Other peoples money

[Arne]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

I'm just saying that it takes a hard conscience to take that deduction. Poor people don't itemize, so they don't get the financial benefit. And the good that the government does is lessened.

Oh yeah, the good that the government does is amazing. Washington somehow needs to print all the money it now wants to give to Wall Street. I should have paid my taxes... Big pharma is waiting for it's fair share of my taxes, as well... What about the military contractors?

To go along with what you said about giving to the Salvation Army. - I bet 10 cents or 20 cents, or 30 cents, or 40 cents (...) will go to things that I heavily disagree with. If it feels dirty, it probably is dirty, so I won't pay my taxes, because even if I don't donate the money I saved on taxes, the free market will use it better than government ever could.

[alexamenos]

I think the argument whether churches are "charities" according to the government is framed in a kind of funny way.

anyhoo...."charity" is part and parcel of christianity, christians being generally commanded by Jesus to take care of the poor and sick and ugly and such. I'm not saying every nickle of tithe goes to helping the sick and poor, of course lot's go to basketball gyms and cadillacs and stuff, but churches themselves provide a really important function and very much provide a social "safety net" for lot's of folks....

...anyway, so conservatives get to count church donations and liberals count as charitable giving musuem donations and money sent to save the friggin' whales and trees -- charities which are in my estimation of less social value than churches.

so let's just say that the exceedingly common liberal objection to church giving rather misses the mark....

....not to mention the fact that conservatives give more blood, a bit of data I believe which overwhelmingly shows that conservatives are more inclined to voluntary giving (a redundant redundancy).

I always thought the more interesting part of such surveys was that poor people give more, at least in relative terms.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by alexamenos

anyhoo...."charity" is part and parcel of christianity, christians being generally commanded by Jesus to take care of the poor and sick and ugly and such. I'm not saying every nickle of tithe goes to helping the sick and poor, of course lot's go to basketball gyms and cadillacs and stuff, but churches themselves provide a really important function and very much provide a social "safety net" for lot's of folks....

Bingo - live & let live...

[Mavdog]

Originally Posted by alexamenos

...anyway, so conservatives get to count church donations and liberals count as charitable giving musuem donations and money sent to save the friggin' whales and trees -- charities which are in my estimation of less social value than churches.

so let's just say that the exceedingly common liberal objection to church giving rather misses the mark....

well, if the frame is who contributes to pollution and who helps with pollution, with the trees and such helping clean the air, and the televangelist certainly not....the phrase "polluting the airwaves" is certainly appropriate.

....not to mention the fact that conservatives give more blood, a bit of data I believe which overwhelmingly shows that conservatives are more inclined to voluntary giving (a redundant redundancy).

hmm, last time I gave blood they paid $ for the stuff...."giving" is a bit of a misnomer in that case.

I always thought the more interesting part of such surveys was that poor people give more, at least in relative terms.

absolutely true, empathy opens the purse more than sympathy does.

[dude1394]

I guess you shouldn't deduct mortgage interest either because poor people don't deduct taxes. Of course less than 50% of our populace pay any federal taxes TO deduct...but no matter whatever it takes to give away other peoples money.

[rabbitproof]

Haha. This is so laughable. The point of charity isn't to say I give more.

[Arne]

Originally Posted by rabbitproof

Haha. This is so laughable. The point of charity isn't to say I give more.

But it proves the point that advocating less taxes does not make you a selfish person. Politics aside, I agree with you, though.