Compassionate Givers
Susie and I recently received a $90 rebate check from the Oklahoma state treasurer’s office. In a brief note accompanying the check, Gov. Brad Henry says the money is part of "a tax rebate program to return $91 million in surplus revenues to Oklahoma taxpayers."
What’s troubling is that the governor is referring to these rebate checks as a "Christmas bonus" – as if it’s his hard-earned money that he’s dispensing, rather than money we earned in the first place.
It’s no secret that our friends on the left are compassionate with other people’s money. But what about with their own money? I’m looking here at the latest generosity index from The Catalogue for Philanthropy, which measures the charitable giving (as a percent of income) of residents of each of the 50 states. I’m scrolling through the most generous states, scrolling, scrolling – and there’s not a blue state to be found. Of course, so far I’ve only looked at the top 25.
At the bottom of the list, however, 11 of the 12 least generous states are blue states.
"The reason GOP states are so much more generous is both obvious and profound," Michael Medved explains. "Conservatives view compassion as a personal responsibility, but liberals tend to see it as the government’s job. One approach leads to individual commitment, while the other encourages the belief you can best help others by leaving it up to tax collectors and bureaucrats."
All of which calls to mind a report in The Oklahoman a few years back which mentioned the charitable giving of Oklahoma’s 2002 gubernatorial candidates. It turns out the conservative, Steve Largent (income: $185,758), gave away 22 percent of his income. The non-conservative, Brad Henry (income: $116,288), gave away one percent.
What’s troubling is that the governor is referring to these rebate checks as a "Christmas bonus" – as if it’s his hard-earned money that he’s dispensing, rather than money we earned in the first place.
It’s no secret that our friends on the left are compassionate with other people’s money. But what about with their own money? I’m looking here at the latest generosity index from The Catalogue for Philanthropy, which measures the charitable giving (as a percent of income) of residents of each of the 50 states. I’m scrolling through the most generous states, scrolling, scrolling – and there’s not a blue state to be found. Of course, so far I’ve only looked at the top 25.
At the bottom of the list, however, 11 of the 12 least generous states are blue states.
"The reason GOP states are so much more generous is both obvious and profound," Michael Medved explains. "Conservatives view compassion as a personal responsibility, but liberals tend to see it as the government’s job. One approach leads to individual commitment, while the other encourages the belief you can best help others by leaving it up to tax collectors and bureaucrats."
All of which calls to mind a report in The Oklahoman a few years back which mentioned the charitable giving of Oklahoma’s 2002 gubernatorial candidates. It turns out the conservative, Steve Largent (income: $185,758), gave away 22 percent of his income. The non-conservative, Brad Henry (income: $116,288), gave away one percent.
