President Obama and Vice President Biden released their tax returns on Thursday (Tax day). They reveal that Biden and his wife, Jill, earned $330,000 in 2009, but gave just four tenths of one percent ($4,820) in cash and "in kind" contributions to charity. The Obamas did slightly better. They gave almost 6 percent of their $5.5 million joint income to charity. Much of their income came from the president's two bestselling books.

These statistics should come as no surprise, because the Obamas and the Bidens apparently do not subscribe to the ancient addage "charity begins at home." Their pittance in charitable gifts seem to indicate their faith in charity beginning with government. It's not that they can't afford to give more. After all, we the taxpayers are subsidizing their housing -- the Obamas residen in the fancy digs that are the White House; the Bidens in Blair House, the vice president's mansion located along Washington's fancy Embassy Row.

While they are giving less, they want to create conditions under which the rest of us are less likely to give more. The administration wants to curb deductions so that government will get more of our money and charities will get less of it.The rationale: the more people who are dependent on government, the greater liklihood they will keep voting for Democrats to keep the government checks coming.To them, God is not God; government is god.

Seen this way, there is no hypocrisy in the stingy charitable giving of the Obamas and Bidens. One gives to the "god" one worships.

Cal Thomas is America's most widely syndicated newspaper columnist and a Fox News contributor.

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