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Freedom vs. Free Stuff: Why are some areas more charitable than others?

August 21, 2012
Wilson

Writer

Those who listen to Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Barack Obama most likely believe think that Republicans hate the poor, that people who oppose raising taxes on the rich are greedy and don’t want to help those in need, and those opposed to Obamacare don’t care about sick people - right?

While those are all great surface-level talking points for a Democrat trying to win an election, they’re wildly inaccurate.

The latest in a long line of evidence disproving this comes from a recent study showing that red states give more to charity than blue states:

“It seems those in the U.S. who back Obama for president are among the least generous when it comes to supporting charities.

While a recent Democrat ad had a conservative government pushing granny over a cliff in her wheelchair, it turns out Red states, those with a Republican/Independent conservative base, are more generous to charities.

Conversely, the surveys shows those in the U.S. who back Obama for president are among the least generous when it comes to supporting charities according to a new study published Monday.

Eight states that supported Sen. John McCain over Barack Obama gave highest share of their income to charities. Conversely, the seven least generous states went for President Barack Obama in 2008. The study was done by Chronicle of Philanthropy from its latest survey of tax data from the IRS for 2008.

Residents in Utah, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Idaho, Arkansas and Georgia, all backers of McCain in 2008, gave the most to the needy. Utah topped the charitable list at 10.6 percent of income.

The states that gave the least to charitable causes are Wisconsin, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire – all Obama supporters in 2008.”

This morning on radio, Glenn analyzed this survey from a different angle than most people will.

“The eight states that gave their highest share of their income: Utah, Mississippi, Arkansas, South Carolina, and Georgia, Idaho, what do they all have in common?” Glenn asked this morning.

They’re all religious states.

Glenn reminded listeners that we have a choice: freedom or free stuff. As Americans look at the problems that lie ahead and the choices the tough choice that will have to be made, the places in the country with the most charitable giving are the areas that will maintain freedom.

“You better live around like-minded people,” Glenn told listeners, “because those in New England will be the first to despair. They won't see the charity in their own circle…The states won't be able to take care of it people will have to learn it all over again.  They'll have to learn I am my brother's keeper not the government.  As these states become more and more desperate they will claw for more and more free stuff which will cause them to be less and less free.”

“I think you should look at this poll in a way of where to live,” he added.

Glenn, who has lived all over the country, most recently Connecticut and New York City, knows first-hand that the south and the mountain west are the places where he is surrounded by like-minded people that take care of each other.

“They will fight the hardest for freedom,” Pat added.

“If you look [at the study], the regions of the country that are deeply religious are more generous than those that are not,” Glenn emphasized. “Two of the top states Utah and Idaho have a high percentage of Mormons, who have a tradition of tithing.  And the rest of the top 10 is the Bible belt. That tells you something.”

Not only does this study give insight to where like-minded people are, Glenn noted that it also tells us why Americans should be standing firm for the Biblical principals in America’s founding and not fold to the increasing attacks on Christianity around the country.

A second study Glenn used to back this up is a list put together to help college professors understand the people they’re about to be teaching. The latest is for students entering college this fall – the majority of which were born around 1994.

“Kurt Cobain, and John Wayne Gacy have always been dead. And they have always lived in cyberspace.  This one is amazing.  I don't know why this is true.  The Biblical sources of terms such as "forbidden fruit," ''the writing on the wall," ''good Samaritan," and "the promised land" are unknown to most of them,” Stu read from the list.

The terms from the Bible are what Glenn was touching on by bringing up this list.

“Most of them are no longer being taught the Bible,” he said. “We are not teaching the Bible.”

Glenn noted the ramifications of a generation not understanding the meaning of these terms.

“Forbidden fruit – so in other words something that looks delicious might be delicious to the taste.  Might smell good, might seem to be good.  It might seem to be good for you, but it's forbidden because it unlocks door you do not want to unlock,” Glenn said. “The forbidden fruit if you can't understand that story of forbidden fruit.  How do you teach?  There are some things in capitalism you don't go down that road.  It might seem like a good deal.  The business school doesn't teach this.  Do they make money in the end or not.  Sometimes it's the forbidden fruit.”

An entire generation was changed by one politicians definition of what sex is just a few years ago with Bill Clinton, it’s concerning to think about the effects these factors will have on this generation on young adults. Looking at the states are Glenn mentioned from the study on charity and the concentration of religious individuals living in them,  the growing attack from the media and the far left on conservative Christians is not likely to take the country in a positive direction.

“Think of a society, of what a generation becomes, without these phrases and knowing what they mean.”

 

 

Britain says “no work without ID”—a chilling preview for America

OLI SCARFF / Contributor | Getty Images

From banking to health care, digital IDs touch every aspect of citizens’ lives, giving the government unprecedented control over everyday actions.

On Friday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stood at the podium at the Global Progressive Action Conference in London and made an announcement that should send a chill down the spine of anyone who loves liberty. By the end of this Parliament, he promised, every worker in the U.K. will be required to hold a “free-of-charge” digital ID. Without it, Britons will not be able to work.

No digital ID, no job.

The government is introducing a system that punishes law-abiding citizens by tying their right to work to a government-issued pass.

Starmer framed this as a commonsense response to poverty, climate change, and illegal immigration. He claimed Britain cannot solve these problems without “looking upstream” and tackling root causes. But behind the rhetoric lies a policy that shifts power away from individuals and places it squarely in the hands of government.

Solving the problem they created

This is progressivism in action. Leaders open their borders, invite in mass illegal immigration, and refuse to enforce their own laws. Then, when public frustration boils over, they unveil a prepackaged “solution” — in this case, digital identity — that entrenches government control.

Britain isn’t the first to embrace this system. Switzerland recently approved a digital ID system. Australia already has one. The World Economic Forum has openly pitched digital IDs as the key to accessing everything from health care to bank accounts to travel. And once the infrastructure is in place, digital currency will follow soon after, giving governments the power to track every purchase, approve or block transactions, and dictate where and how you spend your money.

All of your data — your medical history, insurance, banking, food purchases, travel, social media engagement, tax information — would be funneled into a centralized database under government oversight.

The fiction of enforcement

Starmer says this is about cracking down on illegal work. The BBC even pressed him on the point, asking why a mandatory digital ID would stop human traffickers and rogue employers who already ignore national insurance cards. He had no answer.

Bad actors will still break the law. Bosses who pay sweatshop wages under the table will not suddenly check digital IDs. Criminals will not line up to comply. This isn’t about stopping illegal immigration. If it were, the U.K. would simply enforce existing laws, close the loopholes, and deport those working illegally.

Instead, the government is introducing a system that punishes law-abiding citizens by tying their right to work to a government-issued pass.

Control masked as compassion

This is part of an old playbook. Politicians claim their hands are tied and promise that only sweeping new powers will solve the crisis. They selectively enforce laws to maintain the problem, then use the problem to justify expanding control.

If Britain truly wanted to curb illegal immigration, it could. It is an island. The Channel Tunnel has clear entry points. Enforcement is not impossible. But a digital ID allows for something far more valuable to bureaucrats than border security: total oversight of their own citizens.

The American warning

Think digital ID can’t happen here? Think again. The same arguments are already echoing in Washington, D.C. Illegal immigration is out of control. Progressives know voters are angry. When the digital ID pitch arrives, it will be wrapped in patriotic language about fairness, security, and compassion.

But the goal isn’t compassion. It’s control of your movement, your money, your speech, your future.

We don’t need digital IDs to enforce immigration law. We need leaders with the courage to enforce existing law. Until then, digital ID schemes will keep spreading, sold as a cure for the very problems they helped create.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

The West is dying—Will we let enemies write our ending?

Harvey Meston / Staff | Getty Images

The blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, and soldiers built our civilization. Their sacrifice demands courage in the present to preserve it.

Lamentations asks, “Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?”

That question has been weighing on me heavily. Not just as a broadcaster, but as a citizen, a father, a husband, a believer. It is a question that every person who cares about this nation, this culture, and this civilization must confront: Is all of this worth saving?

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

Western civilization — a project born in Judea, refined in Athens, tested in Rome, reawakened in Wittenberg, and baptized again on the shores of Plymouth Rock — is a gift. We didn’t earn it. We didn’t purchase it. We were handed it. And now, we must ask ourselves: Do we even want it?

Across Europe, streets are restless. Not merely with protests, but with ancient, festering hatred — the kind that once marched under swastikas and fueled ovens. Today, it marches under banners of peace while chanting calls for genocide. Violence and division crack societies open. Here in America, it’s left against right, flesh against spirit, neighbor against neighbor.

Truth struggles to find a home. Even the church is slumbering — or worse, collaborating.

Our society tells us that everything must be reset: tradition, marriage, gender, faith, even love. The only sin left is believing in absolute truth. Screens replace Scripture. Entertainment replaces education. Pleasure replaces purpose. Our children are confused, medicated, addicted, fatherless, suicidal. Universities mock virtue. Congress is indifferent. Media programs rather than informs. Schools recondition rather than educate.

Is this worth saving? If not, we should stop fighting and throw up our hands. But if it is, then we must act — and we must act now.

The West: An idea worth saving

What is the West? It’s not a location, race, flag, or a particular constitution. The West is an idea — an idea that man is made in the image of God, that liberty comes from responsibility, not government; that truth exists; that evil exists; and that courage is required every day. The West teaches that education, reason, and revelation walk hand in hand. Beauty matters. Kindness matters. Empathy matters. Sacrifice is holy. Justice is blind. Mercy is near.

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

If not now, when? If not us, who? If this is worth saving, we must know why. Western civilization is worth dying for, worth living for, worth defending. It was built on the blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, pilgrims, moms, dads, and soldiers. They did not die for markets, pronouns, surveillance, or currency. They died for something higher, something bigger.

MATTHIEU RONDEL/AFP via Getty Images | Getty Images

Yet hope remains. Resurrection is real — not only in the tomb outside Jerusalem, but in the bones of any individual or group that returns to truth, honor, and God. It is never too late to return to family, community, accountability, and responsibility.

Pick up your torch

We were chosen for this time. We were made for a moment like this. The events unfolding in Europe and South Korea, the unrest and moral collapse, will all come down to us. Somewhere inside, we know we were called to carry this fire.

We are not called to win. We are called to stand. To hold the torch. To ask ourselves, every day: Is it worth standing? Is it worth saving?

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Pick up your torch. If you choose to carry it, buckle up. The work is only beginning.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Stop coasting: How self-education can save America’s future

Joe Raedle / Staff | Getty Images

Coasting through life is no longer an option. Charlie Kirk’s pursuit of knowledge challenges all of us to learn, act, and grow every day.

Last year, my wife and I made a commitment: to stop coasting, to learn something new every day, and to grow — not just spiritually, but intellectually. Charlie Kirk’s tragic death crystallized that resolve. It forced a hard look in the mirror, revealing how much I had coasted in both my spiritual and educational life. Coasting implies going downhill. You can’t coast uphill.

Last night, my wife and I re-engaged. We enrolled in Hillsdale College’s free online courses, inspired by the fact that Charlie had done the same. He had quietly completed around 30 courses before I even knew, mastering the classics, civics, and the foundations of liberty. Watching his relentless pursuit of knowledge reminded me that growth never stops, no matter your age.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures.

This lesson is particularly urgent for two groups: young adults stepping into the world and those who may have settled into complacency. Learning is life. Stop learning, and you start dying. To young adults, especially, the college promise has become a trap. Twelve years of K-12 education now leave graduates unprepared for life. Only 35% of seniors are proficient in reading, and just 22% in math. They are asked to bet $100,000 or more for four years of college that will often leave them underemployed and deeply indebted.

Degrees in many “new” fields now carry negative returns. Parents who have already sacrificed for public education find themselves on the hook again, paying for a system that often fails to deliver.

This is one of the reasons why Charlie often described college as a “scam.” Debt accumulates, wages are not what students were promised, doors remain closed, and many are tempted to throw more time and money after a system that won’t yield results. Graduate school, in many cases, compounds the problem. The education system has become a factory of despair, teaching cynicism rather than knowledge and virtue.

Reclaiming educational agency

Yet the solution is not radical revolt against education — it is empowerment to reclaim agency over one’s education. Independent learning, self-guided study, and disciplined curiosity are the modern “Napster moment.” Just as Napster broke the old record industry by digitizing music, the internet has placed knowledge directly in the hands of the individual. Artists like Taylor Swift now thrive outside traditional gatekeepers. Likewise, students and lifelong learners can reclaim intellectual freedom outside of the ivory towers.

Each individual possesses the ability to think, create, and act. This is the power God grants to every human being. Knowledge, faith, and personal responsibility are inseparable. Learning is not a commodity to buy with tuition; it is a birthright to claim with effort.

David Butow / Contributor | Getty Images

Charlie Kirk’s life reminds us that self-education is an act of defiance and empowerment. In his pursuit of knowledge, in his engagement with civics and philosophy, he exemplified the principle that liberty depends on informed, capable citizens. We honor him best by taking up that mantle — by learning relentlessly, thinking critically, and refusing to surrender our minds to a system that profits from ignorance.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures. Every day, seek to grow, create, and act. Charlie showed the way. It is now our responsibility to follow.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck joins TPUSA tour to honor Charlie Kirk

Joe Raedle / Staff | Getty Images

If they thought the murder of Charlie Kirk would scare us into silence, they were wrong!

If anything, Turning Point will hit the road louder than ever. On Monday, September 22, less than two weeks after the assassination, Charlie's friends united under the Turning Point USA banner to carry his torch and honor his legacy by doing what he did best: bringing honest and truthful debate to Universities across the nation.

Naturally, Glenn has rallied to the cause and has accepted an invitation to join the TPUSA tour at the University of North Dakota on October 9th.

Want to join Glenn at the University of North Dakota to honor Charlie Kirk and keep his mission alive? Click HERE to sign up or find more information.