Holidays are the perfect time to donate

‘Tis the season for giving. As classes wrap up and Finals Week comes to an end, students can finally ease up and enjoy the holiday season. Be it a stroll downtown to see the lights or caroling in your neighborhood, this is a time of sharing and reflection. The holiday season affords us the time to consider the many opportunities we’ve been given. It also provides us an ample opportunity to give back.

A bad economy isn’t stifling charitable giving in Utah. Utah Food Bank executive director Jim Pugh said they are expecting this year’s holiday food drive to exceed last year’s collection of 350,000 pounds of food.

Pugh said that this year, more than others, hunger has become a very real thing for people. Those who can give, do, because everyone knows someone in need. According to the Better Business Bureau, more than 80 percent of money raised by charities in America comes from individuals.

Stephanie Gustafson with the Salvation Army said December is their busiest time of year. Workers often ring bells in high traffic areas to collect donations for the hungry and destitute.

“Our workers are positioned with their kettles to collect donations because many people are very generous in their end-of-year giving,” Gustafson said.

There are ample causes and organizations soliciting donations so they can give help to those in need, particularly during the holiday season. Angel Tree collects gifts for children and families in need. Participants can select ornaments at Cyprus Credit Union locations or Macy’s department stores and shop for the “angel” whose name is on the ornament. Operation Cover-Up is taking donations of coats and blankets that can be dropped off at Wasatch Front fire stations. Unwrapped toys are being collected by local businesses as part of the Toys for Tots program.

For the past 60 years, Utah State Hospital in Provo has endorsed “The Forgotten Patient Christmas Project,” which provides Christmas gifts for hundreds of patients with mental illnesses.

Event organizer Shawna Peterson said they “have never had a forgotten patient.”
Truly, the amount of money you choose to give matters little. Rather, it’s a wonderful time to recognize the blessings we have and help those in need in whatever ways we can. The real joy of the season comes by showing love and compassion to others.

http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/holidays-are-the-perfect-time-to-donate-1.2118921

Values, honesty should be welcomed

Sarah Palin, perhaps one of the most controversial figures in America today, is coming to Salt Lake City on Wednesday as part of her Going Rogue book tour. If her previous book signings are any indication, we can expect a few thousand people to converge at the Salt Lake Costco to get an autograph.

In terms of a Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney is clearly Utah’s favorite son, as he secured 90 percent of the party’s vote in last year’s presidential race. But his book isn’t out yet and frankly, no one has said whether he’ll make a 2012 presidential run.

In a radio interview last week, former presidential candidate Tom Tancredo said Mike Huckabee hates the idea of a Mormon in the White House. Huckabee got his way last year and thus far, Romney hasn’t done a good job addressing concerns that blocked his presidential aspirations. As of now, Palin is the GOP’s most popular choice—maybe she’ll ask Mitt to join her as vice president on the 2012 ticket.

A lightning rod for critics, Palin even attracted the wrath of the Democratic National Committee, which distributed a memo of 22 lies contained in Going Rogue. The Associated Press assigned 11 reporters to fact-check Palin’s book. Interestingly, they did not conduct similar reviews on books from Ted Kennedy, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton or Hillary Clinton. If Palin is as backward as they say, why go to such great lengths to discredit her? Clearly, if Palin wasn’t a threat to the programs and financiers these entities represent, they wouldn’t take the time to criticize her.

Palin is being held to a very different standard and despite the attacks, millions of people support her efforts and values.

The things that critics despise her for—being inarticulate at times, simplistic and folksy—are the qualities that make her attractive to conservatives. There seems to be a large section of working-class Americans who relate to Palin. Her book illustrates her strong roots in faith and family, policy achievements and defense of common-sense principles to guide her decision-making.

As Alaska’s governor, she built bipartisan coalitions and was a genuine ethics reformer. She has been criticized for leaving her post before her term was up. It’s difficult for most people to wrap their heads around, but Palin’s choice truly was in the state’s best interest. No, she didn’t do what a professional politician would do. Refreshingly, she did the right thing for her constituents, saving the state millions of dollars as Alaska avoided the legal obligation of investigating bogus ethics violations.

By resigning, Palin is now able to serve without the restrictions of an official title and the day-to-day expectations that go along with it.

Americans are sick of politicians who cover their butts rather than serve their constituents. More than anything else, it would seem Palin’s future role will be to empower everyday Americans and keep politicians accountable in preserving America’s freedoms and liberties.

Palin might not run for president, but in a kingmaker role, she will definitely influence voters and candidates in a way that gets back to the core values that seem to have been forgotten--individual rights, limited government, the sanctity of life and a strong military—all principles that empower individuals and allow them to take care of themselves and their families. She should be welcome in Utah next week.

http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/values-honesty-should-be-welcomed-1.2110676