Off Target

First Arlen Specter, now Target. What will Hugh be wrong about next?

I don't want to come off as having a heart full of unwashed socks, but when I heard that Target banned the clangorous cacophoners of the Salvation Army I was actually pleased. Although they may be doing very good works, I find their presence in front of retial stores annoying and quite unnecessary. If I want to get out and do a little shopping, I don't need somebody banging away on a bell and asking me to unload my loose change in a kettle.

I have nothing against the Salvation Army itself. It's just that for me, charity begins and ends at home. During the course of the year, I make donations to many different charitable organizations. I do not however participate in what is becoming the almost mandatory workplace obligation to support the United Way. I don't believe in the stance that the United Way takes on some issues and I definitely don't believe that it delivers the most bang for my buck. But most of all I resent the creeping corporate intrusiveness into what I consider to be a very personal part of my life. What I elect to give or not give to charity is nobody's business but my own. I know this is not directly connected to the Target controversy, it's just that I prefer to take care of my personal giving on my own terms, in private. Not when I'm at work and not when I'm running errands during the Christmas season. And, after all, isn't that the way it's really supposed to be done?

More on Target from Our House and Plastic Hallway.