No need for Charities!!
Posted by: havalaugh
14th Nov 2012 08:13pm
We pay enough tax to keep all the Charities in this country a float. Why doesn't the Government take some of this mining tax and give it to the Salvo's & Smith family on behalf of the working people of this country. Why should they have to beg & borrow to gain. You never know when you are going to do it hard in this life. We should all be made to contribute. If you can eat out, shop for merchandise etc then you can spare a dollar for the misfortune of us!
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Comments 20
tedimitr
Charities give the opportunity for those who wish to give more to those in need. No one is forced to put money towards charity.
marn
so what are you saying the government should be pay for these charities, and I suppose you rake in a wage a week? money is already taken from taxes to help within the medical industry, how do you think curtain drugs (to help with cancer etc.) pass clinical trials befors making on the shelves, the type of help that my father need when he almost died of prostate cancer. I don't like the government but I am starting to dislike the way people look at things these days, no-one ever see's what they have only what they don,t have, I am a pensioner and still manage to put $5 into both charities, if every person did that, no they wouldn't have to beg.
PGS
Charities wouldn't need to be given so much if the management levels didn't take so much out of them. Who really needs to spend 200 - 300k on a car?
marn
so what are you saying the government should be pay for these charities, and I suppose you rake in a wage a week? money is already taken from taxes to help within the medical industry, how do you think curtain drugs (to help with cancer etc.) pass clinical trials befors making on the shelves, the type of help that my father need when he almost died of prostate cancer. I don't like the government but I am starting to dislike the way people look at things these days, no-one ever see's what they have only what they don,t have, I am a pensioner and still manage to put $5 into both charities, if every person did that, no they wouldn't have to beg.
jjdrer
Not all medical based charities receive Govt. funding which is very sad. If they didn't receive donations some would not be able to give support to those who most need it.
Some families struggle because their income is just over the threshold to receive family benefit. I know one family who was $0.10 over and got nothing. They had only the very basics including minimal clothing, cooking equipment etc. All meals were homemade from scratch. Neither of them drank, smoked , gambled or took illicit drugs. The Dad had to use a car for work as when he finished work there was no public transport available. Fuel is very expensive part of the time. Although they had 2 very young children at the time the Mum had to find work and somebody to mind the children. Childcare wasn't an option for 2 children 5 days a week.
griggy
Please reconsider your thoughts. We are so very lucky here and a lot of us have not had to deal with upheaval, military rule, the threat of rape, torture and murder. I thought that we believed In helping people? I have been recently made redundant from our wonderful government.......and I am still willing to put my money where my mouth is. Are you?
havalaugh
I knew I would cause some contraverse and conversation with my statement. But that is what cafe study is all about! Isn't it? About having your own opinion, but listening to others & what they have to say! We have all lead different lives & been raised differently. That gives us different perspectives on issues we have and our opinions of them. Know one is wrong or right I feel. That is why we vote. And majority wins. Not that we really win anything cause the government we vote for, then has their opinion of how things & decisions should happen & how. Just enjoy the perspectives of others & perhaps learn some other ways around problems in society.
jjdrer
I agree with you. but...unfortunately some charities do not use the money they are given wisely. Neither are some of them grateful for what is donated. Not all have cash to donate but do have surplus good quality furniture they no longer need when re-locating when family size reduces. Some will not accept furniture even to use for people who have suffered floods, fires and other disasters. I watch out and buy most things at reduced prices - food, clothing, shoes (particular types because of foot problems from birth). Clothes I sometimes mend to make them last longer.
I check out op shops run by charities to see if they have my size in material which doesn't irritate my skin. A lot of the clothing at the Salvos in SA is not cheap. My local Red Cross is very good. I can get good quality clothing at low prices and sometimes give a cash donation at the same time. When I lived in a different suburb there was a Church which had a garage sale once a month. I got some 100% cotton clothing for my now later Mother who had chronic Dermatitis. They have set prices for each type of clothing. I bought a blouse for $8.00 that still had the retail price tag on it for $24.95. On that occasion I was short of cash so I paid $10.00 for it. I bought other clothing there on other occasions and always paid up to the next $10.00.
It depends what you mean by merchandise - some is essential others are not.
Jeollie
To true!!
PukPuk
Just an idea out of the blue. The clowns in Canberra are handing out free money in the belief that parents will spend the money dished out on their childrens education and not on poker machines, booze etc These funds should be properly administered with proper checks, possibly via the schools or tax returns. If Canberra pays out less than budgetted for, then reallocate these funds to where it is really needed (welfare organisations) instead of finding another incomptently run scheme to make themselves look good.
jjdrer
Some parents actually incur higher costs than the education allowance they receive. . Not all public schools are funded sufficiently to purchase essential.....equipment and finance other projects not funded by Govt. Depts.
Most schools recommend uniforms so there is no bullying etc. Buying other clothes to wear to school can be almost as expensive anyway. Some parents choose to send their children to private schools if they are not zoned to one that meets the needs of a disabled child.(especially physically -disabled access is not added at some old schools). Some children have to go to schools that have special units which can be quite some distance from their home. I know of one child that the special unit is over 1/2 hour by car. By bus (2 buses) it takes 2 hours. It is a long time travelling especially for a young disabled student - 2 hours both ways - leaving home at 7.00am to be at school by 9.00am. It was very frustrating for one family who were one block out of zone to go to a suitable school. Even Primary Schools are zoned now.
EileenW1
How sad to find people expressing the belief that there is no need to donate to charities and it should be left to the Government. look at all the backlash the Government has received for spending money on helping those who suffered in the dreadful Queensland floods and for helping out us pensioners and poor families with a handout to help us through the financial crisis.
I lost almost all my hard saved and earned superannuation in the financial crisis but got on with life, realising so many others were far worse off.
I have always worked for many charities within Australia and worldwide, fundraising and making others aware. Now a retiree I have established my own charity after seeing the lack of opportunities for poor children in Balinese villages who cannot attend school if their parents can't pay. Parents can't pay if they have no work. No-one receives social security, free health or education. I get so much joy out of running golf days, concerts, raffles and seeing how 25 children now have a kindergarten and free education as long as I continue to make a difference. We all should make this world a better place because we lived in it and not expect 'someone else' to do it.
Jeollie
Why doesn't the government stop giving so much to overseas welfare and focus on some of the welfare issues here, in our own country. We spend a lot of money on refugee's, they get housing and money but then we have homeless people here?! Doesn't make sense to me or seem fair..!!!
Dora
I agree.
jjdrer
I contacted a group that collects furniture for refugees on several occasions. The person who handled that didn't ring me back until 3 weeks after I was forced to dispose of it as other charities reckoned they didn't have wall space to put the against. I was very disappointed by the attitude of some of the charities. If they didn't reckon it was modern enough for people towant to buy it they wouldn't take it. The same thing happened to a neighbour of mine. They had a beautiful antique wardrobe with not a mark on it - not want people want to buy so they wouldn't accept it.
jjdrer
That is a genuine case. I really feel for for people in such situations.
Some chariites in overseas countries say send us money and we will buy what we need. Some do not spend it wisely or the needy people get no help at all. Some are better off if we send our Military Personell with food, temporary or permanaent shelter (even if it is only tents), water purification equipment etc..
Anonymous
Australia, compared to other countries is so fortunate. Yes, some of us might be having it rough but there are so many countries where the fraction of people who are "do-well" citizens, is equal to the amount of people who are homeless or barely scraping by in Australia.. that means that about 5-10% of the population doesn't need help. Doesn't need assistance in buying or growing food and other essentials, including medicine.
The health in these countries is atrocious because they don't have the money or the resources for medicine that they or a family member desperately needs. Or if they do find a way to get the medicine, they go without eating.
Imagine living in Bouganville . They live on 50c a day if they're lucky. Very few of them go to school because they must help their mothers get money and food to feed their family. On top of that, if they do go to school, they can't concentrate so they're not learning anything. They have no future. You wouldn't want your child to be living in those conditions. So have some compassion because they have much worse conditions.
Dora
Eileen, I live in an area where there are a LOT of refugees and I have seen forst hand how a LOT of the refugees are not really refugees but economic migrants taking a shortcut rather than trying to go through proper immigration channels.
Once they get in, they do not even attempt to avail the FREE English classes offered to them or get jobs because it will mean that their "benefits" will be stopped.
A friend of mine told me she gave a lift to a lady (won't mention the nationality) and when my friend was talking to her, she discovered that the woman had many kids, and the refugees response to her was "why only have 2 dont worry have as many as you like, Government will pay for them"
In another instant i know of, I heard one woman giving advice to another on how t exploit the system to bring more relatives in.
Open hearts is good, but need to open our eyes too... There need to be tougher laws to only allow genuine refugees to come through. The ones who are really in crisis will not mind going through a few extra steps as they know they are genuine.
Deb
It may not seem fair that Aussies don't come first BUT we have a lot more "charity begins at home" than many other countries.
I was in an earthquake and tsunami in Samoa in 2009 so I've seen first hand the devastation caused by a natural disaster in a developing country. The Samoan Govt had absolutely NO money to cope with rebuilding lives, housing those left homeless, feeding everyone affected and starting to build a decimated infrastructure. It was the generosity of overseas Governments, charities and individuals that slowly got Samoa back on it's feet. Before the aid came the day after the tsunami supermarkets had already run out of food with no stockpile to cater to the need.
Samoa is not the poorest country in the world and if it needed billions to get back on it's feet imagine what famine, drought, disease affected countries need, if they didn't get overseas aid many countries would simply cease to exist. Open up your hearts.
EileenW1
Please open your heart! Many of those homeless here do still receive aid, healthcare, hostels, assistance and some actually choose to be homeless. rather than comply with their parents or society's regulations. I agree that we need more cheap housing and refuges for women and children and we have welfare agencies to see that those suffering genuinely are cared for within a relatively short time.
Refugees from other countries flee conditions we cannot imagine. If you looked into the camps, the wars, the cruelty they suffer, you would not be so hard-hearted.
Yes, I agree, just a few are not genuine refugees, just as some homeless in Australia have chosen to be on the streets. Of course you help those within your own house if they are in need, but surely you also offer help and aid to neighbours who are suffering or in need too!
"There but for the grace of God, go I".