Good inspiring article on private efforts to help others. We don't even have to look to India to find a great number of givers, even among this Activist List. By contrast, nowadays we find government "assistance" everywhere. This is an interesting bunch of statistics that can illustrate my point http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/02/2012-index-of-dependence-on-government
We are no longer talking about the destitute and the very low middle class that in the old days before the rise of government assistance were served by private charity. Today, even the non-profits that we give to and volunteer for based on our belief in private giving receive funding from the government and often cannot survive without it. Today, we have the San Francisco Trust Fund to give away tons of tax dollars for middle class folks to purchase homes.
The idea is that of course we continue to advocate charity over government largess, but perhaps be more cognizant that realistically there is no evidence to support our saying that private charity can replace the current level of government assistance, and progressives know that!
So, I will continue to reach out to the left, but will not abandon my efforts to reach out to the right, who have a lot to loose as the welfare state continues to grow. In other words, I will continue to look to present realities, as well as future hopes.
This issue is not idle discussion in my view; it is Activist strategy that someday we might want to really face!
Marcy