FrontPage magazine.com :: Who's a "Penny Pincher"? by Dick Morris

FrontPage magazine.com :: Who's a "Penny Pincher"? by Dick Morris: "But Americans are, in fact, very generous. Last year, we donated more than $240 billion to charity � about $800 per person, or in Mr. Kristof's terms, almost $2.19 per day, per person. Kristof only counts the 2 percent of that sum that goes directly for earmarked donations for foreign philanthropy. He disregards the vast amount of money spent to help the Third World by American charitable, religious and philanthropic organizations that are not exclusively dedicated to foreign activity. Nor does he include any mention of the altruistic volunteer work by Americans that benefits the needy throughout the world.

For example, 60 percent of all charitable private donations in the U.S. go to churches and religious groups. A large part of this money goes overseas, much of it to the Third World. In addition, much of the money Americans give to educational charities (7 percent of total contributions) winds up funding scholarships for foreign students. Funds given to promote health care (7 percent), human resources (9 percent) and the environment (3 percent) also find their way overseas. No other nation comes close to our total private-sector philanthropic giving. "