Who is More Charitable

[Ralphy]

I know Republicans are happier!

[Excaliber]

I've noticed, along lifes path, crazy people are often like that...

[Ralphy]

Veteran psychiatrist calls liberals mentally ill
Publishes extensive study on 'Psychological Causes of Political Madness

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=56494

"Like spoiled, angry children, they rebel against the normal responsibilities of adulthood and demand that a parental government meet their needs from cradle to grave."

Dr. Rossiter says the liberal agenda preys on weakness
and feelings of inferiority in the population by:

* creating and reinforcing perceptions of victimization;
* satisfying infantile claims to entitlement, indulgence and compensation;
* augmenting primitive feelings of envy;
* rejecting the sovereignty of the individual, subordinating him to the will of the government.

[Ron61]

Ralphy,

Good post. If the old saying "Ignorance is bliss," then the Liberals must be the happiest people on Earth. I am not sure it is Mental Illness as much as Greed that drives them though.

Ron

[Paul F]

I doubt greed is a unique feature of liberals.

However, the point of this thread was to show that it turns out that the true bleeding hearts aren't the liberals, but rather the conservatives. They are the ones that put their money where their mouth is when it comes to giving.

[Wayne Maybury]

Most Western countries have immediately jumped in to help Haiti but I have not seen anything showing that any of the oil rich countries in the Middle East have given any aid at all. This doesn't mean that they are not helping, I just have not seen any evidence of their aid.

Wayne

[Ron61]

Wayne,

I don't recall ever seeing where any of those countries did much to help any other country in a time of disaster.

Paul,

You are most likely correct about the greed thing. However I don't completely buy the mental illness idea either as any person of either side can have that problem. I give what I can and fortunately right now I have a red Cobra with a 427 SO in it that I can donate.

Ron

[Jamo]

Ron...it'll mean more (much more) if you raffle that Cobra off after you get folks like Pelosi and Boxer to sign it like Leno did with the bike.

[Ron61]

Jamo--I am afraid that if Pelosi and Boxer autographed it I wouldn't be able to give it away. Leno has a much wider market than I do and no one up here likes them at all. Actually I could sell it for parts and probably make a good amount and that way it wouldn't be so hard for the owner to get home with just a wheel left.

Ron

[Excaliber]

You get them to sign it and heck I'll buy it!

...hey wait a minute, that sounds a lot like MY car...

[Ron61]

Darn Ernie, I believe that you are right.

Ron

[Joe Wicked]

Hey Ron, I'll give you a buck 2.89 for it.

[Ron61]

Joe,

Having it delivered to you will cost an additional $5.

Ron

[bomelia]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

The weathier you are the more likely you are to be Republican. Giving to charities is a good way to reduce your tax bill. All in all, I'm not sure the data is all that reliable as to who is "more generous".

Reseach has shown it depends on whether that wealth was "bootstraped" or inherited. Bootstraped wealth does indeed correlate with wealth. Inherited wealth creates guilt (read Atlas Shrugged). I guess if I want to be wealthy, going Republican is the way to go. Could it also be that the more conservative you are, the more likely you are to end up wealthy? I think thats the right way to look at it. Sure, there are plenty of wealthy democrats. But they must live trully conflicted lives... wanting to tax everybody so others can have something without having to work for it and at the same time hiring gobs of lawyers to protect their wealth. And yes, conservatives do the same thing. But we are not conflicted about it.

BTW, if we were not taxed so much, there would be more for charities (without the overhead of government types enforcing (and creating) endless new tax codes.)

Mike

[Ronbo]

Still can't understand the stupid idea that charitable donations somehow equate to a financial gain for the rich...

Sure, I'll donate $10k so I can save the $3k in taxes. (This is right up there with the "write-off" comments that you hear from non-business owners)

Wonder how many rich liberals hire liberal financial planners? (If one actually exists)

[Excaliber]

Still can't understand the stupid idea that charitable donations somehow equate to a financial gain for the rich...

I take that is a rhetorical question? It seems pretty clear you really don't have a clue how the wealthy manage their taxes. Hint: It's not the simple math you espouse.

[427sharpe]

As above, the tax argument doesn't hold water. From a personal perspective, I do a lot of volunteer work here in North Texas (habitat for Humanity, Helping Hands, mostly) and it seems that all of my crew mates are what would be coined conservative, Republican, or rich or some combination of the three. I see a lot of left wing talk and the local University, but very little action. From my experiences only, I would then have to conclude that the right wing is far more giving.

[Ronbo]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

I take that is a rhetorical question? It seems pretty clear you really don't have a clue how the wealthy manage their taxes. Hint: It's not the simple math you espouse.

If your referring to bracket changes, rarely does this get you 100% back. Since your so "enlightened" why don't you "educate" me...

The only thing that seems clear to me is your ego.

[Stentor]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

I take that is a rhetorical question? It seems pretty clear you really don't have a clue how the wealthy manage their taxes. Hint: It's not the simple math you espouse.

Please enlighten us Professor Ernie....

Elucidate all of those tax breaks that exist for the "wealthy" and how they "manage" their taxes.

[Excaliber]

Perhaps because the right wing, by and large, enjoy a higher standard of living, making it much easier to "donate"? THAT is the question!

You can't equate strictly "money" with "donations", that being the #1 rule when it comes to looking at for a tax shelter. Here's a real simple example that anybody could relate to. You have a lot of clothes and "stuff" around the house, so you decide to have a yard sale. Your time and effort might be better put to use by donating those items to charity! No "money" is involved, but the potential tax gain in dollars is real.

What kind of "charities"? There are many and not all are like Goodwill or whatever! There are private foundations that qualify as a tax haven for the donator. In some cases you could count up to 50% of your income as a contribution, a tax write off. And it doesn't have to be all "money", hard cash if you would. Ever wonder why some groups or persons make such large donations of a political nature? It's not always about hoping for some influence. In some cases, it's just a smart tax decision!

Some Real Estate boards may be "non profit". Donations to them could be written off as a "business expense". The whole tax picture when it comes to donations is very complex, but it's not always about hard earned cash.

427Sharpe, in your example your "time" is not deductible, but your EXPENSES related to the service your provide are!