Help a friend in need

One of our local community's most active bloggers — Shaun Dale of Upper Left — recently alerted his readers to the financial difficulties he's having in a sobering post entitled Poverty seriously sucks. He writes:

I'll wake up tomorrow without bus fare to get to work or the two or three bucks I need to get a tube of denture adhesive that makes it possible to do little things like eat and talk.

Rent? Not even on the map at this point. When the phone or power goes, so does the blog, I guess. Peter's already been robbed to pay Paul - taking out the draw that paid last months rent meant my last paycheck didn't cover my overdraft, and the way charges pile up, the next one probably won't either.

Holidays? You've got to be kidding.

It really does suck to be impoverished and unable to pay all the bills. It's pretty outrageous that our President is cutting deals with Republicans to extend tax breaks for billionaires while people like Shaun are running out of money through no fault of their own. When are we ever going to get our priorities straight?

Here's the good news: Like many bloggers, Shaun has a tip jar, and he accepts contributions through PayPal. If you've got some change to spare, please consider helping Shaun make ends meet. It would be a real shame if Upper Left was silenced... Shaun's been keeping it going since October of 2003. That makes Upper Left about half a year older than the NPI Advocate!

I should mention that Shaun didn't intend to launch a fundraiser by posting about his financial difficulties. He was just trying to be upfront with his readers, possibly so they wouldn't wonder what had happened if he went offline. Our mutual friend Carl Ballard consequently launched a fundraiser for Shaun over at HA Seattle.

We're joining in because we value Shaun's voice. Even if you're not a regular reader of Upper Left, we urge you to pitch in a few bucks. It doesn't have to be much. If you're a coffee drinker, forgo a latte. A few bucks makes a world of difference for someone who can't afford bus fare.

All you have to do make a donation is click that button.