It bothers me that we are a country of such waste. I am appalled at the amount of food and clothing that we, as Americans, feel free to toss out on a daily basis. I was on a cruise this summer. Although, believe me, I did my fair share of eating (we won't go into that right now), I was shocked at how much must've been thrown away. It was the epitome of conspicuous consumption. I shudder to think how many homeless shelters could've survived on the leftovers alone.