Is charity a good thing?

When you were a little kid, I think the answer was a resounding yes. But sometimes though, too much can be problematic for people. From Slate:

Two reasons we might want to rethink the policy of giving federal assistance to disaster victims. It encourages people to live in dangerous places, and it denies people the opportunity to accept higher risks in exchange for lower housing costs. Those abstract principles might be partly offset by any number of real world considerations. But if we want to build a better world, no truth should be ignored.

Interesting points. Nonetheless, a monumental challenge is the disaster that I still felt the need to donate. I contributed to a Louisiana food bank I found on this list of charities. A great livejournal writer posted about all the things colleges were doing to help. It really brings out the power of the community on LJ.