An Uncharitable Bitch?

I am so goddamn tired of liberals calling me (and others like me) cold, heartless misers because I/we believe in small government.  So, I am going to do something that is... well, frankly, a little disgusting.  And yet, do it I shall.  Because the gloves are fucking off, people.

Last year, my husband and I made less than 40k, combined.  How much less?  Eh, none of your business.  But we are not very high up on the financial food chain.  Especially when you consider that my husband has--and supports--two children from his first marriage, and we are raising two children of our own.

Now, let me break down a little something that ANYONE who knows me, or has ever been out and about with me, absolutely knows, and would attest to:

1. Last year alone, my husband and I donated over $1,500 to March of Dimes.  We never asked for a receipt.  Never went for a tax break on it.  We did it because, having lost a son to prematurity, we want do do all we can to save other families from suffering such a loss.

2. I do not eat a lot of McDonald's food.  But when I do, whatever I pay for my meal, I put an equal or greater amount into the Ronald McDonald House Charity collection box next to the register.  Why?  Because if I can afford to buy my own fat ass a Big Mac, I can afford to help provide a place to stay for families of sick children.  Parents who are scared, hurting, and far away from home, watching their children suffer.  FYI, I became aware of just how incredible RMHC is when I got to know a lot of other parents of premature babies.  Parents who had a place to stay that was near the closest Level 4 NICU, thanks to RMHC.

3.  When I go holiday shopping, the smallest amount I will put in the Salvation Army bucket is $5.  My mom is one of 16 kids, and grew up pretty damned poor.  When a fire destroyed her family's home, The Salvation Army stepped in and provided enormous help in the way of food, clothing, and shelter.  If my mom had one dollar to her name, and was hungry and faced a choice between giving that money to the Sally Army or getting herself a bite to eat, there wouldn't even be a question as to where it would go.   She would kick my ass if I didn't feel the same way.  And she's Irish, and tough, and at age 74, is perfectly capable of kicking my ass. Far be it for me to disappoint my mom, or receive a whoopin' at her hands.

4. Another thing I don't do a lot of?  Go out to restaurants.  I simply can't afford it, except for special occasions.  But when I do go out, the minimum I will ever tip is twenty percent.  If I have to order something less expensive to make sure I can afford the twenty percent tip, so be it.  I know how hard the service industry is.  I know that the government taxes these workers on their oh-so-huge incomes AND on their oh-so-huge tips.  IMHO, if you can't afford to treat the staff well, you can't afford to dine out.  Stay home and microwave yourself a fucking burrito.

5. I am currently "fostering" seven rabbits for the House Rabbit Society and SPCA.  By "fostering," I mean I am seven years in to caring for these rabbits, with no financial help from anyone.  I pay for their food, shelter, and vet bills.  My husband spends his limited free time picking up bales of hay, and cleaning x-pens, and cleaning food dishes and water bottles and loading and unloading a never-ending supply of fifty pound bags of bunny food.

6. I'm a huge believer in the joy and power of reading.  Every single month, when I place a Scholastic Book order for my son, I donate $10 in return.  Five bucks for his classroom, five bucks for Scholastic's  main charity.

7. I have provided hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars in free design and hosting services to the SPCA, because I love animals and cannot bear to sit by while they suffer.

8. I never, ever, say "no" when I'm asked to purchase a Shamrock for the MDA, or add a dollar to my shopping order for Toys for Tots, or purchase a star for the Make A Wish Foundation's Christmas Tree.  I once incurred six dollars in mall ATM fees, rather than be a Scrooge.

None of this makes me a great person.  Honestly, there is a lot less meaningless crap I could do and buy, and a lot more good I could do in life.  I could spend less time on Facebook, and more time on volunteer work.  I could give up a single, ten dollar bottle of wine per week, and have almost $560 a year extra to donate to families who struggle to put food on the table.  But, well, I'm always gonna be a little bit selfish.  I work hard, and I'm simply not cut out for the role of Mother Theresa.

No, I'm not great.  But even the most conservative estimate would show I donate well over 15 percent of my income to charity.  So, the next time, oh holy liberal, you choose to call me out and question my morality just because I do not think out of control government is the right way to support your fellow man, be prepared to disclose your own finances.  And if you blow me out of the water on private giving, without reaping a dime of tax incentives for said charity, then fine, judge me as you see fit.  I'm here, and I'm waiting.  Come and get me.