I can see why Ann Coulter detests the compassionate conservative label. Indeed, it sounds as patronising as the articulate black label because conservatism is compassionate, period. In Makers and Takers Peter Schweizer explains (page 70):
Over the past fifteen years, the General Social Survey has consistently shown that religious conservatives are 25 percentage points more likely than [left-of-centre] liberals to donate money to help the poor and are 23 points more likely to volunteer time for that cause. As Arthur Brooks points out, the annual gap in giving is large: $2,210 for religious conservatives, $642 for skinflint liberals.
The more conservative --- the more generous. Schweizer adds (page 64):
While president, Bush’s charitable giving [already higher than Clinton’s and Gore’s]…increased. In 2005 he gave away more than 10 percent of his income. In contrast, former senator John Edwards [a leftwing Democrat], who often bemoans the “two Americas” of rich and poor, and is a wealthier man than Bush, gave less.
To be fair, though, John Edwards was very good at giving to his mistress. When he cheated on his cancer-stricken wife he was also extremely generous with his time and energy. But, like Monicagate certain facts are hidden by establishment newspapers to protect the left’s myth.
While self-praising socialists love to brag about their charitable ways, and are ritually praised as people of compassion for providing condoms to kids in faraway nations with your tax dollars, our real charity doers happen to be conservative Catholics, prudent Protestants and Orthodox Christians. To make another point about media bias, Schweizer continues:
Sen. Barack Obama, who likewise talks regularly about his concern and compassion for the less fortunate, gives far less charity than Bush. In 2005, he made 1.7 million (more than 2.5 times what President Bush made) but gave the same dollar amount as Bush. In 2006, Bush made a third less than Obama, but actually gave more to charity.
Unfortunately, compassionless journalists aren’t ready to work in the light with inconvenient facts.
Ben-Peter Terpstra is an Australian satirist and cartoon lover. His works are posted on numerous sites from American Thinker (California) to Quadrant Online (Sydney, Australia). You can find him at his blogs Pizza Trays and Beer Bottles and Quote Digger.
