Minnesota’s charities are already struggling, DFL deals them another blow

Senator Tina Smith may think that “Bidenomics” is working, but it doesn’t feel that way to the average American. Fox 9 ran a story recently titled “Americans are giving less to charity, poll finds,” which reported:

The survey of more than 2,100 adults across the United States, released by the Better Business Bureau’s Give.org, adds to research on the shrinking number of households that contribute to charity each year, dropping from 66% in 2000 to 49.6% in 2018. The impact of the decline became even more clear when a Giving USA report revealed donations from individuals dropped by 13.4% after inflation and led to one of the steepest declines in contributions in recent decades.

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Over 55% of those who stopped giving say they don’t earn enough to afford donating to charity.

If the national picture shows a squeeze on charitable giving as a result of the squeeze on American’s incomes, the picture is even bleaker in Minnesota.

KSTP reports:

The Minnesota Legislature changed the face of electronic pull tabs during the last legislative session.

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Starting in 2025, e-pull tabs will no longer be allowed to use “all-swipe” options and bonuses as part of the games. Native American casino owners and some lawmakers argued they too closely resembled slot machines.

Keith Franke, with Protect Our Charities, told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS his organization crunched the numbers starting with a 5% loss in pull tab revenue and charted their financial future with losses up to 50%.

Even at a conservative figure of a 5% loss, Franke said, charities like the Lions Club in St. Paul Park will lose significant money.

“This is going to be devastating for charities and small businesses along with the manufacturers and distributors,” Franke said. “Our local Lions Club here in St. Paul Park is going to see just over a $9,000 loss after all the shifts and gimmicks. And the small business partners that they use is going to see just over a $5,000 loss.”

Arlo Arlendson with the St. Paul Park Lions Club said the small charitable group will lose thousands of dollars with a 5% decline in electronic pull tabs.

“Well, it’s monstrous for a small community, and there’s always people needing things in these communities because it’s just so expensive for stuff,” Arlendson said. “The kids’ programs are constantly in need of new equipment. Right up to the high school level.”

Americans are by some distance the most charitable people on the planet. As far back as the 1830s, Alexis de Tocqueville saw philanthropy as one of the defining features of the American people. At a time when Americans are struggling to keep this tradition alive in the face of dreadful economic policies, the extra kick administered by the DFL in defense of special interests will hurt Minnesota’s charities even more.