[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Compassion For The Poor (Page 1 of 9)
Posted: 9/9/2012 11:05:43 AM EDT
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If your compassion for the poor makes you want to open your wallet to help them, you're a saint. If your compassion for the poor makes you want to open someone else's wallet to help them, you're a thief. That is all. |
| What if my compassion means that I think we all are responsible for the paralyzed-on-one-side-guy who can hold down a job that pays 10 dollars an hour entering data into a database for fed-ex? What if I think we all should be forced to help that guy live in his own home with dignity, and not let some people skip out on what they should be responsible for, since they are happy to enjoy the benefits of living in a society, but want to skip out on the bill. Does that make me a theif or saint? |
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If your compassion for the poor makes you want to open your wallet to help them, you're a saint. If your compassion for the poor makes you want to open someone else's wallet to help them, you're thief. DEMOCRAT That is all. Couldn't be said any better. |
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From Penn Gillette
It’s amazing to me how many people think that voting to have the government give poor people money is compassion. Helping poor and suffering people is compassion. Voting for our government to use guns to give money to help poor and suffering people is immoral self-righteous bullying laziness.
People need to be fed, medicated, educated, clothed, and sheltered, and if we’re compassionate we’ll help them, but you get no moral credit for forcing other people to do what you think is right. There is great joy in helping people, but no joy in doing it at gunpoint. 
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What if my compassion means that I think we all are responsible for the paralyzed-on-one-side-guy who can hold down a job that pays 10 dollars an hour entering data into a database for fed-ex? What if I think we all should be forced to help that guy live in his own home with dignity, and not let some people skip out on what they should be responsible for, since they are happy to enjoy the benefits of living in a society, but want to skip out on the bill. Does that make me a theif or saint? Does your compassion require that another person be forced to open their wallet? You'll have your answer. |
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What if my compassion means that I think we all are responsible for the paralyzed-on-one-side-guy who can hold down a job that pays 10 dollars an hour entering data into a database for fed-ex? What if I think we all should be forced to help that guy live in his own home with dignity, and not let some people skip out on what they should be responsible for, since they are happy to enjoy the benefits of living in a society, but want to skip out on the bill. Does that make me a theif or saint? That's way too complicated. Try to reduce your thoughts to a simplistic jingle. |
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What if my compassion means that I think we all are responsible for the paralyzed-on-one-side-guy who can hold down a job that pays 10 dollars an hour entering data into a database for fed-ex? What if I think we all should be forced to help that guy live in his own home with dignity, and not let some people skip out on what they should be responsible for, since they are happy to enjoy the benefits of living in a society, but want to skip out on the bill. Does that make me a theif or saint? That's way too complicated. Try to reduce your thoughts to a simplistic jingle. Yep, because simple thoughts are best when spending other people's money. |
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What if my compassion means that I think we all are responsible for the paralyzed-on-one-side-guy who can hold down a job that pays 10 dollars an hour entering data into a database for fed-ex? What if I think we all should be forced to help that guy live in his own home with dignity, and not let some people skip out on what they should be responsible for, since they are happy to enjoy the benefits of living in a society, but want to skip out on the bill. Does that make me a theif or saint? Where does it end Robin Hood? |
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From Penn Gillette It’s amazing to me how many people think that voting to have the government give poor people money is compassion. Helping poor and suffering people is compassion. Voting for our government to use guns to give money to help poor and suffering people is immoral self-righteous bullying laziness.
People need to be fed, medicated, educated, clothed, and sheltered, and if we’re compassionate we’ll help them, but you get no moral credit for forcing other people to do what you think is right. There is great joy in helping people, but no joy in doing it at gunpoint.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nOgdc5JmYM&feature=player_embedded#!Ooh... I will be sharing that video with my friends on FB. |
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It's been my experience that many poor people who truly need help never ask for it. They have a sense of honor and responsibility left in them and it pains them to accept charity. I have personally seen and met many men and women at food pantries and shelters who begin to cry when you hand them a box of canned goods and food. These people are truly deserving of aid as they will be thankful for it and will do their best to get back on their feet.
However you never really meet those people on the street as they are not out on the street holding a cup asking for money. The people you do encounter daily on the street corners with outstretched palms asking for more, more, more are the shiftless drug addicts and scammers. People who don't want to work or feel that they are owed something for simply being alive. These people have no morals or honor and the difference between them begging from you and robbing you oft times is that they are either too scared to rob you or there are too many witnesses. Every dollar you give them goes into crack or booze and simply continues the cycle. These people will generally never seek out or accept actual helpful aid as they want to continue their shiftless, drug addled life and not change. I can't count how many times I've seen people give these wrecks a sandwich or a drink only to see them throw it in the trash when the good samaritan walked away. My experiences with these type of people can be summed up by one exchange I had with one earlier this year. He asked for a dollar on the street. I told him the Saint Patrick's Center was up Washington avenue and they would help him get back on his feet, get him a place to stay and even find him a job. He only said fuck you and walked off. |
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What if my compassion means that I think we all are responsible for the paralyzed-on-one-side-guy who can hold down a job that pays 10 dollars an hour entering data into a database for fed-ex? What if I think we all should be forced to help that guy live in his own home with dignity, and not let some people skip out on what they should be responsible for, since they are happy to enjoy the benefits of living in a society, but want to skip out on the bill. Does that make me a theif or saint? Sounds like to me his family is responsible. I am not. |
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What if my compassion means that I think we all are responsible for the paralyzed-on-one-side-guy who can hold down a job that pays 10 dollars an hour entering data into a database for fed-ex? What if I think we all should be forced to help that guy live in his own home with dignity, and not let some people skip out on what they should be responsible for, since they are happy to enjoy the benefits of living in a society, but want to skip out on the bill. Does that make me a theif or saint? Where does it end Robin Hood? When those damn rich people stop having more than me!! 
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What if my compassion means that I think we all are responsible for the paralyzed-on-one-side-guy who can hold down a job that pays 10 dollars an hour entering data into a database for fed-ex? What if I think we all should be forced to help that guy live in his own home with dignity, and not let some people skip out on what they should be responsible for, since they are happy to enjoy the benefits of living in a society, but want to skip out on the bill. Does that make me a theif or saint? It seemed to me that Mac was succinct and clear in his post. If, however, you are having some trouble understanding some of the big words, feel free to ask for help. I'd hate to see you go through life both ignorant and a thief. |
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What if my compassion means that I think we all are responsible for the paralyzed-on-one-side-guy who can hold down a job that pays 10 dollars an hour entering data into a database for fed-ex? What if I think we all should be forced to help that guy live in his own home with dignity, and not let some people skip out on what they should be responsible for, since they are happy to enjoy the benefits of living in a society, but want to skip out on the bill. Does that make me a theif or saint? It makes you irrational. You think government's purpose is to force people to take care of strangers against their will? |
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For me it depends on how the poor got poor. If they're poor because they're stupid or made bad life style choices, fuck 'em. Same goes for being old and poor. If you did something stupid like rob a bank in your 20's and now you're 70 and after being in jail for 20-30 years, out of jail, fuck you. I'm not going to feel compassion, pity, or anything else for you |
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What if my compassion means that I think we all are responsible for the paralyzed-on-one-side-guy who can hold down a job that pays 10 dollars an hour entering data into a database for fed-ex? What if I think we all should be forced to help that guy live in his own home with dignity, and not let some people skip out on what they should be responsible for, since they are happy to enjoy the benefits of living in a society, but want to skip out on the bill. Does that make me a theif or saint? The part in bold makes you a thief, and there are several things that you need to understand about what you said. If you're that concerned about this hypothetical man's plight, you'll reach into your own wallet and help him out. Charity is that which is given from an inner desire to help. When you say "we" should be forced to help, you remove all charity. In that case, one is no longer giving help, but one is surrendering resources under threat of retaliation by the third-party who is collecting those resources. If you, out of your "compassion", went down your street every week or every month and demanded that each of your neighbors give you money to pay this poor fellow's rent "or else", you'd be guilty of a pretty serious crime. Understand that "compassion" is the desire, based on a deep sense of sympathy, to ease the suffering of others. When you decide that someone else must be forced to ease a particular person or group's suffering, you are no longer compassionate because you are now inflicting suffering on those from whom you take. Though you might feel a sense of responsibility to those in need, by acting this way, you are not exercising compassion. Instead, you are shirking the responsibility that you feel and forcing others to take care of the suffering that you see. If you were truly compassionate, you would first render aid yourself. Then, if that is not enough, you might point out the problem and ask others if they would be willing to help, then organize and manage this assistance in order to alleviate the suffering. In other words, you would start your own charity. Force is NOT a component of compassion. Next, how much dignity is there in living on money that you know was forcibly taken from others? None. If I were the hypothetical man in your post, I would be hard-pressed to sleep at night if I knew that others were forced to pay my way. That would be especially true if I was able to work, even if I wasn't capable of earning as much as some others. Not sure how old you are, but here's something to think really hard about. You control exactly one person in this lifetime: you. When you use force or the threat of force to exert control over others, you become a big problem and cause both you and the people whom you would control quite a bit of grief. Bottom line, do what you think is right and do with your resources what you think is right. Don't worry about what everyone else is doing. Some will do the right thing, some will not, but that's not your problem. In the end, you can only make decisions for yourself. Here's another thing to remember. Everyone is different, which means that we all have different levels of ability. We are better than some at some things and not as good as others at other things. Some play a mean game of golf, others don't. Some are able to earn tons of money and others aren't, and that's OK. In the same way, each of us also has his own drive to help, and this drive is stronger in some than in others, and that's OK. Maybe you are driven to help this paralyzed person to live a better life. Someone else may have a passion for helping others by spending their time serving people in a soup kitchen or maybe in a free medical clinic. Still others may want to help by donating money or other assets to a favorite charity. When we understand that we are all different and we accept that it's not a bad thing, we let society take care of itself. When there is a need, people tend to take care of it. Some don't have that compunction, but even that's OK. As long as you do what is right with yourself and with that which belongs to you, you are doing good. As soon as you cross over the line and begin having designs on what belongs to others, understand that you are no different from a common thief. |
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It makes you a theif, if you truly believe that the man needs help, help him your self, no one is standing in your way. Would I be wrong in guessing that your money means more than your said compassion.What if my compassion means that I think we all are responsible for the paralyzed-on-one-side-guy who can hold down a job that pays 10 dollars an hour entering data into a database for fed-ex? What if I think we all should be forced to help that guy live in his own home with dignity, and not let some people skip out on what they should be responsible for, since they are happy to enjoy the benefits of living in a society, but want to skip out on the bill. Does that make me a theif or saint?  We live in a free country you can decide how to use your money and I get to decide how to use mine, but if that changes then you will be deciding how to use my money and my guess is it won't be for my benefit. Throw in a government that cares less and is greedy and power hungry there is no guess work to it.
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What if my compassion means that I think we all are responsible for the paralyzed-on-one-side-guy who can hold down a job that pays 10 dollars an hour entering data into a database for fed-ex? What if I think we all should be forced to help that guy live in his own home with dignity, and not let some people skip out on what they should be responsible for, since they are happy to enjoy the benefits of living in a society, but want to skip out on the bill. Does that make me a theif or saint? Does your compassion require that another person be forced to open their wallet At gun point? You'll have your answer. That IS what he is saying.Thievery plain and simple. |
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Log out.  You bastage! I was going to do that! He needs to log on. Yep! Pulled out the card, clicked on his profile and saw the expiration date, figured someone had just beat me to the punch. Wife asked me what I was cussin' about. 
It was a worthy post! 
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What if my compassion means that I think we all are responsible for the paralyzed-on-one-side-guy who can hold down a job that pays 10 dollars an hour entering data into a database for fed-ex? What if I think we all should be forced to help that guy live in his own home with dignity, and not let some people skip out on what they should be responsible for, since they are happy to enjoy the benefits of living in a society, but want to skip out on the bill. Does that make me a theif or saint? Your compassion should stop at my wallet. What you subscribe to is not compassion, it is redistribution. Stealing part of my life [work for payment] to satisfy your feelings deserves nothing but contempt. People who advocate using government to take from some to give to others are cowards who are to chicken to do it themselves. Even common criminals who rob at gunpoint have more honesty then those who use the government to do their dirty work. |
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Quoted: If your compassion for the poor makes you want to open your wallet to help them, you're a saint. If your compassion for the poor makes you want to open someone else's wallet to help them, you're a thief. That is all. I stole this and put it on facebook. Thanks. I added "Mr. President," to the beginning |
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Quoted: The_Macallan is one of the reasons that I love this site. Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Log out. You bastage! I was going to do that! He needs to log on. Yep! Pulled out the card, clicked on his profile and saw the expiration date, figured someone had just beat me to the punch. Wife asked me what I was cussin' about. It was a worthy post! |
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The "poor" in this country have:
multiple big screen LCD TVs, cell phones, XBoxes, DVD players, multiple cars, drink, smoke, and buy lottery tickets, i.e., luxuries. Their living expenses are subsidized by daddy government. How many people are actually poor, and living on just what they earn? If the leaches applied themselves and spent the $$$ they earned on what they needed, they wouldn't be poor. |
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The "poor" in this country have: multiple big screen LCD TVs, cell phones, XBoxes, DVD players, multiple cars, drink, smoke, and buy lottery tickets, i.e., luxuries. Their living expenses are subsidized by daddy government. How many people are actually poor, and living on just what they earn? If the leaches applied themselves and spent the $$$ they earned on what they needed, they wouldn't be poor. The middle class. |