Enough of Politics, Lets Change the World

I've had enough of politics for a while. There are more important issues on the agenda. Not that politics is a game that we can play or not play. Because of the growth of government in the last few years, politics are encroaching on every aspect of our lives.

If your like me your not looking for the government to fix our world. Your already working, paying taxes, raising your kids and donating time and money to causes that you feel will benifit the world you live in.  It's a pretty funny thing that many of the big, left leaning charities get most of their money from right wingers. Because we believe in helping people help themselves, we give generously and work with people in all walks of life. So much for us being a bunch of haters.

That is the thing that sets conservatives apart from liberals. Conservatives put their time and their money into what they believe. Liberals historically expect the government to do it. Although liberal families' incomes average 6 percent higher than those of conservative families, conservative-headed households give, on average, 30 percent more to charity than the average liberal-headed household.

It is one of the bitterest ironies of liberal politics today that political opinions are apparently taking the place of help for others. People who reject the idea that "government has a responsibility to reduce income inequality" give an average of four times more than people who accept that proposition. Conservatives are 18 percent more likely to donate blood as well. No government program can manufacture blood.

Liberal policies hurt private sector non-profits such as ours. Conservative nonprofits tend not to take taxpayer money; liberal nonprofits often are financed over 50 percent with government money.  Liberal plans to reduce tax deductions for charitable contributions will disproportionately hurt charities relying on purely private financing, a political maneuver little noticed except by some liberals, who understand it will ensure government, not private donors, decide how tax dollars are allocated. This is politics in America today and it is ugly.

Also consider that people who have earned their money tend to be more generous with it than those who got their money through welfare. The working poor give three times as much money to charity as welfare recipients at the same income level, and they are twice as likely to give and to volunteer. In essence, welfare tends to make people less self-sufficient and responsible, and creates communities where people have no models of hard-working people striving to improve their lives. In short, welfare programs impede virtue in both the person and the community.

Its up to all of us as individuals to change our world. At Computers for Charity, we do it one computer at a time. Your monetary and hardware donations make it possible for us to help bridge a growing digital divide. Without access to the same tools that many of us take for granted the underpriveleged in our communties will always lag further behind when it comes to education, employement, and information. If not our charity, then donate to some charity. What sets Amercans apart from our Socialist European conterpats is that, we take care of our own. We dont need income redistribution scemes lift up our fellow man. We have always done it best through our private institutions.

This is why I say enough of politics. I welcome all of you who believe in helping other people, regardless of your political stripes, to join us in our mission. If your conservative, don't be discouraged. I know you work too hard and pay too much in taxes already. I do too. But you are our core supporters. If you believe that individuals, not government, offer the best solution to social ills, we need your support now more than ever.

If your liberal, I simply ask for you to put your money where your mouth is. Don't just sit and wait for the government to take action and tax someone else to do what needs done. If liberals were as generous with their checkbooks as conservatives we may not even need the big government bureaucracies that end up wasting valuable resources that could be spent helping those most in need. In fact if you really care about the disadvantaged, donate some blood! If liberals gave blood like conservatives do, the blood supply in the U.S. would jump by about 45%

If your not feeling charitable today I invite you to come to church. Even more so than politics, people who attend a house of worship every week are 25 percentage points more likely to give to charity each year than people who never go to church, and give away about four times as much money. And this is not just a question of religious people giving to their churches, as meritorious as that might be: They also give and volunteer significantly more to explicitly nonreligious causes and charities.

Enough of politics already! Lets change our world instead!

IF I SPEAK AND NO ONE IS THERE TO HEAR ME...

Do I still make a sound? My soap box feels like a lonely place sometimes. I have very little input and guidance as I ramble on about the issues that matter to me. Sometimes I wonder, does anyone hear me? Does anyone even care? Am I wasting my time? Whats the point of all this?

The trend today is: "My mind is made up, don't confuse me with the facts." People tend to selectively read what they agree with and tune out the opposition. I know listening to viewpoints you disagree with makes your head hurt but trust me, if you want your voice to be heard you have to be willing to listen to others.

Throughout my life I've sought after truth and when my point of view was proven wrong, I change. I don't expect the truth to bend to my will. Reality just does not work that way! If we all live in the shelter of our own little peer group we fail to grow as individuals.

I know its comfortable living in a bubble. Sometimes I retreat to mine too. but eventually I have to venture out into the world and face reality.  Sometimes I'm even wrong and I promptly admit it and feel better for accepting another piece of this puzzle we call life life. The headaches go away when we stop trying to shut out the truth.

Some disagree that you can even find truth. "Whats true for you may not be true for me." OK, so if I disagree with gravity I will float into space and you will remain firmly planted on the earth? I don't think so. If I disagree with driving on the right side of the road I'm gonna crash into all you wrong headed drivers. My opinion on the fact makes no difference to the outcome. I can believe we all should do things my way and still die in a flaming ball of death on the highway. That only qualifies me for a Darwin Award not a Medal Of Honor. Who wants to die just because they are a stubborn idiot? (hey that could be a new game show).

As a searcher for truth you must always LISTEN. Even if you disagree you listen first. Listen carefully and try to discern what the other side is really saying. Not just your canned straw man opinion of what they mean. Pinpoint your disagreements and do your homework. Maybe you are wrong. Maybe your right. Researching and studying the facts will only make you a smarter person either way. Once you've done your homework you will feel an urgency to share what you've learned with others. Careful...remember how the truth hurt you when you learned you were wrong.

If you are right in your opinion then you will have a logical and well thought out worldview or a meaningful rebuttal to the opposition and not just another stupid opinion (The saying 'opinions are like butholes comes to mind). But don't expect anyone else to listen to the truths you've discovered. Once you become a voice for reason and truth you will find others shutting you out to hide in their protective bubbles!