Roy Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 I haven't had a rant in a while so here's a little something that I don't like. When parents decide that it'd be a good idea to enroll little Johnny or little Sarah in the sport of their choice, shouldn't it be the parents' responsibility to cover any associated costs? I give to charities whatever I feel I can give but this, to me, is getting out of hand. I cannot go to the Canadian Tire store during a weekend and not be expected to give to a kid who needs to pay for his trip to Kitchener or Halifax or wherever. Grocery stores are the same! I left a Canadian Tire store last week and on the way out, there was a road block at a light. I was very unfortunate in that I happened on a red light. I rolled down my window and asked the kid (about 17) "What can I do for you?" He said (in my best imitation of his words) :"UMMM like ahhh we wanna go to Europe" I know, I was rude but I said "ummm like ahhh if I give you my money then I won't be able to go to Europe." J wanted to stop off at the liquor store to check out some wines. Just as I get there there's an older gent saying to a kid "Sorry son, I didn't see you on the way in" Kid says "I'm selling chocolates for a trip" (to I don't remember where) Gent says "Sorry, I thought I had change, I only have a 50 dollar bill" The kid answers "Don't worry I have change for a fifty" I swear the kid was NOT 10 years old! Are we breeding a society of panhandlers? What's the story on this? How do you feel when the school sends your 7 year old child home with a box of coffee, cookies or chocolates to sell? Is is just me?
danc Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 We are entering a cashless society so this type of thing won't last much longer. I feel bad for the little guys at CTC when they hit me up and I don't have a nickel in my pocket.
Roy Posted February 5, 2008 Author Report Posted February 5, 2008 Doesn't work Dan. They'll hit you for your CTC money. And I'm half expecting the road block kids to whip out wireless Interac machines.
TennesseeGuy Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 I was hit on to help fund a party for graduating seniors at a local high school. Mentioned that I'd give $100 if the girl on the phone could tell me how many U.S. senators the State of Tennessee is allowed and to name them. She couldn't and I didn't. Told her she wasn't ready to graduate, let alone party with my money. Accused her of wasting tax money.
Jigger Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 LOL Roy..."...If you could just swipe your card, no, the stripe goes the other way. Now enter whatever amount you feel comfortable with. Thank-you sir. Have a nice day..." And on to the next car.
KyleM Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 I know what your talking about Roy... I dont mind these kids selling chocolate bars or whatever to raise money for a trip. I get a little annoyed when they just ask for donations though. I stopped shopping at a grocery store here because everytime I went in they always asked if I wanted to donate 2 bucks ontop of what I just speant. I will give a couple bucks for a cancer fundraiser or whatever but they are asking donations for stuff Ive never heard of before. I feel like saying, "why dont you take off 2 dollars from the GST I just paid to donate" I dont like bottle drives either........I save those cases up for months in an attempt to get a free one. How dare you take my empties
Terry Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 yup that's the way it is... the kids around my house are banging at the door all the time to sell chocolates and other junks so support their school trips and what not and you have to run the gauntlet to get in any stores around here without them reaching in my pockets I hear soon they will be set up to accept debit cards
Roy Posted February 5, 2008 Author Report Posted February 5, 2008 TG, I know the maximum number of senators allowed for the great State of Tennessee but I can't name them without looking it up....may I still have $50 for my party? Great post Bud.
Gerritt Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 I am all for the girl scout cookies... or the entertainment books (that fund school libraries so they tell me) but if the parents/kids want to play rep hockey.... then you better have the means to pay for it! I also like the kids standing outside selling chocolate covered almonds to help keep them off the street with an ID card and everything! LOL.... Uhmmm well are you not on the street now trying to sell me a friggen candy bar!?! They tend to lift the crotch of their pants off the pavement at that point so they can waddle to the next sucker... Boxers hanging out, crotch to their knees, sporting 200.00 Nikes... give me a break. G.
Rizzo Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 I'll admit I'm a sucker. Every time those chocolate bar kids or chocolate almonds etc come to my house I buy at least one. The way I see it they are at least trying to earn some $$$ rather than playing video games or hanging out at the mall up to no good. It may be annoying, but I'd rather they hock some chocolates than try and steal my hood ornament from a parking lot.
Bernie Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 At our Lions club we get requests all the time for stuff like this. We have decided in the past no freebies for hockey, scouts, girl guides Etc. We have told the parents of such organizations that if they want some money for their projects that we ask that they help us out on some of our ventures to EARN IT. It has worked out very well indeed. At one of our larger functions the soccer club does dishes and minor hockey serves tables. This way we all benefit. But a straight handout to those that are capable of earning their own funds? No!!!
brickNblock Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 Exellent thread Roy.... Some decent posts to back it up as well...... Wish i could add more but my peaves have been covered so far.................. Keep 'em comming folks.
Pinch Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 I haven't had a rant in a while so here's a little something that I don't like.When parents decide that it'd be a good idea to enroll little Johnny or little Sarah in the sport of their choice, shouldn't it be the parents' responsibility to cover any associated costs? I give to charities whatever I feel I can give but this, to me, is getting out of hand. I cannot go to the Canadian Tire store during a weekend and not be expected to give to a kid who needs to pay for his trip to Kitchener or Halifax or wherever. Grocery stores are the same! I left a Canadian Tire store last week and on the way out, there was a road block at a light. I was very unfortunate in that I happened on a red light. I rolled down my window and asked the kid (about 17) "What can I do for you?" He said (in my best imitation of his words) :"UMMM like ahhh we wanna go to Europe" I know, I was rude but I said "ummm like ahhh if I give you my money then I won't be able to go to Europe." J wanted to stop off at the liquor store to check out some wines. Just as I get there there's an older gent saying to a kid "Sorry son, I didn't see you on the way in" Kid says "I'm selling chocolates for a trip" (to I don't remember where) Gent says "Sorry, I thought I had change, I only have a 50 dollar bill" The kid answers "Don't worry I have change for a fifty" I swear the kid was NOT 10 years old! Are we breeding a society of panhandlers? What's the story on this? How do you feel when the school sends your 7 year old child home with a box of coffee, cookies or chocolates to sell? Is is just me? No it not just you at all....I have 4 kids that go to 3 different schools. Every day its something different. Most of the time its not even money for anything specific. Just 'school fund raising!' My oldest daughter was told today that she needed to pay $60 for her high school gym class!!! I thought thats what our property taxes were for! Unless its remembrance day, or scholastic books for my kids. Sorry.....I need my money for my ever growing family!!
solopaddler Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 I was hit on to help fund a party for graduating seniors at a local high school. Mentioned that I'd give $100 if the girl on the phone could tell me how many U.S. senators the State of Tennessee is allowed and to name them. She couldn't and I didn't. Told her she wasn't ready to graduate, let alone party with my money. Accused her of wasting tax money. You sir are a true character, love it!
TJQ Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 I was hit on to help fund a party for graduating seniors at a local high school. Mentioned that I'd give $100 if the girl on the phone could tell me how many U.S. senators the State of Tennessee is allowed and to name them. She couldn't and I didn't. Told her she wasn't ready to graduate, let alone party with my money. Accused her of wasting tax money. hahahahaha... your mean.... funny ... but mean... hahahahaha... does she have an older sister??
TennesseeGuy Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 $50 to you any time Roy. Both are R's. Voted for both and contributed to their campaigns. Last week I listened to a single mother of three discussing her earned income tax amount and she was trying to receive it early. She pays 0 tax, gets credit for paying around $3320 in Social Security and Medicare, but still gets an earned income tax check from the government for around $2800. She drives a 2007 car and is making payments on a three year old, 4 bedroom house. When I asked her which president enacted the earned income tax credit she had no idea that Ronald Reagan was the guy. She thought it was probably Jimmy Carter because he really cares about helping people. There's a lot more, but so little space.
TennesseeGuy Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 Mean hell, T.J. She learned something from me that day that she missed out on in her previous 12 years. Thompson and Frist were serving at that time. Got a lot of Christmas cards from Fred. And I rang the bell every time he called on me. Not very loud, but it clanged. Two members of Tennessee Tech University's R.O.T.C. came by my office soliciting funds for a 5K fun run for a good cause. I asked them a different question and they both hit a home run. They got the money. I got my business name on the back of t-shirts given to all the runners. Later they returned with an inexpensive, but valuable to me, gift from their unit.
Roy Posted February 5, 2008 Author Report Posted February 5, 2008 Great stories Connie. You're definitely one dude I'd like to sit across from having lunch. Just learning the Senators' names would be worth the price.
irishfield Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 I was just gonna say Roy... if I ever met up with Connie for lunch I'd get stuck with the tab, 'cause I couldn't answer his questions! LOL
John Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 To be honest, I avoid the liquor store, the grocery store and Canadian Tire at prime canvasing hours. Don't get me wrong I contribute what I can to my charities of choice, but out and out begging I have a problem with. My kids are grown and gone and we now "contibute" to our grandkids sports funds etc., but, for many years we were involved in competitive soccer for both my daughter and my son. We raised funds for tournaments, bags, tracksuits etc by running bingo's in smoke choked halls from midnight Saturday until 4.00am Sunday. I do buy apples from cub scouts and cookies from girl guides and I buy a $10 poppy every November. Last year I was fed up of not only the store entrance brigade, but the constant telephone and door to door canvasing. I decided to keep track of what I ran into day to day. It is February 4th and I have already had 8 door to door and over a dozen on the phone. As it's still cold outside, the store entrances are not filled with them as yet, just give it a few weeks.......
Greencoachdog Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 Just asking/begging for money from me isn't going to get it, I don't appreciate being put "on the spot" at a traffis light or being accosted in front of Wal-Mart. I always tell them "Oh, no thank you" as if they were offering me a big slice of cheesecake and I'm on a diet. If you're offering me a product or service you have a little better chance... especially if it's the High School Cheerleader summer car wash... of which I am a staunch supporter of!!!
FishHeadRic Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 (edited) Roy, it goes on down here as well. Apparently the kids are discouraged from going door to door because of abduction fears but this just forces then to go from shop to shop in my town. All these kids just gaggle up by mall entrances and home depot exits... The other day one of the kids handed me a piece of paper and it said that our school district was raising money for new classroom maps! Apparently some of them still have East and West Germany on them!!! The Democratic party has already spent over 100 million dollars on their election campaigns and the kids in my school district have to sell chocolate raisins to figure out why Russia doesn't look the same when they look it up on the Internet. Allocation of funds seems to be misdirected on both sides of the border :/ It's not always a bad thing these kids are doing. Ric Edited February 5, 2008 by FishHeadRic
Big Cliff Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 Sue and I have a simple solution: Every year we sit down and work out a budget and part of that budget includes what we feel we can comfortably afford to give to worthy causes. We have a few that always make the top of the list. One of our favorites is that every year at Christmas time we go to the local womens shelter and adopt a family for Christmas. They supply us with the number of people and gender of any kids and approxamate ages. We then go shopping and pick up everything they need to have a full blown Christmas dinner and a gift for each of the kids We usually put a gift card in for mom too and always include a card with a bit of cash just in case we missed something. We deliver it to the shelter a day or two before Christmas and they arrange to get it to the family. We never know who the family is, and they never know who we are but there is no better feeling (for us anyway) than when we sit down to our christmas dinner someone else is going to have a much better Christmas than they might have. The Salvation Army is another one that always gets something. Many years ago I found myself stranded in Sudbury with no money and no job. They fed me and gave me a place to sleep. A few days later I found work but money was still tight; they rented me a room for $10.00 a week and gave me my meals (even packed me a lunch) until I could get back on my feet. All I needed was a hand and they were there for me (I'll never forget it)! We have a few others that we always try to help and if anyone else asks we just tell them "we have already donated what we can afford this year". As for kids coming to the door selling things..... well I'm all for kids putting some effort into trying to do things so if we can and want to; we do support them. Works for us anyway!
Rich Clemens Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 Very admiral Big Cliff on your Christmas giving. The world needs a lot more like you and I'll bet you get back far more than you give.
crappieperchhunter Posted February 5, 2008 Report Posted February 5, 2008 My youngest finished minor hockey last year and High school this past June. During that time between school events and sports fundraiser's we always had our hands in our pockets for something. To each his own but I have always thought that getting your kids to beg for money was a classless thing to do, and it does put people on the spot. So mine NEVER EVER did it. If they where selling tickets we would buy a whole book ourselves...and never won a dang thing...chocolates...buy a whole dang box of bars...at least you got something outta that. Whatever extra we had to pony up came from our pockets, we never ever asked strangers...or co workers for money to support our kids.
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