Tim Lee says "we have to remember that many rich people give a significant fraction of their wealth to charity...some of us simply suspect that, on the margin, leaving a dollar in the pockets of a rich guy is more likely to lead to that dollar being used for a worthwhile purpose than giving that dollar to Congress to spend...it’s an important part of what drives anti-tax attitudes in broader electorate." Yep: They're not saying "don't tax me," they're saying "I believe these dollars would be better spent by wealthy individuals who really, really, really care about ballet."
But Tim's a stand-up guy, so if he says he believes this, then I believe him. But it seems bizarre. I know of a lot of right wingers who think a dollar left in a rich person's pocket will be more productively used than a dollar given to the government, but I don't know of any who say that that dollar is more likely to travel down the income ladder and guarantee health coverage to the poor, or pensions to the impoverished elderly.
Indeed, if you're searching for a substitute for the social safety net, much of the philanthropy that the rich engage in seems poorly targeted, to say the least. The Center on Philanthropy conducted a study on how much charitable giving was directed to helping the poor. They found that giving to help meet the basic needs of the poor is a mere 7.5% of total giving, while "other" donations that directly or indirectly help the poor are around 23%. The rest goes to alumni associations (a surprisingly huge money suck), arts and culture, and so forth.
