Friday, February 17, 2012

Uber - Super Rich ... Less Rich? Where are you?

An article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy really rattled my begging bowl today for 2 reasons. (I always put in a few coins into the abyss even if no one else will ... just to exercise my own need to be generous!)

The first is the language: "lot less rich" ... Where are we on the economic continuum? Does it run from super-uber rich to super-unter poor? The sky's the limit when we speak about wealth but it's not called "rock" bottom for no reason. Two times broke is still broke. This article is a mirror on the desperate reality that there is a disconnect within the “haves” and “have-nots”. The middle (class) is incapable maintaining balance because of that great sucking sound from above. (Funny ... or not ... that the heavier kid always ends up at the bottom on a see-saw! Is Justice playing a game?)

The second is the lack of concern that we folks who, in addition to cash and non-cash goods, donate our labor / work / expertise / skills / time to “help” nonprofits deserve a tax deduction (currently valued at $21+/hour on the average by Independent Sector), as well as for the material donations (cash, stuff, etc.) Nonprofits are laying-off paid staff due to budgetary issues, but the unspoken reality is that they know there is a pool of free, skilled (or not) labor to fill in the gap. What do volunteers get ... good feelings? Try to take that to the bank when it’s time to pay bills. I hope my petition to the President at the White House website http://wh.gov/8rM will attract some strong attention. Please sign it if you haven't already.

And remember, no matter what
DON'T FORGET TO
ASK FOR THE MONEY!

No comments:

Post a Comment