A Freeper on the Red/Blue state issue

[zaj]

From a Freeper on the Red/Blue state issue:

"Look up which states are the most and least charitable. Then compare those states average income levels.

After that, look up which states have the highest abortion rate."

Anyone have this information?

[trotsky]

1. Make him look it up.

It's ridiculous, going on a wild goose chase to disprove the bile that spills from a freeper's mouth. Make him back up his figures.

[htuttle]

2. The Red states have the highest abortion rate

And the Blue states pay for Red State Welfare.

Any questions?

[Midlodemocrat]

3. You know what

...ask him which states have the highest/lowest divorce rate. Something Jesus actually spoke about.

[vpigrad]

4. Dumb, dumb, dumb

How about looking at average IQ's in the red versus blue states? That tells the real story. Trying to fabricate some other connection shows a lack of understanding.

[Rzrbk]

11. Actually the IQ comparison is a myth

http://www.isteve.com/IQhoax.htm

[mac56]

24. Why would I believe the "objectivity" on this topic

of a guy who posts a photo of himself with Margaret Thatcher?

Welcome to DU, by the way.

[Sandpiper]

5. Ask him to look up which states have the highest divorce rates

The top 10 are all red states.

The lowest divorce rate in the nation - Massachusetts

[HockeyMom]

6. Marriage

Well, I guess when you get married at 16 years old, you are bound to have a higher divorce rate. $1.5 BILLION to PROMOTE MAARRIAGE. ROFL

[Goldmund]

7. Yeah, send him over to this site

http://www.topalli.com/blue/

[fryguy]

10. good stuff

and in useful maps and graphs that even the most uneducated freeper could understand....

[Nomad559]

8. George Barna Research Group

George Barna, a born-again Christian whose company is in Ventura, Calif.

http://www.worthynews.com/news-features/christian-divorce-rate.html

The Barna Research Firm is defending a recent survey which found some disturbing statistics regarding born-again Christians and divorce. The survey found that born-again Christians were just as likely as non-believers to divorce.

In fact, the survey found that the divorce rate is higher for Christians when compared with non-believers.



http://www.worldvision.org/worldvision/pr.nsf/stable/new_barna

A new survey shows that evangelicals less likely than other Americans to help children orphaned by AIDS.

The survey of more than 1,000 adults, sponsored by World Vision and conducted by the California-based Barna Research Group, found that 3 percent of evangelicals said they "definitely" would help children orphaned because of AIDS, compared with 5 percent of all respondents.



http://www.datalounge.com/datalounge/news/record.html?record=20398

The American Family Association, a far right lobbying group in Washington, released results from a recent survey that shows mainstream Americans see evangelical Christians as one of the least likeable groups in the country.

Researchers from the Barna survey asked respondents how they felt about evangelicals, born-again Christians, ministers, and other groups of people in society. According to the survey, evangelicals came in tenth out of eleven, narrowly beating out prostitutes.



http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/12/afa/62002a.asp

A new survey shows that adults with no connection to the Christian faith have low opinions of evangelicals. The researcher who conducted the study believes that may be one reason why churches are not growing.

The Barna survey asked respondents how they felt about evangelicals, born-again Christians, ministers, and other types of people. According to the survey, evangelicals came in tenth out of eleven, trailing lesbians and lawyers but beating out prostitutes.

[fryguy]

9. don't even know how to begin with such a incoherent set of statements

tell him/her that massachusetts - bastion of same-sex marriages and therefore flash-point of the disintegration of family values - has the lowest divorce rate in the nation. that's right, citizens of the state (commonwealth) that has decided to shun god and moral values divorce less than the righteous flocks in other states....

[IrateCitizen]

12. "Prove it, Freeper!"

That's all you have to say. Demand that he support his statements with credible backup. When he can't, then you can provide your information to the contrary, all the while denouncing him as an ignorant fool.

[BOSSHOG]

13. Contributions to Churchs

are considered as charitable giving therefore the sheep in the south with their low income and high divorce and incest rates give alot of their income to the local baptist klavern for their salvation and not to "real" charities. And red states get more federal tax dollars than they give as they whine about tax and spend liberals. Praise the Lord and pass the facts.

[Sandpiper]

16. Exactly!!! They count Tithing as charitable giving

Giving 10% of your annual income to the local church is counted as "charitable giving" by the IRS.

Very little of that 10% will actually go to anything that could be considered charitable.

[Rzrbk]

19. To dismiss religious charities offhand is very narrow minded

For many years, religious charities have been doing alot of the heavy charity work throughout the world. Just because you disagree with their theology doesn't make their contribution any less valid.

[BOSSHOG]

20. Money thrown in the collection plate in baptist churchs

in Arkansas and Mississippi go for physical plant upkeep, utilities, and a salary for the preacher. And if a fine upstanding member of that congregation happens to not like that preacher's version of Leviticus, he'll mosy down the highway and open up his own klavern thus building another tax exempt property. Narrow mindedness is attempting to use the Constitution as a weapon against a segment of society because you don't like their sex life while totally ignoring your own moral failures. Narrow mindedness is living on welfare and food stamps while bitching about tax and spend liberals.

[JHB]

14. He's referring to a Michelle Malkin claim...

...based on the "Catalogue for Philanthropy"'s "Generosity index, that the freepoid community is using to pat themselves on their hairy backs. I think the CfP's methodology is a bit simplistic for what Malkin & Co. are trying to claim (and certainly doesn't factor in Red state pork suckling):

http://michellemalkin.com/archives/000839.htm

http://www.catalogueforphilanthropy.org/cfp/db/generosity.php?year=2004

[NewJeffCT]

15. the charity list is flawed

I've seen the Catalogue of Philanthropy's list of charitable states and it is quite flawed as it only takes into account itemized deductions. So, a person in Mississippi that gives 2% of his $30,000 income to charity can deduct that from his taxes. However, if a person from Connecticut making $60,000 per year gives 1.5% of their salary to charity, it is not deductible, as it does not hit the 2% threshold even though their $900 donation is 50% higher than the Mississippi person's $600 donation.

[Rzrbk]

18. Regardless ...

isn't the person from Mississippi still giving a higher percentage of their income. Total dollar amount isn't as important as percentage. If a person making $1,000,000 only gives .12% of their income, they're still giving twice as much as the person making 30,000 and gives 2%. It's the intent.

[JHB]

21. You're right, but...

...it's still (of necessity) drawn from relatively easy to research numbers, not from any systematic comparison of incomes, expenses, spending and donating by actual families samples at different income levels and different regions (nor to the sort of donations being given).

I just think that Malkin and her echo squad are trying to assign far more gravitas to the CfP list than it objectively can support (and a few of us still care about things like that).

[NewJeffCT]

23. that's not the entire story

A person from a wealthier state has a higher threshold to cross before any charitable contributions are deductible and we also pay more taxes to support red state welfare. If 50% of people in Mississippi give 2% to charity on their $30,000 a year incomes and 50% gave nothing, is it better than if 50% of people in Connecticut gave 1.5% and 25% gave 2% of their $60,000 a year incomes? According to the Philanthropy List, Mississippi would come out twice as good as Connecticut.

Also, I am guessing that organizations like the United Way, a very common charity in blue states like NY & California, use a higher percentage of their donations for actual charity than does the Rev. Falwell's Ministries, or the local Evangelical Church on the corner, which are more common donations in red states. I would have to do the research to make sure, though.

Also, if Big Corporation based in New York gives employees time off to donate to the United Way, it is not deductible for the employee, and I know that United Way days are pretty common up here.

[MsTryska]

17. hmmm...just hazarding a guess.....

but:

"Look up which states are the most and least charitable.

this is from 1997:

Highest:
California: $12,188Mil
New York: $9,142Mil
Texas: $5,687Mil

Lowest:
North Dakota: $119Mil
South Dakota: $165Mil
Alaska: $168Mil

(http://nccsdataweb.urban.org/NCCS/Public/index.php)


Then compare those states average income levels.

I was able to find Median incomes from the census bureau:

Highest:
California: 48,979
New York: 43,160
Texas: 40,934


Lowest:
North Dakota: 38,212
South Dakota: 39,829
Alaska: 55,143

(http://www.census.gov/hhes/income/income03/statemhi.html)



After that, look up which states have the highest abortion rate.


as of 1996 top 3:

1. California 280,180, (per 1K Women-39)

2. New York 152,991, (per 1K Women-37)

3. Delaware 4,482, (per 1K Women-26)

(http://www.abortiontv.com/AbortionStatistics.htm)



edit: screwed up in the answering of the question.



I'm no statisitican but this seems to be the data you're looking for right?

[Hobarticus]

22. Red states are "taker" states...

Meaning that they take more in government subsidies and programs than they pay out in taxes.

Blue States are charitable just for totin' the Red State load.