[KeepingItReal]

Originally Posted by mickey100

The question was raised in another thread about whether or not the Developer had made some contributions for the good of humanity as a whole such as building a new school or hospital which will not directly benefit themselves financially other than maybe being named after them. The post went on to say that maybe we would all feel better if we knew more about the generosity shown by the Developer when it did not directly benefit him/them.

I have never heard about the Morses supporting a charity, and am really curious if they do so. We hear so much about the 4 jets he owns, the multi million dollar yacht, his ownership of the Villages banks, local newspaper, a television channel and an AM radio station. His realty company controls 60 percent of the re-sale market in the Villages. He even owns the utility company. And before someone jumps in and says he deserves it all, he's such a wonderful businessman, don't bother. I agree - he knows his financial P's and Q's. That's not what this post is about. But why do we hear nothing about charitable contributions? The guy is supposedly worth $2.5 billion. If we Google other billionaires we see plenty of charity donations - look at Gates, Buffet. Bloomberg, Ted Turner, and others. But I can't come up with a single charitable donation from the Morses.

Originally Posted by renrod

Maybe if you list your income and show how much your charitable deductions are, and list what else you do for the less fortunate without a tax break, then maybe you could start a CONVERSATION. Until then, if the sun is shinning, go outside.

Mickey have a big old glass of Village Ice Cold Kool Aid while out there too, maybe two glasses or the whole pitcher, it sure made me feel a lot better!

[gomoho]

I still goes back to my original question to your original post "what business is it of yours"??? Why should the Morse family have to justify themselves to you or anyone else - IT IS NONE OF OUR BUISNESS.

[bkcunningham1]

Originally Posted by mickey100

I did a general google search for morse, the villages and their corporation. There may be stuff out there and its just not coming up, who knows; I just wondered if anyone else was aware of anything because I can't seem to locate anything, which is rather strange.

I just wondered if there is a site that lists charitable contributions. Even one that list contributions made by someone over a certain income. If there is one, I couldn't find it. It probably doesn't exist because giving is a personal thing.

Unless your income taxes become a matter of public record, or you or someone else leaks your charitable contributions to the press, I can't imagine why there would be articles written about what a private person gives to charities.

Why would someone write a news article just for the sake of saying how much or how little a private person donates to charities? That would look pretty petty and snide and invasive.

I don't think it is strange that his donations or lack of donations wouldn't come up in Internet searches. He is apparently a very private person.

[BettyCrocked]

After I came to visit TV the first time, my friends asked me what I liked most. I said that everyone was so happy and friendly.
I hope none of my friends read this forum because there is a lot of bitterness and vitriol here. Seems like people should just not open a thread if they know they don't like the subject.

[downeaster]

I can think of many reasons for not going public with charitable contributions. I can not think of many reasons to go public. There are only two people who know to whom and how much I give to charities and that's me and the IRS.

I have a question for those who think certain others should make their charitable contributions public. Will you make your charitable contributions public?

I think we have hit a new low in demonizing, vilifying, trashing, etc.

[redwitch]

I can see why the question was raised. I admire what the Morses have created; the business acumen shown is extraordinary. I'm not convinced I'm a great fan of the what the family and the man seem to be -- the hunting issues, the tax issues, the previous lawsuit. It would have been nice to hear of some good having been done that has no real benefit to the Morses.

I don't understand the pedestal the family is put on. The Villages wasn't created to make anyone here happy -- it was a business venture that turned out beautifully for all concerned. Bravo and kudos for that!!! (Truly, no sarcasm meant.)

They're all human. They do bad things, they do good things. It would be nice to hear more of the good things (and contributing to the Republican Party is not necessarily a good thing lol).

How about if those who put them on a pedestal try to let them be human and walk on this planet and those who love to bash them try to find some of the good?

[redwitch]

And now for one thing I do know that Gary Morse has done in the past which truly is of little, if any, benefit to him or his family. We have nightly entertainment in the Squares and frequent shows at Savannah Center. We really don't need to be entertained at Church in the Square. Yet, we are and some of it is some of the best entertainment we get and can be quite expensive.

I don't know if Gary Morse still does it, but I believe he does. In the past, he would provide rooms (formerly put them up at the townhouses by Spanish Springs) and food for the entertainers, regardless of the size of the troupe. Considering there have been some sizable choruses, that was probably a sizable expense, plus covering any losses that may have occurred. So, to me, this is a big plus on the good side for Gary and his family.

[dmorhome]

Open your eyes they have put more people to work than you can imagine.and that is good enough for me.

[Challenger]

How does a charitable contribution benefit anyone financially unless they are in a 101% or higher tax bracket?

[villagerjack]

Originally Posted by mickey100

The question was raised in another thread about whether or not the Developer had made some contributions for the good of humanity as a whole such as building a new school or hospital which will not directly benefit themselves financially other than maybe being named after them. The post went on to say that maybe we would all feel better if we knew more about the generosity shown by the Developer when it did not directly benefit him/them.

I have never heard about the Morses supporting a charity, and am really curious if they do so. We hear so much about the 4 jets he owns, the multi million dollar yacht, his ownership of the Villages banks, local newspaper, a television channel and an AM radio station. His realty company controls 60 percent of the re-sale market in the Villages. He even owns the utility company. And before someone jumps in and says he deserves it all, he's such a wonderful businessman, don't bother. I agree - he knows his financial P's and Q's. That's not what this post is about. But why do we hear nothing about charitable contributions? The guy is supposedly worth $2.5 billion. If we Google other billionaires we see plenty of charity donations - look at Gates, Buffet. Bloomberg, Ted Turner, and others. But I can't come up with a single charitable donation from the Morses.

PLEASE list your net worth and your charitable contributions. On second thought, forget it. I don't care what anyone else is worth or what their charitable contributions are/were.,

[Geewiz]

Methinks this discussion occasionally becomes a metaphor that allows folks to explore topics that used to go into "the forum that can't be named" aka the Voldemort/political forum.

No judgement from me...just an observation.

Actually, it got me thinking how many of our divisions find their roots in the old north-south thing...but, I digress.

Love to all.

[The Buckeyes]

Originally Posted by Trish Crocker

Would you mind opening up your finances and investments to the rest of us and then allowing us to see if a large enough percentage of YOUR income was given to charity. I would also like to see your tax returns for the past 7 years. If you would be so kind, please give us your account numbers and all of your pin numbers so we can verify everything. By the way..you did ask for a receipt each time you put some money into the red canisters at Christmas time, didn't you? Give me a break.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Geewiz

Methinks this discussion occasionally becomes a metaphor that allows folks to explore topics that used to go into "the forum that can't be named" aka the Voldemort/political forum.

No judgement from me...just an observation.

Actually, it got me thinking how many of our divisions find their roots in the old north-south thing...but, I digress.

Love to all.

You aren't just another pretty face, Mr. Wiz. I think that the seat of much of the anger toward the developer is political.

[DougB]

Welcome to the Forum, Katie. You may find you need to put a seatbelt on when posting here. Sometimes it can be a very bumpy ride.

[Polar Bear]

Originally Posted by BettyCrocked

After I came to visit TV the first time, my friends asked me what I liked most. I said that everyone was so happy and friendly.
I hope none of my friends read this forum because there is a lot of bitterness and vitriol here. Seems like people should just not open a thread if they know they don't like the subject.

Don't worry too much about it, Betty. It's the nature of the beast. Internet forums...all of them from my experience...have a lot of negative you have to filter through to get to the good stuff. The percentage of good stuff is higher in the TOTV forums than almost any other forums I've participated in. But some nastiness is inevitable. That doesn't change the fact that you're right about the happy, friendly nature of the people of TV...at least the vast majority of them. :^)