charity

World history describes the society since Greek and Roman times.

The tradition of helping others; American history tells a historical fact that this tradition was brought to the United States with immigrants. American philanthropy flourished unprecedentedly after the War of Independence, such as organizing the American Anti-Slavery Association, providing education opportunities for workers in new york, establishing the Children's Aid Association, and establishing shelters, hospitals and cultural organizations all over the United States. After World War II, individual donations were tax-free, and the rich were keen on charity. For example, the Rockefeller family donated more than $654.38 billion for four generations; Bill Gates has invested $26 billion in charity, accounting for 54% of his total wealth, and even made an early will: 99% of his wealth will be donated to charity after his death.

China's philanthropy also has its own long tradition. Temples in Han and Tang dynasties have a long history of poverty alleviation, disaster relief, medical treatment and prohibition of killing. The prosperity of supporting the elderly in Song Dynasty: the rise of meta-medical assistance; Folk charities in Ming and Qing Dynasties were second to none in the history of charity in China. More importantly, since the opening to the outside world, groups of social elites, celebrities, entrepreneurs and retired cadres have been quietly engaged in charitable relief for flood, poor primary and secondary school students, poor AIDS and cataract patients. Statistics show that at least half of the rich people require that the facts and amount of their donations be kept secret.

It's just that people who get rich first at the moment can't give society a satisfactory return. According to the data released by china charity federation, 70% of its donations come from foreign countries, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and the domestic rich people's donations are insufficient 15%. In 2009, 135 celebrities were selected into various "philanthropist lists", and * * * donated 985 million yuan, about 654.38 billion US dollars. However, the proportion of China enterprises whose total assets exceed10 million dollars is less than 1%. From 2000 to 2004, the top 50 philanthropists in the United States donated a total of $65 billion, an average of about $654.38+0.3 billion per year. Although there is not much comparability between the two countries, does this also reflect the gap between the two countries in social responsibility and public welfare? At present, the lack of domestic charitable organizations, the limited ability to mobilize social resources, the lag of government preferential tax policies, the imperfection of charitable laws and regulations, and the lack of credibility of charitable organizations have become obstacles to the development of charity in China. Are these problems related to the "charity view" reflected in Encyclopedia of China?

Charity is not only a barometer of economic development, but also a balancer to adjust the gap between the rich and the poor. Realize the initial distribution of income through the market; Secondary distribution of income through government regulation; Under the influence of habit and morality, individuals voluntarily donate part or most of their disposable income to society, which is the third income distribution that cannot be underestimated. It helps to narrow the polarization, weaken the mentality of "hating the rich" and is conducive to social harmony.

Should we value "philanthropists" as much as model workers and experts?