American Stinginess?

I was reading an editorial in the NY Times this morning by Nicholas Kristof entitled “Land of the Penny Pinchers (registration required).”  It really struck me how right he is about America being generous when the camera is on, and how quickly our attention fades.

Kristof says, “ The best response to accusations of stinginess is not to be defensive, but to be generous. And the measure of generosity is not what you offer when the spotlight is upon you, but what you do when the spotlight moves on.”  And I couldn’t have said it better myself.