George W. Bush, Republican

Views on charity issues: Would seek tax and other incentives

ALSO SEE:

Charity: a Campaign Front-Runner

worth $8-billion in his first year as President to help charities and donors. The money would be used to: allow people who do not itemize deductions on their federal income-tax returns to write off charitable gifts; encourage states to offer charity tax credits to individuals and companies for gifts to antipoverty groups (by allowing the states to use federal money to offset the cost for gifts); and allow donors to give money to charity directly from their individual retirement accounts without incurring taxes.

Would also want to: increase the percentage of income that corporations may claim each year in charitable deductions; allow religious and other non-profit organizations to compete to provide services “in every federal, state, and local social program”; name an advocate in the White House for “faith-based action” who would report directly to the President “to insure that charities are not secularized or slighted”; and set up a “compassion capital fund” that would “identify good ideas that transform neighborhoods and lives and provide seed money to support them” through matching funds from government and private sources.

Would support continuation of the AmeriCorps national-service program “if it’s helped to change people’s lives.”

In his own words: “In every instance where my Administration sees a responsibility to help people, we will look first to faith-based organizations, to charities, and to community groups who have shown their ability to save or change lives.”

Sampling of charity involvement: Served as board chairman of Hearts & Hammers, which rehabilitates houses for low-income families; chaired a fund-raising campaign for the United Way of Midland, in Texas; served as a board member of the Kent Waldrep National Paralysis Foundation, in Dallas.

Spouse’s non-profit interests: Laura Welch Bush promotes literacy and early-childhood development as First Lady of Texas. Helped raise nearly $600,000 through book festivals for Texas public libraries. Works with the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. Serves on the national board of Reading Is Fundamental and the advisory board of the University of Texas Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

Campaign Web site: http://www.georgewbush.com