I'm Tired...

Of being called selfish.

I happen to think that if I earn money, I get to decide how it is spent. I give to charitable organizations with which I have common goals and interests. For instance, my husband & I donate to our local congreagation. Obviously, an institution we believe in and that has the same beliefs we do. We donate to the Boy Scouts. An organization that I have said is the best organization with which I have ever been involved (oustide the church). And we don't just donate money, though we do that. We donate time, lots of it. We have a few other charities on our annual list, but you get the idea.

We cannot donate to everyone that asks. Honestly, if I have to break up the "give" portion of my budget so that everyone who asks gets money, how much can I donate to each one? And there are some organizations with which I do not agree on any level - Planned Parenthood, for instance.

So why does the government think that it needs to take more of my money to give to these organizations? Why should anyone be forced to give their hard-earned money to groups they do not support? Why are we selfish because we don't want to give money to everyone that asks? Why are we selfish because only a portion (no matter how large) of our income is donated? Why is it selfish to want to save for our family's future?

I have actually been told that having an emergency fund is selfish. That we should spend that money instead of saving it because "the economy needs spenders". I came really close to losing it! Now, let me say here, there are people who have changed the way they live. They have started to hoarde money instead of continuing to live. Personally, I believe if your income changes, this is legitimate. Ours hasn't, so our habits haven't changed either.

I have heard this from "experts" on the news channels, read it on blogs, from politicians, from acquaintances, from friends. And I'm tired of it. I don't have to prove anything to these people, or I shouldn't have to. But I am starting to worry about the attitude that produces those statements. I'm worried our nation is turning into a nation of "takers" instead of "givers".

I continue to pray that is not happening, or that the trend will be reversed. I teach my children how it should be and what their attitude should be. And I continue to give, even though I'm afraid our disposable income will be going down due to higher taxes & higer costs because of those taxes. Because that is the right thing to do. Because one day, hopefully soon, the rest of the country will realize what is happening. Because I hope that one day, those "takers" will have a change of attitude. I will not quit.