Where does all the money go?

Joel has been blogging on the Army and our spending, which has got me thinking about a bunch of things. Here's what I commented, since it ended up being pretty lengthy:

The Salvation Army pays my paycheck, which pays my rent, and my car, and my groceries, etc etc. I tithe my 10%, and sponsor two children (a very new development, as I'm seriously disorganized when it comes to money). I buy stuff for the corps, and we have an account that covers movie nights or helps out if we want to go bowling or whatnot...this is a change for me, because I grew up in a corps where most kids could afford putting in some cash for youth group activities. Sometimes I'll treat people to coffee or lunch, or something like a birthday present, but then I get comfortable with the corps paying for stuff and figure "maybe this present should be from the teen group, and not from me" but the corps is already paying for me to live here, so what I spend and how I spend it is already coming out of the Army. But that stinks. How can I as a soldier feel comfortable skimming money from the pot for little personal bonuses like birthday presents and lunches that if I were working somewhere else I'd be paying out of pocket? As it is already, I get free lunches here any day I want to because of the soup kitchen. Even for the people we 'help' with our free meals and free gifts, most of them don't even need it. I have a friend who found herself a way to get a free wheelchair, even though she can walk fine on her own....so much waste.

On the other hand, I have a friend who's trying to live on her own now. For the past few years she has been supported by her boyfriend who's house she lives in. Now, as she's trying to find a way to make ends meet on a part-time job, she's being told she doesn't qualify for assistance because she works more than 20 hours a week.

But if she quit working all together, she could get on welfare, have some kind of medical coverage called "Maine-Care", and get food stamps. So, the way the system works here, it's better to sit on your butt and have the government pay your way through life, than try to work to make a living....

I've met so many people over this year who would be totally capable of working simple jobs, but they would be cut off of the government services for doing it. What are we teaching people? Seriously.

For the record, I don't make the corps pay for gifts I give, or lunches I pay for people. The thought has crossed my mind, from time to time, though. (I hope this doesn't sound like a 'look at me, look how great I am' kind of blog, because in all reality, I want to be held accountable for my spending, and I think I should be. As should every soldier, officer, and government official. How much money do YOU spend on yourself versus what you spend on others? Is there any place you could free up more money for the LORD and His work? But in everything you do, do it ALL to the Glory of God.)