Mother Jones Magazine Criticizes America’s Charitable Habits

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http://www.pnnonline.org/article.php?sid=6384&mode=thread&order=0

Posted by: laurakujawski on Tuesday, December 6, 2005


Topic Special Features


As we enter the "season of sharing," Mother Jones magazine's December issue offers "Who Gives a $*&t?," a survey of America's charity habits that finds government, individuals, and religious institutions are doing a lot less sharing than they might.


Herewith, a sampling:



Two in three American households say they give to charity, at an average of $1,262 a year. But only 1 in 3 households report charitable deductions to the IRS.


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


Four years ago, President Bush pledged $5 billion a year to Africa's best-run countries; to date, the program has distributed $400,000.


Because aid agencies are forced to buy from U.S. companies at inflated prices, historically America has effectively taken back 70 percent of the aid it donated.


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


Focus on the Family's $2.2 million in tsunami aid included 1 million copies of "When God Doesn't Make Sense," by Dr. James Dobson, the group's founder and chairman.


The Rev. Pat Robertson's Operation Blessing was number 2 on FEMA's list of charities that would aid Katrina victims; last year Operation Blessing gave half of its donations - $885,000 - to Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network.


The full list, with sources, is available on the Mother Jones Web site.

http://www.motherjones.com/news/exhibit/2005/12/exhibit.html

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