>I would like to personally apologize to Lisa for replying to what she
>wrote as i did on the FML.  I try not to get hurt over things I have no
>control over, and should not have gotten torn up when I read that Lisa
>thought it was ridiculous to actually set aside 60 cents a day for ferret
>shelters.
 
Perhaps it's just my admittedly cynical nature, but the wording of your
apology makes me wonder about its sincerity.  Once again, you are stating
that I said something that I didn't say.  However, I am willing to give
the benefit of the doubt, and to that purpose I would like to offer some
clarifications on my original post.
 
First, perhaps it was a mistake to use the term "breaking down to the
ridiculous."  By using that term, I in no way meant to imply that donating
to ferret shelters was ridiculous.  "Breaking down to the ridiculous" is
a term I picked up while involved in sales to describe a tactic used by
salespeople (and by charitable organizations as well) by which the total
amount of the item to be sold (or the charitable donation) is broken down
to the smallest number possible...a "ridiculous"ly small number.
 
Second, I think it's ironic that I'm in full agreement with some of the
core thoughts behind your dream, Lisette.  I do believe wholeheartedly that
pet owners should be more responsible for their charges, and as I pointed
out in my post, I do donate to shelters, so I fully believe in supporting
ferret shelters.  What I disagreed with was the methods you proposed.  As
others have pointed out, and as I know from personal experience, inflating
the purchase price of a ferret is not going to weed out irresponsible
owners.  Neither responsibility nor the love and care a person has to give
to an animal has nothing to do with the size of a bank account.  And as
to donations, my problem with your proposal was twofold: one, it seemed
you had set out a certain amount as the only "acceptable" donation, and
if someone couldn't afford that amount, they weren't worthy of owning a
ferret; and two, I disagree with the idea of a donation being part of
purchase price because it takes away what I feel should be the original
intent behind a donation anyway.  People should donate because they -want-
to do so, not because the donation is part of the purchase price of an
item they want.  If I drop a dollar in the fireman's boot when they're
collecting for the children's burn fund and take the twenty-five cent
Tootsie Roll in return, sure most of my money is going to the charity,
but I'm still getting a tangible item...I've -bought- something, so you
can't really call what I've given a donation.  My tastebuds benefit from
the Tootsie Roll, but my spirit doesn't benefit from knowing I've given
something for nothing.
 
I hope you can see the points I was trying to make more clearly now.  I
would honestly like to believe your apology was sincere, and I am willing
to accept it as such.  And hopefully these clarifications will help you
understand that I was never attacking your good intentions, merely pointing
out what I saw as flaws in the methods behind them.
 
Lisa
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Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side,
a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
[Posted in FML issue 2702]