No Tithing in Alaska

One reason I’m a proud Democrat is the fact that Democrats have shown a great concern for bringing people out of poverty and supporting the middle class.

The day after surpassing shocking low expectations, Gov. Sarah Palin released her tax returns for the last two years. She and her husband earned about $294,000 in the last two years. They gave $8,200 to charity. That’s approximately 2.8% of her income. 2.8%. Now I’m not in the habit of going through Republicans (or Democrats) tax returns and I don’t want to begin a game of charitable "gotcha", but the Christian Right has ordained Gov. Palin their candidate and I find it striking that she has not come even close to following the biblical practice of tithing.

The reason I’ve got tithing on the mind is the fact that I have recently been working for a Democratic candidate in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District who has discovered a unique way to gain positive media attention while holding on to the religious values important to him. Tom Perriello is a 33 year old Catholic running for the U.S. House seat in Central and Southside Virginia. He is by all definitions a Faithful Democrat, starting non-profit groups like Faithful America and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Goode and working for peace in Darfur, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan. As he campaigned for Congresss this year he made a remarkable pledge: his campaign would tithe ten percent of their volunteer hours to local charities and non-profits.

Tom always talks about donating our "time, talent, and treasure." The treasure of a campaign, the one thing it always wishes it has is more time. Volunteers are always needed to make phone calls, canvass neighborhoods, or help with mailings. The Perriello campaign has many volunteers doing all those things, but their volunteers have also been going to soup kitchens, battered womens shelters, and building houses with Habitat for Humanity. These are not wasted hours. These are hours that bring the problems each local community is facing during to the campaign’s attention, and it shows local communities that (Perriello) is concerned about their struggles and needs.

The Perriello tithing initiative has logged almost 1000 hours of community service this year. It’s bee great for the staff and volunteers who get to know they’re really making a difference in peoples lives. It’s smart politics too. Over a dozen positive stories have been written about volunteer tithing in local papers, and other campaigns around the country have noticed that the goodwill it fosters in small communities goes a lot farther than a catchy television commercial or a flashy piece of mail.

Giving to charity, and giving willfully, is one of the hallmarks of the Christian faith. I firmly believe in a preferential option for the poor. One reason I’m a proud Democrat is the fact that Democrats have shown a great concern for bringing people out of poverty and supporting the middle class. Be it through supporting tax relief for lower or middle class families, health care for poor children, or supporting workers rights to organize, the Democratic Party is focused on helping Americans who need help and provide so much to our country.

I hope that all campaigns find ways to connect and give back to their local communities. Tithing this summer in Virginia proved to me that politics can be great service and service can be great politics.