Joe Doakes from Como Park emails:
Got this in the mail. Not going. Annoying.
“Give back.” To whom, the beneficiaries of this fundraiser? The county bar association and the local Legal Aid office? The phrase ‘give back’ implies I once received something of value from them, for which I did not pay on the spot. The phrase ‘give back’ implies an obligation, a debt. Searching my memory (insert Star Trek computer voice: “Working. Working.”). Nope, can’t think of anything either of them ever gave me for free. Don’t see that I have any obligation to give either of them anything in return.
“Pay it Forward.” Cute movie, silly slogan, worse reasoning. Somebody once did something nice for me, so that burdens me with an obligation to give money to someone else. And lucky for me, they’ve pre-selected the people I’ll be paying, all good Liberal Democrats, no doubt. At $85 a plate, plus having to sit through do-gooders giving each other feel-good awards to signal their virtue? I don’t think so. If that’s the cost of people doing nice things for me, stop doing nice things for me, I can’t afford it.
This is not an appeal for charity, it’s shaming. I’ve been shamed enough. I get it every day. I’m an old White male. We’re the bane of society. Racists. Sexists. Rapists. We didn’t build anything, we never accomplished anything, we’re oppressors who stole our ill-gotten gains and don’t deserve to keep them. So Give Back the money or Pay it Forward to our pet programs so we can work to further shame old White men.
You know what? That argument doesn’t motivate me to give money, doesn’t inspire my generosity.
If you want me to give you money, convince me you deserve it. Offer programs I want to watch (Dr. Who on public television). Give me something I want to have (salvation, from my church). Show me you’re helping people I want to help and give me a little reward (Girl Scout cookies). Hell, stand at the stoplight in the pouring rain holding a cardboard sign to make me feel glad I’m not you. I keep a dozen ones in the center console for precisely those people. But not for Legal Aid lawyers. And not because I’ve got some fake obligation that I should be ashamed I haven’t paid.
The hardest part of establishing an entitlement is convincing those who’ll pay that you are in fact entitled to their money.
It seems MN Democrats have done a fine job of this.
Joe, correct me if I am wrong.
In civil lawsuits there are two types of damages: compensatory and punitive. Compensatory damages are what the name suggests, compensates the victim for actual damages suffered. In other words, it restores the losses of the victim. Punitive damages are the state’s way of punishing the offender and sending a message to anyone who contemplates engaging in the same behavior.
Punitive damages can be extreme, we have all heard of the $2.7 million verdict against McDonalds (Liebeck v. McDonald’s Restaurants).
So here is the question, why should the victim or the victim’s lawyers enjoy the proceeds of punitive damages?
One would think that if society was looking for a revenue stream to finance legal services for the indigent and depending on the generosity of lawyers to do it, that the lawyers who make up the majority of the legislature would direct those funds to Legal Aid.
But then again, funding justice is one thing, funding the left is another and funding the later is probably not a good idea.
“This is not an appeal for charity, it’s shaming. I’ve been shamed enough. I get it every day. I’m an old White male. We’re the bane of society. Racists. Sexists. Rapists. We didn’t build anything, we never accomplished anything, we’re oppressors who stole our ill-gotten gains and don’t deserve to keep them. So Give Back the money or Pay it Forward to our pet programs so we can work to further shame old White men.”
Mr. Doakes: Finish your rant. We’re at a time where rants need to be scratched.
I gave a speech entitled “Give back? You’ve paid your dues, now Get Ahead.” It’s an American idea. Do American ideas resonate anymore?
Joe
circulating in an interoffice email you’ll be receiving soon
Heartless Doakes refuses pay back to the desperate; women and children hardest hit”
PB – it’s funny you say that. Just got my employee “Combined Charities” appeal. Come on, pitch in, help these good causes, let’s all participate! Really? Who has HR selected as worthy recipients of my largesse?
Community Health Charities. Brochures, information, help for people with chronic illness. Okay, that’s good.
Community Shares of Minnesota. Fighting for social justice in housing, civil rights. No. I’m not funding more of that idiocy.
Greater Twin Cities United Way. The website claims they now support Boy Scouts and no longer support Planned Parenthood’s abortion clinics. Okay.
Minnesota Environmental fund. Supports a bunch of environmental advocacy groups which sounds good, but “clean water” turns into “acid rain” which becomes “no coal” which translates to “windmills” meaning “more expensive electric bill.” No.
Open Your Hearts To The Hungry and Homeless. On the one hand, I like to help people. On the other hand, if you give a mouse a cookie . . . . Okay, yes, I’ll support this one.
Peacemaker Minnesota. Sustainable funding for school violence prevention, teach kids to get along. No. SJWs caused this problem with stupid ideas, I’m not going to pay Social Work grads to rap with teens about peace and love while shielding them from discipline for wrongdoing. No.
The United Negro College Fund. A mind IS a terrible thing to waste. And when this fund started in the Jim Crow era, it was a good idea. But between affirmative action, restricted scholarships and student loans, college has never been more affordable IF you’re willing to “act White” by studying hard and staying out of trouble. Cultural problem, not financial. Not mine.
On balance, no. I’m not participating. Too much money for do-gooder feel-good social justice causes, too little that actually makes a difference. I’ll stick with handing out dollar bills to bums at stoplights.