A Balcony View:

And what about Heifer International! I brazenly threw my money at them so they could build sustainable communities and address world hunger. It doesn’t mean I’m going to do it again this year. These are different times and I have a new moral obligation to give, give and give everything I can to the stock exchange investment scammers who nearly bankrupted the country.

It’s important to consider the facts. Heifer International gives livestock and supplies to people struggling to survive. We give billions to the top 1% of the population that has 99% of the nation’s wealth so they can redecorate their luxury townhouses. It’s pretty easy to see who’s got their priorities in order, right?

So let’s wake up, America. We the people of this great nation must band together and stop using the holidays as a foolish excuse to donate money to organizations like the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders and Heifer International. Those nonprofits do nothing but hide behind humanitarian purposes and noble causes.

Stop serving hot meals at a rescue mission Christmas Day. Forget donating your old clothes to Goodwill. Instead, send your loose change in an envelope addressed to the chief executive of Bank of America.

The rich still need us. They need our tax dollars. They need whatever we can spare. This is the time to stop and reflect upon what Wall Street has given back to Main Street since the crash of 2008.

Rest assured they’re thinking about it, and most likely laughing about it all the way to the proverbial bank — which ironically enough, they own.

Get in touch GARY HUERTA is a Crescenta Valley resident and author. He is Senior Manager of Communications for DIRECTV and a copywriting professor at Pasadena Art Center College of Design. Gary may be reached at garyrhuerta@gmail.com.