CSM: Who are the nation's 'cheapstates'? Try the blue ones.

[Xipe Totec]

Just when you thought the Red State bashing was over, here it comes from the other side:

At this time of the year, charities of every shape and size are hunting for the most generous donors. To find them, the Catalogue for Philanthropy has a counterintuitive suggestion: Look in the nation's poorest states. That's because the Catalogue's Generosity Index for 2004 shows that giving as a percentage of income is highest in states where folks have the least to give. Mississippi - the nation's poorest in terms of average household income - ranks No. 1 in generosity, followed by Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana.

By contrast, residents of the nation's richest states appear downright Scrooge-like. Connecticut claims the highest average household income but ranks 44th in terms of percentage of income donated to charity. New Jersey and Massachusetts seem even stingier, ranking 47th and 49th respectively in giving, despite their second- and third-place rankings in income.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1222/p15s01-ussc.html

Of course, the statistics are not based on how much people give to charity, but on how much people claim to give to charity on their tax returns...

[tk2kewl]

1. and how many freaks are giving all of their $$ to Falwell?

and how much are blue staters giving to politically active charities that are not tax deductible?

(edit for spelling)

[Walt Starr]

5. BINGO, what's counted as a charity

ain;t necessarlily a charity.

Kinda like Pat Robem$ome's charity for diamond mines, "Operration Blessing".

[ProfessorGAC]

16. Especially True In Church Giving

There was a study that came out when these data were first released. The Tribune was one of the few papers that covered that side of the issue.

They found that nearly 80% of all dollars given to churches, and legally claimed as charity, goes to the actual operation of the church. Pastor salaries and stipends, utilities for the church, church subsidies for church related activities, Sunday school, etc.

That means that about 80 cents out of every dollar goes to benefit those who are giving the money! That's not charity. It's socialism! Bet that would sting one of these folks to hear that.
The Professor

[latteromden]

2. That's what they used? Well, hell, we don't claim to give anything to

charity on our tax returns, but we certainly do. Not only do we GIVE to charity, but we go volunteer to help those who need it, and none of it is legally documented.

Besides, I find it hard to believe that Minnesota is in the 41-50 range, what with Minnesota nice and all. ;)

[Xipe Totec]

14. Exactly! All It shows is more tax dodges to Red States

They whine about taxes but they're the first to take advantage of the rules.

[BOSSHOG]

3. Impressive, except

Giving to a religion is considered "charity." 36% of charitable giving in the United States last year went to "Religion." So red staters are touted as very charitable however their money is going to feed and house and cloth people who tell them how to live and how to vote and who get to deduct the monies. Is that charity?

[pk_du]

4. Its also only based on less than 30% of tax returns......

...see the "technical notes" on the original website.

As they say , you can make stats say anything you WANT to say.


One point of note - if I recall correctly , Wyoming cpomes as as largest "giver" on average.....Hmmm, somethng not quite right with those stats methinks.

Also - would be better to show a "mean" rather than an average

[NJCher]

6. our charity is built into the tax system

We pay much higher taxes here but we have more in the way of social services. What we take for granted as a social service here is unheard of in places like Nebraska and Wyoming.


Cher

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

9. BINGO. & the Govt now funds faith, Goodwill is my #1 charity. nt

[Cat Atomic]

7. I've heard that little factoid for years.

I assume they're including tithes as charity. Church attendance seems higher in the red states, and salaries are lower. There's your "percentage of income donated to charity" difference.

[LiberalSoutherner]

8. I would say

that it's because we who live in Louisiana and Mississippi see so much abject poverty on a daily basis. There are so many homeless, people living in literally tar-paper shacks, etc. I try to help the people I see scrounging for food in garbage cans, even though I myself don't have much money, and have never reported it on my tax returns. And although I am not Christian, there ARE some actually good Christians down here that see the poverty and try to help out the best they can.

[Xipe Totec]

15. I have sheltered the homeless in my own house

And put a boy trough college on my own nickel.

But I've never claimed a cent of it on my tax returns.

If I did, I would not consider it charity.

[Bandit]

10. But I thought poor people don't pay tax

That was all we heard when bush* pushed his tax cuts through. How can poor people claim charitable deductions when they don't even pay taxes and if they do they file on a 1040EZ form. No deductions.

[pk_du]

11. Oh ...and their little disclaimer also speaks volumes

...they DONT FACTOR IN COST OF LIVING as it varies so much from rural parts to urban parts of every state...

...but Connecticut for example has ANY cheap areas to live???..NOT.

POS stats

[charlie]

12. Here's a whole page of options

for sending money to that shithead Falwell, getting a tax writeoff, and enjoying investment income(!?) from your "charitable" donation. I doubt that report accounts for this sort of sleazy philanthropy.

Bob Johnson is 75 years old. He purchases a $10,000 gift annuity with Liberty University Foundation. He will receive an immediate income tax deduction of $4,433 that he will be able to deduct from this year's income tax. He will receive $710 a year, for the remainder of his life, of which 63.2% ($448.72) is tax-free.

...

John and Nancy Myers, each 60, own land for which they paid $40,000 many years ago. If sold, the current fair market value of $100,000 means they would owe capital gains taxes on the $60,000 increase.

Instead of selling the land themselves (and incurring capital gains taxes), they decide to use the land to establish a charitable remainder unitrust.

In doing so, they bypass taxation on the gain at the time of their gift, in addition to qualifying for an immediate federal income tax deduction of approximately $29,000 (based on a 5% charitable remainder unitrust).

As long as either lives, John and Nancy will receive quarterly income payments. They also enjoy the satisfaction of knowing their gift will help Liberty University train young people to be "Champions for Christ."

http://www.libertyuniversityfoundation.com/giving_options_ga.php

[underpants]

13. Heard this on Rush-skips over the fact about so many people needing

services.

Hmm wonder why that is?