Posted on 12/01/2006 5:08:51 PM PST by GretchenM
According to Arthur Brooks, author of Who Really Cares, there are many myths surrounding which Americans give to charity and why they give. In comparing the red Republican states versus the blue Democrat states, it is the red states hands-down that come out on top as having the most generous givers. In fact, 24 out of the top 25 states for charitable givers are red states.
Another interesting comparison of charitable giving is the difference between people that identify themselves as "conservative" compared to those individuals that identify themselves as "liberal." Again, it is the conservatives that gave 30 percent more on average than liberals, even though they tend to make less money on average than people who identify themselves as politically liberal.
In fact, the most charitable economic group is the "working poor," with second place going to the very rich.
Reporter John Stossel did an hour-long special on ABC's "20/20" this week on the issue of who contributes to charities. He uncovered the myth that "liberals care more about people so they give more." In fact, what Stossel discovered was that those who think that the government should redistribute wealth - a tenet of liberalism -- give very little or nothing at all to charity.
How does Washington State rank in the charitable giving category? Not very well, as liberal Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat recently covered in his weekly column; "we are scarcely more benevolent than Scrooge."
"Boston's Catalogue for Philanthropy uses tax-return data to judge how much we give relative to how much we have. Washington is a rich state -- we were 13th last year in income. But on the "generosity index," even counting all the manna from Bill Gates, we came in 31st.
We look even worse when you consider total wealth, says San Francisco's New Tithing Group. Accounting for income, estate size and cost of living, Washington ranks a lowly 39th in generosity. Only 11 states are tighter with donations."
There are no breakdowns for Republican counties versus Democrat counties in Washington State, but Westneat does admit that it is the red states that are more generous than the blue states.
According to Brooks, the generosity gap does not stop with charitable giving. Brooks found that the people who donate money are the same ones who will donate blood, volunteer and even give up their seat on a bus. "The people who give one thing tend to be the people who give everything in America," says Brooks.
So what is the biggest indicator of charitable giving? According to Brooks it comes down to the level of an individual's religious participation.
As Republicans celebrating the Holiday Season, please remember those in need. Politics can come later.
WA St ping
John Stossel (spelling?) had a report on this on 20/20.
Washington ping.
Stossel isn't just a burr under the liberal saddle, he's a phone pole jammed up their butts.
"A liberal's compassion is limited ONLY by the size of YOUR wallet"!
Didn't Algore give something like $30 to charity (maybe more but certainly not as much as he's spent on an expensive meal) the year that he decided to run for president? Of course the MSM blew it off because demoncrats are, by default, the most giving people in the world and republicans are hate mongers.
fyi
Nothing beats Mrs. Bubba J. Clinton's donation of bubba's well-used BVD's to some unsuspecting soul as a charitable contribution so they could, and did, write it off on their taxes.
Stossel used to be a lib.
The Dems are decadent. They want government to take care of everyone, so they don't have to themselves.
LOL!!! Oh, yeah. And I think they wrote off $5 each. That's how I now baseline my clothing donations now. $5 minimum per item - The Clinton Standard.
It's not only cash that conservatives are generous with.
Christian conservatives are especially generous with their time and talents as well.
Church groups are always finding non-monetary ways to help those in need. Multi-generational involvement in charitable activities is an common theme in many churches.
Most of the politically liberal people that I have known were generally selfish and inherently immature. This is basic reality.
Compare that to Dick Cheney.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1615415/posts
"According to income tax information released by the White House on Friday, the Cheneys' adjusted gross income in 2005 was $8,819,006."
"The Cheneys gave more than three-quarters of their income - $6,869,655"
And let's not forget how we help our families, that's not reported.
Who better to know where to stick it for maximum effect?
I believe that I read that the popular Reverend Jesse Jackson is also many the all-time skinflints when it comes to charity.
I don't have that as a 'fact', it's one of those useless items that's stuck in my brain. If I'm wrong, someone will correct me.
And it is hard living on the remaining annual $1,949,351. Have you seen the cost of Big Macs lately?!
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