Please rate my published LTTE on George Will's factually inaccurate article

[NewJeffCT]

My LTTE on conservative “charity” exceeding liberal charity

Link here.
http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/letters/hc-digedlets0403.art4apr03,0,2747025.story

George F. Will cites fatally flawed statistics when he writes that people in red states are more charitable than those in blue states.

Like the regrettable College of Philanthropy study that Rush Limbaugh cites every year, the study by Arthur C. Brooks is really not a true indicator of charitable giving. Both studies are flawed because they are based on charitable giving as related to itemized tax deductions. However, people in blue states such as Connecticut and Massachusetts are far more likely to itemize deductions than people in poorer states such as Alabama and Mississippi, where homeownership is less common. An extensive Boston College study came up with statistics showing blue states as more giving.

We can also go into how blue states, led by Connecticut and New Jersey, give more to the federal government in tax dollars than we get back, while red states get more back from the federal government than they give into it.

If I were a less generous person, I would demand those cold-hearted cheapskates in red states pull themselves up by their own bootstraps and stop living off government largesse. But I am not one to do something like that.

[givemebackmycountry]

1. Done

And I did it with a smile on my face.
More right wing mythology and you smacked it down perfectly...

[BOSSHOG]

2. Truthiness has a liberal bias

And those in red states give more to their church (a sign of ignorance.) Is church giving part of the equation?

My two cents worth:

- Obviously this paper has ignorant fake patriot trash conservatives as readers since they have to placate them with the garbage spewed by George Will who is a fucking idiot who hates the constitution. And I'm being charitable.

You might want to stick with your very well written letter Jeff, go get em. My local has ignored me for awhile since I tended to get carried away with responses to the ignorant trash fake patriots down here in Mississippi.

[Glorfindel]

5. Hey, Boss...you're right about Mississippi

"ignorant trash fake patriots" describes all too many of them. :hi:

[BOSSHOG]

6. I'm surrounded by them

They are proud of their ignorance and apparently see nothing wrong with godawful trash along the highways all across Southwest Mississippi. Poor trash driving their beatup trucks and cars with their Dubya stickers. Teen pregnancy, obesity, high school dropout rates, diabetes, charitable contributions to churches. WE ARE NUMBER ONE!!

[NewJeffCT]

7. I believe church giving IS counted

however, you can only claim a deduction for charity if you itemize your tax return. As I stated in the letter, people in wealthier states are much more likely to itemize.

[Nederland]

25. That doesn't make sense

If people in wealthy states are more likely to itemize, than a study based on tax returns should be biased toward blue states, not red states.

[NewJeffCT]

27. Not necessarily

Example:

In Massachusetts, 75% of the residents itemize their deductions. One-third of those itemizers give to charity and itemize it. One-third of 75% means that 25% of Massachusetts residents gave to charity.

In Mississippi, only 35% of the residents itemize their deductions. Of those 35%, half of them give to charity and itemize it. One half of 35% means that 17.5% of Mississippi residents gave to charity.

However, the study reports that 50% of Mississippi residents give to charity, while only 33% of Mass residents give.

the Boston College study goes into a lot better detail on it than me:
http://www.bc.edu/research/cwp/features/generosityreport.html

[dchill]

3. Done!

I gave you 5 stars! If I were a less generous person... well, I'm not.

[JDPriestly]

4. You make a very good point.

I believe that the tax policies in some of the red states put more burden on charities. For instance, some of the red states do not fund their universities out of government funds to the extent that some of the blue states do. That means that the state universities have to rely much more heavily on alumni donations for their funds. So, you can't compare red and blue states. They work differently. California is a blue state. I believe that we also put much more money into the federal government than we receive back.

[Glorfindel]

8. Great letter - I rated it 5 stars

Here in darkest Mississippi, I frequently get hostile reactions when I ask, "How many toll bridges and roads are there in this state?" The answer is "none," of course, and when I say, "Thank a New Yorker," my fellow Mississippians want to tar and feather me, but it's the simple truth.

[NewJeffCT]

9. what do you mean

by "thank a new yorker"?

there are a lot of toll roads & bridges in NY. However, there are none in Connecticut - we just pay property tax on our cars.

[Cant trust em]

10. Much of the red state charitable giving is church tithing

essentially membership dues for their club. That's why Mississippi is usually at the top of the most charitably generous states. When that factor is eliminated, the gap between self identified liberals and conservatives is greatly reduced.

The gap between liberals and conservatives is also similarly slight when taken into context of social service charities. Essentially when the purpose of donating is the redistribution of wealth, it's pretty even.

[w8liftinglady]

11. done-and left a comment,too

[NewJeffCT]

13. Thanks!

I had a LTTE published there 3-4 years ago on the exact same subject, which is why I mention the College of Philanthropy list as well... it was in response to an article blaring that news back in 2004 or 2005 from the College of Philanthropy.

And, Texas (your state) is one of the few red states that pays more into the Fed than gets back.

[quiet.american]

12. Well done! Rated. :) nt

[Bozita]

14. Terrific letter earned 5 stars from me.

[NewJeffCT]

16. thanks

I appreciate it

[duhneece]

15. Done

nt

[Quantess]

17. There's a link to DU in the last comment!

"stacking the ratings"

[NewJeffCT]

21. what a bunch of crybabies

thanks for catching that.

[CTyankee]

18. Do you have a link to Will's column?

Sorry to be so dense, but I don't get the argument he is making re tax deductions for charity. Did he say that taking a tax deduction for charity was a bad thing? I guess I don't have the big picture here...(help!).

[NewJeffCT]

20. Here is the article

the basis of the article is that people in red states give more to charity. however, the research is based on itemized deductions only, and people in wealthier states like CT and Mass are far more likely to itemize their deductions than people in poorer states like Miss & Alabama. So, the pool is a much higher percentage in blue states.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/26/AR2008032602916.html?sub=AR

Residents of Austin, home of Texas's government and flagship university, have very refined social consciences, if they do say so themselves, and they do say so, speaking via bumper stickers. Don R. Willett, a justice of the state Supreme Court, has commuted behind bumpers proclaiming "Better a Bleeding Heart Than None at All," "Practice Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Beauty," "The Moral High Ground Is Built on Compassion," "Arms Are For Hugging," "Will Work (When the Jobs Come Back From India)," "Jesus Is a Liberal," "God Wants Spiritual Fruits, Not Religious Nuts," "The Road to Hell Is Paved With Republicans," "Republicans Are People Too -- Mean, Selfish, Greedy People" and so on. But Willett thinks Austin subverts a stereotype: "The belief that liberals care more about the poor may scratch a partisan or ideological itch, but the facts are hostile witnesses."

Sixteen months ago, Arthur C. Brooks, a professor at Syracuse University, published "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism." The surprise is that liberals are markedly less charitable than conservatives.

If many conservatives are liberals who have been mugged by reality, Brooks, a registered independent, is, as a reviewer of his book said, a social scientist who has been mugged by data. They include these findings:

[Ilsa]

19. We contribute to charities and we don't itemize, either. Apparently that is

more common than I realized. The researchers need to find a more accurate way of surveying this, including free labor that many people give to charities. Great letter, BTW!

[elizfeelinggreat]

22. wonderful letter

[Haole Girl]

23. "cold-hearted cheapskates in red states "?

Hey, I take offense to that! j/k :hi:

[NewJeffCT]

24. ah - you just prove my point, though

just kidding.

[Hamlette]

26. done n/t