Great column by George Will on charitable giving

[Farang]

Originally posted by: ericlp

Originally posted by: Throckmorton
Does this include money given to churches?

Two groups that largely vote Democrat, nonreligious and Catholics, give a lot less than 20% or whatever Protestants are supposed to tithe.

20%? Good GOD!!! is that what you give? Is that really the average?

No wonder this nation can't save a dime and is ill prepared at old age for retirement!

Shit, if they gave that 20% to themselves for retirement they would be in GREAT shape!

I don't give jack / Nadda / Zero to the filthy church.... I do however give about 5% of my earnings to the human society... I don't just write them a check, I buy dog/cat food and volunteer .... I want to know where my $$ is going... Not just into someones plate....

ha.. giving to the humane society doesn't make you charitable. In fact it may even be a bad thing, you are getting your empathy jollies from animals rather than people who are actually in need.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: piasabird
Actually a lot more of church donations go to the poor, compared to how wasteful the US Government is. Many churches have learned to stretch church donations further. As a whole during Katrina it was the churches in large part which helped the poor a lot more than government agencies.

Imagine a concept like this. A church program where people Abstain from eating 2 meals and then they donate the money they would have spent on food and donate it to a program set up just to feed, house and take care of the poor. By going without 2 meals in a row the people learn what it means to be hungry and this motivates them to be more willing to help the poor, volunteer for service projects, and help when times are tough. This is all on top of a 10% of Gross Tithing. The people that receive this money are often friends and neighbors down on their luck. Maybe they dont have enough money for that house payment or they need a little money fo pay for medicine or fix the car so they can keep working. These are the people that the government may not be helping, that would fall through the cracks. With just a little help people can feel like they have hope for the future, but without it maybe their house will be foreclosed, their car repossessed or the people themselves may become indigent or criminals. With love and comapssion we can help people and foster a hope for a brighter tomorrow.

Do you think that the government will be there when you need help?

The Republicans are doing everything they can to guarantee they won't be.

 

[BoomerD]

Let's eliminate all the tax deductions for charitable giving of any kind and see how the numbers change.

By allowing folks to write off these charitable "donations," the US taxpayers are subsidizing all kinds of organizations that we as individuals might not otherwise support.

Removing all the various tax dedeductions for giving to your favorite charity should be one of the first things the new president pushes for.
"Read my lips...no NEW taxes."
Eliminating government subsidies should be something that the conservatives here would support...after all, you all rail against social programs by the government...allowing people to deduct the cost of those donations amounts to one of the largest social programs in our country today.

Want to give to your church or charity? OK, just don't write it off. Do it out of the actual goodness of your heart instead of the goodness for your wallet.