yet another reason to look at myself and laugh....

[SHATOUSHKA]

...merry...fucking...xmas...

[TastinGood]

Question of the Week to all:

Would you accept the money?

If so, would you set aside a portion and 'pay it forward' to someone else, or would you go and blow it on lotto tickets and try to make a cool mil?

[SHATOUSHKA]

i suppose when i posted this article, i was
being a bit cynical. my apologies.

the woman worked at the restaurant 2 days a week
in addition to working full time at an insurance
company.
she was also married....

although i have no idea if the new parents were
struggling to attain enough money to support
their new child. i have no idea if the woman
talked to the old man about her troubles. i have
no idea about any circumstances surrounding the
situation other than what i have posted.

what i do know is this...

this story made national headlines (even if it
was in the form of yahoo news).
that means that somewhere, someone didn't keep
their mouth shut. not that its a problem, but
it seems to me that many people the world over
receive gifts of such a nature, and do not
necessarily make any news.

my prediction/deduction is this --

SCENARIO ONE:

if the family were struggling (hence the two
jobs), the money will certainly not be put
away for 'college' as the mother claims. it just
isn't logical. naturally the mother would feel
some obligation to mention that it would be
used for college because the man gave it to her
for the child. however, i have no reason to believe
that any struggling couple.... ESPECIALLY with
a new baby, will horde ten thousand (before
taxes) for college. i'm sorry, it just won't happen.

SCENARIO TWO:

if the couple were not struggling, and the woman
worked at the restaurant for the hell of it,
or to help out a friend, or whatever the reason,
then it may be more logical that the couple
would put away the 10K for college... however
unlikely. if they are comfortable financially,
i would assume it is because they would know
how to manage the money that they make. i
would also assume that there would be an attempt
made to increase the 'value' of the money by
'playing' with it.


to answer TG's question, i'd guess i'd wanna know
if, when i received the 10K, if i were in the
same situation i was in now... or if i had an
11 month old child (as the woman had).

personally, i would screw the college fund and,
starting at a good age, take the child on a
trip every summer. there are worlds of knowledge
available in a jaunt to another city, and it
doesn't have to be overseas (though it would
be nice).
most of the greatest things i have ever seen
have come from visiting other cities within
the US, in addition to that, it inspires.

so thats what i'd do. *shrugs*

[TastinGood]

Good answer.
[img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]

[SHATOUSHKA]

et tu, brute?

[soulfilms]

i don't think i would ever take money from someone i barely knew. i consider the relationship of serving some guy's meal once a week as being only an acquaintence. i wouldn't do this unless there were terms set out about paying it back. my reasons are because to take money is to take charity (which i would rather not if i could help it) and then i'd be obliged to someone and i never want to be obliged to anyone if i can help it.

whilst this situation has never really presented itself to me (i have been given money before but they were always from people i knew really well), we'd never know unless we're in that situation. i still highly doubt i'd take it.

[TastinGood]

I would rent a limo and head to the nearest indian reservation where I would blow it all on whiskey and black jack with my newfound cherokee solidarity brothers.

Or I would wait until the IPO of gemmy.com and invest it all in them. Those dancing hamsters are the wave of the future, baby!