http://notesfromoffcenter.disqus.com/society and theology from the view of a Christian pragmatist.enFri, 16 Oct 2009 11:27:23 -0000http://notes-from-offcenter.com/2009/10/07/stop-giving-money-for-the-afflicted/#comment-20199820<p>Good post, Drew!</p><p>This underscores the reaction that many -- if not most -- have to the "charity" of others, that of resentment. If I throw money at your problem, that shows you that I perceive your suffering is of less value than my time and effort. On the other hand, if I truly value your well-being, I will invest my time and effort to better your situation -- money be damned. It's called "time preference," and it drives all market/value transactions; if your suffering isn't worth my time to me, I may throw money at it, but I will spend my time elsewhere (kind of like my decision whether to mow my lawn myself, or hire someone to do it for me).</p><p>A parallel can be seen in our schools. We've been collectively throwing tax dollars at them for decades now, with disastrously decreasing returns. Personal investment in individuals -- with time spent tutoring and/or mentoring -- would have had <i>significantly</i> better results all along, but Americans (and probably people in genral) have bought into the mindset that "someone more suited" (usually a government organ) could do a better job. This mindset robs us of our connectedness and our humanity.</p>brianFri, 16 Oct 2009 11:27:23 -0000http://notes-from-offcenter.com/2009/10/07/stop-giving-money-for-the-afflicted/#comment-19449680<p>I really liked where your post ended up, but it seems too much to me that you are saying the purpose for rehabilitating someone is to make the "productive" again. Maybe I misunderstood your point, but you spent all that time talking about how we need to make sure we are not using the "value" of our dollar. I think that misses the central point of the value people put in people regardless of their economic worth. What do you think?</p>Danny KamWed, 07 Oct 2009 15:13:33 -0000