New Dues Structure for 2008

[William Cook]

As I just scan this academic section, I am pleased to see I am not the only one who thinks charity should begin at home. Some talk of lower costs to foreign members for the sake of morality. But, when we have given away the parts for our country we haven’t sold, who is going to offer the same morality to us?
 
It should be plain through current events that, as Paul Harvey says, “It’s not one world.”
 
Do I believe in charity? Several times a year, I need be concerned for the size of our modest grocery bill. Yet, rain or shine I give more than $6,000 annually to charitable organizations—more at Christmas and Thanksgiving. I give freely and thankfully and for the right reasons. Still, it seems that some look at Americans as a bottomless pit of money, and that it is our responsibility to subsidize the rest of the world in any number of arenas. But, how did we inherit that honor. More importantly, who will take over when we are finally bankrupt as a nation? I do not see any other nations waiting in the wings just now.
 
I would like any number of things from any number of countries that I can’t afford. Because I can’t afford them . . . I don’t have them. That is called reality. It is what makes people stretch, work harder, think smarter, plan better. 
 
No, I don’t think I’m cold. I just think we need to learn that trying to have our cake and eat it too is foolish. On one hand, we want to give of our finances to subsidize members abroad. On the other hand we want to bellyache about how those members abroad are taking our jobs 1-2-3, with certain members seeing nothing wrong with that scenario. 
 
Here in the shadow of Microsoft and Boeing, it’s credentials that get you through the door of HR, regardless of what you really know or can do. I would love to get my masters in TC from Texas Tech. BUT, not only would I have to take care of a family, work a more than full-time job, commute 80 miles a day and still find time to perform masters level work to get the degree, I really have no option; I don’t have the money for out of state tuition—even though the program is offered over the internet. My family has been American since 1689 and my family paid taxes in Texas for six years. That, of course, doesn’t matter. 
 
Yet, were I fortunate enough to be here illegally, I could, without ever paying taxes anywhere, qualify for In State tuition for any number of colleges. 
 
I’m either more of a moron than I think, or there is something dreadfully wrong with this picture.
 
Cheers,
 
Bill Cook
_________________________________________________________________
Gear up for Halo® 3 with free downloads and an exclusive offer. It’s our way of saying thanks for using Windows Live™.
http://gethalo3gear.com?ocid=SeptemberWLHalo3_WLHMTxt_2
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.stc.org/pipermail/stc-ac/attachments/20070926/c08d3aea/attachment.html