Today I got a letter from my little cousin (once removed):
Hi! I’m joining in the American Heart Association’s Jump Rope For Heart event at my school. I will be jumping rope to help the American Heart Association raise money to fight heart disease and stroke. Can you help me by making a donation? Thanks!
The American Heart Association’s online fundraising website has a minimum donation amount of $25.00. If you want to donate less, that’s ok. You can just send the check right to me and I’ll make sure the American Heart Association gets it.
Thank you!
You know, normally I’d be all for something like this, because I think both the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association do a lot of good work.
But lately, they’ve been pushing smoking bans and were lobbying for sticking it to big tobacco. So now the AHA and ALA aren’t charity cases, they are political activist groups hell bent on removing freedom from Americans. And because of that, I will ignore my cousin’s e-mail. I’d really like to help out, but not at the expense of liberty.
Charity groups get involved in political issues at their peril.
“. I’d really like to help out, but not at the expense of liberty.”-Sebastion
Exactly one of the reasons you have one of the better websites on the internet. Good on ya!
I used to do that (Jump Rope for Heart.) The most I ever got was an FM radio after busting my ass going door-to-door to collect $60. The kids with rich parents had them write a check for $300 and they got varsity jackets. My fantasy is to find some awesome poor kid and give them $300 for their charity so they can be the happiest kid in elementary school. Unfortunately I can’t find a little poor kid as awesome as I was.