Originally Posted by
carpediemracing
I decided to vent here instead of on FB... Discussion on buying a big TV versus "social responsibility".
I know there are folks out there that try and make things work and struggle like mad. But there are also those that simply don't comprehend responsibility.
I know someone that called in to work, i.e. couldn't come in, because they couldn't buy gas for their truck. His wife doesn't work (he insists), his adult son doesn't (seems to have problems holding a job for more than a month or so), and their rent-free tenant (son's friend) doesn't work either.
The business loaned him $10 gas the day he called, delivered it to his house (30 min drive), gave him his paycheck early so he could cash it. He got the cash, paid back the $10 for gas, bought a baseball memorabilia thing for $10 from a customer, and went out for lunch. He complains about his property taxes but he has a assistance paid roof and furnace (town paid for both, so his fellow towns people paid for it). He hasn't paid his 2009 heating bill and he tells everyone who will listen. He doesn't mention that he bought a Wii and some games last December in lieu of paying about 1/3 of his heating bill.
I'm going to assume you're referring to Hide's post since he copied part of my status...
Yeah, for every 2 people who are legitimately struggling and suffering, there are a few asshats who are taking advantage of the situation. I've run into people who claim they're struggling but they have cable TV, internet, and cell phones. Those people just have their priorities screwed up and don't really understand what it's like to be poor, but I tend to think they're a product of "the system" which encourages consumption of goods instead of doing things that really matter.
But I've also been in a situation where I was living on free school lunches, and helping my mom count pennies to be able to afford dinner. She was working at a sales counter at a Burdines as a single mother and struggling. We didn't have any luxury items and my father wasn't paying the meager ($75 US) child support.
My paternal grandmother retired to a rural part of West Virginia. The town she lived in was so small that her address was "third house behind the flower shop, Van, WV" (seriously). Most of the people that lived in that area worked in the coal industry until their health deteriorated to the point and their broken bodies were unable to work anymore. Many of those people were hard working, and had the right ideas about what's important, but where they lived there was no work except coal mining, and if you couldn't work in the mines you were so poor you couldn't buy dirt.
So I've seen both sides of that struggle, and it's one of the reasons why I tend to support some charitable organizations (my local food bank, our local Catholic charities, and a few others). At the same time, not all charities are created equal, you'll never see me give another penny to the Humane Society of America...