Brevity Award \ufffd with beladonna-leaf cluster!
Yup, I've noticed that charity as defined by lots of folk to mean er 'Faith'-based-Monopoly: derives from and panders often to a mindset with a certain complex baggage:
A) You're guilty from birth! you scum [it's in the book] - haven't figured out how to milk capital-gains and proxy bidding yet? = you're dumb too, then.
B) Even though you don't 'deserve' it - we're so fucking magnanimous, we'll offer you this ___ IF.. you demonstrate your abject willingness to learn how to Believe Right. Too.. (er we'll find a way to gently introduce you to our Truth.)
C) Government umm 'charity' OTOH - is bound to be abused by such as You are, and was invented by atheist scum intent upon keeping the word of [Our God] from being heeded. A computer on every desk running Our Soft-ware! is our goal. We demand a [Our]God-fearing Nation Now..
D) Add-in the other facets as are found to varying degrees. (Note that there are some exceptions to be found, natch - even to the point of actually eliding all the proselytizing, at least 'officially'. This last more honored by the breach than the observance.)
Methinks that any efforts towards (say) "honest, simply less-skewed? apportionment of enough basic wealth as is needed to survive" -- will be constantly hampered ('least in Murica) by variations on the above themes. These are rarely uttered, of course, but my lifetime experience is such that I have seen this sub-rosa message in countless forms.
We'd rather fund legions of insurance middle-men suits, over any idea of a national health plan, just as we have turned over prisons - and soon perhaps all the formerly 'public' schools to: the bizness mind.
(Scandinavia made a trade of ~ "limiting the possibilities of any? much? truly obscene levels of personal wealth" (like Billy's) in exchange for a genuine safety net for all, as well as a decent level of health care. This naturally pisses off the Fundamentalist Capitalists no end: ya gotta *earn* as Rugged Induhvidualist, or die sucker.. And these folk don't even believe! in er, evolutionary 'survival of the fittest' -- officially!)
I call that, an attempt towards civilization. I know what them Holy folk would call me. :-\ufffd
Anyway .. You Said It (but briefer).
Ashton