Another casualty of the Bush economy: charitable giving

As a professional fundraiser, I'm often asked whether the economic woes caused by the Bush crime syndicate have an adverse effect on donations. My general answer is that people tend to give out of a sense of commitment to a particular program or charity, regardless of the economic situation; for the same reason, tax incentives ultimately have little bearing on one's decision to make a charitable gift. Indeed, the biggest gifts -- those of $100,000 or more, for example, which is my responsibility in my position -- continue to come in at more or less the same pace, in my experience.

However, this time, unlike the last downturn in 2000-2001, I think we are seeing a real negative impact on charitable giving at lower levels. There appears to be a much more direct effect on people this time around, as more jobs are being lost, everyday expenses like gas and groceries are placing a greater strain on household budgets, and people therefore are less likely to write the $50 and $100 checks that are the lifeblood of smaller, local charities and religious institutions.

At the Miami Archdiocese, collection-plate revenues are steady, but assessments that individual parishes pay are slow in coming or are down, and needs are up sharply, resulting in the layoff of 49 of the 182 staffers at its Pastoral Center on Biscayne Boulevard, says spokeswoman Mary Ross Agosta.

In a letter to parishioners, Archbishop John C. Favalora says: "Each year a greater number of parishes and programs are seeking our financial help, and, therefore, we must prioritize. We can only work with what we have."

South Florida's Jewish, Methodist, Episcopal and other faithful face similar problems.

At the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, pledges for 2008 are running close to the $24 million raised in 2007, but actual cash receipts are about 10 percent behind, says executive vice president Jacob Solomon.

"It relates to stock market fluctuations," he said. "People hope to recoup their market losses before they redeem their pledges. At the same time, demands for our programs have gone up sharply."

So the $20 bills evidently still are going into collection plates, but it's very difficult to find the disposable income that allows giving at an intermediate level.

You safely can assume that the Republican response to this kind of problem will be the standard "we've got ours, so screw you." Needless to say, Huggy Bear isn't exactly running on a platform of helping the less fortunate among us ... and once again we are reminded that a vote for Huggy is a vote for a third term of miserable failure, Drunky McStagger style.