Donations

[Red Devil]

it feels *really* good when you can donate money to a worthy cause. there's a *lot* of people out there who are hurting right now who need our help, especially the kids who have cancer at Saint Jude's and the people who have lost everything in the recent tornadoes and our returning and maimed soldiers and their families.

so, poke around in your web searches and find some truly deserving organization that really needs your help, if you are able to help. heck, even just a dollar or pound or whatever makes a difference. even if you have no money, your time and labor will help.

me, i donate to the Navy Seals Foundation, the Humane Society, the ASPCA, Red Cross, the Wild Animal Sanctuary, and will donate to others i come across; probably the World Wildlife Foundation, etc.

in case you feel like donating:

Navy SEAL Foundation
PO Box 5965
Virginia Beach, VA 23471
757 363-7490

[MrTwosheds]

Yeah right, "feels good". When you've all forgotten about that maimed soldier and his family, who gave his health, wealth and that of his family too, for your freedom. Where will he be? begging on the street while his family impoverish themselves to look after him. Charity does not work, people are selfish. People will see some drunken mental bum, not a shell shocked hero who gave it all for a prime position in the gutter in return.

[Red Devil]

hey, so long as i feel good, that's what counts.

[Zenophas]

This reminds me of that one couple in my area who lost everything to the bank. So, they made the decision. Husband brought his wife and a gun to my favorite bike trail and he blew her head off and then did himself in. That happened, like, late last year. Was so joyful that I didn't run into a pair of corpses on my exercise runs, would've been a hassle to deal with the witness stands or whatever.

[Red Devil]

too bad they were forced at gunpoint to agree to those terms and sign those papers...

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe.” Albert Einstein

[MrsGSH]

Yeah right, "feels good". When you've all forgotten about that maimed soldier and his family, who gave his health, wealth and that of his family too, for your freedom. Where will he be? begging on the street while his family impoverish themselves to look after him. Charity does not work, people are selfish. People will see some drunken mental bum, not a shell shocked hero who gave it all for a prime position in the gutter in return.

Out of curiosity, what would it mean for charity to "work"?

GSH and I support a charity that helps street kids. Objectively, those served by this organization would be sleeping on the streets if this home didn't take them in and objectively any education or health care they receive is more than they would have gotten if the home didn't exist.

Sure there are more street kids that the home can't reach. Sure these kids will not grow up to have hollywood, inspiring stories. And sure GSH and I are still selfish people.

But I'm not sure what you mean when you connect "Charity does not work, people are selfish." Can you flesh out the backstory?

[MrTwosheds]

There is absolutely no way that "charity" could supply adequate health care for the poor of any nation. Its simply not a plan that works.
Nothing wrong with charity, does allot of good. Best used where it can be effective, lining the pockets of private health company's isn't effective use of money given in good faith.
Badly injured soldiers for example are probably going to need some level of medical care for the rest of their lives, for probably 60 years or so. Most of them will never earn enough again to pay for it. War cost nations far more than the guys who started them ever dreamt of when they did their cost/benefit analysis.
I can't think of any charities specifically set up to help street kids in the UK, this is probably because, with very rare exceptions, we don't really have any street kids. Social care systems are in place to prevent things getting to that point.

[Nielk1]

I personally find charity a far better system then the govmt' forcing us to help. The money probably goes a lot farther this way anyway.

I am constantly appalled when people think that some massive system needs to exist where the solution is simply good people, nearly as much as when people bring up the rare 1% example when saying that something won't work.

[Clavin12]

^this^

Charity does not work, people are selfish.

Because people are selfish, charity does not work? I thought charity was the opposite of selfishness.

[MrTwosheds]

I personally find charity a far better system then the govmt' forcing us to help. The money probably goes a lot farther this way anyway.

You are most probably right there. Charity has its its place in any system, I frequently find myself in charity shops of all sorts, its quite good at raising cash for specific causes and financing research etc. I was specifically referring to the financing of huge undertakings, like a national heath service when I said it won't work. As for govmt forcing you to help, well I think that's just a strange attitude, they force you to finance an army, force you to pay the wages for another army of civil servants, why not pay for health care that way? everyone uses it one way or another and everyone gains. The healthy get to "feel good" and the unhealthy get helped. Far better than paying "market" prices and filling shareholder's accounts with cash while people are suffering needlessly around you.
You may have noticed the way your politicians have to "Sell" wars to you. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why they do that. (your paying for it) I would much rather our politicians dealt in health rather than death.

[Clavin12]

National defense is something nearly everybody wants and is willing to pay for. Not everybody needs health care, the healthy for example, and as such when they are taxed for it but do not receive any return they are being stolen from. Yes, the healthy will become sick sometimes, but there are many people who never need to go to the doctor. Even if the healthy do at some point use the health care system, there will always be someone whose treatment is more expensive than theirs. In any case, all of this trouble about who gets what may be avoided by removing health care regulations and letting private health care and charity flourish. Just ask Ron Paul: http://www.ronpaul2012.com/the-issues/health-care/.

We have to learn that some things are right and good that should not be done by the government. It is good to give to the poor. The government should not give to the poor because they have to take from the taxpayers who earned their money to do so. It is good to provide free health care to those who cannot afford it. The government should not provide free health care because they have to take from the taxpayers who earned their money to do so. It is good to provide free education to those who cannot afford it. The government should not provide free health care because they have to take from the taxpayers who earned their money to do so. Yes, at some point the taxpayers may get some benefits from these programs if implemented, but there is no way the government can equally repay every taxpayer according to the amount of taxes payed. The rich usually don't send their children to public school, and yet they pay the most taxes. I'm homeschooled, and yet my parents pay taxes for public schools. Regardless of whether or not the private institutions are better than the government institutes, unless a government program gives back to all (like national defense), it is violating the property rights of the taxpayer.

[Psychedelic Rhino]

Two points or statements to always keep in mind when discussing taxation and government programs.

1- The debt is now 15.5 trillion dollars.

2 - Federally funded entitlements and programs are wonderful, righteous and downright sweet. . . till. . . the people paying run out of money.

[Red Devil]

yup, for illustration, check out Greece. they have had to turn over ownership of all their assets to the bailout banks. expect the same here. that, or a huge default with a message of, "try and collect".

[MrTwosheds]

and yet they pay the most taxes

Unless you live in a highly unusual country, simple relativity means that those with lower income's always make up the majority and always supply the most tax revenue to their government. As a whole the poor pay more tax than the rich, always have done always will.

[Red Devil]

not here: http://www.american.com/archive/2007/no ... -the-taxes