Philanthropy vs. ???

I just heard a report today from one of our local charitable organizations that, although some types of giving are down, on the whole philanthropy is on the rise.

Now, giving to those less fortunate is, as Martha would say, a very good thing. But I’m becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the notion that this will replace the need for government to take care of it’s citizens.

Our government has moved, by and large, more toward this “ownership society.“ And this is actually a very bad thing. Consider this: Every single corporation is dedicated to the sole purpose of making money for it’s shareholders. If a venture the company invests in does not make money, there has to be a tangible benefit to the corporation that does help it make money.

So helping the poor is not on any corporations radar. It’s also not on the mind of the average American. Americans want people to ”pull themselves up by their bootstraps.“ There are many societal problems with this mentality and I’ll comment on them in the future. But let me say this: If we do not help the poor, eventually the middle class will disappear and the second civil war will be a real possibility.

Who am I?

Good question. A wandering soul...an out-of-work, angst-ridden faux-novelist...a too-cool-for-you poet? None of the above (though, I can relate to all three). I’m your average Gen-Xer. I’m 39, married, 3 kids, one on the way. I’m a programmer working on web apps by trade and an aspiring poet/musician by night.

I got here through hard work, determination, and the feeling that I have always been one step behind the curve in just about everything I do.

More later, just wanted to throw that out there.

I'm going to use this as my online journal. Which is a really stupid statement due to the fact you're reading it online. I just want to write something different and, I hope, engaging on some level. Please register and leave comments.