Freecycle

I don't know who is aware of Freecycle, but it is a cool set of newsletters that offer (or request) stuff for free. Sometimes you can get computer parts and pieces. Sometime yarn and fabric. Sometimes junk, sometimes REALLY good stuff.
Sometimes the requests for stuff are legitimate NEEDS (someone's 14 year old's jacket got stolen, a family was burned out of their house, someone really just found themselves in a pickle).
Lately some of the "WANTED" emails have started to irritate me.

People want a newer car because theirs broke down and they can't afford payments right now. Okay, legit probably, but they don't couch it with... or even a ride to work if you are going my way... "I'm a stay at home mom and refuse to work because my job is more important than a job. We have six kids and our van broke down. We need a newer model van because my husband if really hard working and he needs it to go to work". Okay, they know what causes that now (the six kids part) and if you REALLY want to work towards being self sufficient, ask for a ride or a van if available or whatever it will take to get you where you need to be, but don't ask point blank for a big van that is newer than 200X (oh yeah, and green if you have it because it is his favorite color to drive to work).

"I want to start a business. I need power tools. I don't have anything so anything you give me would be great. I really want ... " and what follows is thirty things that are on this person's wish list. THIRTY things that they need to open their new business. If they don't have anything, how the heck do they know they can open the business?

"I need a new TV. Mine blew up and we need one for the holiday specials. Please only write if you have at least a 30 inch TV we can have" True it didn't ask for a PLASMA TV or an LCD one, but if you really are in need, how can you be that damn picky?

More and more I just want to send one in that says I want a big sack of money because I have some bills I want to pay off and it just isn't going fast enough for me right now.

When I was a kid, we did without EXACTLY what we wanted if we were able to get something that would suffice for a time. Maybe I'm getting jaded. Maybe the "holiday season" with all of the gimme that goes with it is starting to get to me. Maybe I should just unsub and forget it, but it says a lot about society today.