Sard, don't take this the wrong way, but from my grandfather down, there is not a single "drunk" in my family, that was never the problem. The problem was that in the 1950's the member of those confederated tribes were booted off the reservation and the land was taken out of trust and sold to farmers, displacing all that were left on their only drop of soil. the tribe was again federally recognized in the early eighties, and all of us growing up in the outside world had learned to adapt in a sense and used every penny to it's best capability, which is why I have an Uncle with a doctorate in Law and a cousin almost ready for the same honor, and why my grandfather has no problems in his retirement with healthcare or pension. By the way , this money is partially funded by the government, but partially funded by timber, casino and internal philanthropy (family to family).

Here it is in the nicest way I can re state my point. All the coin jars at your local gas station, all the extra money laying around at churches are not enough to help the "truly" needy.

Also, I need to point out the I consider my childhood a blessing. I am capable because I was forced to do it or build it or fix it myself and the love that is exchanged in my family is endless.

But one more for instance. I know a child in alot of people's favorite fishing town, whose parents I grew up with. They went down the wrong path in life, their stupid mistake. the child is sixteen years old and is being raised by his granmother single handedly along with his younger sister who is 8 yrs this year. His mother is in state prison right now and his step father is on a release program and actually doing very well, his only living uncle is in federal prison and his grandfather died about ten years ago from an incurable disease. The grandmother was a stay at home mother all her life, so she never had a certain skill and no education of any sort to pursue a career, it was never needed. Survior benefits and the small life insurance spent out along time ago so now she works for minimum wage 6 days a week and doesn't receive any overtime pay, and because she is in a depressed community, she is thought of as having a "good" job. This kid has put in more hard days by 16 thn most of us will in their whole life. He's my little buddy, and I have helped as often as I could and make it a point to take him fishing, and teach him how to pick mushrooms and brush to make money until he is old enough to get a good job or in my dream that he pursues higher education. But, there is noone besides me that really helps, the community thinks of them as a pariah because of what his mother has done and the only thing that puts the needs in the household for them to live besides her minimum wage job is the assistance she receives for acting as a caretaker for her own grandchildren. The story is so common that there is no way I can believe that people will always come together to help each other in good faith. I try to be a good example and let him know that there are good people out there, and hopefully some day he will be out on his own and remember what is like to be in his situation and do the same, but everything that I can do is not enough and won't be until I'm a multi-millionaire.

I'm sorry if Org thinks the name calling is over the top, it truly is a joke, I have a dry sense of humor. It sounds mean, but it's not like I have a voodoo doll here in efigy that I practice hurting him with, I am actually very reserved, you are lucky that you generally only see my dark side. And that's only when i feel that someone is condeming people that really aren't able to defend themselves. The other one that really gets me is what TK used to always do, which was to claim the Christ condones war and exclusion of people different than ourselves. Otherwise, i'm just trolling through everyone's posts.

My beliefs?? That which doesn't kill us only makes us stronger...I just wish that I didn't have to see people get to that point so often in this great country.