The real reason I'm giving more to the poor lately:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

It's sinking in my mind exactly HOW the right wing hates the poor. That pisses me off, and I want to piss THEM off in return.

Go. Piss off a freeper today. And tomorrow. And the day after that. Give some help to a homeless shelter, or to a NON-FUNDIE-RUN charity.

And when you meet that obnoxious dittohead, tell him you're doing that so THEIR children can beat HIS children to college.

Edit: this must be what people call "channeling your anger into positive things."

[cornermouse]

1. I've thought about it a lot, but...

if I give to a homeless shelter am I temporarily propping up a system (charity) that is incapable of surviving in the long run and is nothing more than a "feel good" bandaid or an illusion?

The fact is these people really need more and longer term help than I or any of us are capable of giving on an individual basis.

[meganmonkey]

5. In a lot of areas - including where I work - this is changing

for example, in a rare case of cooperation between county and 'charity', a new facility has been built which is a homeless shelter and a soup kitchen. There is counseling available to help the homeless folks get what they need to get off the streets. They get help applying for the government aid that they qualify for (e.g. disability, vets benefits, low-income housing, food stamps, etc), they get help applying for and interviewing for jobs if appropriate, they get follow-up social workers for when they leave the shelter. Essentially the building this is in is county-operated, and the social workers are county employees, but the shelter staff and soup kitchen staff are employees of local nonprofits and volunteers. The groups involved in this project are also working with affordable housing coalitions in the county. The emphasis here is on long-term stability - finding a home for people that they can stay in. For example, one NGO non-profit we work with buys old houses or apartment buildings and gets families into the apartments. They pay a reasonable percentage of what they make for 'rent' which means if they make nothing, they pay nothing. The turnover rate is almost nonexistent except for those who eventually start making good enough money to be stable on their own. Meanwhile, living in the housing, they get assistance with things like making sure they have food for their kids and job searches. My agency(hunger-relief - runs the soup kitchen and distributes literally 2.5 million pounds of food per year to other programs) 'sold' part of our land to the housing org which is building 30 new units of this low-income housing (which is unheard of - NEW low-income housing?!). Our soup kitchen in the county shelter building is also housing a training program for folks from the shelter and other shelters(e.g. one for troubled teens). This whole series of projects is called 'Blueprint to End Homelessness in 10 years' and there are about a dozen groups, the city and the county, trying to make it BETTER than a 'band-aid', to make the outcomes self-sustaining and long-term. THis is happening more and more around the country - the mentality of the whole field is changing. It's good news!

On edit: so find out what your local orgs are really doing, and pick which ones to help from there!

[cornermouse]

8. I like the sound of your program.

It looks really good.

[amazona]

7. a problem I have also

There's also no overlooking the fact that with my massive income in the high four figures that I'm technically one of the poor myself.

I used to do a lot more but I'm starting to feel anything I give is just putting more $$$ into the pockets of the extremely wealthy with their tax cuts. They point to private help and then claim that tax dollars were never needed in the first place.

And another issue -- can I be sure the person demanding money truly needs my help? When I went to the hospital the other day, they had a jar up for one of the nurses, asking for money for her medical expenses. This nurse probably makes around $50K a year -- around 5 times my income. Why is she asking for money? Shouldn't she have coverage from the hospital? I am finding more, and more, and maybe just in my area, that the people most bold about asking for a hand-out are those who are not in need. It is very difficult to be certain that my efforts are worthwhile. The actual needy may not be so attractive and personable, and nobody is going to put out jars to collect money for someone who smells bad, so the true needy fade into the forgotten background.

Very conflicted here indeed. Very much so.

[meganmonkey]

2. I piss them off everyday when I go to work

at a hunger-relief agency. My significant other's biological dad can't stand it, and he baits me a little when we see each other - sort of in humor, but I know he just doesn't get it. I just always emphasize that most of the people we help are elderly or kids, and that kinda shuts him up. Someday I'll get him past the illusion that we hand out free food to a bunch of lazy able-bodied moochers. Someday....

[cornermouse]

3. I don't doubt that the people really need help,

I just have strong doubts that Bush's faith-based charity will lead to anything other than begging in the streets.

I'm afraid of propping up an illusion and whether it would be better to go ahead and let the crash happen sooner rather than later so that less people are affected by it.

That is what keeps stopping me.

[meganmonkey]

6. See my post #5 above - not necessarily just a 'band-aid'

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

4. Don't you just LOVE how the idea of giving to the poor displeases them...

...even when it's voluntary and by private individuals?

I'd LOVE to have an asshole FIL like yours so I could taunt him mercilessly and endlessly.

[hickman1937]

9. Recruit him

Everyone loves to feel needed. Find a specific situation that you think he can help with(with his particular expertise-flatter,flatter), make it a clear one time thing(no prolonged commitment) and let it happen. Who knows? Maybe nothing, or maybe he'll get hooked. Habitat For Humanity has been doing it for years.