Charity Display? (I never felt like the face of poverty — until I met my benefactor.)

New York Times ^ | January 2, 2005 | CHARMIE GHOLSON

[Max Combined]

"He didn't tell Jack my name or introduce my kids."

Maybe he didn't remember your name. You could have introduced yourself and your kids to Jack, instead of feeling insulted.

[nickcarraway]

A friend of mine is a recruiter, but also makes good money as a pet sitter. One couple that she has been pet-sitting for for a long time owed her a tiday sum of money. When she called up to get the money last fall, the wife kept telling her, they "were too busy registering new Democrat voters to pay her." To this day they have not so much as called her.

[Emmett McCarthy]

I remember hearing calls from the "poor" on C-Span years ago decrying the cruel rich Republicans. Calls to C-Span are NOT toll free calls and, of course, you can only get C-Span is you're paying for cable. And, of course, they can wait on "hold" since they're not in a hurry to get to work.

I feel soooo sorry for them all.

[AggieCPA]

I agree. I have NEVER heard of such a convoluted distribution of aid.

[syriacus]

Good idea to google her.

Charmie Gholson lives in Ann Arbor and has waited tables, helped women give birth, produced Public Radio, provided unsolicited nutritional counseling and choreographed a dance called "Cow Burp". Now, she writes a food column for Current Magazine, reviews events and authors features for the Ann Arbor Observer. She can't believe people pay her to give her opinion. She is the oldest of three daughters and the mother of three sons, none of which like her cooking. Some day she will live in Key West and write a book. Maybe several. She hates broccoli but eats everything else.

[Max Combined]

Charmie says “THE ONLY BUSH I TRUST IS MY OWN”

http://annarboralive.com/Charmie.html

Charming, I am sure.

[El Gato]

The word "ingrate" is floating through my mind.

Whiner also comes to mind.

[syriacus]

I think her feelings of resentment towards her benefactor may have been the result of the humiliation she felt in not being able to provide for her kids.

You are very understanding.

On the other hand, the author seems to lack the understanding that benefactors are only human, too.

[ShowMeMom]

Having been a single mother of two boys, this offends me on too many levels to list here, but "it takes a village comes to mind".

The sadest thing about her sob story is that her boys will grow up to mooch off my boys because that is what they are being TRAINED to. In fact, it appears that is the only thing that they are being taught.

[Congressman Billybob]

Your guess was right on the money. I did Google this "lady" and here's part of what cropped up:

"Charmie's 40th Birthday and Bush Bash: Lick Bush '04" Thursday, July 29, 7pm-1am

WCBN-FM "Renegade Solutions" host Charmie Gholson, also a writer for Current and the Observer, celebrates her birthday with a fund-raiser for MoveOn.org.

Includes a buffet dinner, a kissing booth, a Bush pinata, a chance to have your photo taken with a facsimile of the president, a raffle of donated items by local businesses and national celebrities, and live music by local bands.

The musical lineup: Rootstand blends bluegrass, blues, reggae, and Celtic folk idioms and instrumentation. Whit Hill is a multitalented local performance artist (aka Whitley Setrakian), who writes richly imaginative country-folk originals that are often spiked with her offbeat sense of humor. Eric Kelly writes raw, Dylanesque folk-style songs.

Also, the I-Had-to-Beg-Them-to-Do-It-Kazoo-Ensemble performs "The Star-Spangled Banner" and other patriotic and quasipatriotic songs.

www.A3Radio.com will record this event and re-broadcast it. Watch our website for dates/times.

In short, this "lady" is a leftist, feminist, politically correct, welfare fraud, whom the New York Times accepted at face value because she was "one of us." A fraudulent writer in a fraudulent newspaper for the amusement of readers who are fraudulent sophisticates. How appropriate.

Congressman Billybob

Click for latest, "Lessons from Waves of Disaster"

[sockmonkey]

Hey girl! Funny seeing you here after running into you today!

Do check out the link on post #47.

BTW, LP, did you have the creme brulee for dessert? I love their creme brulee...with the creme fraiche squiggled on the side, with the strawberries... Oh, I just like everything on their menu, and everything in the bakery, too.

[Capriole]

I don't have a whole lot of sympathy for this woman, but in a lot of jurisdictions having a cell phone for phone service is a lot cheaper than having a landline, and caller ID service is included at no extra charge. That's the case with my own cell-phone package. But the author appears oblivious to the inconsistency she is presenting by talking about her cell phone.

[frgoff]

---
I honestly would die before I'd accept charity, even (especially) from a family member. Unless one of my children was in dire, dire straights. But then I'm a man. Maybe some women are more prone to accept "gifts". But then, maybe they should get married to a proud man.
---

And as a man, your calling is to provide for your family. A real man would set aside his ego and accept charity if that is what he had to do to provide for his family.

It's hard. I've done it, and it's hard, but the welfare of my family comes before my ego. You just make the commitment to be generous when your fortune turns and you can give instead of having to receive.

[avg_freeper]

I've been in the position of this doctor in the charity work I perform. You have no idea how frightening it has been on a very few occasions.

There are rules like, "don't give the client transportation" and only provide the monetary assistance previously agreed on. These rules exist for at least two reasons. #1 Your life can be put in danger if you stray from them. #2 Some people see each gift of charity as a door to ask for more.

More often than not the people are polite and obviously thankful putting me at ease. But a few are brash and try to get you to go out on a limb. I try to provide comfort to the people I assist both materially and spiritually regardless and I don't judge them. I'm doing it as much for them as to glorify god.

As for the teenager, did it ever occur to the woman that he was trying to teach the kid a lesson about charity and self sacrifice.

[Publius6961]

Second post in as many days remarkably similar.
Single mom, can't pay rent, charity blah blah blah.

Sorry, I'm impervious to it.
This woman made some bad choices, is offered help (God knows why) and doesn't have the grace and class (class is independent of poverty status, in fact, these days it seems inversely proportional) to simply accept, rejoice and somehow conjure up a token gesture of gratitude, perhaps even a smile?

[singlemomofone]

Is it just me, or is anyone else suspicious of a women with two kids who gets as much publicity as she does...yet she needs $80.00 charity? I doubt she is lacking in income, with her "credentials."

Me thinks she set the whole thing up because she's run out of true and factual issues to whine about.

[syriacus]

A fraudulent writer in a fraudulent newspaper for the amusement of readers who are fraudulent sophisticates

Good summary.

She should write a cookbook, and call it "Pablum for liberals."

[Altamira]

"$6 will buy you a new pair of kid's jeans on sale at any discount store."

And it will go farther at Goodwill or any other store that sells used clothing. Being "poor" is about not making the right choices, and not so much about not having enough money, I believe.