The President recently announced that aid to Haiti, in the aftermath of the earthquake, could be written off 2009 taxes though it’s being contributed in 2010. If the government can afford to offer a tax credit, why can’t it just lower the taxes to start with so people can afford to contribute more money out of their take-home pay?
I don’t have any issues about contributing to good causes, and I give to a few myself. However, being poor I can’t afford to give to every organization that sends me junk mail (most of it around the holidays) begging to save everybody and everything. I don’t understand why the need for contributions is greater during the holidays. People don’t go into some type of hypersleep from January until December, then magically awaken and immediately start thinking about their hunger or the lack of warm shelter or clothing. The evils of the world go on every single day and, unfortunately, money goes into causes to fight those evils everyday, but we don’t seem to make much headway.
We–Americans and the world in general–tend to need a well-placed smack upside the head to get us to act on issues, or we need a carrot like an incentive. Free merchandise is often used as an incentive, such as free t-shirts or tote bags. I usually go into the market and forget to take my bags in with me, probably because it doesn’t make sense to take something into a store when your intention is mostly to walk out with something instead.
I have a tote bag from the Nature Conservancy: it’s a popular picture of a bizarre looking bird. The person who assembled the bag made a mistake and gave a mobius strip style twist to one handle before it was sewn to the body. That bag has served me well for years now, the bird makes me laugh, and I don’t mind the defect because, in essence, we are all defective in our own way, and it’s all okay in the long run.
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