"It's an important part of tax planning" Riot 3/25/09

Seriously to me it has nothing to do with being fair and everything to do with getting their hands on yet more money. Damn if they have to rob charities to do so. I also believe Gates deducted his charitable donations AND is wealthy enough to create his own charities with his wife manning the register. Still far better than the likes of Leon Panetta who formed the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy at Cal U and now gets paid by the school?:zz: :zz:

Yeah, Dell, trusts, bequests, charitable donations are indeed an important part of annual tax planning. You seriously think it is not?

Again, this is where Obama wants to get some of the money to support healthcare reforms he's targeted. I'm glad that so far it appears most of the House and Senate disagree with getting it from here, too, even though the worse case estimates so far are that it will marginally affect charitable donations.

As a general statement, I think it's fair to say that bleeding heart libtards contribute and always have contributed more to charities than conservatives ....tax breaks or no tax breaks. Unless the NRA is considered a charity..

Church and Religious Charities of course do not count.

Nope..they do...puroposely didn't include them. Local Knights of Columbus does great things..

FYI and this is JUST Chicago

Titled Imagine a Year Without Catholic Charities

No emergency food pantries… no emergency shelters. No way for seniors to find the dignity of protection from the vulnerabilities of aging. No means of healing and new life for homeless families. No access to affordable housing, and job-readiness training for armed forces veterans who are homeless after valiantly serving our country.

Last year, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago touched the lives of more than 1.1 million people in Cook and Lake Counties. This means that one in eight people who live anywhere from the Wisconsin border to the Indiana state line were positively impacted by the services provided locally by Catholic Charities.

Catholic Charities yearly provides more than 5 million meals and answers over 80,000 calls for emergency food, clothing, shelter, rent and utility assistance. Last year 1,500 children received childcare through our Childhood and Family Strengthening Centers. Our 17 beautiful apartment buildings provide safe, secure housing for 1,335 seniors. Our 18 nutrition centers in Chicago nourished 126,125 low-income women, infants and children with more than 2,800,000 food packages and many supportive services.

I'm not sure why, but for some reason I think that the Catholic Charities have very well paid accountants who are taking full advantage of these donations. Kinda' like the Wisconsin Indian Reservations and their tax free status..which I KNOW you are aware of..

Come on Steve...that's a tear jerker of a post, but one that can be mirrored by numerous charities that don't leverage their parishoners into 10% of their income or they will go to hell.....As I said before..Catholic Charities, KOC, etc all do good things...but you have to admit ( I hope) that many church donations aren't exactly free of arm twisting and basket passing, bill dropping donation methods.

That is not the point. The fact that charities are and will struggle with an economic downturn makes this idea a loser. Remember that everyone earning over $250k is now rich so throwing Bill Gates out there is a bit much. You need to come back to the US!

And while some will continue to donate at their current levels some of the not so rich rich people will cut their chartiable giving as to not have to go deeper in their pockets out of necessity of follow ing a budget or simply not having the extra money. In the end this cannot help charity and will hurt them. How is that a good thing?

You know if you disagree with a demoractic proposal we wont turn your name over to Pelosi and crew ....

That is a myth perpertrated by bleeding hearts.

You guys and your cute side comments...just can't help yourself..

yeah...it's a down economy so charities will suffer. I think the end result of the direction we are going will result in more money for people to donate then if the staus quo remained. It's just how you look at this and everything else...we are both pounding our heads against the wall because there is no agreeing at this point.

It is simple economics. Eliminate a % of tax incentive, eliminate a % of revenue to charity. That is how it works. If you make less money, you spend less money. Same concept.

The issues not only is the negative effect on charity, what troubles me is the reasoning given. To make it "fair" to lower income givers? Has ANYONE ever given to charity and felt ripped off because someone else may have given more and gets a tax benefit from it?

and countered by the neo cons

whatever...serve volley...it's endless

How does this and other tax increases lead to more money being given? I would love to hear your reasoning?

How can you defend a disincentive to charity? I really dont understand...

Because Libs give far more than conservs and when libs are happy they give even more. Or at least I think that's what I think tonights leason is?

I think you are aware of the big picture behind what Obama is doing...obviously you disagree with it, but if you did agree, then I shouldn't have to connect the dots, even for a (edit) conservative like you

not bad Dell...one out of two

I think that Bob may be way offbase with the idea that liberals arent feeling the pain economically and will be forced to reduce their giving out of necessity. If that happens and all of us bastard conservatives reduce our contributions where will the charities be in the end? In your view the liberals will have to increase their giving to make up the difference and I have a hard time believing that can happen at least in the short term.

Is this an admission of a socialist agenda?