The American Spectator

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br> Communications Director br> Maryland Democratic Party /p> p> GERSON TO PERSON CALLS br> Re: W. James Antle III's Selfish Old Party : /p> p>The reason conservatives give is they recognize that they are blessed by their ability to create wealth, whether business owner or wage earner, have traded their time, skill, intelligence for money and cannot get it back, and know that misfortune and other situations require the need for a hand up to the community around them (local, state, national and/or global). They give liberally to causes they believe in to help their fellow man, woman and child. However, to a person or company, you can bet they give when they believe they have some say in what their money buys, in essence, they have some feeling of control. They give to the United Way (we can debate the merits of that later) because they "see" the effects of their giving, if United Way squanders the money, they give someplace else the next time around. They have some sense of ownership or control of the money they have given. When you earn the money the old fashioned way, you give the old fashioned way. No one likes the thought of giving to an amorphous, unaccountable, and uncaring behemoth like the government, but to a local charity, certainly. Americans will give to the Red Cross for disasters in record numbers, but let the Red Cross squander it, it will disappear. As the Gipper might say, Give, but verify. br> -- Bill Elsasser br> St. Louis, Missouri /p>

I'm not an "antigovernment conservative" but my wallet can't tell the difference between a Liberal Democrat or Compassionate Conservative Republican government tax. My company gave me a $500.00 bonus for Christmas and I will get the use of 64% of that thanks to the marginal income tax rate I have and Social Security/Medicare taxes I pay. I've paid in over $140,000 to Social Security since 1968 and over $33,000 to Medicare having started out at Government-mandated minimum wage in my career field. The imputed compounded value of my Social Security taxes at 3% till I retire in 2018 would be over $500,000.00. At historical Market rates that would be almost $3,000,000.00. Likewise the money I've paid into Medicare and my own medical insurance programs by then would cover several families' life time medical bills. What the Social Security Administration promises back in return starting at age 66 plus the typical Medicare payout for retired persons redefines the word "thief".

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