An oxymoron, I think not.
HB over at Fat in Indiana has a post up in repose to momentofchoice. Seems MoC left a comment that says in part;
“...you might be expected to participate actively in helping others as well as yourselves to move this country forward. how anti-american! ... does the concept of having an open heart and open mind resonate with anyone here?”
The comment wasn’t directed at me, I do, however, feel compelled to reply though.
I have been lurking around this interwebz thing for many years now. The last couple, I have been posting here and reading blogs all over the place. I consider myself open minded and very accepting of most any lifestyle any one chooses to live. MoC’s comment about helping others and myself to move this country forward... irritates me. Not so much the comment itself, but the insinuation that I, as a conservative, do not have an open mind or heart and do not help this country, my community or the people here that need help. As HB points out, there is a profound difference between charity and the re-distribution of wealth. From my memory, I recall the liberal sites I’ve been to giving money to Obama, the DNC, Moveon.org or ACORN. The more conservative people seem to give to people, skipping the organizations that inevitability skim some off the top. They also give their time and a lot of it.
I had written a list of my donations, time and money, but cannot seem to word it without sounding like bragging. Suffice it to say, I give, to charities, directly to the needy, to my fellow man. Thousands of hours AND thousands of dollars.
My final thought; if I had more money, I’d give more. My needs being met, I’d be more inclined to buy a little extra for the food bank, drop a little more in the fireman’s boots at intersections. If I have less... if I’m worried about my next tank of gas, my next trip to the grocery store, I’ll give less.
I can’t help but wonder if that is how the ‘rich’ see tax increases....
EDIT: 10/26/08, because I wanted to.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Conservative Charity
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8 comments:
You don't have to say anything cuz this book says it all:
Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism (Basic Books), Arthur C. Brooks
Conservatives give more than liberals to charities.
thanks for the kind words, and as usual said what I wanted too much better
hoosierboy
LL - Thanks, I'll check it out.
HB - Thanks!
Great post..and thanks for all you do, which is not trumpeted on the street corners, as some do!
Ryan from Move America Forward here. I think you've got us confused with someone else. We ARE a conservative charity and we've sent over 100 tons of care packages to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. And nothing to ACORN, of course. Just wanted to set the record straight.
the comment i left was first of all taken out of its original context and second of all, not asked directly of HB...it was in response to the hateful speech populating his comment section by many readers and many blogs in general over the course of the election and was a genuine cry of frustration. guess i should have been more specific.
http://hoosierboy.blogspot.com/2008/10/hoosierboy-challenge.html
it would be nice if people were open and honest enough to come forward to the person they take issue with to seek clarification and understanding.
glad everyone is so charitable, but that wasn't the point.
I would have to say that both Obama and McCain want "life to be a little less of a struggle for everyone".
I know you know their philosophies to get to that point are very different.
I do not agree with Obama more than McCain.
I did not (as I'm sure you have guessed) vote for Obama. I would not if we had a re-election, even knowing I would loose.
1 - I believe he needs to prove he is an American born citizen and meets the qualifications to be President
2 - I do not agree with his abortion policy, period.
3 - I strongly disagree with taxation to gain prosperity or re-distribution of welfare or in effect forcing me give to the poor.
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This post and your comment was almost a month ago, so I'm stretching the limits of my short term memory... Please bear with me.
I remember looking around somewhat and not finding the post where you first commented. I appreciate the link and am somewhat embarrassed to find it in the previous post, maybe I didn't look as hard as I like to think.
I can also see where the mis-communication was made. I assume (do you not?) that comments left on my blog are for me and about the post they are in, unless the commenter addresses a specific person. Standing on your side, I can understand your frustration with HBs commenters.
Since I had not found your comment before, I could not find you and read more about you. If you check your Sitemeter, I'm sure you can see I've been reading you some now. I will be back.
I welcome conversation, opposing viewpoint, debate and even heated discussion. It is this that allows me to learn, continually. If my reply at HBs, or my post was offensive, I apologize. And, unlike my friend HB, if I know you are here for the first time and you have left me a way to get to you, I will stop by and tell you. HI, Thanks and there is a reply.
"It is this that allows me to learn, continually."
It is this sentence that has earned my undying respect for you and hope for humanity.
My four-year-old stepdaughter, when asked if she'd like to go to the Planetarium in Chapel Hill next visit, responded, "Sure, but if someone starts talking, I'll plug my ears because I already learned about outer space in school."
Oh really? LOL
Thank you for your response. It means a lot.
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