'Tis the Season of Giving

For most of us anyway.

This has been around for a while, but now might be the best time to review:

"Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism"
A Review by Frank Brieaddy, R.N.S.

Syracuse University professor Arthur C. Brooks is about to become the darling of the religious right in America -- and it's making him nervous.

The child of academics, raised in a liberal household and educated in the liberal arts, Brooks has written a book that concludes religious conservatives donate far more money than secular liberals to all sorts of charitable activities, irrespective of income.

In the book, he cites extensive data analysis to demonstrate that values advocated by conservatives -- from church attendance and two-parent families to the Protestant work ethic and a distaste for government-funded social services -- make conservatives more generous than liberals.

The book, titled "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism" (Basic Books, $26), is due for release Nov. 24.

When it comes to helping the needy, Brooks writes: "For too long, liberals have been claiming they are the most virtuous members of American society. Although they usually give less to charity, they have nevertheless lambasted conservatives for their callousness in the face of social injustice."

For the record, Brooks, 42, has been registered in the past as a Democrat, then a Republican, but now lists himself as independent, explaining, "I have no comfortable political home."
...
Repeatedly he cites and disputes a line from a Ralph Nader speech to the NAACP in 2000: "A society that has more justice is a society that needs less charity."

Thank you Ralph Nader for capturing the liberal/socialist/Democrat position so succinctly. In Ralph's perfect world, the Federal Government, with tax dollars would be the first and only source where people turn for help.

Never mind that Ralph and company have been among the most vocal critics of the Federal Government's ability to respond to disasters like Hurricane Katrina, or the social ills which despite massive government and financial intervention continue to plague certain elements of our society. Dare we ask where their exit strategy is from the quagmire of inner city racial and social upheaval?

The liberal answer always seems to be for more government. But what about the people we are trying to help? Anyone with experience in government will tell you that the process of housing and directing a federal bureaucracy chews up the largest share of taxpayer funds. Little is left to "trickle down" to those who need it most.

Of course when it comes to charity we could always follow the example of liberals like Hillary Clinton and Al Gore who practice the dictum: "charity begins at home." Hillary Clinton set that example when she donated Bill and Chelsea's used underwear and claimed it as a tax deduction. Frankly, $1 for a pair of Bill's underpants seems like an underbid considering the value of Monica's blue dress.

Let's not forget that Al Gore responded to Hillary's generosity with a stupendous $353 charitable donation in 1997.

Perhaps now we know why the liberals are so determined to blot out December 25th as a celebration of CHRISTmas. They prefer to give, and force the rest of us to do the same, on April 15th -- TAX DAY!