Blogline of the Day - on Charity - Granite Grok

Blogline of the Day – on Charity

Steve has the info on Romney’s tax returns – consistently outgiving, percentage-wise those that have been yammering for his returns to be made public.  From Instapundit, reflecting on the ReProgressive definition of Charitable giving:

“If you really care, you don’t give money yourself. You get the government to force other people to give. That’s what true compassion is all about. Just ask Joe Biden.”

Remember, the Obama’s charitable giving was 1% or less in the years until he started to contemplate running for office.  Yes, he earned less than Romney (heck, we all pretty much do).  Yet, on a percentage basis, Romney has been more faithful to charitable giving than either Barack “I am my brother’s keeper” Obama or Biden for a long, long time.  Dr. Arthur Brooks, in a signature study, proved in “Who Really Cares?” that the primary difference between Conservatives and Progressives is that the former believe in personal responsibility in caring for the poor and needy; the latter believes only through collective action can the needy be helped.

Another difference – Conservatives, in this Land of the Free of ours, believe that you have the freedom to give – or not.  Progressives, even as they give less of their money and less of their time, revert to outsourcing their own responsibility to help others to faceless bureaucrats to take over.  This makes them feel good – for effectively doing nothing.  Like Jesus when he discipled his followers (Matt 6) not to do concentrate on the “outward facing”, Progressives wish to be seen as “caring” even as they do not care, as stated before, forcing others to carry out their concern.

So what say you – what is more important: personal giving or raising taxes on others and have others stroke your ego?

It also calls into focus: what is the purpose of Government, and has that been warped by Progressives?

 

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