Charity

I guess it stands to reason that charitable organizations ramp up their "please donate" letters at Christmas time.  I have routinely given small donations at that time, maybe 6 or 7 different charities.  But times are tough now, and rather than sending each 5 dollars, I give $30 a month to two groups that I have supported for years.  They are St. Labre Indian Catholic School in Montana and St. Joseph's Indian School in S.D.  If I can, I add a donation to St. Jude in Memphis.  I have been in St. Jude and talked with some of the investigators in the research part so I feel a connection there. The Indian schools provide an extremely necessary haven for the very poorest children in a depressed area that is mostly overlooked now.  I just wish I could do more.  I still remember that stupid Rush guy on the radio saying that before being allowed to stay in a shelter they should show tax or wage proofs that they are really indigent.  Like they are such a great place that non-poor people are really trying to get there in order to get free lodging.  And in the highly unlikely event that they might have some sort of paperwork, does he think they carry that around in their grocery carts? I was in a laundromat while his program was on, and I'm sure the other ladies thought I was nuts as I argued in rebuttal to the broadcast, but there was no way to get them to switch the station.  Anyway, about Christmas giving, the sure sign that things are tough now is that the pleas for donations continue after the holidays, running the risk of exhausting their donors.  No more political donations from me, they are a never-ending cycle of need for this candidate, or this program, or this party.  I thought the election would put an end to the begging, but apparently not.  I am just tired, I won't read stories about Trump or his witless followers anymore.  

Maybe there should be a program for sending all our wealthy representatives to a shelter for a day or two.  That would give them a new slant on public moneys. It was Senator Everett Dirksen (60s) who is credited with saying "A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon you're talking real money."

I had a flabbergasted phone conversation last week.  I called CVS pharmacy to find out if my doctor had called in a script for a new drug for me.  I couldn't use the automated refill because it was a new script and thus I had no Rx number.  What I needed was a pharmacist, but I would listen to the recorded message about hours, address, Covid vaccines, flu shots, etc., etc.  And when the Voice finally sent me to a person, the man that answered said "would you hold" all in one breath, so I couldn't say "NO" and then I would briefly hear the god awful music, and then be disconnected.  Three times.  When the man finally answered, I said, "oh Jesus"  and he replied well that's not very nice.  I told him briefly about being disconnected three times, and he said he put me on hold and when he returned I had hung up.  I said no, you disconnected me, and he said, well you weren't very nice.  I want to change drug stores.  This one is too far away in any case.  And at 70 years old I'm well past the time when my vocabulary needs attention, profanity notwithstanding.