I've had a fairly up and down last few years - I lost my job almost 3 years ago but I went back to grad school and met a wonderful girl and got hitched last October. I am a bit rough around the edges for most Southerners as I grew up in Buffalo N.Y. and lived 9 years in Philly whereas my wife was raised in Florida and her father is a Baptist preacher in Mississippi - I guess that opposites attract?? The one common theme that we and our families share is the notion of giving back and providing for others - some do it through church, some through family, and some through good words, deeds, and actions......
So this "battle" about the payroll tax has been going on for thepast few weeks and the question came up - what would you do with the extra $40 per week - it seems like a small amount and of course the Fox News crowd shifted positions and claimed that we were making a mistake by giving this money away when it should go into he Social Security coffers (further proof that Dems want to depletee the system and are lying when they claim that SS benefits will be around by the time I'm ready to retire) - but at the same time, 100% of that money will be spent my the folks that recieve the "tax break" to just pay basic bills, etc to keep themselves and thier families afloat.....and therefore supporting local businesses, paying mortgages (you are welcome banks), and putting cash back into communities....
Honestly, even given the loss of income for 3 years, I am OK - my wife has a wonderful job and I collected unemployment while searching for a job. Unemployment expired and I headed back to school and took out some student loans to help out financially with bill, tuition, books, etc...(can't imagine why any sane person would want to cut funding for student loans - aside from Republicans).
One way that I have also managed to keep paying bills and everyday expenses is that I run a vinatge clothing store on Ebay (http://stores.ebay.com/...). Selling stuff on Ebay puts me at the Post Office (can't imagine whay any sane person would want to get rid of the Post Office - aside from Republicans) which is right down the street from an embattled homeless shelter (details here - http://www.ajc.com/...). Needless to say, I have seen the effects of the homeless situation in Atlanta on a daily basis over the past 3 years just driving by the shelter everyday....
On Thursday morning my wife and I were getting ready to leave town to visit relatives in Florida and I decided to clear out the fridge and cabinets as we woudl be gone for a while and I did not feel the need to toss away good food. I set out for thr Post Office to mail out some last minute Ebay sales and swung by the shelter to drop of the food. Of course I always get hung up talking with the folks there and handed out a pack of cigarettes with the food and left to meet up with my wife so we could hit the road for Florida. On the way home, only about 2 miles, I switched on Rush Limbaugh and lo' and behold there was the screed that the payrol tax cut issue was not important and $40 dollars means nothing, blah, blah, blah......
I decided that I would see what I could do with $40 - I stopped at McDonalds, ordered 50 cheeseburgers and told the manager what I was doing. He threw in 50 orders of fries and I had myself 50 meals to distribute at the shelter (it's amazing what you can get if you just ask....). I took the 50 burgerrs and fries (I am not claiming that this is a good or healthy meal by any stretch BTW) and headed back to see my friends at the shelter. When I pulled up they knew exactly why I was there. One guy held out an umbrells and had his crew form a line by the side of my car and maintained order while I handed out the food. Everyone was in good spirits and thanked me for the offerings - some asked why I was doing it or stated that I must be rich, but in the end I think that they just enjoyed a bit or normalcy for a few minutes (just a cheeseburger and fries - something we all take for granted). The food went pretty quickly and soon I had just a few empty bags that one gentlkeman gladly disposed of for me. I stuck around for a few more minutes and handed out 4-5 more packs of smokes and wished them a nice day.
I wont pretend that it really helped or made a difference but who knows. I just know that most of the folks appreciated someone taking the time to stop and show that they cared. To me, it was $53.64, maybe to them it meant more? maybe it meant nothing? Either way, I am happy with what I did with my payroll taxcut money.
