Recall the "Parable of the Talents"......
I've got no issue whatsoever with helping the poor. My definition of poor, however, differs from some in that I think it relates to the "talents" we use. I have no time and less compassion for those who won't try. But I get a real warm feeling of generosity when I see some arthritic elder who is still dipping their hands into the icy tanks of herring and hefting flopping salmon onto the cutting table so they'll have food to eat in winter. I'll gladly burn a few gallons of gas to get them to their favorite berry patches or drop off a quarter of moose or a caribou. Their perfectly healthy young neighbors whose idea of hunting is reaching in the freezer case and "hunting" Banquet chicken with their SNAP cards.......I wouldn't sell them game meat if it was legal.
You're a good man Mark. I think real Alaskans whether bush, urban or somewhere in between have the same sentiment. There is no greater feeling than giving fish or game to someone who knows the hard work involved in harvesting the game.
I'm reminded of another saying, well an adaptation of one. Teach a man to fish and he'll feed himself for life. Give a man a fish and he'll be by the next day expecting another one.
