Look, I get it...

People in the US are pissed, they're tired of being asked to donate money to other countries that "hate us" and who "don't help us" when we "need it".

People in the US are out of work in record numbers. They're scared and they're struggling.

They're going without health care, they can't pay their bills, the have to choose between gas in their car to get to that minimum wage job and paying the electric bill.

I get it. Honestly, I do. I've been there myself more times than I care to remember.

But you know what? All those same people who complain about how bad off they are, and how bad off their fellow Americans are, most likely have no idea what a true struggle is.

The average "poor" person or family in this country has a TV with cable, a car, internet access, at least one cell phone and many other conveniences of modern life.
Even without health care, you can receive treatment in a hospital or a clinic. Food pantries and Angel Food Ministries help provide food and clothing. Utilities have programs to help offset the cost of heat and light.

The average "poor" person of a developing country has a dirt floor and maybe running water, or at least water that's not too far away.
There are no locally run sources of food, water or clothing because no one has the ability to provide it, it comes from other nations and if you're lucky the warlords and corruption don't take all of it.

I'm not in any way trying to demean or make light of the difficulties so many people in America face, but I think we all need to give ourselves a reality check.

I see comments on-line on articles regarding the concert that's going on right now, the benefit for Haiti, and the things they're saying are truly disgusting.

Look, I know it's kind of bullshit for someone who makes $60 million in a year to preach to those living far below the poverty line, or living off unemployment, about how they need to help.

But I really doubt that all these people with their self-righteous cries of "What about America and Americans????" do any more for people in this country than they would anywhere else. I hope I'm wrong but I doubt it.

So am I just naive? Or irrational? Or am I blinded by liberal, Hollywood, do-gooders?

I've been homeless. I've lived in apartments where I had the gas shut off in the coldest months of winter because I couldn't pay the bill. I've lived off cheese sandwiches and Top Ramen for months on end. I spent the first 30 years of my life so far below the poverty line that panhandlers were earning more than me or my family.

But even at those lowest points I still understood how lucky I was, that it could have been SO MUCH WORSE. I wasn't living under an underpass, I had clothes on my back, I was disease free, I had clean water, and on...

Am I an asshole for thinking it incredibly selfish to hear so many people, who are better off than they realize, bitch about helping people who TRULY understand what it means to have next to nothing, and who have now lost even that?

Seriously, am I?

I just don't fucking get it, and what's worse, I have friends and family members who have joined this chorus.

Maybe I am the one who's wrong...
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"Jesus... is NOT a zombie... I shouldn't have to tell you that."

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you are so awesome lep. and when i was on the street i encountered some of the most generous people i met. i have been poor all my life even though both my parents worked full time whenever they could. we didn't have running water but we had plenty of woods to play in and fresh healthy food. now these housing project apartments are a lot nicer than the house i grew up in , but most of my neighbors here who grew up in the suburbs think we have it really hard here. i used to live in this really guetto apartment building in the boston. total firetrap where we barely had heat in the winter. and most of our neighbors were Haitian immigrants that worked constantly and had these wonderful upbeat attitudes, totally grateful for the opportunity to do so.

sorry guys , i keep having only a minute or so to type, so this post is badly phrased. basically i agree with what lep said. calico wants me to send his Christmas money to Haiti.
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clowns are people too...people who want to hurt you.

Last edited by girlEgirl on Sat Jan 23, 2010 5:44 pm; edited 2 times in total

those hateful people shouting "what about america and americans" are the same type as those out shouting in teabagger rallies. Whatever it is they're against it, even when that stance is counter to their own interest.

It's gimme gimme, but don't collect taxes to do so. Don't tell me I have to buy health coverage or even provide it for me, but I want five star care if I get sick. Don't regulate big business, but don't let them outsource my job. Don't spend money on infrastructure, but why are there so many damned potholes. Get the filthy homeless off the streets, but don't spend anything on shelters. Don't provide aid to destitute countries, but when the refugees arrive on rafts built out of twigs, keep them out.

As far as such people are concerned, In the land of plenty, there's never enough. Expecting them to consider anything but their own whims is a waste of time.

Sad to say, it's the result of a flawed educational system… but don't us dare put any real money into fixing it
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To Know is to Love
To Love is our aim

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Why should we bother with immortality when we are eternal?

Im not a tea party fuck wad ginjg, but i refuse to donate to any cause that sends aid overseas... We need to fix our own problems first... If u want to donate, go for it... But no one should becompelled to help -- and that includes the use of taxparyer dollars...
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You can't dust for vomit
This is the Governor's wife. -- You mean she's not the hooker?
It's time to separate the awkwardly feminine from the possibly canadian

I agree that no one should be compelled. But foreign aid is more of a national security measure than humanitarian.

From the government's perspective, if we can spend a "few" bucks making living conditions better there, they're less likely to try to get here. The gov figures that a huge influx of immigrants and refugees could make our problems so bad that the populace might actually demand they be addressed in a real way.
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To Learn is to Know
To Know is to Love
To Love is our aim

~~~~~~~

Why should we bother with immortality when we are eternal?

Ginjg wrote:

I agree that no one should be compelled. But foreign aid is more of a national security measure than humanitarian. From the government's perspective, if we can spend a "few" bucks making living conditions better there, they're less likely to try to get here. The gov figures that a huge influx of immigrants and refugees could make our problems so bad that the populace might actually demand they be addressed in a real way.

word.
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clowns are people too...people who want to hurt you.

You aren't any more/less of an asshole than many others who share your sentiment.

In my wanderings through several branches of my chosen career, I have dealt with "poor" people more than I want to.

There are some who are poor, and know it and struggle in silence while trying to keep the kids fed. If you fit this category, power to you and keep up the struggle.

Then there are the majority of "poor" people who are the whiners, the boo-hoo'ers, and who constantly strive to have everything they can. This class of poor are constantly chasing down "stuff." They have been subjected to a distorted version of the American Dream (tm) and honestly believe that having things makes them successful or less poor. For some its an appearance, don't look behind the curtain and see the truth, thing. But for most, they are so convinced that they NEED the cell phones, the ultra-lightning-fast-high-speed internet connections, the newest car they can muster, the biggest TV in the store, and everything else they can get their hands on. The problem is, they cannot afford it, and more than a few of these people have to choose between better quality food (something more than Tuna Helper and potato chips) or more frequent health care, or even better housing and having their stuff. Guess which wins out, much to the happiness of places like Rent-A-Center and Aarons. These people are dangerous. They are the voice of America simply by nature of being the loudest. These are the poor which are discussed when news stations talk about such taboos.

Do we have issues, yes. But the poor being helped in this country are often the wrong ones. We need to fix this before we can fix anything else. This includes sending money to other countries, no matter how in need they may be.
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