Short Sighted Comments Criticize Charity for School Supplies Donation
I recently read some comments regarding a charity drive being held to collect school supplies for disadvantaged children. The gist of the comments were that the parents of these kids didn't know how to prioritize, were buying cell phones and cable versus school supplies, and were basically taking advantage of the system.
In my opinion this is extremely short sighted (and I commented accordingly). Our economic stability as a country rests on our raw natural resources. As technology develops and casts a larger radius of influence, the calculation of America's resources is becoming more weighted toward our intellectual resources than ever before. What do you think happens if our children are less educated and capable than the rest of the world (which is increasingly the case, by the way)?
What do you think happens in 20 years when these children grow up and can't read, can't work, and can't contribute to society? Can't these commenters see that doing whatever possible to stem the tide of ignorance, maybe even reverse it is in everyone's best interest? I don't understand how anyone can possibly begrudge these children paper and pencils to enable them to do homework.
Yes, as a culture, we continue to make incredibly foolish financial choices. We have raised entire generations of entitled people. This leads to living beyond their means because of feelings like "I work hard. I deserve a new car. I deserve a big house and cable and a cell phone." But again, what is the solution? Education.
Educate people about financial responsibility. Educate them about what is a need versus a want. Educate them about money. Take money off of the taboo talking points list. Go ahead and leave religion and politics there, but let's start talking about money. I think we may all be better off.
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