WHY NOT GIVE THE MONEY TO CHARITY?

According to what I read, the Obama administration has asked Congress to allocate $250 for some 57 million Social Security recipients who, this year, will not receive a cost-of-living allocation (COLA) in their monthly Social Security check.  There is no COLA this year because the cost of living decreased this past year.

I have several problems with that.  The first problem being that many of us retirees DO NOT need the $250.  Yes, our income is fixed.  (During any given year most people's income is fixed.)  But since the cost of living decreased, the value of our fixed income actually increased.  Not by a lot, I agree, but we should not be experiencing financial hardship.

The second problem I have with the $250 "government bailout" is that while we are all happy to get our COLA when prices increase, we seem less than happy to accept no increase when they decrease.  In fact, shouldn't we graciously accept a decrease when prices go down?  Are we just greedy or what?  Are we like the labor unions that want a piece of the action when the company shows a profit but don't want to talk about give backs when the company hits some lean years?

We seniors are supposed to be the wiser for our years of experience.  Shouldn't we then be wise enough to have put a little aside for those possible years when there would be no cost-of-living increase?  No decrease, understand, just no increase.

Now before you jump down my throat for being insensitive to those senior citizens out there who are just barely getting by on their Social Security and, maybe, a small pension check from some previous employer, let me say that I am well aware of their existence -- and their difficult financial circumstances.  I know some of these people, but I ask that you reread the second paragraph above in which I said that "many of us retirees do not need the $250."  Just the same, some people absolutely need the extra money, any extra money.

I feel obligated, however, to add that anyone paying attention has known for over 50 years that one cannot live very well on Social Security alone.  If you go into retirement having only your Social Security check to live on, you are going to live in a world of financial hurt.  An extra $250 will certainly help you, but it will only postpone for a while the return of your desperate financial condition.

So, if Congress approves this senior citizen bailout (bailouts are popular this year, you know) and we all receive our $250, what should we do?  We can spend it.  That would help the local economy.  We can sock it in the bank.  That would help bank profits and, presumably, those struggling bank CEO’s who had to take 50-90 percent pay and/or bonus cut.  (Some, I understand may see their pay cut from $38 million a year to $19 million.)  Or, we can donate the money to charity.

Why not?  You don’t need it and lots of others do.

The Salvation Army food bank is running out of food and the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons are not yet upon us.  The regional food bank in eastern New York is running out of food.  These places, to name just two, are being hit hard by the number of people out of work and out of money to buy food.  Children are going hungry!  Are you?

Just think of the reaction across the nation, if not the world, if, say, 40 million of us who don’t really need that $250 donated it to our local food pantry, the Salvation Army, City Mission or some other local program that will directly benefit local families in need.  If we did that, we could turn this government program into something worthwhile, something that will directly benefit people in our community who need the help.

Yes, you may have to pay taxes on the $250, unless you have enough in the way of charitable deductions to affect your tax payment next April.  But think of the people you are helping who wish they had enough money on which to pay taxes next spring.

Let’s show the world that senior citizens are not a bunch of me-first, greedy old geezers.  We already get discounts at most restaurants, some department stores (on selected days) and nearly all theaters.  We have earned the right to these discounts.  We’ve paid our dues, for sure.  But many of us do not need this government handout!  Donate your $250 to the local charity of your choice and stand ready to be interviewed on the six o’clock news.  You will surely be recognized as a citizen of note.