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italics/bold mine:Yesterday the news was full of accounts of the Clintons' 2000-2006 tax returns. At the top of the stories -- as in the "deep background" report by Andrea Mitchell and the NBC investigative unit -- reporting their total income of $108 million over the past eight years (including 2007) was their $10 million in contributions to charity. The stories appear to be based in large part on the summary provided by the Clinton campaign, rather than on the returns themselves. Here is the summary's description of the Clintons' charitable contributions: CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS: $10,256,741 The Clintons donated $10,256,741 to charity...

Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign released their tax forms from 2000-2007 Thursday, which showed the Clintons earned more than $100 million in that time period and donated $10 million of that to their own charity. The Clinton campaign reports donating $10,256,741 to the CFF between 2000 and 2006. During that time, CFF dispersed $2,530,100 in money to other charities and causes. The names of other persons who donated to the CFF are not required to be disclosed. Over the years, the CFF gave $80,000 to the Clinton Birthplace Foundation Inc., $20,000 to the Shakespeare Theatre, $40,000 to the School of the...

Residents of Austin, Texas, home of the state's government and flagship university, have very refined social consciences, if they do say so themselves, and they do say so, speaking via bumper stickers. Don R. Willett, a justice of the state Supreme Court, has commuted behind bumpers proclaiming "Better a Bleeding Heart Than None at All," "Practice Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Beauty," "The Moral High Ground Is Built on Compassion," "Arms Are For Hugging," "Will Work (When the Jobs Come Back From India)," "Jesus Is a Liberal," "G-d Wants Spiritual Fruits, Not Religious Nuts," "The Road to Hell Is...

This is why politicians don't like to release their tax returns! Bloomberg News crunches the numbers on Sen. Barack and Michelle Obama's newly-released tax returns and finds: "The Obamas' donations to all recipients totaled $2,350 in 2000, $1,470 in 2001, $1,050 in 2002, $3,400 in 2003, and $2,500 in 2004. They also paid federal taxes totaling $311,044 during the same period on their $1.2 million of income."

3/25/2008 - BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- A Bagram Air Base Airman is making a difference for servicemembers and their families as she has one of the most difficult jobs in the area of responsibility. Senior Airman Sekina Moye, a services journeyman assigned to the 755th Air Expeditionary Group, is filling a six-month in-lieu-of tasking with Bagram's Mortuary Affairs. She is the only Air Force member of the five-person Army team who processes the remains of U.S. and coalition fallen heroes. "I was scared. I had never done this aspect of services," said Airman Moye, who is deployed from...

Tight-wads.

If you make your home in Texas, you can’t escape them. They are everywhere these days, hurriedly promising bounty to all within range of their voices. Even their printed matter is filled with pledges of greater public funding. The Democrat contenders for the Oval Office will GIVE everyone healthcare. They will GIVE everyone a meaningful education. They will GIVE those who are about to lose their homes, protection. They will GIVE those on the border and across the nation security. They will GIVE the illegal alien his or her unearned path to citizenship. The only thing wrong with all these...

The CEO of a Utah company surprised some lucky Utah National Guard members with a special "tour of duty": a seven day cruise to Bermuda. The Utah-based scrapbook company Stampin' Up donated 85 cruise cabins to the guard to thank the soldiers for their service. The unsuspecting winners received the good news today. One guardsman felt overwhelmed by the unexpected gift. "This has been kind of a dream come true. We've been married 22 years and I've been trying to get my wife on a cruise, just a three- or five-day cruise," Lt. Col. David Osborne said. Many of the...

Over the last decade, former President Bill Clinton has raised more than $500 million for his foundation, allowing him to build a glass-and-steel presidential library in Little Rock, Ark., and burnish his image as an impresario of global philanthropy. The foundation has closely guarded the identities of its donors — including one who gave $31.3 million last year. Now, the secrecy surrounding the William J. Clinton Foundation has become a campaign issue as Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton seeks the Democratic presidential nomination with her husband as a prime source of strategy and star power. Some of her rivals argue that...

The stereotype holds that conservatives are mean and don't care about the poor, and that liberals who do care for the poor give more. But in his book, Who Really Cares, economist Arthur Brooks says that's not the case. "The average conservative-headed household gives 30 percent more money to charity than the average liberal-headed household, despite earning six percent less income," Brooks said. Brooks also found that the biggest givers in America are religious people from traditional families. "If there's one question I can ask you that will predict more than any other whether or not you're going to be...

Can you put a price on faith? That is the question churchgoers are asking as the tradition of tithing -- giving 10% of your income to the church -- is increasingly challenged. Opponents of tithing say it is a misreading of the Bible, a practice created by man, not God. They say they should be free to donate whatever amount they choose, and they are arguing with pastors, writing letters and quitting congregations in protest. In response, some pastors have changed their teaching and rejected what has been a favored form of fund raising for decades. The backlash comes as...

"Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.” - Psalm 95 A 7-year-old can find lots of things to do with rocks. They're good for stacking, throwing, pounding and keeping, among other things. “I collect the rocks and sell them so people can get food when they need it,” said 7-year-old Caden Stufflebeam. “I just sit down on the sidewalk so people can buy them when they come by. I thought it would be nice.” Caden's collection of rocks for sale won't put any jewelers out of business. He's got a stripy one with green tints,...

CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan (Nov. 2, 2007) -- Coordinators and volunteers with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program on Okinawa will be working overtime during the holiday season to extend the reach of the 60-year-old charity in the region. Reserve Marines, activated specifically for Toys for Tots support, are scheduled to begin their 2007 toy collection drive during ceremonies at post exchanges on Camp Foster and Kadena Air Base Nov. 3. This year, program officials added Thailand and Guam to their area of responsibility, according to Staff Sgt. Suzette Smith, a coordinator with Okinawa’s Toys for Tots....

WASHINGTON (RNS)—The numbers prove it: Southerners are more generous to their churches, while lagging in other categories of giving. Using data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a new study by empty tomb inc. shows that in 2005, Southerners gave an average $816.81 per household to church and religious organizations while Northeasterners gave only $453.84. And the South has been outpacing the Northeast in religious giving almost 20 years. “One point that often ‘defends’ the Northeast is that the region has higher living expenses,” said Sylvia Ronsvalle, executive vice president of empty tomb, a Christian research organization in...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2007 – Military families have a new partner in their efforts to understand and cope with having a loved one in a battle zone. The Blewitt Foundation focuses on helping children experiencing loss, serious injury or related anxiety or fear. “Our primary mission is to provide special comfort, enjoyment and enrichment opportunities for U.S. military families … through partnerships with unique recreational and educational programs,” said Joe Cantafio, the foundation’s vice president of programs. “The cornerstone of our family-based program is fun, but not just any kind of fun,” he said. “The Blewitt Foundation provides all-expense-paid...

LAS VEGAS - News conferences, a slew of felony charges, a perp walk in handcuffs and detention in a holding cell without bail — it's clear authorities aren't giving O.J. Simpson any celebrity breaks. Police insist such treatment is prudent for a man whose name is synonymous with a slow-speed chase from officers in a white Ford Bronco. But legal experts are questioning whether Simpson is being singled out for extra-tough prosecution in his casino-hotel robbery case as payback for his murder acquittal more than a decade ago. "It is regrettable that America has not gotten over the O.J. Simpson...

NEW YORK (AP) - Former President Clinton will appear on Oprah Winfrey's TV talk show next Tuesday, Sept. 4, his first interview to promote "Giving," a book on philanthropy and civic action coming out the same day. Clinton's appearance was announced Monday in an e-mail - "The first interview about his new passion!" - sent to members of Winfrey's book club. Winfrey, who interviewed Clinton in 2004 for his memoir "My Life," has good reason to think highly of the new book. "Giving" praises Winfrey's "Angel Network," which has donated millions of dollars around the world, from money for schools...

Bill Clinton Book Out Sept. 4 Jul 10 12:38 PM US/Eastern By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) - Former President Clinton's planned book on citizen activism, "Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World," will come out Sept. 4 with a first printing of 750,000, publisher Alfred A. Knopf announced Tuesday. Clinton, whose memoir "My Life" was a million seller, will tour nationwide to promote the book and will narrate the audio version. "I've done my best in this book to demonstrate what I've seen firsthand through my (William J. Clinton) Foundation's work in Africa and...

NEW YORK -- 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. Giving historically tracks the health of...

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. Giving historically tracks the health of the overall economy,...

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.

WASHINGTON, June 8, 2007 – For one Connecticut troop-support group, it’s all about giving back to those who sacrifice so much for their country and making sure servicemembers know those at home care. Servicemembers enjoy their Hawaiian luau compliments of Give2TheTroops. The organization sends care packages and letters to troops serving in combat zones around the world, and makes every effort to fulfill special requests, such as the luau. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. In fulfilling its mission, “Give2TheTroops” works to support the physical, moral and spiritual well-being of servicemembers deployed to combat zones around the...

A small book on how to lead a more generous life by pastor Brian Kluth is something of a "publishing miracle" that is being ordered by churches and denominations across the United States and around the world. "A 40-day Spiritual Journey to a More Generous Life" has 100,000 copies in print in nine months. One publisher, David Neff of Christianity Today, said "anytime you get 100,000 copies of any book into the churches, you're making some impact. Doing so in a 9-month period is spectacular." Hundreds of churches are ordering copies for every family. Denominations are sending copies to every...

You might remember the fact, reported ad nauseam in the mainstream press last year, that Vice President Dick Cheney's 2005 tax return showed he had a family income of $8.8 million. This was due in no small part from stock options from a variety of companies, including the much-vilified Halliburton Corp. This fact provoked howls of outrage from many of Mr. Cheney's critics, who claimed it was evidence of what one syndicated columnist has called an "autocratic, plutocratic regime." Significantly less-frequently reported last year was this datum: Mr. and Mrs. Cheney gave 78% of their 2005 income to charity. That's...

REVIEW OF: Who Really Cares: America’s Charity Divide—Who Gives, Who Doesn’t, and Why It Matters by Arthur C. Brooks (Basic Books, 250 pp., $26.00) It’s tempting to say that Arthur Brooks, in his definitive new book on American charitable giving, has shown that there is nothing oxymoronic about the term “compassionate conservative.” That, at least, is the conclusion that critics have drawn from Brooks’s demonstration that conservatives, despite the myth that they lack compassion, give significantly more to charity than liberals do. But in fact Brooks has shown something even more significant: that “compassionate conservative” is not only overly defensive,...

Charitable Nation America, the generous. By Jonah Goldberg Americans are better people than Europeans. Hold on, it gets better. Religious Americans are better than non-religious Americans. And religious Americans tend to be politically conservative. This admittedly tendentious rendering of reality is how some on the right are interpreting Who Really Cares? by Arthur Brooks, a professor of public administration at Syracuse University. Brooks doesn’t really deal with what makes one person “better” or “worse” than any other. But it’s fair to say that how much a person gives — of either his money or time — is usually considered an...

Republicans give a bigger share of their incomes to charity, says a prominent economistIt's been a tough month for conservatives, with the Republican Party losing control of both houses of Congress, but a new book being released this week may help brighten their spirits.  In Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism (Basic Books), Arthur C. Brooks finds that religious conservatives are far more charitable than secular liberals, and that those who support the idea that government should redistribute income are among the least likely to dig into their own wallets to help others.  Some of his findings...

Hello! I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year! If you are a fellow FReeper that happens to be having some financial difficulties this year, which might prevent you from making this a joyous time for your children, then please let me know your situation in private email. I’ve limited funds but I’ll help whomever I can. And I promise to keep your situation and whatever help I may be able to provide forever private. I do have a few conditions: 1) Your request must be made by private email. 2) You have to have been...

One of the most pervasive political visions of our time is the vision of liberals as compassionate and conservatives as less caring. It is liberals who advocate "forgiveness" of loans to Third World countries, a "living wage" for the poor and a "safety net" for all. But these are all government policies -- not individual acts of compassion -- and the actual empirical consequences of such policies are of remarkably little interest to those who advocate them. ...snip... A new book, titled "Who Really Cares" by Arthur C. Brooks examines the actual behavior of liberals and conservatives when it comes...

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse University professor Arthur C. Brooks is about to become the darling of the religious right in America -- and it's making him nervous. The child of academics, raised in a liberal household and educated in the liberal arts, Brooks has written a book that concludes religious conservatives donate far more money than secular liberals to all sorts of charitable activities, irrespective of income. In the book, he cites extensive data analysis to demonstrate that values advocated by conservatives -- from church attendance and two-parent families to the Protestant work ethic and a distaste for government-funded social...

By Robert MacMillan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Billionaire investor Warren Buffett is donating a total of $37 billion -- most of his personal fortune -- to a foundation started by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and to several family foundations, making it the largest-ever individual charitable gift in the United States. Buffett, 75, is the chief executive of investment firm Berkshire Hathaway. He is worth an estimated $44 billion, according to Forbes magazine, making him the second-richest man behind Gates, who is worth about $50 billion. The $37 billion comprises about 85 percent of Buffett's fortune. In a letter to the...

N.Y. State attorney general candidate Andrew Cuomo made 710-thousand dollars last year as a partner in a real estate investment firm and from investments. That's according to documents provided by his campaign. A summary of his 2005 income shows that Cuomo, the elder son of former Governor Mario Cuomo, was paid 545-thousand dollars as a vice president with Island Capital Group, a luxury marina firm. He has yet to file his tax return for 2005 and has requested an extension. Cuomo's campaign says his estimated state and federal tax liability for the year was 270-thousand dollars. The records, made available...

When the U.N.'s Jan Egeland called the U.S. "stingy" with foreign aid a couple of years back, he was playing to a stereotype promoted by those who want governments to redistribute global incomes. He was also wrong, and now we have the data to prove it. The Hudson Institute recently released the 2006 Index of Global Philanthropy, the first comprehensive report on international aid by private institutions and individuals in the U.S. The index shows that millions of Americans give to the world's poor at a rate that is anything but "stingy." Voluntary giving by Americans dwarfs government aid the...

Let Vice President Cheney unload a hail of buckshot - and it makes mainstream media headlines as a defining moment is his failed vice presidency. Let him file his federal tax return and it is reported by CBS News that "Cheney tops Bush in the battle of the bucks." Let him donate what was the largest amount of bucks in history to charity by any public servant, and you guessed it - nary a headline. But then again it was a paltry $6.87 million, more than three-quarters of the reported income of the Cheneys. Read this again: The Cheneys gave...

ROANOKE, Va. -- When a couple left a huge tip on the table at Roanoke restaurant, their waitress figured it had to be a joke. They left $1,000 to cover a bill of $26.35. With it was a note saying "Keep the change! Have a great day." The gift left waitress Amanda Newkirk teary with excitement. But the 19-year-old, who's seven months pregnant, couldn't figure out why she'd been given such a generous tip -- 10 $100 bills. A couple of days later, she got her answer. A 28-year-old widow called Newkirk's boss to say she'd and her fiance had...

Love the Big Apple, but Where’s Their Customer Service? © Rabbi Daniel Lapin New York, I am convinced, is the nation’s capital for appalling customer service. New Yorkers will tell you with pride that this is the famous New York attitude. Well I have just returned from another trip to New York and I don’t like the famous New York attitude. Make no mistake, I enjoy visiting New York. While there I inevitably encounter many stimulating minds and meet many charming people. For the most part, though, being a customer in New York is to be subjected to surliness. This...

...But Turner was barely 60, and still behaving like a man of 30, when he pledged $1 billion to rescue the United Nations from debt and disrepute in 1999.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2006 – The Defense Department raised a record-high $15.1 million in the 2005 Combined Federal Campaign, exceeding the department's goal by $2.3 million. DoD recognized its organizations for their fundraising efforts today at the Combined Federal Campaign awards ceremony in the Pentagon. "By all of these contributions, you have enabled the Department of Defense to maintain its distinction as the largest single charitable organization in the world," Michael B. Donley, director of administration and management for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, said to the ceremony participants. DoD participation in the Combined Federal Campaign was 60...

Why We Give Gifts, by Edward Hudgins, Executive Director, The Objectivist Center & The Atlas Society, ehudgins@objectivistcenter.org, One year I gave my then-young nephew who was in the first years of elementary school a rock for Christmas. Not just any old rock but a piece of sandstone from a science store. In it were embedded fossils, shells and other little surprises. But you couldn't just take a hammer, smash it to pieces and extract your prizes. The rock came with little scraping and brushing tools and, like a paleontologist, you had to slowly and methodically scrape away the rock. It...

Bank charity supports liberal critics By Eric Heyl TRIBUNE-REVIEW Saturday, December 17, 2005 Citigroup Inc., one of the world's largest financial services companies, operates under this slogan: "Live Richly." But the company's foundation frequently donates money to organizations opposed not only to such a philosophy, but also to the marketplace under which Citibank has prospered. Those findings were unearthed in the December issue of Foundation Watch, a publication of the Capital Research Center. The Washington, D.C.-based center monitors nonprofits. The Citigroup Foundation and Citigroup businesses gave more than $100 million to charitable causes in 2004. The foundation made more than...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — We tell ourselves it's the thought that counts. We say it again and again like a mantra: It's the thought that counts. Still, when it comes time to open a holiday gift from a certain (unnamed) gift-giver, we steel ourselves for the possibility that the present will probably be a stinker. We suspect it's going to end up in a drawer, or maybe the trash can, just like the last gift they gave — and the gift before that, and the gift before that. You see, there are bad gift givers among us. They could...

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Eighty-three percent of U.S. adults have contributed to a charity in the past 12 months, many to help natural disaster victims. Eighty-one percent say they give to charities to help others less fortunate or to make a difference, and 75 percent think it's the right thing to do, the Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Personal Finance poll of 2,086 adults found. More than one in five say they give to set an example, while 17 percent say they are interested in the tax deduction and 4 percent say they feel pressured into giving. The...

The scene has been repeated more than 50 times: NFL running back Warrick Dunn opening the doors of a brand new house to single mothers. Tuesday, it was Yolanda Blount's turn to marvel at her house in St. Petersburg. Dunn began his Homes for the Holidays in 1997 to honor his mother, Betty Smothers, a law officer killed in the line of duty. "I'm always blessed to be in this position to help people," Dunn said in Holiday, where he presented a home to Nancy Bevilacqua. "It keeps you humble."

A Look at Charitable Giving State-By-State PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- Here are the latest Generosity Index rankings based on 2003 tax data, followed by average adjusted gross income and average itemized charitable contribution, with the previous year's ranking in parenthesis: 1. Mississippi $34,720; $4,770; (1). 2. Arkansas $36,882; $4,890; (2). 3. South Dakota $37,698; $4,318; (7). 4. Oklahoma $38,344; $4,350; (3). 5. Tennessee $41,140; $5,564; (6). 6. Alabama $39,730; $4,555; (5). 7. Louisiana $37,701; $4,180 (4). 8. Utah $42,291; $6,124; (8). 9. South Carolina $39,301; $4,121; (9). 10. West Virginia $35,771; $3,614; (13). 11. Idaho $38,507; $3,709; (10). 12. Texas...

11/28/2005 - INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey (AFPN) -- Giving and receiving are the hallmarks of the holiday season. If you don't believe it, ask the aerial porters here who receive an average of 600,000 pounds of cargo every day and give the warfighters in Iraq "gifts" they can use. "When airlift operations at Frankfurt (Germany) closed, Incirlik ops ramped up significantly," said 1st Lt. Jim Burnham of the 728th Air Mobility Squadron. "We rely on the Reserve force to come in and augment us." Of the 250-person team, 100 of the aerial porters are Reservists deployed for 30 to 120...

Liberals would have us believe that they are much more caring and giving than conservatives. Well the recently released 2005 Generosity Index blows that theory out of the water. As a matter of fact, the top ranking for a Red State in this survey is 26th! Read More... Craig DeLuz Visit The Home of Uncommon Sense... www.craigdeluz.com

PORTLAND, Maine --Tight-fisted New Englanders traditionally rank at the bottom in an annual index of charitable giving and this year was no exception. But upper-income Mainers stood out as paragons of generosity. New Hampshire was the most miserly state for the fourth year running and the seventh year in the past nine, according to the Catalogue of Philanthropy. Massachusetts was runner-up in parsimony and Rhode Island and Connecticut also were among the half-dozen stingiest.

PORTLAND, Maine — New Englanders remain among the most tightfisted in the country when it comes to charitable giving while Bible Belt residents are among the most generous, according to an annual index. For the fourth year running, New Hampshire was the most miserly state, according to the Catalogue of Philanthropy's Generosity Index. Mississippi remained at the top for generosity. The index, which takes into account both "having" and "giving," is based on average adjusted gross incomes and the value of itemized charitable donations reported to the Internal Revenue Service on 2003 tax returns, the latest available. However, its methodology...

NEW YORK, NY November 17, 2004 —Intel Corp. co-founder Gordon E. Moore and his wife, Betty, have achieved the unthinkable, unseating Bill and Melinda Gates from their usual No.1 perch on BusinessWeek’s fourth annual list of the 50 Most Generous Philanthropists. The Moores, like a growing number of big givers, take a businesslike approach to philanthropy. Rather than throwing money at problems, they try to ensure the most productive use of their dollars by funding projects they believe can produce “significant and measurable” results. This desire for accountability is one of the most important themes in this year’s top 50...

About 8 years ago my siblings and I decided to donate the money we would normally spend on one another at Christmas to a charity of choice that would be rotated among the 4 of us each year. Seeing as how this was my year I chose a group called Operation Enduring Christmas (http://www.operationensuringchristmas.org) which allows people to donate or raise money for military families who have lost loved ones in Iraq or Afghanistan. Plenty of other organizations out there who support military families as well. I posted this to start a discussion of how other people out there choose...