Americans set record for charity in 2006

[Monadnock]

Americans gave nearly $300 billion to charitable causes last year, setting a new record and besting the 2005 total that had been boosted by a surge in aid to victims of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma and the Asian tsunami.

Gaudiani said Americans give twice as much as the next most charitable country, according to a November 2006 comparison done by the Charities Aid Foundation. In philanthropic giving as a percentage of gross domestic product, the U.S. ranked first at 1.7 percent. No. 2 Britain gave 0.73 percent, while France, with a 0.14 percent rate, trailed such countries as South Africa, Singapore, Turkey and Germany.

Meanwhile, companies and their foundations gave less in 2006, dropping 10.5 percent to $12.72 billion. Jolly said corporate giving fell because companies had been so generous in response to the natural disasters and because profits overall were less strong in 2006 over the year before.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/charitable_giving;_ylt=At0Z0QXEFWrEPyF3hLX5n64DW7oF

Way to go USA!

 

[jdinca]

Never discount American Ingenuity or the giving nature of the American Spirit. We're happy to help, just don't mess with us.

Kind of makes me think that "forced charity" through higher taxes really isn't necessary.

 

[bushidomartialarts]

Charity seems to be the only sort of citizenship that's on the rise. Voting, general level of informedness, participation in civic events are all at a record low.

But our giving to charity is second to none. And that number doesn't even include volunteering hours, which is another place we lead the world on. If you paid everybody even minimum wage for that time, that number would double.

Go us.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

No doubt about it that we are a very charitable nation and I have faith in the people of the USA that we will continue to be so. However, let me relay something that happened with me within the last year while doing charity work for a country in Africa. This particular country and more specifically the church I was working through is destitute. I was really happy that what I was doing was really going to benefit quite a large group of people. Unfortunately politics came into play and eventually they wanted the money but did not really want anything to do with the group I was with. So I had to rethink why I was trying to help these people and decided to work around this particular church and directly sent aid to some of the people in need. This particular church was furious but I hope they understand that if you want help you also need to work with the people that are trying to help you and not try and dictate to those same people. Needless to say in the end I think the people that I helped really had a life changing situation and benefited greatly and really that is what it is all about helping other people out.

 

[MA-Caver]

Well I am happy that we broke a record but I still think we need to focus more on charity here at home. There are still hundreds if not thousands of homeless and starving American children and thousands if not millions of homeless people in this country. People feel sorry for the starving and homeless in the third world countries who are brutalized and oppressed. Well, so am I but we still need to take care of our own.
The welfare system seems to be lacking and while yes there are people who prefer to be poor, prefer to be living out on the streets but there are about a thousand for every one of those who would prefer to have their kids indoors and eating right and having decent clothes and going to school.
I just cannot see myself giving to a foreign country that is ruled by a despot who'll take what I give to their poor and put it into their pockets. Get rid of the despot and find a good leader who'll help the problems in that country and I'll give. But for right now, I'll give to Americans until there are no more needy Americans.

:asian: