Into the midst of all the hand-wringing about “What is to be done for/with/about philanthropy in this economy?” comes the thoughtful voice of Katha Pollitt,who points out that philanthropy has never really been the answer to the maiden’s prayer. In fact, the current situation makes clear that the way to meet social needs is not through philanthropy but through good old-fashioned progressive taxation.
Social needs, after all, are communal needs and our community is “the nation,” not “the people who happen to be lucky enough to be chosen as recipients of Bill Gates’ alms.” And if we only recognize this because philanthropic endowments have shrunk–well, as Rahm Emmanuel says, “You don’t ever want to let a good crisis go to waste.”
Brava and thanks to Ms. Pollitt.
Tags: Katha Pollitt, progressive taxation, the limits of philanthropy
