>>I don't know about anyone else, but I am an ethical business woman and I work very hard for my money. I also contribute to a number of charities because I consider them worthwhile. So is that power or good for my business?
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>Like I said, it's about the foundations and the big guys.
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>>Exactly how many charities are there to which you have contributed?
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>Not too many. First, I'm not giving a dime for anything religious - which is my choice, the power, yeah - but we regularly donate clothes, older hardware, sometimes books (to a local library), and back home I donated blood about 20+ times (lost count). Here, they won't accept our blood because, as the [s]rejection[/s] infinite deferral slip says, we "lived in Serbia".
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>The trouble with the charities is that I just don't trust them. Specially those that use call centers.
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>>I can tell you one thing, when Obama's massive tax increases kick in, I will no longer contribute to any charity because I resent the fact that the money that I have worked so hard and honestly for will be forcibly confiscated from me by the government.
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>Do you really think that money will be in any way distributed downwards? Some scraps, maybe. The larger chunk would end up, IMO, in the same coffers as before - the big guys. Bailouts, no-bid contracts, public-private partnerships etc. Socialism for the rich, lessez faire for the poor, disappearance for the middle.

Not sure who you are referring to here: the government tax distribution or private charities she now donates to. I can tell you from personal experience that I have worked for the government and witnessed fraud waste and abuse and I've worked for private charities and witnessed the counting of every single dime and the strive for making every single cent go where it will do the most good - and yes, that is all the way down....

There are always abusers - that includes a small percentage of private charities. That is why I prefer to make the decision where my money goes so that I can research it myself and make the most informed decision possible.