Begging the Question: Which Came First: Beggar or Charity?

Which came first: the impulse of compassion or the need for basic life-giving "amenities" such as food and shelter, not to mention clothing which seems to separate us from animals?

Organizations are bestowed nonprofit status by the IRS if they serve a public benefit, yet they are the ones who seek charity in the form of donations.

In my book, this is a tautology, a redundant, self-fulfilling prophesy; the charitable are in need of charity. What about the needy, the ones who are at the bottom line?

Perhaps we have to organize, a "Beggars Union" and cut out the middle man. Do we need nonprofits to frame our issues or, perhaps, is their role to tidy us up so that we are presentable to those "others" who need to exercise that compassionate impulse? When a nonprofit makes more money "defining" the issue than it does remedying it ... don't get me started!!

Begging the Question, Again. Always!

And remember,

No Matter What

Don't Forget to Ask for the Money!

A More Perfect Union ... Where are We? Who are They?

It's Labor Day ... a good day for holy beggars, as we are the quintessential laborers, working for our selves and helping society redistribute the currency, to keep the micro-socioeconomic juices flowing.

But today, I want to talk more to the macro, about Unions.

"... to form a more perfect union ..." is the first reason that the US Constitution was established. It's right there, up front in the Preamble ... We the People, in order to form a more perfect union ... do establish this constitution for the United States."

I find the efforts on the part of the hysterically blinded TeaPublicans to get rid of too much government treasonous! Just what is "government", except "we the people" who have formed "a more perfect union" of workers. Swashbuckling their way through a useless "balance sheet", they seek to dis-employ all that is "government" and swell the ranks of the unemployed. It's really disgusting.

On another note, why have the unions been all but nonexistent during this war against the profiteers?

After being laid off from my nonprofit employer of over 5 years due to the "corporatization" of what is otherwise a  bunch of well meaning people doing good work for a good reason I tried to rejoin AFSME. I had been a member of another nonprofit staff that was unionized and for good reasons. (The more recent NPO forbid unionization ... pity as the workers really needed it.)

If all former union members were to be welcomed back into the ranks of our working brothers and sisters, we would constitute a true force. The unions, like the corporations, became top heavy, staying alive to serve those who are priviledged, not advancing the rights of able-bodied (and disable-bodied) humans to have right livelihood.

Your holy beggar is not promoting anarchy for the sake of her own needs, but for the sanity. Don't even get me started about the need for a tax deduction for volunteer work.

Solidarity Forever!

And remember,

No Matter What

Don't Forget to Ask for the Money!

Si Se Puede!

Si Se Puede!

A little soapbox "voguing" here ... (as if a blog isn't anything but that!)

I've been vigilantly commenting online about organizations that provide technical assistance to nonprofits (e.g. L.A.’s Center for Nonprofit Management) to spend an equal amount of resources (time, concern, etc.) on the plight of those of us whose professional careers have been whacked by the economy, making us victims of large scale layoffs in attempts to "streamline" operations.

It makes us appear to be the problem, not the solution to our growing social needs for sustainable change in this economy.

In fact "sustainability" is not necessarily what is called for in any case. And certainly, what seems to be coming out of the Obama Administration are new paradigms for examining the systemic nature of problems. At lest I hear people dealing with the realities that there are no easy answers, only better questions.

I'm thinking about calling the local office of my former union, AFSCME, and have a discussion with someone about the realities of sustainability and change, of a huge cache of untapped human resources. Even unions can reconsider their mission and potential in the 21st Century.

We are a force not only to be reckoned with, but who have enough experience and talent to change the world.

Si Se Puede!

'Nuf said.

No matter what ...
Don't forget to ask for the money!