Friends fix up single mother's home while she's on vacation

MLive.com ^ | April 11, 2005 | Scott Hagen

[MotleyGirl70]

What does being a republican county have anything to do with the generousity the community put forth for Ms.Radabaugh, regardless of the fact she has her priorities screwed up.

[CSM]

Cool story. BTW, I'll be on vacation for a couple of weeks! ;-)

[CSM]

"...but I always have to wonder...how do they pay the taxes on these gifts?"

I always wonder the same thing. How does the family afford the increased property taxes as well as their mortgage. If they were struggling before the makeover, I would think the property taxes would end up driving them to sell the improved homes....I never had an answer to these wonderings....

[demkicker]

"I admire the people who spent their money so she she could go on vacation using other taxpayer's money (which she received as tax credits).

Think about this, please.

Wow, what a killjoys you are! I'm getting a tax refund too and I deserve to get every penny back. How dare you claim this woman is going on vacation using other taxpayer's money? Where do you get off coming up with such an assumption?

[Petronski]

If Disney had any class, they'd refund some of her money...at least her admission fees.

[AnnaZ]

I admire the people who spent their money so she she could go on vacation using other taxpayer's money (which she received as tax credits).

And how is it that you know that it wasn't a refund of money she herself paid?

[ShadowDancer]

Because he is assuming that since she's single she must be on welfare, evidentally.

[AnnaZ]

If a trip to Disney trumps a new roof, one can only imagine what else she throws her money at.

She has four children she raises alone, and they now have wonderful memories that will last them a lifetime. Beats the heck out of a roof.

 

It's not that I don't find frugality admirable, but I prefer it tempered with the ability to let loose every once in awhile. Sufficient for the day is the evil therein, and all that.

[processing please hold]

There may be more to her decision than we are aware of.

I agree.

[processing please hold]

Cool story. BTW, I'll be on vacation for a couple of weeks! ;-)

What's a vacation?

[CSM]

Actually, I'm not sure. I just wanted wmichgrad to come and work on my house.....

[AZLiberty]

I hardly watch any network TV, but we had a house guest for a while who introduced us to ABC's Extreme Home Makeover. First, I found it very touching that they were doing nice things for people with serious life problems, but second, it resonated with me on a more general issue.

One of the problems of this society is the underutilization of human resources. Many people I know are "underemployed", in the sense that they can't seem to find a job that matches their capabilities. Whatever mechanisms are out there don't seem to do this match very well. In particular, volunteerism seems to be a vastly underutilized resource.

There was a time in this country that when a family's barn burned down, the neighbors got together and raised a new one. Here we see a case where a family's roof failed, so the neighbors repaired it (and then some). We don't see this very often in the modern world.

Many of you are probably familiar with the Wiki concept of contributing free work to an online cause. Thousands of nearly anonymous people around the world have gotten together (in a virtual way) to create the WikiPedia, a free online encyclopedia. Thousands of Freepers have assembled to animate an important discussion forum called FreeRepublic. Thousands have geeks have come together to work on Linux and other projects. A bunch of patriots have assembled to patrol our border, as the Minutemen.

I'm thinking this could be generalized into the notion of WikiWork, where people could get together in the online and the real world to do things that should be done but aren't. The Wiki folks have put together a Meta-Wiki, but this still seems focused on online content development rather than real-world activity.

The meme starts here.

[AZLiberty]

That sounds like a tag line, so I'm adopting it.

[processing please hold]

When you're finished with 'em, could you please send him to my house? We're about to put down a new hardwood floor and sure could use the extra pair of hands. :-)

[maine-iac7]

What's wrong with this picture???

What's wrong with you...

So she gave her kids something special ...I guess she should've asked you first.

Obviously, the people in the town knew her and thought her an extra special person - We heard people say cr*p like this about Terri - "It's our tax money!"

[maine-iac7]

regardless of the fact she has her priorities screwed up.

you know this for a "fact?"

I'm gonna bet she's not boozing and cruising and nite clubbing - probably doesn't have money to do much of anything - and finally decided to give her kids something probably all their friends have had several times. There 's a lot more I could write here - but it'd be like spitting in the wind...

Suffice it to say - her neighbors thought enough of her to do this, that tells the story. (Would your neighbors have reason to think you were worth this kind of effort?)

Some posts here sounds like a bunch of jealous kids -

[maine-iac7]

LOL = I'll get my paint and brushes out

[maine-iac7]

Thousands of Freepers have assembled to animate an important discussion forum called FreeRepublic. Thousands have geeks have come together to work on Linux and other projects. A bunch of patriots have assembled to patrol our border, as the Minutemen.

I agree - too many of us yell for the gov't to do this - do that.

I think the Minutemen is perfect - like the people who manned the watchtower's in WW11, keeping an eye out for planes or subs.

Why SHOULDN"T we people do some of this stuff we think the gov't or ANYbody else should?

Pres. Bush gave us the challenge - I ;d like to see more of it

[maine-iac7]

WikiWork

LOL - that's catchy

[beckysueb]

Wow, what a killjoys you are! I'm getting a tax refund too and I deserve to get every penny back. How dare you claim this woman is going on vacation using other taxpayer's money? Where do you get off coming up with such an assumption

I voiced an opinion. Last time I checked, free speech was still allowed. I didn't say she didn't deserve her tax refund, only that fixing her roof should have been a greater priority than a vacation.