Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for September 21, 2010

To appeal to your greed, you can then sell those lives you saved more stuff.

To quote Donald Trump: “I’m looking for a good disease.”

“I’m looking for a lover that won’t drive me crazy.”

And here’s Angelina Jolie’s phone number.

Let’s end Post Nasal Drip in our lifetime. Future generations will thank you for your millions.

PS Your hated Mr Bush sent how much to Africa for AIDS?

“Good disease” is contradictory but maybe Trump can start with what’s on his head.

Meanwhile, Jimbo and his living ilk could start doing what is just and good by paying at least current applicable tax rate on what they have typically hidden in off-shore accounts and other tax dodges.

How much, Lew? And how did it compare with the trillions spent on maiming & killing men, women, & children in Iraq & Afghanistan?

Following Bush-Dick’s example, however, Lew, you’re in favor of Warren Buffett’s plans? Good! It would be good to know how much G.W. Bush & Dick Cheney (two filthy rich men) have personally given to eradicate diseases in Africa.

Whatever happened to “restless leg syndrome?”

@Griz from yesterday - I started out on the allocations committee about 15 years ago, was a loaned executive for a year, and for many years now I’ve been the site chairman for the largest employer in my quarter of the state.

In addition, I’ve been on the board of our local black scholarship organization, and have volunteered for a dozen other local charities. I used to serve stuffing at the soup kitchen on Thanksgiving, but too many others wanted the job.

Do I not fit your stereotypes?

Problem is “Nemesys”, all we have is your say so. Maybe you did all that – but no one knows who you are and unfortunately there are plenty of others with dubious creditability. Perhaps you are a true philanthropist, but here you will have to be content that virtue is its own reward.

Nem,, That is commendable as long as it is from the heart.

My congratulations for caring. My father-in-law, may his soul rest in peace, never gave to anything (“If they want something, let them work for it.”) except the Republican party. The last five years before his death, he had misgivings about his beloved party, saying they were “all crooks”.

Bush sent money to africa for AIDs? no wonder itś such an epedimic. didnt anyone pay attention to what sending all that money to iraq and afghanistan has done for the terrorist community?

Al, I am not a philanthropist. I simply believe that doing something is better than talking and whining about making others do something. It shouldn’t be surprising, as there’s data out there to suggest that the majority of the volunteers in the US lean to the right. Think about all the work that religious organizations quietly do, verses the noisy “feel good” demonstrations that others are usually involved in. Btw, the problem is yours to own, not for me.

Justice, I hate to disappoint you, but it’s not “from the heart”… it’s from the mind. It’s not about “feeling good”, it’s about having an impact. If I want my community to be a better place for my family and me to live in, it’s necessary to actually do something about it. I was a volunteer fireman/rescue squad member for 15 years when I was younger, but that was for my own reasons… it was fun. Similarly, I take selfish enjoyment from what I do. This year has been slow… I only worked with our local film festival, the post offices’ can drive for the Salvation Army food pantry and our hospital’s Development Fund and blood drive, but the United Way drive is in November. Btw, I’ve never volunteered for a party except during the 2004 New York City Republican Convention , although I do let the Republicans put signs on my lawn. Oh, I also work the polls on election day… but that’s mostly for the cookies :-)

Btw, my own father and grandparents never gave to anything either. Most people don’t, but they have an expectation of receiving the benefits. That’s the core of entitlement thinking, which extends to many folks political expectations today as well. However, when you’re not part of anything, you have no control over it, and people are all too willing to relinquish control – their freedoms - in order to share in the spoils of the money and work of others. Yuck.

For me, it’s about selfish control. I chose to control what I invest my time, effort and money in. I don’t want others choosing it for me. Taking money – a unit of work - by force from others (of any income bracket) to support the government’s notion of “philanthropy” is very distasteful to me on many levels..

dfowensby, it’s no wonder you didn’t hear about it. Most of the media kept his Africa projects well behind the scene so as not to disturb the image they were constructing of Bush. Btw, some people claim that Bush’s anti-HIV initiatives saves thousands and perhaps millions of lives, but only changes in at-risk behaviors will keep the epidemic in Africa under control.

Buffett and Gates are indeed “traitors to their class.” We all know the correct way for a rich/famous person to raise money for a good cause is to get millions of middle/working class people to pony up small donations in the rich guy’s name (e.g., Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, etc., recording a song (“We are the world,” a truly awful piece of schmaltz), selling it for three or four bucks a pop, and “donating” some part of the profits to feed starving Africans). How dare these two actually donate some of their OWN money to a good cause? That is so, so, so gauche!

Fire Security for letting Warren in!

Giving and taking at will both come from the same place.

Buffet and Gates are both INTJ personality types, and tt’s about power and control, as it was with the classic buiness leaders (Carnagie, Chase, etc.) who came before them. They’re all greedy people, as are most of the members of the “billionaires club”. The only varable is where and how that greed is focused upon.

When someone at that level greedily focuses on how to make the largest impact to the world with their money to create real change, understand that it comes from the same place by which they aquired their resources in the first place. There’s no contradiction at all.

Was Gecko right after all?

Just b/c someone agrees with Bush’s Africa policy, as I did, doesn’t mean you also have to agree w/95% of his other policies. I also happened to agree with his Bush’s immigration position. Sadly, he was a lot closer to the Dems on that issue and was opposed by nearly all of his GOP caucus.

Americans contribute voluntarily more than any other country. A widely-held perception is that corporations and foundations are the biggest sources to tap for grants and donations. The reality is that 83 percent of philanthropic dollars are contributed by individuals and bequests.

These statistics may interest you and invalidate most of the assumptions made on this site today.

http://www.nps.gov/partnerships/fundraisingindividualsstatistics.htm

“Nemesys said, about 4 hours ago

Do I not fit your stereotypes?”

I see people as individuals.

Still, the vitriol of your statements is rather strange.

Griz, your question initiated the conversation. If my “vitriol” seemed strange to you, it was only because I took your lead.

However, granted that you see people as individuals (which is not entirely born out by some of your previous comments), why did you ask me your question?

Nemesys, taxes permit a government to do things for people that no volunteer organization could do. Your taxes are simply your contribution to our society. I agree that the government spends much of my tax money in ways that I could not support—Bush-Dick’s pension, trillion-dollar annual military budgets, creating more highways rather than supporting mass transit, &c., &c.—,but until we are ready to take responsibility for everyone and work for the commonweal, we need governments, and governments need money to do good. How do you want the F.D.A. to work—as volunteers?

Your volunteer work does not justify letting others starve, and you cannot help each starving person. Our government, however, could ensure that every American is fed.

As to Bush-Dick’s aid to AIDS in Africa, it was more in the media than the faulty “intelligence” used to get us into Iraq, where Bush-Dick killed & maimed more people than his aid in Africa saved.

Your analysis of Warren Buffett & Bill Gates is pathetic. Did you spend your time at the soup kitchen labeling those who dared ask for stuffing?

Brian, I agree that taxes are necessary to support safety, security, and necessary services, but more services supported by more government supported by more taxes is not always better… it’s just more. After a while, the donkey hauling the carrot wagon has grown so large that he eats all the carrots in the wagon and then decimates the carrot fields themselves. We’ve become less concerned with the outcomes of the services being delivered than of feeding the monstrous governmental creature we’re using to facilitate the service. It’s past time to put the big a$$ on a diet.

I think you misunderstood my analysis of Buffet and Gates. I admire them exactly because they’re no bleeding heart altruists, and they know that they have no obligation to make a difference… instead, they do what they do for their own selfish reasons, and there’s nothing wrong with being selfish in that regard. These guys hate to lose. If your greed drives you to make the world a better place by trying to beat the next guy at it, what’s wrong with that?

It could just be that you just think that selfishness and power are dirty words, but I don’t. Not everything gets done by committee.

WMD have been used in that area for decades. Mustard gas was used by Iraq many times throughout the 80s adn 90s, and nerve gas was produced and used in the late 1990’s.

Clinton’s Administration not only felt that WMD were available in Iraq, but they were also threat. Operation Desert Fox was launced to “slow-down” the production of these WMD. We used air support and Naval Gunfire to attack suspect WMD shops/labs. In fact, I think it was Albright that said the mission did not eliminate the threat of WMD, rather it disrupted it, or slowed it down (I don’t remember the quote, but I do know the message was that we did not stop Iraq from holding or develping WMD.)

The Bush Administration (as President Obama would like to say) was left with this intelligence. Of course, common sense woudl tell the average educated person that Iraq had WMD; locating them is another story.

BTW, WMD are simply classified as any weapon that can cause sinificant damage to a building or cause harm to a large numbers of people. NBC are the general perception of WMD, but M-60s, M203, RPGs, Landmines, and missles are all WMD.

I cannot speak for another person, but I think the Bush Administration was more concerend with reports of NBC weapons. I never saw the reports or counter-reports, and I cannot trust the media’s “word” when they paraphrase anything. Considernig what Iraq had done in the recent decades, it is hard to belive that they had decided to give up on NBC or turned over any, much less all, WMD after a 4 days of calling in NGF.

“Nemesys”, I now believe I have an indication of what type of person you are. (And I very seriously doubt it is congruent with your self-image.)

Clearly, you consider virtue as a reward as being insufficient compensation.

Correct link http://www.nps.gov/partnerships/fundraising_individuals_statistics.htm

“Nemesys said, about 8 hours ago

Griz, your question initiated the conversation. If my “vitriol” seemed strange to you, it was only because I took your lead.”

_reread your posts from yesterday and today.

“However, granted that you see people as individuals (which is not entirely born out by some of your previous comments), why did you ask me your question?”

Because of the sheer bombastic and spiteful style of your posts.

And, no, you can’t blame that on me.

Very impressive (if self-serving) credentials aside, just what is it that you consider yourself divine retribution for?

I fail to see how helping the needy is consistent with despising the government for collecting taxes to…you know…help the needy.

If any of the people you serve are on the government dole, aren’t you required to despise them also?

I also have a hard time understanding why people insist taxation is too much and government is doing too much, when there is objective evidence to the contrary in the number of police, fire, and teaching staff being laid off. If we were on the side of the Laffer curve everyone claims we’re on, the opposite would be happening after eight years of aggressive tax cuts.

No one argues, Nemesys, that our governments spend some of their money wastefully. That is an easy target. Let us rid ourselves of these obscene wars, and we will have trillions to put toward helping America & the world.

As to your comments about Warren Buffett & Bill Gates: Since you do not know them, your imputing motives to them is worthless. I cannot stand committees. I work for myself. No groups, no bosses, but “selfishness” is a bad thing. Self-worth, yes; self-interest, yes; selfishness, no.

Du55, Saddam Hussein had no w.m.d.s. Bush-Dick cherry-picked the “intelligence” in order to invade Iraq. Colin Powell was horrified about the weakness of the case he had to make before the U.N. The mainstream media, leaning rightward, supported the invasion. Bush-Dick intimated that Hussein had been responsible for September 11th. The entire occupation of Iraq was a disgrace, and President Obama is getting us out, which will save lives and money.

I suppose a touch of literature won’t offend anyone at this late hour, particularly the prose crafted by one of the contributors to The Spectator 300 years ago.

The heartfelt debate on altruism between Nemesys and BrianCrook reminded me of Steele’s comedy The Conscious Lovers (1723). Steele’s hero, Bevil, tries to explain to the orphaned heroine, Indiana, that he expects no sexual favors in return for having rescued her and her aunt from poverty.

INDIANA (aside) Now once more to try him.—-I must have your opinion on a subject debated between my aunt and me just before you came. She would have it that no man ever does any extraordinary kindness or service for a woman but for his own sake.

BEVIL Well, madam! Indeed, I can’t but be of her mind.

INDIANA What, though he should maintain and support her, without demanding anything of her on her part?

BEVIL Why, madam, is making an expense in the service of a valuable woman (for such I must suppose her), though she should never do him any favor—-nay, though she should never know who did her such service—-such a mighty heroic business?

INDIANA Certainly! I should think he must be a man of an uncommon mold.

BEVIL Dear madam, why so? ‘tis but a better taste in expense. To bestow upon one whom he may think one of the ornaments of the whole creation; to be conscious [compare the play’s oxymoronic title] that from his superfluity an innocent, a virtuous spirit is supported above the temptations and sorrows of life, that he sees satisfaction, health, and gladness in her countenance, while he enjoys the happiness of seeing her—-I say, if he is allowed to delight in that prospect, alas, what mighty matter is there in all this?

INDIANA No mighty matter in so disinterested a friendship!

BEVIL Disinterested! I can’t think him so. Your hero, madam, is no more than what every gentleman ought to be and I believe very many are. He is only one who takes more delight in reflections than in sensations. He is more pleased with thinking than eating; that is the utmost you can say of him. Why, madam, a greater expense than all this men lay out upon an unnecessary stable of horses.

——–

After this speech, the stage direction has Bevil “exit carelessly.” When he’s gone, the disconsolate Indiana wails to her aunt, “I begin to fear he is wholly disinterested in what he does for me. He has no other view but the mere pleasure of doing it, and has neither good nor bad designs upon me!”

Bevil’s mawkish benevolism was hugely popular at the time and has remained so in one form or another for three centuries. The problem is that any talk about your good deeds or benevolence soon turns into cant.

Since I’ve given full rein to literature on this off-topic post, I’ll let John Donne have the last word:

I have done one braver thing Than all the Worthies did, And yet a braver thence doth spring, Which is, to keep that hid.

palin drome,

Your quote slices like a knife.