Progressives are concerned about philanthropy taking up slack for government programs, but one guess as to who has a better track record.
"Among the many government shutdown stories that came over the wire in recent weeks was one about billionaire Houston philanthropists Laura and John Arnold, whose foundation gave $10 million to the National Head Start Association to keep the program for low-income children running after the shutdown forced it to close in six states. Media coverage of the donation was mostly positive; the Arnolds’ generosity was cast in stark contrast to Washington gridlock. In a statement, John Arnold chastised political leaders for their intransigence while downplaying the role and scope of philanthropy: 'We sincerely hope that our government gets back to work in short order, as private dollars cannot in the long term replace government commitments.'"-- John Daniel Davidson, First Things
