Ilaine, thanks for that article. It had some very good and useful info. And to some extent, it made my argument.
If you will re-read my post, my comment was that I don't think that money sufficient to take care of the poor in this country can be obtained from the private sector.
My comment wasn't an indictment of American generosity, it was intended to be a statement of practicality. I don't think the American public, on a voluntary basis, could be depended on year in and year out to feed, house, clothe and give medical care to the poor.
The aggregate number would be too big, esp. in view of the fact that, as your article points out, secularists give substantially less to charity than do people of religion. I think I read not long ago that that 'aggregate number' represented close to 9% of the total reported income figue in this country. Thought it interesting that it was so close to the biblical tithe of 10%.
At any rate, let me also throw these comments into the mix.
Drawing from my own experience and what my friends tell me about their giving, I suspect most charitable giving in the country goes to medical research first, disaster relief second, and then, maybe, education foundations, etc. not to the poor per se. |
