Vegas Voice 9-19

Following up my last column: What Can $5
Buy? I was gratified and disillusioned with
the responses I received. Gratified that at least
one person committed to contributing $5 per month to one of the four
charities I listed.
Disillusioned by a reader who said, “ALL charities are ‘criminal
scams’ and should be banned from existence!” I realize there are con
artists who masquerade as good Samaritans and provide convincing
stories as to how they feed the needy.
They are, however, the exception and NOT the rule! The charities
I mentioned - Goodness Gracious Ministries, Meals on Wheels, Three
Square and Catholic Charities - are all very worthy and have proven
track records of success!
They all are under the watchful eye of the federal government and
the press and have never been accused of any malfeasance whatsoever!
That’s a FACT!
Also, before I contribute any money to a charity, I always investigate
them and determine how much of what I contribute goes to those in
need.
If less than 95% goes to “feeding the hungry” I will not support
them! Each of the charities I mentioned meet that threshold.
Answering the question: “Can 17 cents Save a Life” – the answer is
28
Please Explain
By: Judy Polumbaum / Our View
Given the crucible of major dilemmas in
which we stew – health inequities, gun
violence, the existential threat of climate change,
and so on, the issue of scofflaw pet owners might seem minor.
But I agree with our Vegas Voice political editor Rana, per her
admonition in last month’s issue about scooping poop. These seemingly
small things do matter.
So file this under things you should have learned in kindergarten:
People who don’t clean up after their dogs shouldn’t have dogs.
You grew up in pre-leash law days, you say, when dogs roamed free
and did their business out in the woods where nobody cared? It’s organic
matter that eventually decomposes, you say, so what’s the big deal?
Yet you know the rules; Rana just reviewed them. You know the
threatened fines for defying them. And you aren’t happy when others
transgress them.
No baggie at the moment? No excuse for that. Along our walkways,
in our parks, and just about everywhere else we stroll with our canines,
doggie bag dispensers abound. Every dog owner should have a stock
anyway.
No pockets? Tie a few to the leash.
As for dog-walkers who manage to bag their pooches’ waste yet
cannot manage to lug it away, instead leaving behind lumps of knotted
plastic on the ground - Have a little patience; a trash can will appear.
Can 17 Cents Save a Life?
By: Dan Hyde / Call to Action
September 2019
Worst case: Hang
on to that baggie
until you get back
to your own garbage
receptacle.
Perhaps neglected
dog poop is merely
a symptom of the
ages – civilized
behavior be damned.
I’m not my brother’s
keeper nor my sister’s
protector nor even
my dog’s custodian. If those at the highest levels of the body politic can
get away with disdain for social obligations, well, then, so can I.
Obviously we cannot blame the dogs. We are at the mercy of the
humans who purport to be responsible for their pets.
Who are these people? They cannot possibly be the sophisticated
readers of The Vegas Voice. Nor their children or grandchildren, who
learned their kindergarten lessons well.
One thing seems clear: Even the dogs who never attended kindergarten
are far more reasonable than humans.
Judy is a professor emerita of journalism and a transplant to
Las Vegas from New England via China, the West Coast and the
Midwest.
YES! That $5 per month you commit to one of the above charities will
and does feed a hungry child, adult and/or senior citizen.
I believe that anyone with an open heart and mind should explore
the possibility of determining how they may be able to help remedy a
social problem. Having personally prepared the food and serving the
hungry, I know what a positive impact it has had on my life.
For anyone to paint with a broad brush that “All charities are scams”
is a lie. I feel sorry for that person who responded to last month’s
column.
To have such resentment about something that does not exist is a lot
of misdirected energy that, if redirected, can not only help someone in
need, but would enrichen that person’s life!
Dan Hyde is a passionate and effective advocate for the senior
community. He can be reached at: dhyde9@cox.net.