Like a good neighbor?

Not to start a fight, but I'm really confused. State Farm, one of the many insurance companies involved after Hurricane Katrina, et al, has just sent me a dividend check and a letter that essentially says, "We made a lot of money from car insurance last year, so here's some back."

Now, home policies and car policies are two different things, but how can a company that--from what I've heard--left a lot of people in the cold and complained about how hard Katrina hit them, be giving out cash to policy holders two years later? The money is all a part of the same company, no?

The check, although very welcome after a week's vacation, is making me queasy. Perhaps it's not accurate to say that it comes on the backs of Gulf Coast folks, but there's still a feeling in my heart that says this money should go to those who still are living in rotting homes. I will send my check to Convoy of Hope . During a church missions trip to Mississippi in February, we worked with COH. They are one of the organizations still doing work in the Gulf Coast, as well as assisting at disaster sites across the country and around the world. The folks we worked with were amazing ... tough, compassionate, bold and willing to fight for the defenseless. In short, my favorite kind of people.

So what, right? Well. If you are a State Farm policy holder who received a dividend check, or you just feel for those in the Gulf Coast, please find a similar worthy non-government group and make a donation. That's all the begging I'll do.

This concludes Burkinator's soapbox post of the day. It just bugs me that we're all getting back nickels and dimes that would mean so much more as a lump sum on the Coast.