Before spending money on cybers or copying machines I often make sure me benefactors know I am doing internet

I actually very often beg by holding up a cardboard with the url of one of my blogs. After that, for one thing they can go and entertain themselves with some reading, pretty much of it by now, and for another thing, if they don't do so, they can at least know internet and publicity for my blogs was part of what they were supporting, I haven't deceived them. I am not collecting government handouts, so noone can complain I am wasting their tax money. That said, I am not against those on the dole spending money on internet.

Here is a dialogue that took place - extracting the relevant pieces:

LD (answering someone else)

I never said the current system was beneficial or just. Just that "legalising drugs" is not the answer. The current system is broken, nobody questions that.

My original point was that the evidence presented do not sufficiently demonstrate that those uncharitable characters do not exist or make up any specific % - it only demonstrates that they aren't dumb enough to get caught (but we already knew that, or they'd be in jail).

You are in fact judging your "fellow man" when you assume they don't want to support the "less fortunate" when they ask for drug testing. The reality is that many of us witness these same "less fortunate" in public with their drugs, alcohol, and iPhones bought with the "charity" we have been forced to expend toward them. While I cannot speak for others, my support for drug testing would have stemmed from the abuse of public funds - although seeing how ineffective the testing is, I'd be inclined to discontinue it of course.

Charity should always be a free act, done without government coercion, and those receiving it should be respectful by requesting it themselves and not spending it on unnecessary things which many of those whom are giving it cannot themselves afford.

Those who work full time should also not need charity - capitalism has, as it usually does, led us back to effective slavery. I think the $11 minimum wage increase is too low. It should be upward of $30 for individuals, and higher for those who have a family to support. Of course, the fact that we need regulation to pay people a decent living wage tells a lot about us as a society...

Before continuing:

Most of what he said, I either agree on or consider a prudential option I cannot consider bad in itself. Especially his last paragraph I very much endorse as a realistic assessment. However, some things I did find outrageous.

HGL

LD, iPhones means a means of communicating with people ... and are you assuming anyone drinking alcohol in the street is a drunkard?

LD

iPhones and alcohol are luxury items, which people who need charity have no business spending on.

HGL

Not true. They are cheap luxuries compared to the comfort they can bring. Your attitude is idiotic and judgemental.

An iPhone is so cheap, someone selling it to show he had need for charity would get perhaps one meal or less. So how stupid your attitude is, is beyond believable.

LD

If you can't afford your necessities, you have no business spending money on any comfort. A landline is perfectly fine if you need a phone. Even the obsolete iPhone model available from Sprint is still $450 - at least 100 meals.

HGL

" Even the obsolete iPhone model available from Sprint is still $450 "

Oh, then there is a certain discrepancy between US and Europe. Here I have got mails about filling in the details and going to collect my iPhone. Haven't answered it though.

Then there is this, if the person on handouts were to sell his iPhone, he would hardly get the 450 dollars, he would have to sell lots cheaper.

Then there is also this, that a poor man can get his landline cut by the phone company for a long time, with an iPhone (or other cell phones) you pay unities. So their poorer owners may go a week or a month receiving messages but not being able to send back. Obviously text messages, not voice dialogues. And then when he has a few extra dollars, he may pay so he can "call" back, also with texting.

No, I think you are uncharitable.

" If you can't afford your necessities, you have no business spending money on *any* comfort."

Not an ice cream? Not a new pillow if your old one is scratched to pieces by a cat? Not an handkerchief if you have a cold? Nothing but water and bread until one starts earning one's own money again?

I very much think not!

St Francis of Sales told the widow whose spiritual director he was, that she should, when giving to the poor, take care to give according to their likes.

If you see a poor man drinking a beer, are you sure he paid for it himself and there was no kind soul giving him the bottle as following that advice and in order to be more sober than if pursuing the entire six pack with his friend?

By the way, I don't know you. Are you even a Catholic or might you be a Calvinist?

Oh, sorry about the Calvinist question. I saw you referred to Pope Michael: [Linked to his self correction on Sister Faustina, which I saw after looking up his profile.

LD

You may think what you like, but out of charity I feel I should point out what a hypocrite you are making yourself to be, telling me not to judge the poor man (not that I was doing so in any specific case) while you not only judge, but even assume to know my very intentions in the same paragraph.

HGL

• 1) I have not denied you any comfort that you need, excepting not being contradicted, for what you consider my judgment of you.
  
  
• 2) As to charge of hypocricy, I have in fact been judging your open statements, while those (whether doing so in a specific case or not) were temerariously judging certain classes of the poor and their comforts.
  
  
• 3) Where did I presume to know your intentions? I was only speaking about your words - and the implications they socially carry, independently of what you intend.

Out of charity, I had better ask you politely to drop the hypocrisy charge.

One more thing. Alcohol may be a thing parents of small and many children cannot afford to pay for themselves. That does not mean that someone who is a celibate and receives their charity should avoid spending any cent on alcohol : he has no need to give babies milk, and in some cases drinking wine rather than milk is his duty in order to stay free that following night from sins against VI and IX.

Parents would, even without alcohol, be in a position to avoid sins by doing virtuous acts instead, after drinking milk. At least if lawfully wedded.

Here

it seems he decided to answer no further.