Brian wrote:
Bush talked about 1000 points of light. I think it's a fantasy that private charity will fill in all of the gaps if government gets out of helping people.
It's interesting that the same conservatives that decry handouts also say that philanthropy will replace government. It doesn't give me a lot of confidence that they intend to provide the handouts.
BTW Social Security is not a handout. Most of those getting checks today paid FICA for decades.
The reason that conservatives feel that private charity can fill the gap of most, if not all, of the government programs is that they give more than liberals.
I understand that Social Security is not a handout. The burden on those paying into the system now is much greater than those who are currently receiving benefits. In 1950, there were 16 people paying into Social Security to pay for one recipient. Now the ratio is around 4 to 1. I know it'll never happen but I feel that our generation needs to be told that we aren't going to receive benefits because it'll be too burdensome for future generations.
It's interesting that the same conservatives that decry handouts also say that philanthropy will replace government. It doesn't give me a lot of confidence that they intend to provide the handouts.
BTW Social Security is not a handout. Most of those getting checks today paid FICA for decades.
The reason that conservatives feel that private charity can fill the gap of most, if not all, of the government programs is that they give more than liberals.
I understand that Social Security is not a handout. The burden on those paying into the system now is much greater than those who are currently receiving benefits. In 1950, there were 16 people paying into Social Security to pay for one recipient. Now the ratio is around 4 to 1. I know it'll never happen but I feel that our generation needs to be told that we aren't going to receive benefits because it'll be too burdensome for future generations.
1 comment:
The charitable giving conclusion just doesn't strike me as credible. These groups are too large for such differences to exist.
This article, citing this blog post, questions the methodology.
I also wonder if tithing is included in these numbers.
I made a point of saying "the same conservatives that decry handouts also say that philanthropy will replace government." I have noticed that social conservatives tend to support big government more than other conservatives (see Bush and Huckabee). The George Will column notes that secular conservatives (these are your small government conservatives) are the least charitable cohort.
Finally, while charitable giving is thankfully high, I don't think that charitable giving would increase enough to replace government programs. And I don't think it is difficult to imagine certain groups (whites, Christians, etc.) receiving a disproportionate share of the private charitable giving.
Social Security is a mess. Reduction in benefits may be necessary. I've come to terms with the fact that the previous generation was mind-bogglingly selfish and we'll have to just deal with it the best we can.
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