There's Something So Wrong With This Picture

[buzz]

Re: There's Something So Wrong With This Picture

The Roger Clemens Foundation

[buzz]

Re: There's Something So Wrong With This Picture

UK charity pulls out of Darfur after 4 of it's staff were killed.

"According to the charity, the workers were travelling in a convoy of clearly-marked humanitarian vehicles when they were shot."

Link

The people of Darfur are not being slaughtered by rich ballplayers. There is plenty of info about Darfur on the web, it's not hard to find.

[PRICEPLUS]

Re: There's Something So Wrong With This Picture

Much ado! People use their celebrity to bring notice to a cause. Jerry Lewis and his telethon are a great example of celebrity for cause. When it comes to politics or other issues I have no time for celebrities!

[cschin4]

Re: There's Something So Wrong With This Picture

Either WE ALL have moral responsibility to help or not. We should all help based on our means. Waiting for some superstar to write a check is just as bad as them not helping either. If they want to help that is great, but it is their money and their choice. We should focus on what WE can personally do and not worry about what others are doing with their moeny.

[geojen]

Re: There's Something So Wrong With This Picture

Did anyone see the 20/20 last with John Stossel? He had a program about who gives to charity and who doesn't in America. According to an economics professor who has a book coming out about this topic, the working poor are the most likely to give to charity, while rich liberals are least likely. (Note, no political emphasis here I my part, just what the program said).

Rich people had four reasons of why they don't give more to charity: (1) I need to make sure I have enough to retire on (apprently 4 billion dollars might not stretch a person), (2) I need to keep my money to make more money to give away (circular, bogus logic) (3) there are no good charities ( And I don't remember the last one. But it was probably just as lame.

[cornflakesdisease]

Re: There's Something So Wrong With This Picture

That was a really great episode. Generally John Stossel is a cheese weeney.

In the end, none of these people can take there money with them. A bean farmer from Peru ands up no worse then a rich man from Miami living in a palace.

Oprah was right, "Money can't buy happiness, maybe just a measure of security."

Much of the world's evil is directly related to selfishness and greed. One thing I do know, is that those people like that are very very empty; and no amount of money or anything can fill a hole that deep.

[creditcardfree]

Re: There's Something So Wrong With This Picture

I just saw on Oprah yesterday the man that won the Nobel Peace Prize this year (was it in economics) for providing micro loans (less than $150) to women in 3rd world countries to start businesses. They thrive when given small amounts to make items to sell to others. More than 80% who have received these micro loans are no longer in poverty status.

Budget Man makes excellent points. I say focus on what you as one person can do and not on what others are unable to do...regardless of their financial status.

[PrincessPerky]

Re: There's Something So Wrong With This Picture

I'll ditto we all have a moral obligation IMO...

The kids were signing the veggie tales song 'there once was rich man' It is in 'king george and the duck'

I aksed them if they were rich or not..they both decided we were rich, we have tons of toys, food, and a house, people with no house are poor, people with not enough food are poor, and kids with no toys are poor. my family IS rich, and I am no more or less responsible for helping than the next person....

I will also ditto I could care less what so and so is doing..unless they are running for office I don't care who pays who......and even if htey are running for office I really don't care who sleeps with who.

[fairy74]

Re: There's Something So Wrong With This Picture

Money is always a responsiblity no matter how much you have. Yes, it does seem that some people are ridiculously overpaid for their work, but that is life. There are good people and bad people at every income level. For me personally, I try to do as much as I can to make the world the way I want it to be. It really does no good to get frustrated with people who don't do as much as they could.

[kimiko]

Re: There's Something So Wrong With This Picture

Actually I have seen John Stossel's Cheap in America and I have to agree with those billionaires. Throwing money at people doesn't help them, it make them dependent on that money. When my family first come to this country, the government supported us and we grew dependent on it, free money was just too tempting to resist. We was scare that if we made just enough to get to the cut off line, there won't be anything to fall back on should someone get layoff or sick. Thank god the horrible living arrangement with relatives forced us out of that mentality and on our own, but I do know numerous families who would try any method to stay on those programs, even go so far as to have more children just so they can keep the medical. So just donating money is out of the question, the people who receive the money should work for it, know that they are earning their income and be proud of it.

As for the comment on how there aren't enough good charities, have you seen the lavish fundraising that some charities are hosting? Just hearing how the cost of the fundraising practically wipe out any donations they receive and how charities CEOs are arrested for embezzling is enough to put me off giving money. Oh, let not forget seeing report of people who own houses worth millions begging on the street because it was so lucrative, how those people use that money for drug or alcohol or how a lot of the victims of Katrina were on government support while enjoying cable TV. Have you also heard of terrorist using charities to fund their activities or corrupt politicians launder money through charities or how people took advantage of the money FEMA gave to Katrina's victims? I have to do indepth research on charities to see if their work is effective and go through their financial statements before I donate. If a charity organization isn't effective, it shouldn't exist and any money pouring into it is wasted. Unlike the government, private charities are businesses and can only thrive if they actually produce result. Most of the rich people are businessman and businessman want result for their money.

If small communities see problem right in their backyard and band together to give support, note long-term support not the giving money to temporarily ease the hardship, then by all mean do so, but don't expect the rich people have to same experience. Case in point, no offend rduell but I have to use your friend in this situation. With all the support pouring in, she would be able to get through this winter, but what about the next month or the month after that? If her basic job situation doesn't change, she would just dig herself deeper into the hole. So as a community, it's not just helping out temporarily with money but to help out on the long term so she could stand on her own.

They also made a valid point that businessman should concentrate on what they do best because their success help others by creating jobs and raise the standard of living of a community. If instead of using their money to create more businesses, they give it all away to charities which spend it all, then how would it help anyone? This is why Warren Buffett donated 30 billions to the Gate Foundation. From what I heard, the Gate Foundation doesn't give money away, it builds schools and offers scholarships to students. Celebrities made load of money but they can only help charities by using their media influences to bring the problem out in the open and call for changes. We are all here because we know the power of saving and providing for the future, not the immediate need so expecting people to give money away just because they should doesn't sound right to me. What most celebrities are doing right now, asking for help to people in third world countries is good so they don't starve to death, but is it effective? If the government remains corrupted, if their economy isn't fostered, then all each of us can do is to send money to feed them today and tomorrow and on and on... I really like what Angela Jolie is doing, not because of the giving aspect of it but because she give these people a voice and bring their plight to the notice of the world.

So if that woman didn't have enough money to take the bus, I would like to know why first. If the situation was so dire that her child died as a result, why didn't she pound on the neighbor's door asking for a ride to the emergency room? Is it because she made minimum wage and can't afford most things or is it because she spent it all away? Note that even when we received government support, which is below the minimum wage, we was still able to save a bit for emergency. If it's the first case, then she should have additional support from the goverment to qualify for housing, foodstamp, medical care and child support, so there isn't reason for her to not even have $1 available. Don't forget that there are still plenty of effective charities Everywhere to help those in need. Heck, I take the bus a lot and I saw plenty of bus drivers letting people go on the bus without money simply because they didn't have any and explained their situation. If her problem is because she spent all her money like most of the consumers in this society, then her situation shouldn't even be raise as a counter point to the massive amount of money trading hands in businesses.

[PrincessPerky]

Re: There's Something So Wrong With This Picture

Heh, while I still feel that I have a moral obligation to help, I do have to admit to doing more of ...well buying of services (like paying my neighbor to mend a pair of pants) than donating to misc charities.....

[Elgin526]

Re: There's Something So Wrong With This Picture

I've always thought this: The teams/movie studios/record companies etc. make hundreds of millions of dollars off of the name and talent of said celbrities. Shouldn't they get a fair cut of that? I think so, so I don't begrudge someone that has talent who gets paid a lot of money for earning their team/studio/record co. even more money.

Also a well paid athlete or actor or singer still pays income taxes just like the rest of us, pays a cut to their agent (10%) their publisist (10%) their lawyer, accountant, and most likely a few other people with their finger in the pie. If they are left with 40% of their gross pay I'd be surprised. So when you see a story about a $22 million dollar deal, they don't actually get $22 million, far far from it! What they are left with is still nothing to sneeze at, but it's just not as much as we all think!

I think the vast majority of celbrities (and other wealthy people) DO have charities and causes they contribute time and money to. Some may donate anonomosly so we just don't hear about it, but I'm sure most do have charities they contribute to.

There have always been wealthy people and there have always been poor people, and unfortunatly I don't think that will change any time soon.

[tabbycat31]

Re: There's Something So Wrong With This Picture

Another thing to consider is how many states many professional athletes/actors have to file taxes for. Since I am a huge baseball fan, I'll use baseball as an example. If a baseball team plays 3 games against the Boston Red Sox, then the ballplayers have to file a MA state return for 3/162 of their salary. Ditto with every other state and country (when they play Toronto for example) that they play a game in.

I think a reason that the teams in Texas and Florida are attractive to players are because there are no state income taxes.

[buzz]

Re: There's Something So Wrong With This Picture

"So if that woman didn't have enough money to take the bus, I would like to know why first."

kimiko, the woman lives in the Darfur region of Sudan, which is torn by genocidal civil war and ethnic cleansing. Hundreds of thousands have been killed and millions have been displaced. Maybe the woman didn't have a dollar because her crops have been burned and her husband and her neighbors are dead.

[kimiko]

Re: There's Something So Wrong With This Picture

Oh...we're talking about two completely different parts of the world with different political and economic situations. Sorry about the rant, I thought we're talking about people in the same country.