Hey, That's My Money You're Spending!

   It's a classic line.  Gracie asks the taxman if she can list all elected officals as her dependents.
   Y'know, she's right.
    Want to make an informed decision about where to donate your hard-earned money?  Well, come April 15th, I know of a federal government that sorely desires a bailout from you.  BUT the reason I started this post is not to point out the profligacy of our American government in a vacuum, but to do so be means of contrast.  How effective are government programs?  Is there any place you can go to see the breakdown of program/administrative costs?  Is there any accountability or information link between you and the government program you've donated to?  (By the way, I realize that I'm stretching the word donation when I apply it to compulsory taxes.  But think about it: for all the disdain that some legislators rain down on Walmart shoppers, it's those same Walmart shoppers -- okay, the ones that aren't on welfare -- that are financing that legislator's lifestyle.  So put that in your pipe and smoke it, Barbara Boxer!).  Anybody out there feel a little like a forgotten man?  Anyone want to remind the Congress that all public money was once private money?
   Yeah?  Me too.
   Well, here's one way to use the money leftover after the bone-picking vultures come through.   You can quickly compare the way private charities spend their money.  Take a look at charitynavigator.org.  (Hmmm... maybe a spinoff site could be called "RateYourCharity.org).  You can see where your money's going, and you can make informed decisions about where to send your check. 
   Doesn't it feel good to be deciding where and to whom your money goes?
   Freedom.  It can be a beautiful thing.