> I would be happy to give up half my income if I knew it was being used to support students trying to learn engineering or new technology, or help a small fami

> I would be happy to give up half my income if I knew it was being used to support students trying to learn engineering or new technology, or help a small family through a rough time, or pay for some fresh grad to get a broken bone set--especially if I knew that that safety net existed for me as well. You can do this right now, without having to set up any controversial and potentially corruptible political programs, and have a greater certainty that the funds you supply are actually going to the purposes you support. I don't understand the mindset that these goals should only be pursued through coercive politics.