Americans set new mark for giving

[dk]

Americans set new mark for giving

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/25/charitable.giving.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

NEW YORK (AP) -- 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.

Donors contributed an estimated $295.02 billion in 2006, a 1 percent increase when adjusted for inflation, up from $283.05 billion in 2005. Excluding donations for disaster relief, the total rose 3.2 percent, inflation-adjusted, according to an annual report released Monday by the Giving USA Foundation at Indiana University's Center on Philanthropy.

...

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.

Pretty happy about this. Three hundred billion dollars. That's A LOT of giving.

[Boost]

I find it interesting dk that here it is well over a week later, and no one has said anything about this post. It seems some of those who occupy these forums are quick to bash on the U.S. and Americans in general for just about anything, but when someone post positive news about the same, there is nothing but crickets chirping.

[Asshat]

I find it interesting dk that here it is well over a week later, and no one has said anything about this post. It seems some of those who occupy these forums are quick to bash on the U.S. and Americans in general for just about anything, but when someone post positive news about the same, there is nothing but crickets chirping.

The crickets are saying "taxman, taxman."

For the majority of Americans who can afford to give to charity, this philanthropic guesture is a tax write off. For those of us who no longer have children living at home and earn a few incomes a month, we need this tax break.

Moreover, as a country, the American government gives far less than do her citizens when computed per GDP.

[dk]

I find it interesting dk that here it is well over a week later, and no one has said anything about this post. It seems some of those who occupy these forums are quick to bash on the U.S. and Americans in general for just about anything, but when someone post positive news about the same, there is nothing but crickets chirping.
I was just sick of hearing CONSTANT USA bashing. You and I both know that I've always been against the Iraq invasion. But, I found this and it was like a cool breeze. I'm just sick of all the negativity.

Write-off or not, that's A LOT of money. That's 68% of what the Iraq war has cost (http://costofwar.com/) us since it's beginnings in 2003, which was shocking to say the least. So not everything is wrong with the world.

[Asshat]

According to this, (http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Debt/USAid.asp) the US as a country contributes less foreign aid than almost any other country.

Sweden 1.03
Luxembourg 0.89
Norway 0.89
Netherlands 0.81
Denmark 0.8
Ireland 0.53
UK 0.52
Belgium 0.5
Austria 0.48
France 0.47
Finland 0.39
Switzerland 0.39
Germany 0.36
Spain 0.32
Australia 0.3
Canada 0.3
New Zealand 0.27
Japan 0.25
Portugal 0.21
Italy 0.2
USA 0.17
Greece 0.16

I can appreciate that Americans gave more to charitable agencies, however her crime rates, incarceration rates, homeless, medical and insurance rates do not match up with the philanthropic slant of the article. I'd like to see how America's tax structure compares to the rest of the world. It is not surprising that the wealthiest nation would contribute more to charity than Bangladesh. If that is your breath of fresh air, fine, but don't let it obfuscate the fact that as a nation we are near the bottom of the list.

[Tempestuous]

Maybe less in foreign financial aide, but are there other areas where the US steps up & gives in other types of contributions?

dk was talking about charitable causes.
Our household gives directly to charitable causes and it is NOT for tax purposes.
We get no perk, tax break or what not when we give. I am sure there are others in the same boat.
They do it because they can. *shocking!*

[Asshat]

"The biggest chunk of the donations, $96.82 billion or 32.8 percent, went to religious organizations. The second largest slice, $40.98 billion or 13.9 percent, went to education, including gifts to colleges, universities and libraries."

[airllama]

According to this, (http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Debt/USAid.asp) the US as a country contributes less foreign aid than almost any other country.Actually, the US spends more in foreign aid than any other country--the stats you cite show that the US "contributes less foreign aid as a percentage of GDP than almost any other country." But your point is dead on.

And don't forget that 2/3 of US aid goes to Egypt and Israel (http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0412/p07s01-wome.html) (mostly post-Golan Heights agreement), and almost all of that aid comes back to the US in the form of purchases of military equipment.

So basically US foreign aid is a covert method to subsidize the military industrial complex.

Still, I don't see what that has to do with private giving, which is what this thread is about.

[Asshat]

Actually, the US spends more in foreign aid than any other country--the stats you cite show that the US "contributes less foreign aid as a percentage of GDP than almost any other country." But your point is dead on.

And don't forget that 2/3 of US aid goes to Egypt and Israel (http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0412/p07s01-wome.html) (mostly post-Golan Heights agreement), and almost all of that aid comes back to the US in the form of purchases of military equipment.

So basically US foreign aid is a covert method to subsidize the military industrial complex.

Still, I don't see what that has to do with private giving, which is what this thread is about.

I explained my thread hijack earlier by stating this charitable giving should not detract from the fact that charitable giving is tax deductable, and that the as a country, we are at the bottom of the list. (per GDP as I also stated I hope) What I did not state is that the recent trend of larger US dollars was due to forgiving the debt of Iraq. (no longer Israel) I'll leave it at that.