The Charity Revolt

The Wall Street Journal ^ | March 10, 2009 | The Wall Street Journal

[Scanian]

Among those shocked by President Obama's 2010 budget, the most surprising are the true-blue liberals who run most of America's nonprofits, universities and charities. How dare he limit tax deductions for charitable giving! They're afraid they'll get fewer donations, but they should be more concerned that Mr. Obama's policies will shove them aside in favor of the New Charity State.

What did these nonprofit liberals expect, anyway? Mr. Obama is proposing a vast expansion of the entitlement state, and he has to find some way to pay for it. So logically enough, one of his ideas for funding public welfare is to reduce the tax benefit for private charity. His budget proposes to raise the top personal income tax rate to 39.6% in 2011 from 35%, and the 33% rate to 36% while reducing the tax benefit from itemized deductions for the top two brackets to 28% from 35% and 33%, respectively. The White House estimates the deduction reduction will yield $318 billion in revenue over 10 years.

[ventana]

I am a non profit fundraiser at a very liberal institution. These people have their heads in the sand. I am equal to last year in funds raised, but from now to July 1 is going to be a killer. V’s wife.

[GOP Poet]

Keep us update ventana on how things pan out. I would be curious. I know my charities don’t usually distribute until the end of the year as we all put off meeting until the last minute, but I know with the dow down and the expected tax changes, we will be sadly limiting our distribution/gifting to the minimum if for no other reason then to lock in more capital—maybe until a true conservative gets in and reverses the tax codes. I can imagine the O ‘bots do have their heads in the sand, but just wait until the whiners don’t get their monies to pay for all their darn whining. LOL.

[Brad from Tennessee]

[. . .the most surprising are the true-blue liberals who run most of America's nonprofits, universities and charities. How dare he limit tax deductions for charitable giving!]

With Obama’s vast expansion of social services, education and health care no one need fall through the cracks again. These rinky-dink private colleges, hospitals, charities and other non-profits will be replaced by ObamaNation—”Where every day is a holiday and every meal is a banquet.”

[1curiousmind]

“The White House estimates the deduction reduction will yield $318 billion in revenue over 10 years.”

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So the gov’t gets an additional $318 billion. But what does the White House estimate will be the loss to non-profits in reduced donations?

Or is Obama’s team just to overwhelmed to look into that?

[RU88]

It really is breathtaking to see the scope of Zero's intentions. Break private industry, penalize personal initiative and thrift while expanding government to unimaginable levels in hopes leaving Americans in utter dependence on his own personal plantation. He is a megalomaniac of the first degree. As everyone’s retirements head to the crapper my one and only “hope” is that the idiots who voted for this assclown see the error of their ways.

[Wonderama Mama]

I think his intentions are to damage charities. People will look to the government for help and he’ll have more power.

[erman]

The liberal charities shouldn't worry. The government is going to politicize the charity business and give out to the liberal charities and choke off the conservative ones.

The libs are just going to have to give the government a cut of the vig. Just like the protection racket.

What a joke. The ones that are really going to have to do the look over or get a "special dispensation" are the charitable foundations like Gates, Ford, Kennedy etc.... how are they going to keep all those family members on the "board of directors" getting their "salaries" for "running " the charity. bwahahahahahahaha.... oh, I just love it.

Just remember folks.... some animals are more equal than others.