Thursday, May 12, 2005

"Give away a dime for every dollar you make. Why not? If you don't give it, the government's just going to take it. You think you can't afford it, one lousy thin dime out of every dollar? If you think you can't, just look at the taxes you pay on every gallon of gas you buy. If you think you can't, look at all the sick, hungry, unhappy, uneducated people standing outside the fence America has constructed around herself, people who only want a little something for themselves and their families. For their children. Very few of them are suicide bombers. Very few of them are Mr. Bush's "enemies of freedom," whether he believes that or not. They might become enemies of freedom, but right now all they want is a little something to get by on. A little chance at the kind of joy most of us are feeling today. A dime out of every dollar.

And here's a secret I learned six summers ago, lying in a ditch beside the road, covered in my own blood and thinking I was going to die: you go out broke. Everything's on loan, anyway. You're not an owner, you're only a steward. So pass some of it on. You may not have much now, but you're going to have a lot. And when you do, remember the ones that don't have anything.

A dime out of every dollar. If everyone did it, maybe we could make Mr. Bush let go of the weapons he loves so well and give some of the money he spends on them back to the farmers, the unwed mothers, and the working poor."

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2 Comments:

It's pretty frightening that while I believe everything that is said here, I have the hardest time doing it. 10 cents out of every dollar is, of course, the basis of tithing, and while I think it's a good idea, it's so hard. I heard a sermon once that sticks with me every time they pull out the collection plate at church. The major point were that if you don't feel like you can give away 10% of your money (he was specifically speaking to the church, but I'll go ahead and assume that you can give it to any charity and it's still doing God's work) you should try it and see how God blesses you. I've always wanted to do this, but haven't taken the plunge yet. I would love to, though. Like I said, it's hard, even for this bleeding heart, liberal.

By Blogger Kyle, at 8:35 AM, May 16, 2005  

I wonder sometimes if I would actually have any more money sitting in my bank account right now if I didn't give to men and women on the streets, or stick it in my tzedakah box (like a personal collection basket, for Jews - you collect money in it for awhile, donate it, and keep going), or give it to various charities.

I have a feeling I'd probably just have had a few more frappacinos, maybe some DVDs, or an extra pair of pants. Point is, I would have spent it on something I didn't need.

That makes me feel good about not having it because really, it's not all that important.

By Blogger Jo, at 6:04 AM, May 20, 2005  

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