COMPASSIONATE GIVING

Some matters too big for private charities

Mr. Conboy makes two dubious claims in “Compassion begins with individuals” (Opinion, March 28). The first is that conservatives are more generous than liberals when it comes to charitable giving. He bases this on a book by Arthur Brooks, whose claim has been disputed by numerous scholars who have found that while conservatives give more money to religious organizations such as churches, liberals give more money to secular charities.

Mr. Conboy’s larger point — that individual charity is a more effective means of reducing poverty than governmental programs — is even more dubious.

Private charity, while significant, can only provide a small fraction of the money needed to alleviate major societal problems such as poverty. The most effective programs to reduce poverty in the United States over the past century have been Social Security and Medicare, which have drastically reduced the level of poverty among the elderly. The earned income tax credit has played a major role in reducing poverty among the working poor. Without these government programs, the problem of poverty in the U.S. would be far worse.

ALAN I. ABRAMOWITZ, ALBEN W. BARKLEY PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, EMORY UNIVERSITY

GAY MARRIAGE

Debate ignores issue of gender ambiguity

Overlooked in the debate over gay marriage — and limiting marriage to one man and one woman — is the issue of gender ambiguity. Not everyone is clearly male or female. Many people are born with uncertain genitalia because of unusual hormone levels, or inherited chromosome abnormalities. Some have suffered accidents or had sex change surgery.

When a couple applies for a marriage license, how does a state determine the gender of each applicant? Should people with unclear gender be barred from marriage? Since the very definition of male or female gender is indeterminate in some cases, how can a state enforce a one-man, one-woman marriage law?

JOHN POOLER, DORAVILLE

Traditional families best for child-rearing

Some societal traditions have been around so long that we have forgotten why they are important. In recent times, even things most sacred have come under the ax. So it is with marriage.

It takes the traditional family formed by the union of a man and a woman to create children and best raise them to maturity. That is what marriage is all about.

Yet, marriage is a fragile state. We contribute to its denigration at our peril.

JOHN COWAN, CARTERSVILLE

IMMIGRATION

People here illegally don’t deserve benefits

I fully agree with state lawmakers who want to bar illegals from getting public benefits such as a driver’s license. What makes these lawbreakers think they are entitled to these benefits?

I hope our state’s lawmakers continue to resist pressure from protesters, and to do what is right for Georgia’s legal residents.

JOYCE LEONARD, DUNWOODY