[Winona Online Democracy]
To offer a new twist to the heated conversation about liberals and
conservatives.
Here are two questions for Mr. Bothun and Mr. Woodford and for anyone else
who would like to join in:
1. As a self-described liberal, what are 1-2 problems you have with some
liberals? What are 1-2 things you like or admire in at least some
conservatives?
2. As a self-described conservative, what are 1-2 problems you have with
some conservatives? What are 1-2 things you like or admire in at least
liberals?
For the record, I do not think "heated" conversations are necessarily bad
things but it would be nice if Winona Online Democracy could avoid some of
the problems of other local blogs.
Dwayne Voegeli
Feb. 8, 2007
===============
----- Original Message -----
From: "Roy Nasstrom" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Online Democracy" <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2007 11:35 PM
Subject: Re: [Winona] Two Interesting Articles: The Tax Cut Myth
[Winona Online Democracy]
Before this colloquy goes off into the morass of Iraq-everything ends up
in Iraq these days-it might be useful to provide some information on the
study Paul Double referred to. The author is Arthur C. Brooks. The book is
titled "Who Really Cares: America's Charity Divide," published by Basic
Books in late 2006. Brooks is Professor of Public Administration and
Director of the Nonprofit Studies Program at Syracuse University's Maxwell
School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He specializes in the economics
of charity and philanthropy. Brooks has been a Democrat and then a
Republican. He now lists himself as an independent. Needless to say, his
book has elicited quite a bit attention in the political arena.
He found that self-identified conservative households give proportionally
far more money to charity than did liberal households. (Moderates were
excluded from study.) They also provide more volunteer service and donate
more blood! Using Internal Revenue Service data, Brook found than did
those in red (conservative; Bush) states donated far more to private
charities than did those in blue (liberal; Kerry) Many conservatives have
jumped on this information to castigate the hypocrisy of liberals in two
specific areas: caring about people only in the abstract while ignoring
them individually, and depending on everyone to support through taxes
their (liberals') pet projects, whether productive or not.
Even though there may be some truth to the charge, the issue appears more
complex. Liberals often prefer government largess because they feel that
their redistribution of tax moneys to particular groups can satisfy
general needs more fairly than assistance provided through private
donations to groups that conservatives deem worthy. Moreover, although
conservatives do donate to all causes, religious and secular, more
frequently than liberals, their interest in religious groups may be of
special concern to liberals who watch the church-state issue carefully.
(It must be pointed out, however, that very religious liberal people, a
group smaller than very religious conservatives, give far more time and
money to charities in general than secular liberals, although not as much
as conservatives.) Although the liberal-conservative differentiation is
the basis of the study, Brook has implied that the charity gap is not a
function of politics per se, but of underlying values and culture
involving religion, the concept of individual responsibility, and views of
the role of government.
Neither the findings nor the analysis in the study can be given full
justice in small space. Several variables and nuances of interpretation
deserve to be looked at closely, and only by reading the book itself can
this be done. The book will certainly lead to further investigation. A
study with different methodology and different definitions might show
somewhat different results. But until such studies are made, Brook's work
must be the standard.
Before this multilayered colloquy goes off into the morass of
Iraq-everything ends up in Iraq these days-it might be useful to provide
some information on the study Paul Double referred to. The author is
Arthur C. Brooks. The book is titled "Who Really Cares: America's Charity
Divide," published by Basic Books in late 2006. Brooks is Professor of
Public Administration and Director of the Nonprofit Studies Program at
Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He
specializes in the economics of charity and philanthropy. Brooks has been
a Democrat and then a Republican. He now lists himself as an independent.
Needless to say, his book has elicited quite a bit attention in the
political arena.
He found that self-identified conservative households give proportionally
far more money to charity than did liberal households. (Moderates were
excluded from study.) Conservative households also provide more volunteer
service and donate more blood. Using Internal Revenue Service data, Brooks
found that those in red (conservative; Bush voting) states donated far
more to private charities than did those in blue (liberal; Kerry voting)
Many conservatives have jumped on this information to castigate the
hypocrisy of liberals in two specific areas: caring about people only in
the abstract while ignoring them individually, and depending on everyone
to support through taxes their (liberals') pet projects, whether
productive or not.
Even though there may be some truth to the charge, the issue is more
complex. Liberals often prefer government largess because they feel that
their redistribution of tax moneys to particular groups can satisfy
general needs more fairly than assistance provided through private
donations to groups that conservatives deem worthy. Moreover, although
conservatives do donate to all causes, religious and secular, more
frequently than liberals, their interest in religious groups may be of
special concern to liberals who watch the church-state issue carefully.
(It must be pointed out, however, that very religious liberal people, a
group smaller than very religious conservatives, give far more time and
money to charities in general than secular liberals, although not as much
as conservatives.) Although the liberal-conservative differentiation is
the basis of the study, Brook has implied that the charity gap is not a
function of politics per se, but of underlying values and culture
involving religion, the concept of individual responsibility, and views of
the role of government.
Neither the findings nor the analysis in the study can be given full
justice in small space. Several variables and nuances of interpretation
deserve to be looked at closely, and only by reading the book itself can
this be done. The book will certainly lead to further investigation. A
study with different methodology and different definitions might show
somewhat different results. But until such studies are made, Brook's work
must be the standard.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Double" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Online Democracy" <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2007 8:34 PM
Subject: FW: [Winona] Two Interesting Articles: The Tax Cut Myth
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