The Incredible Stinginess of those Who Want to Give Away Your Money

The Democrats, bent on the destruction of their party, hurl themselves closer and closer to socialism with every passing week. 

They deny this progression.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi shunned the label. “I don’t accept any characterization of our party presented by the Republicans,” she said.  “So let me reject that right now.”

“The Democratic Party is not a socialist party,” a defensive Rep. Maxine Waters told CNBC’s John Harwood, before going on to affirm that Bernie Sanders – who’s done all he can to make socialism cool again – is just “basically a Democrat.”

Massachusetts Democrat Sen. Warren seemed irritated at having to defend her ideological worldview, “I am a capitalist,” she said.  “Come on. I believe in markets.”  

But she should forgive us for wondering about their party’s direction. 

After the rise of Sanders, the Democrats elevated freshman Congressperson Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as the next “fresh face” of their party.  Party Chairman Tom Perez cheerily declared AOC was the future of their party.  Plus, hopeful Democrat candidates are always using socialist buzz words, encouraging Medicare for all, government-guaranteed jobs, and basic universal income.

They want you to pay attention to what they say, but they don’t want you to look too closely at what they actually do.  As much as the Democrats talk about President Donald Trump’s tax returns, they sure do have a problem when their leaders release what happens in their own financial lives.

Remember when Mitt Romney (who is now a Republican Senator representing Utah) released his tax returns and the sheer vastness of his charity caused mouths to hang open?  In 2012, it was revealed that he had given away 29% of his (relatively large) income.  A practicing member of the Latter Day Saints church, his giving is a reflection of his deeply held beliefs.

But what about all of the kind-hearted Democrats?  After all, they throw shade at Republicans all the time – especially Sen. Romney – for being out-of-touch, wealthy elites.  They characterize them as virtual Scrooge McDucks, swimming in pools of dollar bills while the poor in America go hungry.

As the Democratic candidates begin revealing their tax info, however, it is obvious that the Democrats have it exactly backward.  The candidates who talk so much about caring for the poorest among us clutch their wallets more tightly than anyone I know.

Former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke and his wife gave $1,166 away of their 2018 $370,412 income.

“That’s one-third of 1 percent,” reported Joanie Greve and Mariana Alfaro in the Washington Post.  And last year’s charitable giving by prominent Democrats was similarly stingy.  Here are some highlights of their research:

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and his wife earned $566,000 last year, but gave only $19,000 to charity — a mere 3.4 percent.  (Worse, he gave away only $10,600 in 2016 after earning $1,062,626.)

California Sen. Kamala Harris and her husband gave $27,000 of their $1.9 million, which comes down to only 1.4 percent.  (During the first three years of her time as California’s attorney general, according to the information she released, she gave precisely $0.)

Sen. Warren is the most generous, even though she and her husband donated $50,000 last year of their annual haul of $906,000. At 5.5 percent, that’s a little more than half of what many evangelicals give to their churches as tithes.

I’m not the “charitable giving police,” but it is very telling that the party that claims the mantle of compassion holds onto their money even though the make much more than the average American.  This reminds me of Margaret Thatcher’s great quote delivered during an interview in 1976.

“Socialist governments traditionally do make a financial mess,” she said.  “They always run out of other people’s money.”

Exactly.  Don’t let Democrats give away your money.  Chances are, you can handle that better than they can.

“Do as I say, not as I do” doesn’t even work with parents lecturing toddlers.  It definitely won’t work with the American voters.

Image Credit: WikiCommons