Southerners more charitable?

[dazzleman]

Yeah, northerners pay more in taxes and living expenses. Our taxes go to subsidize the ungreatful people in the south.

it's "ungrateful," not "ungreatful" 

[dazzleman]

We've been over this topic before.  The conclusion reached at that time is that Southerners, on average, go to church more than those in, say, New England, and given that every single time you go to church, it's suggested that you donate some money, it makes sense that churchgoers would be more charitable than non-churchgoers.

A better thing to measure, in my opinion, that would really measure the level of charitability, would be the rate of completely voluntary, non-prompted donations, such as donations to the Red Cross or something like that.

Of course, there are also other arguments given by the Boston Foundation for why this measure is not a good one that you seem to have ignored.

Honestly Gabu, I'm not at all sure that there is a significantly lower level of church attendance in northern than in southern states.  I think this aspect of the so-called blue-red divide has been seriously exaggerated.

[dazzleman]

I love it how socialists like JFraud are total hypocrites when it comes to their idea of "wealth redistribution".

It is kind of funny actually.  All for redistribution of wealth until it is redistributed AWAY from them, and then they hate it.

I have often made the same point as jfern about the fact that a high income in one section of the country is not worth the same amount as a high income in another section.  I am well aware of the fact that people who live in high income states are effectively penalized with a higher level of taxes for their standard of living than people in lower income states with a lower cost of living.  A person making $75,000 per year, as an example, would be struggling to get by in New York if he/she had to raise a family, and very well off in Mississippi, yet they'd both be taxed the same, other than the deduction for state and local taxes, which would be higher in New York.

But since it's the Democrats who often argue that anybody making more than $50,000 per year is fabulously rich, I think jfern is barking up the wrong tree.  Also, the people in the higher income areas (i.e., New York, California) have voted for high taxes repeatedly, so it's not too easy to sympathize with their plight.

[dazzleman]

We've been over this topic before.  The conclusion reached at that time is that Southerners, on average, go to church more than those in, say, New England, and given that every single time you go to church, it's suggested that you donate some money, it makes sense that churchgoers would be more charitable than non-churchgoers.

A better thing to measure, in my opinion, that would really measure the level of charitability, would be the rate of completely voluntary, non-prompted donations, such as donations to the Red Cross or something like that.

Of course, there are also other arguments given by the Boston Foundation for why this measure is not a good one that you seem to have ignored.

Honestly Gabu, I'm not at all sure that there is a significantly lower level of church attendance in northern than in southern states.  I think this aspect of the so-called blue-red divide has been seriously exaggerated.

Attendence (sort of) by county: http://www.valpo.edu/geomet/pics/geo200/religion/adherents.gif

Look how high southern New England is

Thanks, man.  Not surprising at all to me.  I think this is further indication that the so-called cultural divide based on geography alone has been exaggerated.