Charitable Giving

We recently subscribed to Mother Jones (because what better way to spend $10 than by receiving another magazine that agrees with your political bent?), and the theme for the December/January issue is “God and Country: Where the Christian Right is Leading Us.”

There are some very interesting (and scary) articles on the insinuation of evangelical beliefs into American culture and (closer to home here in our realm) the weakening of the philosphy of academic freedom.

I know, I know, some of you are tuning out as you’re reading, but let me suggest you take a look at the information in “Who Gives a $%&T?”, which is available online for free. Some of my favorites:

--In 2002 Americans deducted $654 million for cars they donated to charity; 7 times what the cars were actually worth.

--8 in 10 dog owners buy their pet holiday gifts. 6 in 10 cat owners do.

--Americans spend $8 billion on Christmas decorations, almost 4 times what they give to protect animals and the environment.

--There is a graph which shows the percentage of income donated to charity, by bracket. You really should check it out, because the words don’t have the same impact as the graph. But the numbers, for 2003, were: $200,000 and over (3.4%); giving stays in that range down to $30-50,000 (5.3%). People who make between $15,000 and $30,000 almost double giving, to 9.2%; and those who make under $15,000 gave 26% (yes, you read that right, TWENTY-frickin-SIX percent) of their income to charity.

Pa-the-tic.

So go out and donate to your charity of choice, preferably a local one that gives directly to the needy; go through your kids’ toys and thin out the herd (another number: the typical American child receives 70 [SEVENTY!] new toys in a year, most of them at Christmas); clear out your closets and bring those coats and jackets (and hats and mittens) you never wear to a shelter; and do your part.

Today! Stop reading this blog and do it!

(But come back tomorrow. Lonely Imperatrixes can do dangerous things when left to their own devices too long. You can tell me what action you took to help the poor!)