Anti-Philanthropy "Times" by Thomas E. Brewton

The New York Times is distressed that private philanthropists can give money to any charity they choose. Only an all-knowing Federal government is capable, says the Times, of making wise decisions about dispensing money to achieve social justice.

The flip side of American private largess is the stinginess of the public sector. Philanthropic contributions in the United States--about $300 billion in 2006--probably exceed those of any other country. By contrast, America’s tax take is nearly the lowest in the industrial world. Federal, state and local tax collections amount to just more than 25.5 percent of the nation’s economic output. The Finnish government collects 48.8 percent. As a result, the United States spends less on social programs than virtually every other rich industrial country, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

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