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I received this e-mail today - not directly from its author, but rather from two close friends who were on the original distribution list:
This morning on my way to a 9:00 breakfast meeting with John Doe, we saw a homeless guy with a sign that read "Blame Bush - Vote Obama, I need the money". We laughed. At the restaurant we frequent regularly to hold our breakfast meetings (in Bellevue) our waitress was wearing an "Obama 08" pin on her shirt. We laughed again - just imagine the coincidence!
When the bill came, I picked up the tab, roughly $30 and decided not to tip the waitress. I told her that I was exploring Obama's "spread the wealth" concept. She literally stood there in disbelief while I told her I was "redistributing" her tip to someone whom I deemed more in need - the homeless guy standing at the exit of 520 on our way back to the office. She was genuinely peeved as she gave us very good service (she typically does).
On the way back to CP I gave the homeless guy $5 and he actually thanked me several times (it was John Doe's $5). I told him to thank the waitress at the restaurant (it will go unnamed) as she was the one who actually earned the money - I had simply decided he needed it more. He clearly "didn't understand" but he was grateful. At the end of my unscientific "spread the wealth" experiment, I accomplished / learned two things:
1. I genuinely embarrassed my business partner John Doe
2. I realized that the homeless guy was happy to receive my money (money he did not have to earn himself) while the waitress was pretty angry at being "stiffed" by my giving her money "to someone who needed it more"
My conclusion, "spread the wealth" is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practice no matter your level of income. How many Obama supporters would still vote for a "redistribution of wealth plan" if it touched their pocketbooks? How much tax is enough? The problem is spending!
I encourage you to try this experiment too and let me know if your outcome turns up differently. Or perhaps you should simply give a friend some hard earned money in this difficult economic time?
I will be responding to the author of this e-mail personally... and then of course, I'll post it. But please, any help you can offer would be GREATLY appreciated.
Comments are open.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
HELP ME PLEASE
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5 comments:
It's funny when folks confuse things like this in their haste. This isn't apples to apples - and anyone who has seen an episode of Intervention knows that bum is likely to take that 5 dollars up the hill after his corner shift for his habit. I'm friends with democrats and republicans - I try to steer clear of any from either side that take being part of a party too seriously. It simply continues to divide us more than it should...
Very interesting. I am not sure how I would reply to this person who is clearly not an Obama supporter. I think many Republicans have taken this "spread the wealth" thing to the extreme. When a person making over $250,000 a year gets taxed vs. a person working for tips, that's a huge difference. In his "case study," he wasn't accurate. Of course to a waitress who does not get paid well in the first place, losing her tip would impact her.
RE: Backslider's comment about the "bum"
Your language and attitude toward the homeless man in this story is offensive and demeaning. Whether or not he takes that 5 dollars to spend it on booze, he deserves to be acknowledged as a human being with a story--more than just "that bum."
Many apologies to any of the homeless reading this blog. It was ignorant of me to refer to this "homeless guy" as a "bum". You too are a human being.
RE:::Holly said...
RE: Backslider's comment about the "bum"
Homeless people ARE bums! they're always sittin on a corner bummin change off people who pass by, hence the name BUM.
And why are you so offended? Are YOU a "bum"? do you care for those bums? How many have you helped? I mean besides giving a bit of change out of your pocket? have you offered to help them fill out an application for a job, get medicare or food stamps of some sort? Any ways my point is, homeless people are humans, yes, but unless you've got some dilusion that they give a damn as to wether they are being called bums,I think you need to be a little less self-righteous and a little more open to common knowledge.
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