Anyone else sick of this?

[Y]

I'm sick of all these commercials by celebrities begging for donations to military charities for maimed soldiers.

1.  You celebrities have a LOT more money than us poor working slugs AND you get a tax deduction for your donations, so YOU open up your fat wallets instead of begging from those who can least afford it.

2.  Why aren't you celebrities doing something REALLY useful for the soldiers by standing up and protesting both the unwarranted AND unconstitutional use of our military as cannon fodder in illegal military action across the globe!

3.  If any of you celebrities OR the public in general ACTUALLY gave a shite about the soldiers, you would demand an IMMEDIATE cessation of ALL our military actions around the globe and the IMMEDIATE recall of ALL our active troops, as well as demanding the Constitutional process of an actual Declaration of War be followed BEFORE any troops be committed to military action!

</rant>

[me]

A lot of those celebraties do give both time and money for our soldiers and vets.

[Y]

Which they dutifully claim as a deduction on their taxes - all while garnering publicity being paid for by those deductions...and who foots the tax burden for those deductions, those who can least afford it, us poor working schmucks.   

[Palehorse]

A lot of those celebraties do give both time and money for our soldiers and vets.

I postulate that the larger percentage of that group are only doing so at the behest of their accountants and business managers; publicity and tax write-offs to offset their multi million dollar income streams. (As Y so aptly points out). 

There are a whole herd of them that run about protesting the actions of those very same military members; current and historic.

[me]

So what? If they take their time, and in a lot of cases their money, to go entertain the troops why shouldn't they get a tax break? Some of them put themselves in harms way by going into the combat zones to entertain the troops or visit them in hospitals. There will never be another like Bob Hope but there are some who probably come damn close.

[Y]

Then it's not altruism, or even much of a personal interest.  It's all capitalism - business decisions, publicity, crowd manipulation, advertising etc..

Besides, as I've pointed out, if any of those folks actually cared about the military, they'd be hounding our representatives to follow the Constitutional mandates and stop all of this unconstitutional use of the military...

...and especially stop trying to personally profit from it.

[me]

So then you think entertaining the troops who are battle weary and away from their families and visiting hospitals to show those who are injured someone carea and appreciates what they are doing is unnessary then and only being done for selfish reasons. They coud hound the reps 24/7 and most likely get nowhere and you know it. 

Then it's not altruism, or even much of a personal interest.  It's all capitalism - business decisions, publicity, crowd manipulation, advertising etc..

Besides, as I've pointed out, if any of those folks actually cared about the military, they'd be hounding our representatives to follow the Constitutional mandates and stop all of this unconstitutional use of the military...

...and especially stop trying to personally profit from it.

[Y]

So then you think entertaining the troops who are battle weary and away from their families and visiting hospitals to show those who are injured someone carea and appreciates what they are doing is unnessary then and only being done for selfish reasons. They coud hound the reps 24/7 and most likely get nowhere and you know it.

Of course it's being done for primarily selfish reasons. 

Eliminate the benefits from it and see what happens.  I'll reference you to the point PH brought out about the sports teams actually being paid to have 'patriotic' ceremonies.

With the influence monied celebrities have in this country, I think they would get somewhere.

[me]

Of course it's being done for primarily selfish reasons. 

Eliminate the benefits from it and see what happens.  I'll reference you to the point PH brought out about the sports teams actually being paid to have 'patriotic' ceremonies.

With the influence monied celebrities have in this country, I think they would get somewhere.

Those sports teams are all about the money but most actors and musicians do it from the heart for the right reasons and spend their own money and time to do it.

[Y]

And take big tax deductions for it.   

[me]

And take big tax deductions for it.   

So, it does a lot to help the troops. Would you spend thousands of dollars to do something like that plus donate your time and then not take any deduction you were allowed to take? Be honest here.

[Y]

Then it's not altruism, is it.   

Those with money are afforded those monetary perks via the tax codes.