Government care...

[deestafford]

Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him better take a look at the American Indian.  Dee

[ACW3]

On the other hand, how about the American military?

[drholly]

Both are right!

[Chief Mac]

AMEN to That 
CM

[smokeasaurus]

Both are right!

X2

[HighOnSmoke]

Both are right!

X2

X3!

[drholly]

This is not a political comment. It is just something I struggle with.

We are, and I appreciate that we are, an altruistic nation - reaching out to help others, trying to keep peace... But, when I look at the struggles many returning vets have, homeless people, barely making it folks, kids that don't have meals, I have to wonder why some of the billions being sent overseas couldn't be spent here - without siphoning most of it away - just providing for these people's needs.

Not a government program, provide the funds to those who have proven they can deliver them on the street where needed. We send billions across the seas with little oversight - here we have organizations that have proven that 90%+ of what they receive goes to those who need it. Work with them, they will make it happen.

There is a man in MPLS, a retired teacher, that spends every day and night feeding the homeless in our city. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/10/allan-law-feeds-the-homeless_n_5966246.html He organizes groups to make bologna sandwiches - last time our confirmation group made them - over 500. His apartment has no bed, couch, TV... it does have 17 refrigerators  to store the sandwiches. Every night he drives through downtown MPLS delivering sandwiches, blankets, other supplies to the people who have nothing. He gets no government support - everything comes from the churches, schools and others that support his mission. I wonder how many others are out there that we have no idea of....

[deestafford]

To follow up somewhat on David's comments. 
The US is the most generous country in history; but, you wouldn't know it by looking at some statistics provided by institutions such as the UN because the don't count private giving--only the government's percentage of GDP.
Here are some stats on private organizations involved in various types of giving:
-500,000 churches, synagogues, and  mosques
-37,000 community service agencies affiliated with United Way
-27,000 private foundations
-3,300 voluntary hospitals, national associations such as the Red Cross, Salvation Army , Alcoholic Anonymous and the like.
-Thousands of suicide prevention centers
-5,000 volunteers work for Recording for the Blind
-5 million people in 20,000 community crime watches
-7,000 farm cooperatives
-9,000 miscellaneous cooperatives 
-700,000-800,000 mutual aid groups of all sizes that donate time to aid fellowman such as aid to the blind, diabetes, the crippled,etc.
-The Civil Air Patrol has 60,000 members and 7,000 aircraft.
-In 2012 Philanthropy organizations gave $312 billion to private charities.

So, one can see there are a tremendous number of people involved in helping their fellow man here in the USA.  Of course, this doesn't count what other things we do for overseas countries through private organizations.  We just don't stop and really analyze how much giving Americans do.  I would rather see the federal government get out of it completely, with maybe exception of military, and turn charity assistance to the private sector.


Dee

[drholly]

To follow up somewhat on David's comments. 
The US is the most generous country in history; but, you wouldn't know it by looking at some statistics provided by institutions such as the UN because the don't count private giving--only the government's percentage of GDP.
Here are some stats on private organizations involved in various types of giving:
-500,000 churches, synagogues, and  mosques
-37,000 community service agencies affiliated with United Way
-27,000 private foundations
-3,300 voluntary hospitals, national associations such as the Red Cross, Salvation Army , Alcoholic Anonymous and the like.
-Thousands of suicide prevention centers
-5,000 volunteers work for Recording for the Blind
-5 million people in 20,000 community crime watches
-7,000 farm cooperatives
-9,000 miscellaneous cooperatives 
-700,000-800,000 mutual aid groups of all sizes that donate time to aid fellowman such as aid to the blind, diabetes, the crippled,etc.
-The Civil Air Patrol has 60,000 members and 7,000 aircraft.
-In 2012 Philanthropy organizations gave $312 billion to private charities.

So, one can see there are a tremendous number of people involved in helping their fellow man here in the USA.  Of course, this doesn't count what other things we do for overseas countries through private organizations.  We just don't stop and really analyze how much giving Americans do.  I would rather see the federal government get out of it completely, with maybe exception of military, and turn charity assistance to the private sector.


Dee

Amen - thank you, Dee....