round up 33 cents...or not?

 round up 33 cents...or not?

                 

   I fondly recall watching my favorite cowboy shows on Joe and Ruth's 17" RCA black and white television.

  Westerns were my deal.  

  I had all the gear.  Hat, pants, shirt with buckskin fringes, cowboy boots, and two six shooters that were strapped to my waist. 

  So many times I was Lash LaRue snatching a weapon right out of the bad guy's hand with my eight foot long bullwhip.  

  When I saw Wild Bill Hickock outdraw two desperadoes, he became another one of my heroes.  

   But, most of all, I wanted to be The Lone Ranger.  The idea of wearing a mask and going incognito while saving the damsel in distress appealed to some inner heroic sense.

  Trying to recall specific incidents or show themes from early television days is problematic, but,  I know most of those dramas featured an episode or two in which the annual Round Up was about to take place. 

  According to the University of Colorado website, unco.edu...Cowboys from different ranches came together each spring and fall to round up the cattle.  They separated the cattle that belonged to the various ranches, branded the new calves, and drove steers to market.   

 If any of my western idols were involved in a Round Up, it was to forestall rustlers from stealing any part of the herd.  In normal circumstances, they were above such a mundane chore.

  Of course, there are other meanings and types of Round Ups too.  

  A Korean movie released last year was called, The Roundup.

  Monsanto produces a weed killer and herbicide called Roundup.

  Various banks around the country offer Round Up Savings plans.  

  But, the biggest Round Up today is going on in many stores nationwide.  It is a trend for a cashier or clerk to ask if the buyer wants to Round Up the cost of a purchase.  

  As it so happens, Rounding Up was one of many subjects that came up during a dinner with the four George Brothers at Hollyhock Hill in Indianapolis on a recent Sunday afternoon. All four brothers, Dave, Steve, Carl, and Ken, were present.

  The following dialogue loosely recreates the conversation that took place. 

  I had a cashier ask me if I wanted to Round Up my grocery bill to give to some charity, Dave blurted while putting a spoonful of mashed potatoes on his plate.  It was like an extra 33 cents.  Rounded up like that it would've made my bill four dollars instead of three-67.

  It's not a big deal, Carl said.  I do that all the time.

  Hmmm, I'm not sure, Dave replied.  I'm not giving 33 cents to just anybody.

  When you think about it, who cares? Ken asked.  If a store is asking, the cause is probably good.

  I care, Dave offered.  What if 10 stores in a week or a month or six months asked me for 33 cents?  

  So you'd be out three dollars and 30 cents, I calculated.  You can afford it.

  That's not the point, Dave said.  I'd be out the money, but, the store gets the credit for the donation and the store gets the tax write-off.  Now, tell me.  How is that fair?

    Nobody is trying to be unfair, Carl noted.  What's the difference between a store asking you for money to benefit the Cancer Society and someone knocking on your door and asking for money for the same cause?  In either case, you don't get credit for the donation.  

  Think of all the people who give that 33 cents and all of a sudden you are part of donating $3,300, I said.

  Do you really need the 33 cent write-off or for that matter the credit? Ken wanted to know.  I don't really care if the store gets the credit for my contribution. 

  I asked several people about Rounding up for a blog I was going to do and almost all of them agreed it's okay if the store got the credit for the donation, I offered.  The vast majority were nonplussed.

  They were nonplussed, huh? Carl chided me as he speared another slice of pickled beets.

  Yes sir, they were nonplussed, I repeated.

  What about the blog? Ken inquired.

  A work in progress, I replied.  Can't figure out what direction to take it. It was Jeremy's idea.  He said it is the perfect, HUH? What's up with that?  

  I'd move on if I were you.  Find another subject.  I don't see how you can go anywhere with that idea, Dave predicted. 

  Yeah, I probably will, I concurred. 

  Anyway, you guys don't get it, Dave challenged.  Why should the store claim the deduction as if it was money they took out of their profits, when in fact, I gave the money?

  Sounds to me like you shouldn't give the 33 cents, Ken advised.   

  I didn't, Dave said.

  You didn't? the three younger brothers exclaimed in unison.

  Of course not, Dave volunteered.  I want to make sure that 33 cents is really going where they say it's going...I mean, how do you know? Isn't there some kind of government program or agency that checks up on these things?

  Uncle Sam can't even find IRS workers, Carl countered.  How are they going to monitor the destination of your 33 cents?  I suspect you didn't want to give the 33cents. 

  You can't worry about small stuff like that.  We have too many other things to be concerned about, Ken injected between bites of fried chicken.  I say, give them the 33 cents and get over it.  

  It's just a matter of a few pennies here and there, Carl said philosophically.  

  Sure, sure, Dave said sarcastically. Pennies here and pennies there, but, they add up. 

  You know that Ben Franklin quote on the wall in your office, Carl asked? 

  Which one? Dave wondered. 

  The one that says, A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned, Carl quoted.  

  Sure, I know the saying, Dave responded.

  Well, I don't think he meant it quite the way you've interpreted it, Carl suggested.   

  Coming up:  another POS; a post on fond memories, and; another oddities, observations, & ?'s.

  And, finally.  June 4th and 5th are the dates for this year's annual WHAS Crusade for Children, one of the largest fundraisers for children in the United States and it is here in Louisville.  It is a 48 hour non-stop, old school, telethon. 

  All fundraising is done by firefighters year round in Kentucky and Southern Indiana.  Monies raised during the previous 12 months are presented by firehouses in the TV studio during the two day event. 

  The Crusade started in 1954 and since that first two-day event 69 years ago, more than 161 million dollars has been raised.  Last year, over five million dollars was donated. All proceeds benefit children in the two states.  

  I was privileged to be a part of this historic fundraiser for three years.