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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ilaine who wrote (215544)	1/30/2007 8:44:07 AM
From: Mary Cluney	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

"In per capita private charity, Americans give three and a half times as much as the French, seven times as much as the Germans, and 14 times as much as the Italians. It is terrific that we have many generous and compassionate people. Regardless of the situation, these people are going to be generous and compassionate. There can never be too many of these people. On the other hand we have almost as many people in this country without healthcare insurance and people going to bed hungry as Germany and France have people. They have universal healthcare coverage, generous unemployment insurance, and employment protection.

To: Ilaine who wrote (215544)	1/30/2007 1:32:09 PM
From: Katelew	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

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.

To: Ilaine who wrote (215544)	1/30/2007 1:54:50 PM
From: Ilaine	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

True story: after the Promise Keepers marched in Washington, they picked up not only their own trash, but everybody else's, too. The DC public works people said they'd never seen the place so clean. Fast forward to last weekend. Saturday the anti-war rally. Sunday we went to the National Gallery and the Freer Museum. I have never seen the National Mall so filthy. Looked like the aftermath of Mardi Gras. Torn up signs, toilet paper, broken glass, empty water bottles, pamphlets. Picked up some sodden trampled pamplets, proclaiming "Socialism in 2007." Yeah, whatever. Not good. Pick up your own trash. Big difference between believing that it's your job to pick up your trash, and believing it's somebody else's.