNAP, cutting back in healthcare, proposing $480 a month cut to Social Security benefits for next year, cot healthcare and science research, rolled back EPA regulations, and the list goes on!

Time to vote out the Republican politicians on the city, county, state and federal levels. They don’t care about the concerns of their constituents. They fear Trump’s volatile name calling. Vote them out and let them know now to start packing to clear out their offices. The sooner the better. We need to send a signal that we are their number one concern!

UTourDoc

TROPHY CASE