Summer of Feminista: Where is my money going?

This week Summer of Feminista welcomes Yvonne Condes. She is the Editor and Co-Founder of MomsLA.com, a community with more than 125 bloggers in Los Angeles. She is a Mom of 2 boys, former newspaper reporter, and occasional marathoner. Also find her at her personal blog YvonneInLA.com, on Twitter @YvonneInLA @MomsLA, and Facebook . She is PBS KIDS VIP and a member of PlayStation Family.

My son asked me a question during the last presidential election. He wanted to know why the Obama campaign was asking for money. I explained that it was how it was done; the candidates raised money to buy ads in the hopes that people will see the ads and vote for them.

“Why would you give money to someone who has lots of money and not to charity?”

Yes, why would I give lots of money to any campaign especially right now, 4 years later. I donate money to the public school my boys go to and I give my time. Without donations there isn’t enough money for the school to have PE, Art, a Nurse, or even enough teachers so the classes aren’t overcrowded.

Giving money to a candidate doesn’t seem like the best thing to do in this economy, but I worry what will happen if I don’t. I worry that if I don’t support the candidates I believe in (or as much as I can believe in anyone these days) that all of our choices will go away. Choice to make decisions over our bodies, choice for affordable healthcare, and choice about sending our kids to public school.

It seems like there are so many areas that need our money right now. There are so many people that need help.

Where else would I like to see my money go? How about to feeding the 2.5 million children in Los Angeles alone who aren’t getting enough food to eat. Or how about to a free clinic like the one at Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles that is giving medical care and birth control to students who can’t get it elsewhere. I wish I knew where to give my money to help the mentally ill homeless man who lives on and off at the end of my street and yells at unseen figures and walks into traffic.

What I really wish is that I had confidence that the candidates would tackle issues that I care about instead of using the money to tear each other down. Obama raised $71 million in June and Romney raised $106 million. If only this money were going toward something bigger than just an election.

What will I tell my son if he asks me if I’m donating this year? I just don’t know.

Summer of Feminista 2012 is a project where Latinas are sharing their thoughts about Election 2012. Viewpoints can be liberal, moderate or conservative. Academic statements. Personal stories. Learn more or how you can join the Summer of Feminista. This is a project of Viva la Feminista. Link and quote, but do not repost without written permission.