When giving gets dangerous

Okay. I'm all for charity. We all have our pet causes. We all have issues we feel passionate about and would donate to, and even if not, we typically don't mind giving a dollar to a cause when asked here and there, such as at the store register or walking along the street. No pressure, typically, and it only takes a few seconds out of my day to either say "no thank you" or fork over a buck or a few coins.

Then there was today.

Do you remember my blog entry about poverty in Indonesia, whereby I described a poor woman in the middle of the road, one arm holding her hungry baby and the other outstretched for a few coins? Dangerous situation to be in. One moment of inattention by a hurried driver, and she could be history.

Now picture that same situation. But set in the United States. And instead of poor, hungry, homeless people, it's strong, healthy firemen. Not just one. But several. Canvassing the many corners of one of the biggest and busiest intersections in Santa Barbara. Traipsing from car to car and holding out boots, begging for donations to the MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association). And not just walking up and down the sidewalk, oh no. They were determined to reach maximum drivers by walking in the middle of the street lanes! Last I heard, that constitutes jaywalking, and is illegal here.

Don't get me wrong-- as I said before, I am all for charity, and laud the fire department for its efforts in promoting the cause and getting people to donate. I support charities that work hard and honestly and funnel our hard-earned money to the right places.

What I do not condone, however, is breaking the law to do it. Not to mention everything else:
1) by walking down the middle of a very busy street, the firemen are putting themselves at unnecessary risk for getting mowed down by a car. Yes, they usually wait until the light is red, but don't always extricate themselves in time for the light to turn green.

2) It holds up traffic. It's one thing to beg drivers who are already stopped and waiting for a red light, but the drivers who don't have to stop and only have to yield (i.e. those turning right) are another story. Some will actually stop when they should not, in order to pass money out their windows. And what did that lead to?

3) Traffic congestion: When I got off the exit that leads to the intersection, I was shocked at how full the off ramp was! By the time I inched to the front and made my turn, I saw that traffic was backed up so much, we couldn't actually move! Thoughtless/careless drivers making the left turn out of that offramp wound up blocking the road, and others trying to go straight in the opposite direction couldn't move. Oh, and this backup? Was all the way INTO the freeway offramp, not just the street. Meaning it stretched back nearly a mile. And had the potential for spilling that congestion into the freeway itself, which causes more potential problems and accidents.

4) What if there had been a REAL emergency requiring an ambulance to go through that congestion? Fat chance of getting through as quickly as it should under normal circumstances!

Seriously, guys. I understand the MDA is an important cause to you, and I respect that. But I cannot respect going out of your way to break the law, endanger yourselves and potentially others, and at the very least, inconveniencing many drivers along the way. Where do you think the police were during all this? Nowhere to be seen, unsurprisingly. If it had been demonstrators taking one step out of line, the cops would have been all over them. If a homeless panhandler was daring enough to jet back and forth amongst traffic, he'd no doubt be slapped with a jaywalking charge. And all for good reason-- that kind of behavior is reckless and potentially dangerous.

And you know, if you're so hung up on your cause that you're willing to put your neck on the line to support it (i.e. getting hit by a car), that's certainly your prerogative. But please don't risk the safety of the rest of us while you're at it. There are laws there for a reason. You, of all organizations/people, should know that better than anyone. Don't think that just because you're a revered and respected organization, you're above the law. And for the drivers that also disregard traffic laws and common courtesy: if you really want to give that badly, you can always visit the MDA website and donate there. Or look up their number in the phone book. Or heck, call the fire department and to get MDA contact info!

Blah. That's the end of my rant for today. I think I could give Nick a run for his money in the rant department. Maybe it's his fault, his rant mode from yesterday rubbed off on me ;-)