W000197
Wednesday, November 07, 2001 4:45 PM
Opinion
When my family and I contributed to funds to help victims of the September
11th attacks, we did so to help fellow Americans who were suffering great
losses. Our intention was to help with basic necessities, to help needy
families get by. We did not intend for our contributions to either enrich
anyone, nor to pay for the expense of maintaining expensive lifestyles and
possessions. I do not want my contributions to pay for monthly payments for
expensive houses, cars, boats, private schools or country club memberships.
Nothing wrong with those. I just do not intend to contribute my money to
pay for them for someone else. Nor do I want my tax dollars spent towards
those expenses. Those who wish to continue with the lifestyle they enjoyed
previously need to have planned with life insurance or other private means.
And certainly, someone who received charitable contributions to help them
out should not be able to double dip, receiving a payment from the federal
disaster fund for the expenditure already paid by a charitable contribution.
My willingness to contribute in the future is dampened when I hear talk that
the federal payment (my tax dollars) should not take into account payments
already received by the families from charities (to which I might also have
given).
Individual Comment