Charity the Liberal Way

Liberals purportedly are filled with compassion for the poor and downtrodden in our society.  In fact, they are so compassionate about their plight that they are willing to take money from the rest of us and distribute it to the poor.  There are several inconsistencies between liberal words and actions.  Firstly, there are a lot of big time liberals that are wealthy.  Are they not part of the evil top 1% that Occupy Wall Street was railing against last year?  Secondly, liberals are often not particularly charitable with their own money.

Tax records show that Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, had $407,009 in Adjusted Gross Income in 2013.  They show $20,523 in charitable contributions for the year for 5.0% of their income.  That's a substantial sum, and a lot more than a middle class guy like me could afford.  Of course, this is up quite a bit over the previous five years:

• 2013    AGI = $407,009    Charity = $20,523  5.0%
• 2012    AGI = $385,072    Charity = $7,190    1.9%
• 2011    AGI = $379,035    Charity = $5,540    1.5%
• 2010    AGI = $379,178    Charity = $5,350    1.4%
• 2009    AGI = $333,182    Charity = $4,820    1.4%
• 2008    AGI = $269,256    Charity = $1,885    0.7%

In 2013, Barack and Michelle Obama reported an Adjusted Gross Income of $481,098.  Schedule A Itemized Deductions shows that they made $59,251 in charitable contributions, or 12.3% of the AGI.  That is certainly a very respectable amount.  Reportedly, the President and Mrs. Obama have significantly increased their charitable contributions since their income has increased with book royalties.  Here is their charitable history:

• 2013    AGI = $481,098       Charity = $59,251    12.3%
• 2012    AGI = $608,611       Charity = $150,034   24.7%
• 2011    AGI = $789,674       Charity = $172,130   21.8%
• 2010    AGI = $1,728,096    Charity = $245,075   14.2%
• 2009    AGI = $5,505,409    Charity = $329,100    6.0%
• 2008    AGI = $2,656,902    Charity = $172,050    6.5%

This is a very impressive level of contributions by the President.  Of course, he gave the lowest percentages in the years when his income was the highest, but I would have to say that he and Michelle made a concerted effort to increase their giving over time.  Joe and Jill Biden by comparison were giving percentages like the regular folks amongst us.

When you figure the percentage of the federal budget that goes to the poor in the form of Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Earned Income Credits, SNAP/Food Stamps, Section 8 Housing, Welfare, etc. etc.  How much do the rich and middle classes really pay in charitable contributions?  I know that I'm not supposed to consider taxes as charitable giving since I was forced to donate by law.  This makes me feel like the government has taken away my ability to give money joyfully to the poor and needy.  Isn't that ironic.  The MessAPolitico has taken away my right to the satisfaction of charitable giving.