• Welcome to OGBoards 10.0, keep in mind that we will be making LOTS of changes to smooth out the experience here and make it as close as possible functionally to the old software, but feel free to drop suggestions or requests in the Tech Support subforum!

Ask the Tunnels: Did you out-give Vice President Biden (1.5% to charity) in 2011?

Did you give more than 1.5% to charity in 2011?

  • Yes, who only gives 1.5% to others?

    Votes: 23 76.7%

  • No, I'm only generous with other people's money.

    Votes: 7 23.3%
  • Total voters
    30
  • Poll closed .
I don't quite understand how what a person thinks the government should be responsible for and how much a person gives to charity are linked.

It's possible to give a lot to charity and believe in a large role for the government in terms of poverty reduction. It's possible to not give a lot to charity and believe in a large role for the government in terms of poverty reduction. It's possible to give a lot to charity and believe in a small role for the government in terms of poverty reduction. It's possible to not give a lot to charity and believe in a small role for the government in terms of poverty reduction.

Is there something I'm missing here?
 
Stupid move by Biden (and Obama for letting it happen). They've gotta know that conservative guilt would lead to the inevitable "see, we're more compassionate and give more than the liberals -- we care about poor people, dammit" argument -- he could have at least given it to pretend charities like Mitt. That said, it's a one day soundbite that moves no one and only serves to give a small semblance of hope to sad sacks like jhmd.
 
ImTheCaptain said:
didn't read the thread but i'll just drop this here: giving to a church should never count as charity IMO
Click to expand...

Maybe if the church has evidence that they're more of a humanitarian organization than a country club.
 
A couple of quick points:

1. The Vice President and his wife should give more to charity; and
2. The fact the Vice-President and his wife don't give more to charity doesn't make Mitt Romney a better candidate that President Obama.
 
I don't care who you are giving the money to, it still is difficult to write a check to another institution that you receive no tangible benefit for. Pretty embarrassing for Biden to donate a mere penny for every dollar he takes in considering his main concern is supposed to be the downtrodden. Obama giving 20% is legit, because that is real money, and he doesn't have a 200 million cushion to fall back on like Romney. I'll even give Romney credit, because giving 4 million away to anyone shows a lot of character.

You can't trample Romney for being out of touch, greedy, etc.... and not condemn Biden for a 1.5% charitable giving rate. Either condemn both or condemn neither. I tend to condemn both. As an American I am proud of Obama's charitable record both in personal action and in financial donation. Both Romney's personal financial record and Biden's giving record are an embarrassment in my opinion.
 
I would be interested to hear BFK's take on Biden's absence of giving. He obviously has a huge issue with Romney's greed. Seems that Biden has a pretty gaping hole in his armor of generosity.
 
Wrangor said:
I don't care who you are giving the money to, it still is difficult to write a check to another institution that you receive no tangible benefit for. Pretty embarrassing for Biden to donate a mere penny for every dollar he takes in considering his main concern is supposed to be the downtrodden. Obama giving 20% is legit, because that is real money, and he doesn't have a 200 million cushion to fall back on like Romney. I'll even give Romney credit, because giving 4 million away to anyone shows a lot of character.

You can't trample Romney for being out of touch, greedy, etc.... and not condemn Biden for a 1.5% charitable giving rate. Either condemn both or condemn neither. I tend to condemn both. As an American I am proud of Obama's charitable record both in personal action and in financial donation. Both Romney's personal financial record and Biden's giving record are an embarrassment in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Why?
 
Romney makes 10+ million dollars, and pays less taxes than someone making 75k. Then he bases his tax platform that the reason we don't have enough jobs is because taxes are too high on the rich. You don't see any moral incongruity in those set of facts? Kind of like Biden condemning Republicans for not caring for the downtrodden, and claiming that the Republicans want to 'put them back in chains' while at the same time only donating 1.5% of this income to actually help people that are in economic chains.

It is hypocrisy by both politicians at its finest. If you condemn one, you must condemn the other. Or you can simply excuse both. One or the other. Take a stand is all I am saying.
 
I am not making a case for Romney over Obama. Simply making the point that anyone that isn't a partisan hack will recognize the two situations are the exact same. Both make bold broad political claims that do not match up with their personal actions. Do you defend Biden's hypocrisy? Because you certainly hammer Romney over his hypocrisy. I would just like to see a modicum of perspective by some of the board liberals like yourself on this.

Romney is going to lose, that is pretty obvious to me. So I don't think has any real electoral significance. It is the principle of the debate. If you are going to hammer Romney for his hypocrisy then you must do the same for Biden. If not then you are a hypocrite, because you are turning a blind a eye merely because you are a partisan hack. Are you are a partisan hack, or can you look at a politician objectively and view the facts for what they are. This seems like and easy situation to admit your guy is wrong and move on. Yet I see a whole lot of explaining and not a lot of reality by the left on this thread.

I give a lot of credit to a guy like BSD that simply says...'yeah, you have a point...not enough to change my vote, but this is poor form by Biden' and moves on. Instead of trying to deflect the criticism back onto Romney.
 
Wrangor said:
Romney makes 10+ million dollars, and pays less taxes than someone making 75k. Then he bases his tax platform that the reason we don't have enough jobs is because taxes are too high on the rich. You don't see any moral incongruity in those set of facts? Kind of like Biden condemning Republicans for not caring for the downtrodden, and claiming that the Republicans want to 'put them back in chains' while at the same time only donating 1.5% of this income to actually help people that are in economic chains.

It is hypocrisy by both politicians at its finest. If you condemn one, you must condemn the other. Or you can simply excuse both. One or the other. Take a stand is all I am saying.
Click to expand...

I can see that, but why bifurcate Romney's contributions: 2/3's go to charity, 1/3 goes to government. It seems to me that if you take the aggregate, he's well on his way to meeting his moral obligations? Bare minimum Biden? Not so much.
 
how much did romney give to non-lds charities?
 
The truth is Biden didn't give much to charity, but he has spent nearly forty years in public life working to improve the lives of poor, nearly poor and people in need.

I'll put it bluntly. Joe Biden has helped those who needed help in our country far more than Mitt Romney ever will.

Add to that Romney's policies would be devastating to people in the middle class and below.
 
The ultimate rationalization.

Ted Kennedy killed somebody? It's OK, he passed a bunch of legislation so it makes up for it.
 
Get a hobby.....the object is who helped the poor more.....it's a no contest.
 
i have a hard time saying how much someone should give to charity. i also don't really value charitable giving to a church that demands it to eschew taxes. $5,000 sure seems like very little, though.
 
Tell all the kids on Pell Grants the politicians who created it and kept it going isn't helping.

Tell all the families who wouldn't eat without food stamps, they aren't being helped.

There are many, many other examples.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top