Thirty-five years ago, Bernie Sanders announced to a crowd of United Way supporters that he "didn't believe in charities.; the crowd was stunned then, and it would be good to hear what he thinks now.
"Sunday the sharp-eyed folks at Powerline noticed an obscure story in the New York Times from 1981 that recounted something then Mayor of Burlington, Vermont Bernie Sanders had to say about private charities. The event was the kickoff for the 40th annual Chittenden County United Way fund-raising drive. Sanders was a guest speaker along with then Vermont Gov. Richard Snelling. Sanders stated that he didn’t believe in charities, suggesting that the government should take over their function in delivering social services.
"An attack on private charities at a charitable fundraising event was an odd thing to do to say the least. Gov. Snelling tried to repair the damage, suggesting that one cannot 'buy caring.'
"Fast forward 35 years later, and one has to wonder if Sanders still believes that charities ought to be taken over by the government or whatever was implied by what he said all those decades ago. The evidence is somewhat sketchy. Sanders noted on his 2014 tax return that he gave $8.350 in charitable contributions, which would seem to suggest that his views have somewhat evolved since the early 1980s. Still, some enterprising reporter might ask him while the race for the Democratic nomination is still ongoing."--Mark Whittington, The Examiner
