Well, what are you waiting for?
Ask me something, dammit!
What percentage of your income do you give to charity? How you decide how much and which charity? And is it mostly “help the poor” charity or “help the art museum” charity? Is it important for you to derive some benefit (contacts, brownie points at work, etc.) beyond the altruistic feeling? Have you ever given so anonymously that you can’t even deduct it?
Change Your Password, Please and don’t use HTML, as it has been disabled, but you can learn about superscripts here
I give $1.00 a month to the United Way, deducted from my pay check (so the office can have 100% participation.)
I belong to a service club to which I pay dues, and which does charitable work. In all honesty, I would not belong to this club if I did not receive a greater benefit in terms of name recognition, and goodwill among the business community. Does this make it bad?
That, and other small charitable donations probably total less than 1/2 of 1% of my income.
I have never given anonymously.
:::turning on the bright lights:::
Have you ever willingly purchased a Teletubbies, Barney or Pokémon video for the express enjoyment of children, and subsequently viewed said video while not in the company of children?
–Kalél
TheHungerSite.com
“If our lives are indeed the sum-total of the choices we’ve made, then we cannot change who we are; but with every new choice we’re given, we can change who we’re going to be.”
No.
never teletubbies, Barney, or Pokemon.
Are you crazy man? I don’t do that hard stuff.
I do occasionally enjoy a Vegi-tales video (especially the sing-alongs)
But I could quit at any time. Really. It’s true.
Re: Charity.
Since almost 40% of my hard-earned money goes to taxes. And a significant portion of that goes to social programs (read charity.) I actually give quite a lot don’t I?
Sadly, it’s not the money that’s needed.
I donate several hundred dollars to charity every year.
Well, okay, actually I don’t. I really donate lots of old junk I no longer want to Goodwill Industries every year, than claim a nice high Fair Market Value for it on my tax return.
The tax savings are usually greater than the money I’d bring in if I sold that stuff at a garage sale. (Plus, by donating instead, I don’t have to go through the trouble of having a garage sale.)
I’m tempted to say something about myself, but that wouldn’t be addressing the OP.
So here’s a question: You describe yourself as “somewhat conservative.” In your opinion, what are a couple of views you hold that would not be considered conservative? You may use whatever basis of comparison you wish.
“Conservative, but not right wing” is probably more descriptive of my beliefs, and politics.
I think abortion is a bad thing. However, I can see know way that I can morally impose this belief and force a woman to bear a child against her will. So, I am a reluctant pro-choice.
I live out in the country and own several firearms, but can see no use for assault weopons.
I really don’t care about school prayer.
I’m in favor of medicare and medicaid.
I kinda liked Bill Bradley.
How’s that?
Feel free to say something about yourself Divemaster, even if it doesn’t directly address the OP, and especially if you feel it might help some facet of the discussion. THanks for asking.
I’m currently using low-profile fairway woods - so you think I should replace them with deeper faced ones?
(Make that “do you think”…)
I personally think fairway woods are over used. Stick with a seven wood (the Gingty!) for those shots out of the rough. Use a three wood for those shots off the fairway at long range with an excellent lie. I feel a deep face gives me better control.
I favor the one or three iron for most shots where the rest of my foursome might use a wood.
The real question is what makes you feel comfortable and relaxed?
For those really tough shots I favor taking a mulligan.
Dear W.M.U.M.C.S.C.T., (whew!)
Having just figured out our taxes, we’ve been ‘blessed’ to have to pay out these last eight years, we’ll be paying less than the extra thousand last year, but it goes to my two questions.
The flat tax that was touted so widely in the last few years, what do you think about it, and do you think the behemoth of a tax system will ever be overhauled? (I don’t think so, myself)
Thanks,
Judy
“Lilacs bloomed in April and fruit ripened on the vine. Heartbeats quickened and old appetites were renewed. In April a livelier iris gleamed upon the burnished dove. April was spring, and in the spring Milo Minderbinder’s fancy had lightly turned to thoughts of…tangerines.”
Why is it that so very few companies have a theme song? Except for all that time I spent in the Navy, I can’t recall ever working for any company that had a theme song, and I’ve worked for two different restaurants, a liquor store, a trailer park and (count 'em) three companies that manufacture and distribute scientific laboratory equipment. Nary a chord progression in the bunch. Whussup with that?
Anti-pro:
To the best of my knowledge there has never been a country that institued a flat tax without later placing an income tax on top of it. So, I think it’s a farce. We need reform of our taxation system. I don’t see it happening any time soon either.
Kaylasdad:
You need to go to work for a consumer staples company. They all have good theme songs. Scientific co’s don’t have products that lend themselves to a jingle.
Imagine:
“Have a monoclonal antibody based vaccine and a smile!”
Hmmm.
Nobody has addressed what I feel is the base issue here.
Depending on your perspective, my “class” (for lack of a better word) is the raper of woman, Oppressor of minorities, bane of the environment, beater of wives, and pretty much responsible for all that is evil in the world.
My perspective is that I may be a member of the last minority.
So what exactly is “upper middle class”? I figured out white, male, and taxpayer, and “somewhat conservative” has already been addressed. Please define “upper middle class.”
Scylla wrote:
Wait a minute … I thought “flat tax” was shorthand for “flat income tax.”
Or did you mean “… without placing a graduated income tax on top of it”?
Athena:
Upper middle class means that you think you are doing well enough to look down on most other people, but not so well that you’re not still full of insecurties.
Upper Middle Class is characterized by a large house in a nice neighborhood, late model foreign cars, country clubs, a parternalistic attitude towards your community, and a high degree of smugness.
Tracer:
A graduated income tax was exactly what I meant.
Cool! I got a chance at becoming “Upper Middle Class!”
Big house: check
Late Model Foreign Car: hmmmm… if I buy that Z3…
Looking down on most other people: been doing that since I was born
I’m gonna have to work on the paternalistic attitude and the smugness. I’m confused, though, how can you all at once look down on other people, act smug, AND be paternalistic?
Hidely-Ho, WMUMCSCT!
How can I be more like you?
I don’t mean the WMSCT part - I’m already very WM, unfortunately a T, and I’ve no desire to become any more SC - I’m really only interested in the UMC part.
Yet to be reconciled with the reality of the dark for a moment, I go on wandering from dream to dream.