Donations for Haiti

The Red Cross is taking donations for relief for the victims of the Haitian earthquake. You can donate on their website or text HAITI to 90999 (auto-donates $10, apparently, not sure how billing works).

Government encourages donations to pay down National Debt

No, really. While many Americans are looking for more reasons to avoid paying taxes, the Treasury has set up a special fund to take donations to ease the National Debt. Of course, at $7.6 trillion, it will take more than a penny drive to make a difference.

The U.S. Treasury Department accepts gifts, payable to the Bureau of the Public Debt. Just mail them to the attention of Department G, Post Office Box 2188, Parkersburg, West Virginia, 26106-2188. Make a note in the memo section that it is a gift to reduce the debt held by the public...

According to Treasury spokesman Kim Treat, people do send checks. In the last fiscal year they added up to a little over $3 million, which was the highest total since at least 1996.

Some include notes. Common reasons for donating include a sense of patriotism and immigrants expressing their thanks to the United States for giving them an opportunity, he said.

One wonders how long the donations will be truly voluntary.