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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: unclewest who wrote (85880)	11/13/2004 2:41:27 AM
From: Captain Jack	Respond to of 793931

uw - it has been said there is an easy way to tell a Republican from a dem. The Republicans sign their check on the front and Dems sign their checks on the back! For those with a few extra bux and would like to help the wounded at Walter Reed there are a couple ways where even small amounts go a long way. One is the need for phone cards so the patients are able to call home. Send phone cards of any amount to: Medical Family Assistance Center Walter Reed Medical Center 6900 Georgia Avenue, NW Building 2, Third Floor, Room 3E01 Washington, DC 20307-5001 Also, Every Friday is Veterans Day at Fran O’Brien’s Stadium Steakhouse in Washington, D.C. The owners, Hal Koster and Marty O’Brien, bring soldiers recovering from their wounds at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital to the restaurant and treat them and their families to a full-up steak dinner. It is often the first place soldiers appear in public after losing limbs and it is a coveted part of their therapy. Dinner is private, with only few special guests, mainly people from the VA who can be helpful - and, on occasion, JINSA. Checks for this program may be sent to JINSA, 1779 Mass. Ave., NW, Suite 515, Washington, DC 20036. Put “Fran O’Brien’s” in the memo space. and your entire gift will go to the program. You will be aiding directly in the rehabilitation of young men and women who have laid it all on the line for us.

To: unclewest who wrote (85880)	11/13/2004 4:56:47 AM
From: Ilaine	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 793931

Recently I read that the biggest donors of charity in America are black Americans, second biggest Hispanic Americans, third biggest Asian Americans, and fourth is white Americans. But the percentages are pretty high, regardless. If I recall correctly, it was almost 90% for black Americans, and more than 80% for white Americans. I would guess that most people give to their church, and about that many give to their community. Every year when I do my taxes with TurboTax, one of the things I notice is how our charitable contributions compare with others in our tax bracket. Some years we give more, some less, but that's not the point. My point is that the IRS keeps statistics on this, and Americans do give a lot in cash and in kind. I can't recall the percentage, certainly not 10%, but maybe 5%? The IRS can't measure how much people give in time, but I see them every day. For example, at the public library, I see this neat retired guy I know who's been shelving books for years. He's one of a legion who volunteers at the library. And I see people patiently teaching adults to read, one on one. That has to be one of the most admirable things to do in the world. At the hospital, I see Candy Stripers helping people find rooms, and carrying flowers, and pushing wheelchairs. And I see people donating blood. At the courthouse, I see the CASA volunteers, who monitor cases involving abused women and children and assist the victims through the process. I see the Neutral Case Evaluators, who hang out in the hallways on Motions Day, and help resolve cases and take a heavy load off the judges. At $250 an hour, a day volunteered at the courthouse is worth a couple thousand dollars, but they can't claim that on their income tax. I see my brother-in-law, who every day for decades visited a paraplegic man his age, helping bathe him and toilet him until the day the man died. I see my dad, who donated free dentistry to an entire monastery for decades. The local hospital could always count on him to get up in the wee hours to reconstruct the mouth of someone injured in a bad car wreck. Most of the time he got paid, but he didn't know that when he got up at 3 a.m., and he didn't really worry about it one way or the other. I see the people who run the local foodbank. And that's just in my small, privileged world. I see many, many people who don't think the world owes them a living. Maybe you take them for granted?