Give to your favorite charity - Democratic Underground

sea urchin

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Thu Jun-22-06 11:49 AM
Original message

Give to your favorite charity

Please help me respond to my sister, who has a bumper sticker reading, "Give privately to your favorite charity. Don't force me to do it with my tax dollars."

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JeffR

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Thu Jun-22-06 11:53 AM
Response to Original message

1. Question

Does she do a lot of charitable donations? If she doesn't, she's just being hypocritical.

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sea urchin

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Thu Jun-22-06 11:57 AM
Response to Reply #1

2. She does

~even if it is to church, the crisis pg. center, etc.

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JeffR

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Thu Jun-22-06 12:04 PM
Response to Reply #2

4. Then I'll say good on her for that

Where I think her bumper stick goes wrong is it confuses social justice with charitable giving. Theoretically, at least, tax dollars go to the common good and to make society as a whole more equitable, more secure, more civilized and more liveable (and I know that here in the real world tax dollars often do no such thing, of course).

Another angle is that she is forced to finance all kinds of things through her tax dollars: the illegal occupation of Iraq, a "War on Drugs", tax cuts for people wealthier than she will probably ever be, and so on. Does she have similar qualms about these things?

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sea urchin

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Thu Jun-22-06 12:11 PM
Response to Reply #4

6. It does seem like

in this day of technology, we could "opt in or out" of whatever social programs we want. Refuse to fund the military, while giving to Planned Parenthood, etc. I wish we could even designate what percentage of our taxes went to which program. Guess that has a fat chance of happening.

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JeffR

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Thu Jun-22-06 12:16 PM
Response to Reply #6

8. It's an intriguing idea

But you have to wonder what the results would be if Bush supporters, for example, had the ability to do this. I can't help but think the nation would soon resemble Haiti or North Korea.

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Sammy Pepys

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Thu Jun-22-06 12:03 PM
Response to Original message

3. It's good advice, at any rate....n/t

....

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blm

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Thu Jun-22-06 12:06 PM
Response to Original message

5. So, only those charities with the big bucks to advertise will get most $$$

just like regular standard of consumerism? Doesn't matter which is more important, which is more in FASHION?

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Rose Siding

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Thu Jun-22-06 12:11 PM
Response to Original message

7. If the "charity" is aid for the poor, or veterans, or healthcare, etc.,

I WANT my tax dollars (and hers) to pay.

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Sadie5

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Thu Jun-22-06 12:18 PM
Response to Reply #7

9. Stopped giving to big charities

When I found out that those at the very top make huge salaries and the ones who should benefit the most go without. Remember when the Red Cross wanted to be reimbursed for what the spent on Katrina while we were all busy donating big dollars. So in my mind why should RC be reimbursed when they never really put out any money.

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JeffR

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Thu Jun-22-06 12:24 PM
Response to Reply #9

10. Felt the same way after September 11

Made the biggest charitable donation I've ever made, and found out some weeks later they were diverting part of the 9/11 donations to other causes. I was pissed.

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sea urchin

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Thu Jun-22-06 12:28 PM
Response to Reply #9

11. Precisely why I'd quit

giving to the national R.C. I think you can give to the local chapter & have a better idea of what they're spending it on (a friend's daughter is on the small staff there, & I see that she's not becoming rich).

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