I want to be a Middle Class Santa

This is a weird fantasy of mine.

If I had a windfall or won the lottery, I would want to be a middle class Santa.
What does that mean?

If you are on government assistance or don't pay any taxes, you do not qualify.
If you are rich you do not qualify. I don't know the exact dollar figures, so let's keep this high level.

My Santa would give money, gifts & vacations to the truly middle class. The people, the moms and dad that both work, that always pay their bills
and taxes. The ones that always make the responsible decisions. The ones that worked during college. The ones that have high child care costs, that always put their kids first and sometimes go without.

The ones that never get a break from anyone, yet keep on trucking. Just more taxes and more work. They work, they are always working. You don't hear from these people much because they are always working and never have a break. Many are taking care of both kids and parents at the same time. I mostly want to be a middle class Santa because they are often forgotten because they are considered too rich to be poor, so they miss out on any help. They aren't rich enough to have any excess either. This is the true backbone of America and they are often forgotten.

Before anyone jumps down my throat, I want you to know I have lived long enough in all three economic levels.
The poor have a lot of resources given to them during the holidays. Food, gifts for the kids, energy assistance etc.
The rich are, well rich. Oddly enough they are also given a lot for free. Sometimes it is done though work perks like miles, or points. Oddly enough
I found the richer you got the more free stuff you got.

Being middle class, nada, nothing, just more work. I think a middle class Santa is just what they need.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I'd rather have a first class savior over a third rate Santa. Jesus the reason for the season.

Can I get affordable healthcare and a living wage even though I haven’t really been good this year?

Or does that mean I only get unpaid overtime and a toothache I really need to get looked at in my stocking?

a reply to: underwerks

Maybe next year you will be good. This year, it's coal for you.

a reply to: JAGStorm

this is exactly what im doing this xmas, so far i have helped a buddy of mine (working class lady chef) get her adorable doggo fixed and paid off her old vet bills and am helping her with her eye surgery (8,000ish total)

the next ones are the three cute baristas at the coffee shop near my house who have been my wing chicks(they helped introduce me to my current gf and helped raise morale after my train-wreck breakup from the one before (evil sarah) and psudo therapists but they dont get their gifts tell week before Christmas so haven't done it yet ,they are each getting a golden double eagle each so they can do fun stuff like take a vacation or in one of their case help pay for her wedding dress

gave 3 of my old fish tanks to local elementary school near my house (i have like 20ish so no real financial loss to me) and because my frigging peacock cicilids wont stop breeding threw in some fish and gave the old honda(99 civic) i was gonna give to earlier mentioned ex away to some one asking for help getting transportation to and from her kids doctor appointments

and for past 3 years ive done free snowplowing for any one over 65 within a 20 mile radius of my home and plan to keep volunteering for NAMI helping people get to job interviews as we do not really have public transportation in my area

i can only do this as my uncle left me truly Smaug levels of gold when he passed away (roughly 11 pounds total in ingots coins jewelry and whatnot) house is paid off and im set up well enough to not really have to work for the foreseeable future so i try to pass it on.

most of those are between middle and lower class but not sure what to call a school but hey kids like fish and i had a surplus of both fish and fish tanks/supplies so was kind of win win.

originally posted by: OccamsRazor04
a reply to: underwerks

Maybe next year you will be good. This year, it's coal for you.

Coal dividends YES YES.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Not gonna jump down your throat, JAG, but I do want to offer my own similar fantasy. It has a few notable differences from yours.

If I had a windfall or won the lottery...

Why wait? I do whatever good I can for people now. Sometimes it is the free things that mean the most.

Someone who can't drive, but needs to go somewhere? Offer them a ride.

Someone whose car is broke, fix it for them.

Someone in a wheelchair who has trouble leaving home, build them a ramp.

Someone who is lonely, spend the day with them.

There are a lot of people out there who are in need, but not of money. Money is only green paper... or, as of late, numbers in a computer. It has no soul, no loyalty, no compassion. It only serves as a roadblock to full potential.

My Santa would give money, gifts & vacations to the truly middle class.

Money is great. I like money. But money is fleeting. That is the largest reason our welfare programs do so little good to get people back on their feet. There is never enough money, because everyone wants what there is. One could make more of a life change in another by teaching them how to use the money they have... most waste more than they actually use.

Gifts are nice. I like gifts. But very few gifts, especially those that come from a store, really change someone's life. More often they provide a little pleasure for a fleeting moment, then wind up taking up space in a landfill somewhere. Oh, there are exceptions to this: something one really needs, like a new car after they have squeezed every second of life from the old clunker their situation forces them to use. Like a washer and dryer so they don't spend their time running to the laundromat. But most middle class have these things already.

Vacations are fun. I like vacations. But the true value in a vacation is the ability to forget one's daily routine for a short time. I have seen many people go on a vacation, and yet their mind is still focused on the things they need to do, the time of day, their upcoming challenges. That accomplishes nothing, save to make that daily grind all the more ominous afterward.

My vision is somewhat different: I want to change the lives of those I come into contact with. Not just the middle class; there are poor people who are just as industrious and responsible, but whom life has not been kind to. No, I want to help everyone who wants to help themselves, regardless of how well that desire has turned out. For me, it's not financial status that calls me to arms; it is drive, determination, and spirit.

Sometimes it is an unexpected meal at a nice place, with a few words of advice and encouragement. Sometimes it is help doing something they cannot do themselves. Sometimes it's just hope and companionship. But every time, I want the gift I give to be more than a trinket... I want each one to build others up and make them better, stronger, and more capable of taking on a world that wants to beat them down at every turn. Not just at Christmas, but year round.

That is my fantasy. And I live it every chance I get.

TheRedneck

a reply to: RalagaNarHallas

Bless you for being a decent human being.

Was recently able to help a co-worker during an emergency and it took some convincing that there are truly some people out there who ARE decent. That you help when you can cause, well just because.
Yeah it crashed their life experience that all people are asshats, but totally worth it!!

a reply to: TheRedneck

I agreed with most of what you have said, especially this part.

Why wait? I do whatever good I can for people now. Sometimes it is the free things that mean the most.

To be honest I try to be the best person I can be every day. I'd ever go so far as to say I have volunteered a lot more than most people I've known.

a little pleasure for a fleeting moment,
Sometimes it is an unexpected meal at a nice place,

Yes this is exactly it. It's not about sweeping changes, or giving financial literacy to people, that's a whole other topic. This is just about one moment, where I can give a group of people (often overlooked because they are perceived to be handling it) a little pleasure, a little boost, something unexpected.

You've seen those stories about the person in front paying for others Starbucks coffee in line. That's what I'm talking about.
It's exactly what RalagaNarHallas did.

a reply to: RalagaNarHallas

Don't undersell the value of those fishtanks and fish. How do you know you didn't just inspire the next oceanographer who cleans up the islands of plastic in the Pacific? Of who reverses coral bleaching? That one small act could change the entire planet.

That's exactly what I am talking about... changing a life. Inspiring others. Making a real difference. The dollar value to you was minor, almost negligible, but to some young kid? The chance to watch those fish could be the key to their future.

We never know what our deeds will spawn.

Plowing driveways for the elderly? I tip my hat to you, sir! You make a difference in their lives. Please don't stop.

TheRedneck

a reply to: JAGStorm

Yes this is exactly it. It's not about sweeping changes, or giving financial literacy to people, that's a whole other topic.

Ah, but read my response to RalagaNarHallas just above. It is about changing lives.

If an asteroid is hurtling toward earth, threatening to wipe out life on the planet, there is really no force known that can stop it. But it takes only a minor push in the right spot at the right time to change its course and have it pass harmlessly by. There is one group at UAH that was working on a system to do that using lasers to provide that tiny, minuscule force. A laser can barely move a pebble enough to see, but at the right time in the right place can shift the path of a killer asteroid.

The right act of kindness at the right time can change an entire life... no act of generosity at the wrong time can change anything. The key is to find the right place at the right time, not to just throw generosity around at Christmas. That is my only point. Your dream is admirable, because it shows the goodness in your heart. I have dreamed of similar things. I only suggest that you look beneath the dream and see the real possibilities it might be covering.

TheRedneck

Not a lot of people know this but I gave the old Redneck a set of precision drivers that fit in a little leather pocket set like an old hook keychain. I bought them because I thought it was a nice, handy set, but never really used them often. He admired them so I handed right over knowing he’d put them to use more than I would. Pretty sure they were around $5 as a closeout item.

Handy, just not handy enough to me to keep carrying the around. Now my hexbit “pocketknife” we might scrap over as I do use that quite a bit.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I'd be a right wing santa... giving toys to every kid, and making everyone smile... but the pointy hat would get me arrested, beaten and charged with solicitation...

I bought a santa costume when I was around twenty one. I went to the bars wearing it on Halloween and won some prizes of free drinks. I guess technically I wasn't middle age and I actually received and did not give being Santa. I did go to my relatives and gave out gifts with that suit on, yeah, everyone knew it was me, even the babies.

a reply to: JAGStorm

For the billionaires who care, Christmas comes early:

Billionaire-Funded Criminal Justice Reform Actually Expands Carceral System

Here's my prediction: Whatever happens in politics, the worker making the median wage will be literally screwed up the butt!

a reply to: Ahabstar

I still use those! They found a home in my electronics tool set.

TheRedneck

originally posted by: TheRedneck
a reply to: Ahabstar

I still use those! They found a home in my electronics tool set.

TheRedneck

Electronic tool set.. haha.. you mean, desk with a box under it, and the soldering (not soddering) iron wrapped up way at the back... I know how it works

a reply to: gallop

No. No you don’t know. Think Doc Brown from Back to the Future. And that just might be Redneck’s junk drawer.

a reply to: gallop

Ummm... try a 9 foot bench with drawers for different tools and materials, dedicated track lighting overhead, two soldering irons on the lip (one 12-watt and one 30-watt) and a bunch of test equipment scattered around.

That's the assembly bench. Design work is done at an old drafting board set level with a monitor for the hex-core T1090 computer and the rest covered in parts, another 3 foot bench to one side with two drawers, and a 3 foot square table where I can do minor assembly for testing purposes. Oscilloscope is PC based with the interface box/probes velcroed to the square table.

That's one wall of my shop. It has 4.

TheRedneck

a reply to: gallop

I had a drawer. But since I finally bought a Dremel, two drawers.

I also have an electrical (as opposed to electronics) toolbox and a plumbing toolbox, along with the toolbag which has a constantly rotating set of tools (mechanical ones) otherwise it gets too heavy.

But since this thread is about Christmas and stuff, two of my nephews still talk to me about the electronics experiment sets I gave them when they were 10 (or was it 11, doesn't matter, they're in their 40s). I think they're just trying to humor me though.