# Conservative hospitalized blogger asks for donations. Liberals ask, should I donate? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 1, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-hospitalized-blogger-asks-for-donations-liberals-ask-should-i-donate/665089 "2013-08-01T16:46:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-hospitalized-blogger-asks-for-donations-liberals-ask-should-i-donate/665089/61 "2013-08-03T03:03:05Z")
How would individual liberals react if a conservative refused to help a liberal in need because s/he was liberal? If the answer is “with scorn” then those liberals should be willing to help the conservative out. That said, I think brickbacon says it best: > [@brickbacon](#): > > I don’t necessarily think a person should not help him because he is conservative, but I also don’t see why his case is worth donating to given there are thousands of people in worse situations. He isn’t any more deserving of scorn than he is help. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-hospitalized-blogger-asks-for-donations-liberals-ask-should-i-donate/665089/62 "2013-08-03T04:04:21Z")
I don’t think I personally would donate to this guy, because my charitable giving is organized in different directions, but after reading the post on the Daily Kos, I feel like I get why that dude is organizing donations, and think it’s a good thing. My impression is that he (the Daily Kos guy) feels he is part of the same community as the hospitalized guy, even though they are on opposing sides of the issues. (I guess that would be the community of people who blog about politics). I would compare that to a hypothetical situation where someone in the SDMB was in need of assistance, even if that person had different views than me - I would consider donating in a similar situation because I feel invested in _this_ community and its members. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-hospitalized-blogger-asks-for-donations-liberals-ask-should-i-donate/665089/63 "2013-08-03T10:01:42Z")
> [@Werekoala](#): > > I’m sure people like Mother Teresa (were she alive) would be in full agreement with you - thank goodness we have them to equally apply that government tax money. We should stay _well_ away from anything Mother Teresa would agree with on matters of easing suffering or distributing finances to those who need it. > [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Would you approve of a new government program that provided food to people, where the only way to get food would be through the government program (i.e., all restaurants, grocery stores, etc. would be illegal)? > > If you wouldn’t approve of that, then obviously you are actively working against people getting food and are scum. Surely a better analogy would be a new government program that provides food to people, but it is also perfectly legal to use restaurants and grocery stores? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-hospitalized-blogger-asks-for-donations-liberals-ask-should-i-donate/665089/64 "2013-08-03T13:46:35Z")
A better analogy would be the government mandating that everyone buy their own food, if they can afford it, so that they can stop shoplifting from grocery stores and dashing out on their checks in restaurants. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-hospitalized-blogger-asks-for-donations-liberals-ask-should-i-donate/665089/65 "2013-08-03T17:40:55Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Would you approve of a new government program that provided food to people, where the only way to get food would be through the government program (i.e., all restaurants, grocery stores, etc. would be illegal)? > > If you wouldn’t approve of that, then obviously you are actively working against people getting food and are scum. :rolleyes: Analogy fail. The health care law does not prevent any company from doing business. In fact, quite the opposite, it brought millions of American consumers to those companies by law. Now you answer my question. Or run away, as you often do, whatever ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-hospitalized-blogger-asks-for-donations-liberals-ask-should-i-donate/665089/66 "2013-08-04T14:03:23Z")
:rolleyes: yourself. The OP of this thread (from whence I gained 100% of my information about this conservative blogger, as I have stated) says that he is against single payer health lans. So I was making an analogy to single payer, not to Obamacare. Yeesh. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-hospitalized-blogger-asks-for-donations-liberals-ask-should-i-donate/665089/67 "2013-08-04T14:15:31Z")
I won’t donate to his cause. Why was he employed for years at Erick Erickson’s conservative RedState website and did not either buy health insurance in the private market or get some through work? Erick Erickson described his as “my right hand” but didn’t think enough about him as an employee to offer benefits to him? He has a wife and family. It’s irresponsible to not plan for taking care of his family and everybody knows conservatives are big on personal responsibility. Their suffering is the natural consequence of their personal beliefs and actions. Now that he is seriously ill, he can use up all his assets and then apply for Medicaid, just like any other person in his situation. Situations like this will take us all one step closer to what we need- single payer universal coverage. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-hospitalized-blogger-asks-for-donations-liberals-ask-should-i-donate/665089/68 "2013-08-04T14:35:58Z")
> [@Ca3799](#): > > Now that he is seriously ill, he can use up all his assets and then apply for Medicaid, just like any other person in his situation. Situations like this will take us all one step closer to what we need- single payer universal coverage. One can make the argument that he makes a good “poster child” for why people need insurance–both health and life. He isn’t the only person out there who is uninsured (presumably by choice?). Maybe his story has encouraged others, regardless of their politics, to grow up a little and protect themselves. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-hospitalized-blogger-asks-for-donations-liberals-ask-should-i-donate/665089.md?page=3)