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Where Can I Make It Better?
Dec. 29th, 2004 07:11 pmSeveral days ago now, a devastating tsunami, the result of an underground earthquake rolled ashore on more than 9 nations, both island chains and two continents. It is a catastrophe that is unheard of in our lifetime. Once our attention waivers, as it will inevitably will, over 100,000 will be dead from either the event or from the aftermath of it. The aftermath includes disease, poverty, transporting aid to those in need, and just the hardship of going on without those they had days before.
The world now looks to help, but the difficulty comes down to how to help. Suddenly the enormity of it all becomes its own problem. There seems to be a universal want to help, but a lack of a true leader, and leadership to point the way, and to make us say, "Yeah, that's what we need to be doing now." Sometimes we just want to know where we can do the most good.
By some strange manner of luck, the manager at Chipotle today gave me my meal for free today, so I decided to take the money I was going to put on my debit card, and use the easy to used link on Amazon.com to donate it to the Red Cross to their relief effort. It's just a good way to give, in a small way to what will be a multi-billion dollar disaster. I see that they have already generated almost 2 million in donations.
This is what Americans do. They give when they can, but sometimes we have to be jogged for it a bit.
Now, I like many Americans don't have much of a savings. I don't have a lot that I could give to charity, let alone deal with a catastrophic event in my own life. I have credit card debit, and a meager 401(k) that I hope will take care of me in my old age, because I don't expect Social Security to be there for me. Charitable giving is measured in the low tens of dollars, and doesn't make a dent on my tax forms at the end of the year.
I'm with the majority of Americans who gives little, and our country knows it.
One reason for the tax cuts the Republicans have been touting for the last few years is they hoped that Americans would invest, save and give more charitable, lessening the burden on government for social programs like unemployment programs and Social Security. The hope that the money returned to the taxpayers would be used wisely and was somewhat lost as the message of "keep our economy moving by spending" resonated stronger in the economic slowdown of the last few years. Of course the constant pressures of new cars, new televisions, and new Xboxes truly are apart of the American consumer psyche.
Our government doesn't tax citizens with an eye on social responsibility for the world, for better or worse, relying on its citizens to be charitable. This translates to the people's need to save and provide for their own retirement as well. There are some social programs, but they are bare-bones, and seem to be designed to be safety nets, not replacements. This is different in more giving countries like France, Sweden and Norway that have socialized medicine and pensions that workers pay in through higher taxation.
( Continue Reading...Where Can I Make It Better? )
The world now looks to help, but the difficulty comes down to how to help. Suddenly the enormity of it all becomes its own problem. There seems to be a universal want to help, but a lack of a true leader, and leadership to point the way, and to make us say, "Yeah, that's what we need to be doing now." Sometimes we just want to know where we can do the most good.
By some strange manner of luck, the manager at Chipotle today gave me my meal for free today, so I decided to take the money I was going to put on my debit card, and use the easy to used link on Amazon.com to donate it to the Red Cross to their relief effort. It's just a good way to give, in a small way to what will be a multi-billion dollar disaster. I see that they have already generated almost 2 million in donations.
This is what Americans do. They give when they can, but sometimes we have to be jogged for it a bit.
Now, I like many Americans don't have much of a savings. I don't have a lot that I could give to charity, let alone deal with a catastrophic event in my own life. I have credit card debit, and a meager 401(k) that I hope will take care of me in my old age, because I don't expect Social Security to be there for me. Charitable giving is measured in the low tens of dollars, and doesn't make a dent on my tax forms at the end of the year.
I'm with the majority of Americans who gives little, and our country knows it.
One reason for the tax cuts the Republicans have been touting for the last few years is they hoped that Americans would invest, save and give more charitable, lessening the burden on government for social programs like unemployment programs and Social Security. The hope that the money returned to the taxpayers would be used wisely and was somewhat lost as the message of "keep our economy moving by spending" resonated stronger in the economic slowdown of the last few years. Of course the constant pressures of new cars, new televisions, and new Xboxes truly are apart of the American consumer psyche.
Our government doesn't tax citizens with an eye on social responsibility for the world, for better or worse, relying on its citizens to be charitable. This translates to the people's need to save and provide for their own retirement as well. There are some social programs, but they are bare-bones, and seem to be designed to be safety nets, not replacements. This is different in more giving countries like France, Sweden and Norway that have socialized medicine and pensions that workers pay in through higher taxation.
( Continue Reading...Where Can I Make It Better? )
