Who Really Cares?Liberals or Conservatives

More frightening than any particular beliefs or policies is an utter lack of any sense of a need to test those beliefs and policies against hard evidence. Mistakes can be corrected by those who pay attention to facts but dogmatism will not be corrected by those who are wedded to a vision.

Thomas Sowell's (whom I love) latest column at RealClearPolitics is a mindblower (not for conservatives, mind you, but for those enlightened leftards.)  Of course full-of-shit liberals will dismiss the facts out of hand (as is their MO) but the evidence is empirical.
Sowell writes; hat tip mdd

One of the most pervasive political visions of our time is the vision of liberals as compassionate and conservatives as less caring. It is liberals who advocate "forgiveness" of loans to Third World countries, a "living wage" for the poor and a "safety net" for all.

But these are all government policies -- not individual acts of compassion -- and the actual empirical consequences of such policies are of remarkably little interest to those who advocate them. Depending on what those consequences are, there may be good reasons to oppose them, so being for or against these policies may tell us nothing about who is compassionate or caring and who is not.

What are those facts?

People who identify themselves as conservatives donate money to charity more often than people who identify themselves as liberals. They donate more money and a higher percentage of their incomes.

It is not that conservatives have more money. Liberal families average 6 percent higher incomes than conservative families.

You may recall a flap during the 2000 election campaign when the fact came out that Al Gore donated a smaller percentage of his income to charity than the national average. That was perfectly consistent with his liberalism.

So is the fact that most of the states that voted for John Kerry during the 2004 election donated a lower percentage of their incomes to charity than the states that voted for George W. Bush.

Conservatives not only donate more money to charity than liberals do, conservatives volunteer more time as well. More conservatives than liberals also donate blood.

According to Professor Brooks: "If liberals and moderates gave blood at the same rate as conservatives, the blood supply of the United States would jump about 45 percent."

Professor Brooks admits that the facts he uncovered were the opposite of what he expected to find -- so much so that he went back and checked these facts again, to make sure there was no mistake.

What is the reason why some people are liberals and others are conservatives, if it is not that liberals are more compassionate?

You gotta read the whole thing and laugh, laugh laugh.

Comments

[genevieve]

Part of being compassionate is telling the truth. Conservatives are more apt to speak the unpopular truth even if it may offend someone for the sake of the greater good.

On the surface this appears to be "uncompassionate"--but it is indeed more compassionate and loving than mere "toleration".

[Scott Baradell]

Oh dear Lord...you don't really believe that conservatives are nicer people than liberals, do you? To make such unkind generalizations is about as uncompassionate as you can get.

And please ... don't tell me "the facts are the facts." I can find 100 facts that point in the opposite direction -- such as the fact that self-described liberals have a lower divorce rate than self-described conservatives, and self-described liberals are more likely to work in fields such as social work than self-described conservatives, and on and on.

The point is, there are nice people of all political stripes. That's why I choose friends based on things other than their political beliefs.

[lowandslow]

Oh dear Lord...you don't really believe that conservatives are nicer people than liberals, do you?

Of course we're nicer. We also have better taste in music, hold our liqueur better and are far better lovers. One more thing, we smell better. : D

[Indigo Red]

"...self-described liberals have a lower divorce rate than self-described conservatives..." Well, duh! Liberals are far less likely to marry obviating the need for divorce. Liberals are also more likely to have only one child and more abortions guaranteeing the eventual demise of their species.

"...self-described liberals are more likely to work in fields such as social work..." Another, duh! Liberals invented social work to give themselves jobs paid for by the masses of tax payers so liberals could feel good about themselves, all the while increasing the rolls of poor people to justify huge social work programs. God forbid any poor folk actually learn they can save themselves from poverty through old fashioned hard work and education. After all, po' folks is jes too stupid so big gubmint gots to cares fo' dem.

[steve expat]

I don't care whether conservatives are compassionate. I just think they should be willing to fight in the wars that they support so strongly, rather than hide behind a keyboard.

[Witch-king of Angmar]

Stevie finds out his ilk does not practice what they preach and then asks the conservatives to do so. Oh dear, the words "pot", "kettle" and "black" come to mind...

[Nahanni]

Scottyboi,

Oh dear Lord...you don't really believe that conservatives are nicer people than liberals, do you?

Yes.

The most arrogant, rude, bigoted, uncaring and unfeeling people I have met are those who call themselves "liberals".

To make such unkind generalizations is about as uncompassionate as you can get.

Your post is full of ignorant generalizations as typical of your ilk.

And please ... don't tell me "the facts are the facts."

You wouldn't know what a true fact is even if it bit you in the ass. And that is a fact. It is not surprising, though. Facts dwell in the realm of Reality. Reality is like holding up a cross to the vampires in the the "reality-based community"-they run from it screeching like a 5 year old girl. In retrospect this does explain why those in the "reaity-based community" love their soon to be Islamist masters yet run from Christians like their pants were on fire.

such as the fact that self-described liberals have a lower divorce rate than self-described conservatives, and self-described liberals are more likely to work in fields such as social work than self-described conservatives, and on and on.

Indigo Red did a fine job of busting the Clue Bat over your head with this one.

Indigo Red-1
Scottyboi-0

You lose, Scottyboi.

The point is, there are nice people of all political stripes. That's why I choose friends based on things other than their political beliefs.

Uh huh. Keep telling yourself that lie, hun. I am sure it makes you feel better.

Now riddle me this, Scottyboi...

How many church going conservative friends do you actually have? And no, worshipping at Our Transgenered Lady of the menopausal Gaia does not count. Neither do your Islamofascist friends. And neither do your parents.

steve the draft dodger,

I don't care whether conservatives are compassionate. I just think they should be willing to fight in the wars that they support so strongly, rather than hide behind a keyboard.

Are you willing to fight and die in Darfur? You know your Democratic heroes are pushing for us to send troops there. It is a good thing ol' Charlie Rangel wants to bring the draft back so all those liberals who are screeching that we need to do "something about Darfur" can actually go and fight for them.

Lucky for you that you got out of the country before the Democrats can draft your ass. Of course you realise that there will be no amnesty for you like our first Communist president Jimmah Carter gave out. Of course a "caring" human being such as yourself would gladly volunteer for such an "honorable" (complete with the holy Kofi's blessing) mission such as fighting in Darfur and would never hide behind a keyboard and screech that "someone" should do "something" about what is happening there.

[majdvmphd]

Scott, give us the 100 reasons.

Steve, I am a conservative who signed up for the Army 5+ years AFTER veterinary school and half way through my Ph.D. I addressed that in numerous other threads, but you never seem to integrate it. I work with many others like me. You think repeating your tired liberal mantra makes it so.

[DoctorDentons]

Is steverino back in that library again ? If they ever start charging for internet time, steve and his ilk will go away. His "hiding behind a keyboard" quote is getting old and as hairy as a French stripper.

[A. Truman North]

I read and clipped this article a couple of day ago in on of the New York tabloids.

The fact that liberal "compassion" is really wealth redistribution at the point of a gun never eluded me, but Sowell put it so well that I wanted to mention it at my site. http://condig.blogspot.com

But as usual, you scooped me. Well done.

[steve expat]

Doctory Dentons,
The fact that my argument is getting old does not make it any less valid. The hypocrites pushing for this war haven't gone away and haven't signed up, and we need their military service even more.

[Ripper]

Most of the liberals I have met in my lifetime (but not all) are some the coldest, callous people you would ever want to meet.

[Richard Davis]

Going into the military or not going into the military is not the issue.

The military is not for everybody. Just like football or ballet may not be for everybody.

Those who choose to serve believe in what they are doing, they don't feel they are victims or bullies, they don't want to come home until the mission they are doing is complete. They see it as a noble and necessary fight, and they understand that not everyone can do what they do.

exphart - you make stupid childish tedious immature arguments/comments but consider the source.

Remember 9/11.

[DoctorDentons]

What do you mean "WE" need their service expat...I don't see your liberal ass in a uniform...and as for me and others that post here, we HAVE served and I will match 214's with your sorry ass any day.

DBF, RD !

[danceswithgoats]

DD - Most people don't know what a 214 is.

I am glad to serve so that most Americans can "hide behind a keyboard".

Personally I think that most liberals are "well intentioned" but that doesn't mean much where the rubber meets the road.

[majdvmphd]

Steve, you respond to DoctorDentons, but not to my comment which flogs your argument, and there are many more like me. So you don't know what you're talking about. Plenty of us who support the War on Terror signed up AFTER 9-11, BECAUSE of 9-11. Care to EVER answer that comment? Talk about true cowardice.

[DoctorDentons]

Hey Maj...They can't respond because that would mean that they would have to have an original thought...if you look at the majority of his and others posts, they push the same set of talking points and old tired rhetoric continuously...If I had a dollar for every time he has spouted that "hiding behind a keyboard" crap, I could buy a couple of pounds of Seaport Coffee.