Who's Your Daddy?

Syracuse University professor Arthur C. Brooks is about to become the darling of the religious right in America -- and it's making him nervous.

So this book should be good!

The book, titled "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism" (Basic Books, $26), is due for release Nov. 24.

The book's basic findings are that conservatives who practice religion, live in traditional nuclear families and reject the notion that the government should engage in income redistribution are the most generous Americans, by any measure.

Conversely, secular liberals who believe fervently in government entitlement programs give far less to charity. They want everyone's tax dollars to support charitable causes and are reluctant to write checks to those causes, even when governments don't provide them with enough money.

"These are not the sort of conclusions I ever thought I would reach when I started looking at charitable giving in graduate school, 10 years ago," he writes in the introduction. "I have to admit I probably would have hated what I have to say in this book."

Still, he says it forcefully, pointing out that liberals give less than conservatives in every way imaginable, including volunteer hours and donated blood.

If you're ever curious as to who the big tippers are, just ask a waiter or waitress. They'll be happy to give the lowdown on who expects great service but leaves no tip, and there are web sites dedicated to naming poor tippers! It was also interesting during the last two presidential elections the IRS returns from Gore and Kerry revealed dismal charitable giving compared to Bush.

This is a refreshing read after hearing for so many years from the left that because conservatives do not support government spending we're Scrooge incarnate.