I make annual donations to my old high school (Belen Jesuit Prep) towards their scholarship fund, which helps those less fortunate kids afford a much better education.

 

The goverment takes money from me every week to help those less fortunate than me. Since I don't have a choice in the matter I'll assume the goverment knows how to distribute the money better than myself.

 

What a horrible assumption, but, to each their own.

Maybe it's because of my Religion/Philosophy/Psychology background that I seem to feel the sufference of others so acutely, maybe it's genetic. I tend to see the world as a tree, and its people the leaves, we all come from the same place, and to see someone else suffer is to suffer myself.

Don't you all look at it that way?

 

I would love to donate my money but the government has decided to do it for us.

I would rather the government leave it to the public and private organizations to do the donating for victims of disasters. Seems that's were the bulk of the money comes from anyway. The US is giving 300mill and the public in the US has already given more. Why then involentarelly take it from the public, from those that couldn't offered it or wouldn't want the money to go overseas but rather stay here and help our own or go to Iraq to help those poor people out that are living in fear from the nut jobs running around their country blowing themselves up for the views of the few rather than help the majority that just want peace.

 

I would rather have a government that cares about the intense misfortune of fellow human beings - regardless of their geographical location - than a government who chooses to spend insane amounts of money on military expenditures that may or may not make life better for people.

 

Third world issues are tough but I often feel bad for the single mothers out there who are trying to take care of their kids and keep a steady job....seeing moms taking their children on the bus at 6:00 am so they can get them to daycare...then off to work...pick them afterwards and then run the household....makes me thankful for the family life I have.

 

I used to use the excuse that since the government took so much of my money that I didn't need to give to charity. While they do take an awful lot, such a small portion of it goes to the truely needy. I'm sorry but I can't kick a man while he's down so I now give to to selected charities.

I've also realized that its one thing to give money and something quite different to give myself. Volunteering one's time is often an extremely inexpensive way to help someone back to his feet.

Red Cross, anyone?

 

It's not an excuse it's true. The goverment just gave 300 million that came out of our pockets! Maybe I'm offended by indonesia's stance against the united states, which is pretty constant, and I don't want my money going to help people that hate us. Not that i really think that way but I would rather see that 300 million go for better and more homeless shelters here in the US than to a foreign country that wouldn't help us in a natural disaster. Take care of our own first! Become isolationalist and f the rest of the world that way no one will damn us for our actions around the globe.

 

 

If they really hate you then perhaps your help in their time of need will mend some bridges and they will see you in a different light....wrt to your desire to be isolated from the rest of the world...I would think that (with all due respect to the USA) any country needs the world more than the world needs any particular nation.