Althouse: "A shoeshine man has given a Pittsburgh children’s hospital a total of more than $200,000 in tips he’s collected over the last 30 years."

February 22, 2013

"A shoeshine man has given a Pittsburgh children’s hospital a total of more than $200,000 in tips he’s collected over the last 30 years."

"Albert Lexie says he’s been shining shoes for $5 at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh since the early 1980s. He says most customers tip him $1 and some give him an extra $2."

27 comments:

MayBee said...: Some people are so good. It's beautiful.; 2/22/13, 9:57 AM
Wince said...: Sick. I couldn't believe the hospital took it all.

Any kind of reciprocal spirit of charity would have the hospital take so much a year with the remainder, if any, to the hospital, but at least leaving the man something to live on.; 2/22/13, 10:04 AM
Methadras said...: This man is everything Obama could never be or become. At the very least honest and charitable.; 2/22/13, 10:08 AM
edutcher said...: Should have invested it; 2/22/13, 10:08 AM
Wince said...: An arrangement easily structured.

Are charitable gifts subject to the "lookback" disqualification if he needs medicaid?

The hospital should really have to account for this.; 2/22/13, 10:09 AM
Anonymous said...: Tax this man!

Regulate that business!; 2/22/13, 10:12 AM
Anonymous said...: Kindness equals decency squared.; 2/22/13, 10:16 AM
Strelnikov said...: Stand by for IRS audit in 5, 4, 3....; 2/22/13, 10:18 AM
Seeing Red said...: Cue the IRS........did he declare his tips?; 2/22/13, 10:27 AM
BigFire said...: Yeah, IRS will be visiting him about his undeclared tips.; 2/22/13, 10:35 AM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: Mr. Lexie is generous with more than just money.

He once gave me some great advice.

He said, "Get rhythym, when you get the blues."; 2/22/13, 10:58 AM
Methadras said...: Seeing Red said...

Cue the IRS........did he declare his tips?

2/22/13, 10:27 AM

Blogger BigFire said...

Yeah, IRS will be visiting him about his undeclared tips.

One of the most glaring things wrong with this country.; 2/22/13, 11:35 AM
Chip S. said...: Any trouble he has w/ the IRS will be the best new argument for replacing the income tax w/ a consumption tax.; 2/22/13, 11:39 AM
ndspinelli said...: I feel sorry for people here and elsewhere who don't understand the fundamental beauty in generosity. This is generosity in its purest form.; 2/22/13, 11:39 AM
Rusty said...: ndspinelli said...
I feel sorry for people here and elsewhere who don't understand the fundamental beauty in generosity. This is generosity in its purest form.

That would be the government.
His generosity is a lesson to us all.; 2/22/13, 12:01 PM
Cody Jarrett said...: as a percentage of income or net worth, how many hundreds of percent more than barry, biden and any other top democrat (gore...bubba's used undies...) does this work out to be?; 2/22/13, 12:13 PM
bagoh20 said...: Hey, he can't do that. There is a law against it. Yes, there really is. The law requires that he be punished and quite severely.

Enjoy the decline.; 2/22/13, 12:16 PM
bagoh20 said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/22/13, 12:22 PM
bagoh20 said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/22/13, 12:24 PM
bagoh20 said...: We just decided in November to not hire a man who is probably the most generous one who ever ran for the office, and a man who probably saved or created more jobs than any previous candidate, and we decided against him at a time when we need both jobs and charity very badly. Instead, we chose... well, you know what we got.

I'm like the bizarro Michelle Obama. For the first time in my life, I'm not proud of my country.; 2/22/13, 12:27 PM
MayBee said...: Bagoh- I still can't believe that happened.; 2/22/13, 1:30 PM
William said...: I bet everyone in that hospital now feels compelled to tip him a little extra. Properly played this could be a cost leader that will make him money.....I think that if Meade & Althouse that they were going to give half their income from Amazon to the Orphan Children with Leprosy Fund, there would be a sizable bump in income.; 2/22/13, 2:38 PM
Bill S. said...: May God bless him.; 2/22/13, 4:25 PM
RigelDog said...: This man will wear a golden crown in heaven. Oh, and 'Burghers are the best!; 2/22/13, 5:41 PM
bagoh20 said...: ".I think that if Meade & Althouse that they were going to give half their income from Amazon to the Orphan Children with Leprosy Fund, there would be a sizable bump in income."

Unless they expect their income to double from it, that suggestion just hit the floor at Meadehouse like an exhausted Labrador.; 2/22/13, 6:14 PM
bleh said...: Oh I see. It wasn't a one-time gift, it was something he had been doing all along for thirty years. Impressive.

The article said he'd given a third of his salary to the hospital. So he's made $600,000 in 30 years? If true, that's astonishing generosity. Perhaps he makes side income doing something less, shall we say, reputable.

Obviously this will all be sorted out in his IRS audit. He must not be paying his fair share to the government, which is something to which we all belong.; 2/22/13, 6:41 PM
Roux said...: Don't give it to a hospital they will just piss it away.; 2/22/13, 8:09 PM