Why I am a shoshalist

[icenine]

Originally Posted by Tom Joad

I gave some homeless looking Dude standing at an intersection where I had stopped a $5 Bill the other day. I'm under no illusions that it helped him any, just allayed my guilt momentarily.

That's basically what most charity giving amounts to.

An excuse to pat yourself on the back.

Like the local church having a bake sale and presenting some family with $186 to help towards their kid's $300,000 medical bills.

Big Fucken Deal.

That's why the government needs to have programs to help the unfortunate.

Yes......

It is just human nature you take care of yourself first. Every now and then I will give a dollar or so to someone who asks for it.

I think the OP's heart is in the right place but his definiton of that zozolism does not correspond with my idea of what that term means. I think of the governmental system of England and Germany when I think of zozalism, not some Reagan vison of the self-reliant Marlborough man who is nice to his friends, families and neighbors. Our very good government institutions help us be nice to people we will never meet .

Politicians may be bad, but our actual governnment is made up of decent people who try to make our lives better for the most part.