Philanthropy

This month the Hudson Institute released its 2009 edition of Index of Global Philanthropy and Remittances. I'd like to draw particular attention to this graph, which can be found on page 20:

You'll note that the U.S. is the clear leader in private philanthropy as measured by gross national income (GNI). I bring this up not to engage in self-congratulation as an American, but because the U.S. is (or was) widely considered to be one of the world's most capitalistic countries. While many on the left love to portray capitalism as an exercise in rapacious greed, this would seem to indicate that it dovetails nicely with a sense of obligation to help others.

The U.S. is also the leader in remittances, which in practical terms means that we provide opportunity for others to better their own lives and assist friends and family in their native countries.