Dana Summers is the creator of the comic strip Bound and Gagged. He also finds time to co-create a second strip, The Middletons, with fellow Orlando Sentinel cartoonist Ralph Dunagin. His third job is editorial cartoonist for The Orlando Sentinel. His editorial cartoons have been in syndication since 1985.
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David
said, 3 months ago
Let’s all hope the church gets back to its true ministry of service and support of the underclasses.
NeoconMan said, 3 months ago
Oh, sure; feed the poor with other people’s money. Pretty soon the rich will be as poor as the poor and the poor will develop a sense of dependency and entitlement and will NEVER get off their lazy butts and make something of themselves. The Church is only perpetuating poverty and lack of personal responsibility. Best let a few million of them starve so the rest get the message.
Rockngolfer said, 3 months ago
Where I live there are several people who volunteer at local churches that cook one or two meals a week
On Thursdays, one gentleman drives his Prius up to the clubhouse meeting room and unloads bread donated by the Publix grocery chain.
A couple of weeks ago I helped him unload about 100 packages of bread. Usually there is less, but he said they “Only had 81 people” come to the church for a free meal.
Sometimes on Saturdays another gentleman brings food from another grocery chain.
The bread, cakes, pies, and sometimes half pints of milk are donated to the churches and what is left over is free for anyone here who just goes over to pick it up.
David
said, 3 months ago
@NeoconMan
Thank you for not disappointing with an adequate recitation of the hateful, bitter and angry bile we’ve all come to expect from the neocon ilk.
Bruce4671 said, 3 months ago
@David
My brother, neoconman – while posting vitriol – is doing so sarcastically. His point I am sure is that republican posters here when presented with foodstamps/welfare/unemployment increases bemoan the effort of the government in “feeding the poor” and yet show support for the “christian” effort to do the same thing.
His error is that while the government does a good and necessary work it is done with taxes “required” to be given and therefore NOT charity while the work of the church is done with “contributions” freely given for that purpose.
His second error is that the people receiving assistance from the government view that assistance as an “entitlement” something owed to them for some reason and it does indeed lead to dependency while those that receive help from a charity have a limited connection with no “program” required to continue. They have to show up to eat as it were.
I will add my voice to yours. I hope the church gets back to what it is supposed to do though you and I may differ on what that is exactly.
David
said, 3 months ago
@Bruce4671
Thanks Bruce, I did get the sarcasm vibe from neoconman, which is why I used the phraseology I did. And I think we do agree on the forced vs. voluntary dilemma. I’d recommend a review of history of food assistance in the US and how it effectively eliminated hunger in this country until the Reagan reforms. There are times where the government must be the support since the public will not always provide something necessary. Also worth a read, the Clinton reforms of 1996 which put rather strict limits on the duration of Federal aid.
But, with no cost the recipients, there is always the risk of expectation. I think our system did a good job of balancing the need vs. the risks until recently, when we’ve started to go the wrong direction and abandon those who truely have no opportunities without help.
Bruce4671 said, 3 months ago
@David
Interesting POV. I’ll have to look some of that up.
Robert Landers said, 3 months ago
@David
That was really funny. Sarcasm to answer sarcasm!
Notsoastute said, 3 months ago
This past Christmas I was trying to donate to the local food bank. However, the days I was able to get there they were closed. When I finally got there when they were there I asked why the minimal hours. The answer I got was that they didn’t have enough volenteers. I then asked how many of the volunteers were recipients of the goods. The answer I got floored and disappointed me. “None”
I don’t mind helping those in need. I also realize that many of the recipients are in poor health, however, many are healthy but unemployed. Where were those people?
When FDR started the WPA and CCC people were helped with employment/salary but they had to work for it. Now it is called slavery. I am sorry, I just don’t understand the entitlement train of thought. SS was originally called insurance: you pay in, you get a benefit when the terms are met. Now it is considered a right to recieve welfare/SS/healthcare.
Let the name calling begin.
mickey1339
said, 3 months ago
@David
“we’ve started to go the wrong direction and abandon those who truely have no opportunities without help.”
And all the government is doing is finger pointing at putting together effective programs for getting those people trained for a trade or profession to get them productive again. Easier to pour money down the rat hole of the military complex and waste our resources in wars defending people that hate us. The military budget more than doubled from the end of Clinton’s administration until this year. Obama doesn’t get a pass on this one as he’s just perpetuated the middle east conflicts and now wants to put troops in Africa and Australia so we can make a “presence.”
1opinion said, 3 months ago
@Notsoastute
Look a little further into how your local food bank is set up. They may not allow recipients as volunteers. They may also not ask the recipients to volunteer to help.
Talk to the board of the food bank, if they are like some that I have dealt with, they can be snobbish as to whom they allow to help.
Radish
said, 3 months ago
Ye shall know them by their fruits.
motivemagus said, 3 months ago
SOCIALISM, by GOD!
David
said, 3 months ago
@Bruce4671
I’d be curious to hear your take on what you find out.
David
said, 3 months ago
@mickey1339
I’m also not happy with the Presidents progress with regards to many issues, including delays in extracting ourselves from the Bush wars, continuation of the PATRIOT act, reduction of military spending, repair of our regressive tax codes, etc… Having said that, republican fascism and libertarian randism are far worse choices in my mind.