How selfish do you have to be...

[Sum Dum Gai]

to spend money keeping pointless pets around while human beings are dying from starvation, lack of clean water, no access to health care, etc. For what you'll spend on a bag of kibble this month, you could have kept a dead orphan alive. How do you live with yourself?

[The J]

How do you live with yourself?

Very easily. As a rule, I hate people (not y'all -- y'all are cool in my book). Animals not so much.

[Chocolate Lover]

I know, right?? I mean, why house a dog when you could send your money to the orphans in Africa??? Don't buy clothes for Fluffy, buy them for whatever that kid's name on the commercial is!! You know, that kid that's been on there for 20 years now....

[Anne_in_VA]

And where do you recommend I send the money I spent on dog food (all $9 of it)?

[Sum Dum Gai]

Even better, kill the dog and send the meat to the starving kids in Africa. Frees up some of your future income to help the needy, and helps the needy up front. Win win if I ever saw one.

[NancysSummerSip]

Well, is it OK if I do both? I house two completely useless cats (or should I say, they tolerate me and let me live there) and I also support my local food bank and homeless shelter needs with donations, as well as volunteer for a local AIDS organization and organize an annual bake sale to benefit a no-kill animal shelter.

I mean, I don't want to be totally selfish and rotten and self-centered.

<<Nancy gives the promised exalt to CL>>

[Chocolate Lover]

Would you have to dry the meat 1st so it doesn't spoil on the trip over? Dog jerky?

[Sum Dum Gai]

And where do you recommend I send the money I spent on dog food (all $9 of it)?

Wherever you want. Would you rather help people in a specific country? Women? Children? Orphans? Give micro loans to help spur third world business growth and improve their economy? Whatever, my point is, any of those options or dozens of others seem like a better use for the money.

[Peace Of Mind]

I thought Pig left. ;P

[Chocolate Lover]

Thanks Nancy!! ;D

[Chocolate Lover]

Probably not MM, but I will for much less than you spend on dog food.

[Anne_in_VA]

I don't think DH would let me kill her since he's had her since she was a pup and she's 15 now. However, when she does die, let me know where to send the carcass so I can let some poor starving kid have some meet before he/she dies. (jk)

[Chocolate Lover]

Jan 10, 2011 16:47:30 GMT -5 @missmargarita said:

Jan 10, 2011 16:46:34 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

Probably not MM, but I will for much less than you spend on dog food.

Sweet!!!! Bye bye doggies!!!! ;D

Woo hoo! And I get to live in CA!! You are gonna feed me and let me sleep on the couch all day and hump whatever I want right MM??? If not, then deal's off.

[Miss Tequila]

Please, my kids are lucky that I feed and clothe them...you think I care about someone else's screaming brat?

[Peace Of Mind]

Jan 10, 2011 16:49:13 GMT -5 Miss Tequila said:

Please, my kids are lucky that I feed and clothe them...you think I care about someone else's screaming brat?

Tina, LMAO!! I know, right? <<feeds stray kitty>>

[Chocolate Lover]

Wait, is that the same couch Omni sat on?? Nuh uh, no way. You gotta buy a new couch 1st.

[Sum Dum Gai]

I mean granted, one could make the same argument for pretty much any spending. I could probably foster like 10 Indian kids for what I spend on cable every month, for example. Pets have just struck me as especially kind of pointless lately. We spend money to get them, we spend money to keep them, we spend even more whenever they're sick, we spend to have them looked after while we're out, etc., etc., and for the most part they don't really do anything.

My cat sleeps for like 20 hours a day. Spends an hour eating, drinking, or answering the call of nature, which also costs me money and gives me one more chore to do every day. He spends the other three hours prowling the back yard and our block at night. He allows me to pet him or sits on my lap or something like maybe once a quarter. If that. It would be like having a room mate that never paid rent, groceries, utilities, ate your food, left messes for you to clean up, spent all day in bed, and never talked or hung out with you. What's the point?

[jarhead1976]

Donate to Catholic charity's, drive disabled veteran's to hospital, donate to missing and exploited children. Can not save the world! Do not have a dog! I do make a difference though, Everyday. Altruism ? I do not have a problem shaving in the morning at all!

[Colleenz]

Our cat keeps our dog in line.

[Deleted]

Swell. Now we're gonna get the clean-your-plate-there-are-children-starving-in-China lecture.

If I get rid of Tucker the Perfectly Good Cat, how's it gonna help a dead orphan?

[Opti]

Jan 10, 2011 16:51:54 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

I mean granted, one could make the same argument for pretty much any spending. I could probably foster like 10 Indian kids for what I spend on cable every month, for example. Pets have just struck me as especially kind of pointless lately. We spend money to get them, we spend money to keep them, we spend even more whenever they're sick, we spend to have them looked after while we're out, etc., etc., and for the most part they don't really do anything.

My cat sleeps for like 20 hours a day. Spends an hour eating, drinking, or answering the call of nature, which also costs me money and gives me one more chore to do every day. He spends the other three hours prowling the back yard and our block at night. He allows me to pet him or sits on my lap or something like maybe once a quarter. If that. It would be like having a room mate that never paid rent, groceries, utilities, ate your food, left messes for you to clean up, spent all day in bed, and never talked or hung out with you. What's the point?

Yep, Dark is just going for the controversy. I can see this argument will go over even better if you decide we should stop buying alcohol or having people limit themselves on shoes, food, etc. Why should the money go to Africa anyway? There are people in the US that aren't doing that well.

[Deleted]

Wow. At this time I believe that we can spend our money on what we want (true, it does look like we won't have that option forever, what with wealth distribution coming down the pike). So I think that I will continue to spend my money on our dachshunds (close to $10,000 this year) rather than feed some little kid somewhere, keeping him alive so that one day he can mouth off about how evil America is & probably take up arms against us.
To put it politely I couldn't give a rats ass about some starving kid in some foreign country. I feel it's my duty to take care of me & mine. Oh & I'll agree with something Sam Kennison said a long time ago: If you really want to help them send them U-hauls to move somewhere where they can grow enough food to eat or where they aren't trying to kill each other. I'll go one step farther & say that if you had started giving to "save the children" (or whatever) when they first started up you would now be on your 4th or 5th generation of people (in the same family) that you had fed. That's because it's a never ending cycle.

[Deleted]

Jan 10, 2011 17:40:40 GMT -5 @oldtex said:

Wow. At this time I believe that we can spend our money on what we want (true, it does look like we won't have that option forever, what with wealth distribution coming down the pike). So I think that I will continue to spend my money on our dachshunds (close to $10,000 this year) rather than feed some little kid somewhere, keeping him alive so that one day he can mouth off about how evil America is & probably take up arms against us.
To put it politely I couldn't give a rats ass about some starving kid in some foreign country. I feel it's my duty to take care of me & mine. Oh & I'll agree with something Sam Kennison said a long time ago: If you really want to help them send them U-hauls to move somewhere where they can grow enough food to eat or where they aren't trying to kill each other. I'll go one step farther & say that if you had started giving to "save the children" (or whatever) when they first started up you would now be on your 4th or 5th generation of people (in the same family) that you had fed. That's because it's a never ending cycle.

[hoops902]

To put it politely I couldn't give a rats ass about some starving kid in some foreign country.

For the record, you do know there are starving kids in this country too right?

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

Jan 10, 2011 16:45:27 GMT -5 Peace Of Mind said:

I thought Pig left. ;P

I was totally thinking the same thing!

[Sum Dum Gai]

For the record, you do know there are starving kids in this country too right?

Tough crap. Our dogs and cats are more important. Obviously.

[Deleted]

"To put it politely I couldn't give a rats ass"

Anyone else wonder how he would have put it impolitely?

[hoops902]

Solution: Take all starving children, remove their vocal cords, install shock collars, and import them to the US as pets.

[suzwantstobefree]

I sponsored a person going on a mission to Africa last year. I spent more money on that then I did Miss Kitty. Do I get to keep my cat?

Besides that I don't drink or smoke - I should get some credit for that. I would say those should be the first things sacrificed for the children in Africa after all, alcohol is dangerous to your health and there are still a lot of DUI accidents, and smoking leads to health problems for both the person smoking and the people breathing the second hand smoke.

My cat doesn't really cost much - $3.15 BOGO free cat food every other month (and sometimes I get a coupon for the that which brings two bags down to $1.15), one container of litter each month ($8.00 if not on sale and/or coupons), and the once a year vet visit (about $100). My friend watches my kitty when I am on vacation and if she isn't available, then I call the person who cleans my house to check on her.

[Sum Dum Gai]

Besides that I don't drink or smoke - I should get some credit for that. I would say those should be the first things sacrificed for the children in Africa after all, alcohol is dangerous to your health and there are still a lot of DUI accidents, and smoking leads to health problems for both the person smoking and the people breathing the second hand smoke.

But drinking in moderation is actually good for you. No real argument on the smoking, other than how freaking wonderful it is. God I miss smoking.