What Could You Live Without?

nytimes ^

[traumer]

It all began with a stop at a red light.

Kevin Salwen, a writer and entrepreneur in Atlanta, was driving his 14-year-old daughter, Hannah, back from a sleepover in 2006. While waiting at a traffic light, they saw a black Mercedes coupe on one side and a homeless man begging for food on the other.

“Dad, if that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal,” Hannah protested. The light changed and they drove on, but Hannah was too young to be reasonable. She pestered her parents about inequity, insisting that she wanted to do something.

“What do you want to do?” her mom responded. “Sell our house?”

Warning! Never suggest a grand gesture to an idealistic teenager. Hannah seized upon the idea of selling the luxurious family home and donating half the proceeds to charity, while using the other half to buy a more modest replacement home.

Eventually, that’s what the family did. The project — crazy, impetuous and utterly inspiring — is chronicled in a book by father and daughter scheduled to be published next month: “The Power of Half.” It’s a book that, frankly, I’d be nervous about leaving around where my own teenage kids might find it. An impressionable child reads this, and the next thing you know your whole family is out on the street.

At a time of enormous needs in Haiti and elsewhere, when so many Americans are trying to help Haitians by sending everything from text messages to shoes, the Salwens offer an example of a family that came together to make a difference — for themselves as much as the people they were trying to help

[Magic Fingers]

“What Could You Live Without?”

The NY Times, for starters.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

What utter crap.

[Kirkwood]

Less nice cars on the market means putting many people out of work. Less people working means less people with disposable incomes to support a charity to help those hard on their luck.

[Wallop the Cat]

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?

[SirJohnBarleycorn]

Dad, if that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal,” Hannah protested.

The parents should teach young Hannah about substance abuse and mental illness which are the biggest factors in homelessness.

And how can there be homelessness in the Age of Obama? These must be Bush's homeless who never got the word.

[American Constitutionalist]

” What Could You Live Without?” ... Liberals..

[pissant]

Liberals

[Bhoy]

Winner. Should have emphasized child’s DUTY to work hard, start a business & employee people so they could take care of themselves.

[Tired of Taxes]

I notice the article doesn’t mention exactly how big their last house was, nor how small their new house is. I’m guessing their “small” house is way bigger than mine. ;-)

[freedumb2003]

>>“Dad, if that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal,”<<

That deserved the Cosby treatment: “That is the DUMBEST thing I have ever heard in my life!”

Also a Cosby solution: grab some Monopoly money and recreate the scenario.

Clearly these people are too stupid to understand how Capitalism rises all boats and Socialism (her solution) leads to equal misery for all.

[fr_freak]

The parents should teach young Hannah about substance abuse and mental illness which are the biggest factors in homelessness.

In my neck of the woods, the greatest factor in homelessness is choice. That choice is made far easier by people who give handouts regularly. You know how you can tell the truly hungry from the posers who just want drug or booze money? You offer to buy them food instead of giving them cash. Then get amazed when they say "no thanks".

[70times7]

Great response. Sounds like a wonderful story.

I can’t help but wonder how much the foundational idea will be warped by liberals into helping the needy with the resources of others...

Smack that cat for me too, willya?

[Quix]

Thanks.

If Christians had lived more as Christ challenged us to live . . . vis a vis two coats . . . etc.

BIG GOVERNMENT would have never had a chance nor a hole to fill.

[dalereed]

2 million illegal aliens in California!!!!

[gogogodzilla]

I am willing to sacrifice liberals...

[Paladin2]

I could live w/o the NYT..... No, wait... I already do!

[Greysard]

Hannah seized upon the idea of selling the luxurious family home and donating half the proceeds to charity

Hmm, taking someone else's wealth - that's right out of Lenin's book (or Obama's, hard to tell the difference.)

Sane parents could have said: "Fine, once you start working you are free to give half of your salary to random people who, most likely, will curse you for not giving more. I'm sure you don't need those new shoes that badly, after all."

[grey_whiskers]

Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day.

Teach him how to fish, and you feed him for life.

Kill all the Communists and get rid of the Socialists, and he'll start a seafood restaurant which feeds and employs hundreds.

Cheers!

[heartwood]

I saw a picture of their new house. It’s still a very nice house, an elegant, well-maintained Victorian. Probably updated to, insulation, plumbing, wiring, windows, you bet.