The Giving Patterns of Liberals and Conservatives (Veiled Subscription Pitch)
From the Chronicle of Philanthropy via Arts & Letters Daily:
In Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism (Basic Books), Arthur C. Brooks finds that religious conservatives are far more charitable than secular liberals, and that those who support the idea that government should redistribute income are among the least likely to dig into their own wallets to help others….
His initial research for Who Really Cares revealed that religion played a far more significant role in giving than he had previously believed. In 2000, religious people gave about three and a half times as much as secular people — $2,210 versus $642. And even when religious giving is excluded from the numbers, Mr. Brooks found, religious people still give $88 more per year to nonreligious charities….
Mr. Brooks calls it a "bitter irony" that those favoring income redistribution are not doing much redistributing from their own bank accounts — and he blames liberal leaders like Mr. Nader for letting liberals off the hook. In essence, for many Americans, political opinions are a substitute for personal checks," Mr. Brooks writes.
Critics say that Brooks, who teaches at Syracuse University, is a stealth conservative with crap data, though he says he's politically independent and that his research improves on past findings. He is one of the talking heads on John Stossel's 20/20 special, Cheap in America, which airs tonight (details here).
Well, as long as we're talking about giving, let me take a moment to remind you to give the gift of Reason this holiday season.
Really, what better way is there to annoy and educate your right-wing and left-wing loved ones?
Or reward friends who believe in "Free Minds and Free Markets" but are too broke, cheap, and/or lazy to sign up for the award-winning, lushly produced print edition of Reason?
Or help those who suffering from arteriosclerosis? As Christopher Hitchens writes, "I find that Reason keeps my…arteries from hardening, or from flooding with adrenaline out of sheer irritation, because in the face of arbitrary power and flock-like comformism it continues to ask, in a polite but firm tone of voice, not only 'why?' but 'why not?'"
Gift subs start at $20 for the first one and then drop to a mere $17 per for any additional ones. And if you order by December 2, we'll make sure that your lucky friend (and don't forget yourself) gets the first issue by Christmas.
