Don't Forget the Can

A vital part of the Can The Lottery Plan is an effort to expand charity and volunteerism throughout California. The basic idea, as outlined at the Can The Lottery website, is for people to stop buying lottery tickets and instead use the money they save to buy canned goods to donate to the organization of their choice (thereby keeping money away from politicians who spend it without responsibility or accountability, while also helping those in need). Or, if people chose to save their money altogether, we'd ask that they turn the dollars they save into corresponding acts of volunteerism.


To date, the posts on this blog have been focused on the state spending and budget mess that led to the formation of this endeavor. Today, I want to focus on our "softer" side.


In his most recent book DO THE RIGHT THING, former Arkansas governor and Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee talks about the voices calling for smaller government. However, he makes an important point: Smaller government can only be accomplished when the public takes on greater responsibilities. For example, he notes that a town filled with criminals would need a large police force. But, if the town's citizens acted responsibly, which is to say lawfully, then a smaller force would suffice.


Similarly, I don't believe that government is best suited to help those in need to get back on their feet. People lose their jobs, homes, and well-beings for countless reasons, and the idea that a government agency could create a "one-size-fits-all" program to help those people is fatally flawed. I also don't believe that there is anything charitable about forced charity. Indeed, that is only bound to breed contempt and widen the gap between haves and have-nots. I do believe that the most meaningful and valuable help comes from individuals within the community. We should not and must not complain about government's inaction without taking action ourselves. Charity and volunteerism don't just lift up the individuals helped by the acts. They improve the entire community. Done on a mass scale, they revitalize our country.

Rather than creating endless government programs, I would push for California to work with existing community groups and organizations (including faith based organizations) to provide a template and access for community members to donate their time and resources. I'd also suggest that the state increase the charitable deduction for state taxes, and create a system where volunteer hours can be applied to deductions.

I'm willing to bet that every one of us has been touched at some point by a random act of kindness performed for our benefit - some large, some small. It is these moments that bond communities together. Strong communities lead to strong towns and cities, which build strong states, which form strong nations. This is how the United States of America became the greatest nation on earth, and this is how we shall remain as such.