NY Times Article Undercuts All Charitable Giving

Does Stephanie Strom realize the enormity of what’s she’s doing?
On the front page of today’s NY Times, she takes deadly aim at tax-deductible charitable giving in general and tax breaks for cultural giving in particular. She quotes some philanthropists, including major arts benefactor Eli Broad, giving the other side of the argument, but the overall anti-philanthropy thrust of her article is clear.
Strom writes:
The United States is one of a handful of countries to allow givers a tax deduction. In essence, the public is letting private individuals decide how to allocate money on their behalf.