I’m not sure I see that much cynicism here.

>It’s excellent to think critically, but some of you are basically saying that Phil wasn’t. You made up a whole bunch of stuff about whether or not the money was necessary, when Phil told you it was.

Wait a minute, critical thinking is about thinking critically all the time. It’s about evaluating all claims whatever the source. Nobody is immune from critical review. Phil is just as much responsible for justifying his position and claims as anyone else – he doesn’t get a free pass, either. Phil told us he thought it was needed, but there were some legitimate questions that people had that weren’t answered by Phil’s original entry. They shouldn’t be castigated for asking questions.

>He went out of his way to do something VERY out of character – requesting donations. This is his site and I have to believe that Phil is very careful and thoughtful about what he posts here.

I believe he is, too, and no, he doesn’t typically request money. I trust that he is responsible and aware and did his homework. But that’s not the point. I should do my homework, too. Including understanding why the expenses are so high if I don’t think they should be, or finding out why the local community can’t provide if I expect them to be able to. That’s not doubting Phil, that’s reaching my own conclusion.

>As for whether or not you are on a “tighter budget”, no one said how much you should give, and no one said you have to give. If you can’t afford to make a small donation, don’t make one. I often spend $10 for lunch, and it didn’t hurt me one bit to donate to the cause of two kids getting “juiced” by science. Hell, that’s what we here are supposed to be about!

Yes, no one was required to send money. People felt the desire to help, and they felt conflicted between the possible benefit and need versus the questions they had over the details. So they expressed their conflict here for group discussion to help find answers one way or the other.

Admittedly some people did question the expense without being aware of all the underlying needs that drive the price up. Yes, they posted comments based upon that ignorance. They weren’t malicious, just uninformed. I don’t fault them for that – we’re all ignorant about a lot of things. The key is are we able to learn or stubbornly refuse new information.

Phil, good job in spreading the word and helping out. This kind of positive outreach is great.

jbs

When money’s involved I question…if you want to characterize that as “negative thinking”, so be it…

I have nothing more to say on this subject…except, I’m glad to see that the kids get to go on their trip.

And, since they raised $2,000 already, I’m willing to assume that was a result of help from the community. Also, I have to say I’m both amazed and touched by the fact that the other $1,000 was raised so quickly, despite all the negativity on here.

I understand, especially now, the unwillingness to part with money, but I trust the BA to do his research before asking for assistance for any cause. And I’m sorry I wasn’t able to donate, but I’m extremely pleased the money was raised. I’m sure this is something those kids will remember for the rest of their lives – what kids do you know that have positive science-related memories? Thank you, BA – perhaps the future generation will be more like these two kids, and we can weed the IDers out that way.

I’m also a cold hearted b*****d holding on to every penny so as to retire at 50, or sooner if possible.

And I hate kids. No, just teasing.

But only just. Seriously, I have no pateince for them at all.