Charitable giving

TCPalm, Jan. 21 - Letter: Unlike liberals, conservatives view charitable giving as a personal duty

Congratulations to President Barack Obama. I am glad he has figured out what conservatives have known for a long time: Charity begins at home. His call to service is admirable, yet a little “Johnny come lately.” Although the incomes of liberal families average 6 percent higher than those of conservative families, conservative-headed households give, on average, 30 percent more to charity than the average liberal-headed household.

People who reject the idea that “government has a responsibility to reduce income inequality” give an average of four times more than people who accept that proposition.

While conservatives tend to regard giving as a personal rather than a governmental responsibility, some liberals consider private charity a retrograde phenomenon — a poor palliative for an inadequate welfare state and a distraction from achieving adequacy by force (by increasing taxes).

I am sure these facts will startle some, including Republicans. Why is this information not widely known? Simply, conservative Republicans are modest people. They do not lend themselves to self-aggrandizement.

A conservative is a principled person who believes in the power of the individual, much in the same way Martin Luther King Jr. did. I am sure many also will be surprised to learn that Mr. King was a Republican.

It is time for the silent majority of the Republican Party to be heard, to become vocal and stand for principle again. This left-leaning trek to the center is no more than capitulation and fear.

So while so many shiver in reverence to the new president of the United States, I say good luck, Mr. Obama, and welcome to what we conservatives have known for a long time. Charity begins at home.

I hope your service plans reinforce this idea and do not include my tax dollars in your grand scheme.

Eric D. Miller
Stuart