Imagine a World of Givers

Cal Thomas is a conservative columnist. Bob Beckel is a liberal Democratic strategist. But as longtime friends, they can often find common ground on issues that lawmakers in Washington cannot.

Bob: 'Tis the season, Cal. Decorations went up in stores before Thanksgiving and in some places, before Halloween. I heard Christmas carols on the radio in late October. And then there is Sony's latest video game player, PlayStation 3. It went on sale two weeks ago. In Wisconsin, a man was hurt in a shopping stampede. In Putnam, Conn., a man was shot during a robbery attempt as he waited to buy a PlayStation 3. In California, cops had to close a Wal-Mart as crowds overwhelmed the store. Here's the sad part: Sony initially provided only 400,000 units at $500 per, and panic buying ensued. Of course, millions of these units will reach the market soon enough. On eBay, bidding was as high as $10,000 for one PS3! I didn't think holiday merchandising could get any crasser.

Cal: I am old enough to remember when we valued people more than things, Bob. The rush at this time of year to buy things we don't need with money we don't have comes partly from the guilt many of us feel for having neglected our children all year long. Some think they can "buy" the love of their kids. Others are afraid to say "no" to anything their children ask for. They might fear disapproval, not only from them, but from their neighbor's kids who practice holiday giving with the same competitiveness they treat everything else.

Bob: What this reflects is a culture of greed that's affecting more than just holiday shopping. Congress is recklessly earmarking pork barrel projects at taxpayer expense. I can't take my son to a Washington Redskins game (with good seats) for less than $300 (not even this year when owner Dan Snyder should give fans refunds for selling a lousy product). In America's selective affluence, rich kids get hundreds of things they don't need, while poor kids can't get their basic needs met. The value of extended families coming together to celebrate Christ's birth, or Hanukkah, or Kwanza is being overshadowed by the value of the presents each family member brings to the festivities.

Cal: The Department of Commerce reported retail sales in the fourth quarter of 2005 at $960.3 billion. And last year, according to the American Research Group, Americans planned to spend on average $942 per family on holiday gifts. That's more than the annual gross national income per capita last year of each of the 54 countries the World Bank categorizes as having "low-income economies." With people being killed in Darfur and millions starving to death and afflicted with disease the world over, this is obscene. And you're hearing this from a frustrated conservative who wants very much to end this cycle in his own family.

Bob: Like any other parent, I love to see the excitement in the eyes of my kids on Christmas morning. I overdo decorating inside and out and in the process award my electric company with a big bonus. But it seems not only the meaning of the holidays fades more and more each year, but so does the spirit. I don't mean holiday party spirit, but the spirit of a family together; the spirit of reaching out to those who are alone during the holidays and bringing them into our homes; the spirit that comes with collecting toys for poor children, or playing Santa at a nursing home and not charging a fee. Those are the gifts of the human spirit, and they are priceless.

Cal: I have rarely agreed on anything with you as much as this, Bob. Last winter, I discovered an intriguing program run by the humanitarian agency World Vision (www.worldvisiongifts.org). For small amounts of money, you can buy a goat ($75) for a man in a poor African country that will allow him to sustain his family. Or, you can pay for a sewing machine and lessons ($270) for a woman living in a Third World country to help her start a business and feed and clothe her family. A fishing kit ($40) for a hungry family. This is the kind of thing all of us should be doing. It blesses the giver even more than the receiver to know one has changed the direction of another life. For conservatives who criticize big government (but also for compassionate liberals), helping poor people get on their feet in this way beats wasteful government programs.

Bob: And for folks who are wary of charities or don't know where to start, the website Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org) is a smart starting point. You can choose your cause and make sure that your hard-earned cash is being put to good use.

Cal: Excellent idea, Bob.

Bob: I have to say, Cal, that I can't talk about the holiday season without thinking of our troops, especially those in Iraq. Whether you support the war and want to stay the course (and I don't), or think we should end our involvement in Iraq today, we owe a debt of gratitude to those who didn't get to choose their holiday destination. I am upset that most of the incompetent civilian managers of this ill-conceived war will be home this holiday season while 140,000 troops will be stuck in the desert. Now I'm getting out of the Christmas spirit.

Cal: Let me help bring you back, Bob. When the "founder" of Christmas said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive," he meant that giving to others — especially those who cannot give back — does something in our hearts and spirits. Our culture doesn't adequately celebrate this kind of giving. We celebrate celebrities. You mention our troops. There is another biblical verse that says "greater love has no man than to lay down his life for another." That's what our volunteer military is doing for us and for Iraqis that they — and we — might have the gift of freedom.

Bob: I just wish we'd been able to deliver that gift.

Cal: Even so, we need to think differently this year, and every year, about what matters most in life. It isn't a $500 PlayStation 3, which will be outdated as soon as Sony can make a more advanced model. It is about investing in and changing another life for the better. That is truly a gift that will keep on giving.

Bob: Cal, this is the first column in which we have nothing we disagree on (well, except Iraq). That's a gift. While we're at it, a few bah humbugs: to members of Congress who are still trying to stash more pork into a so-called catch-all spending bill; to politicians who waited less than a week after the elections to hold lobbyist-sponsored fundraisers for 2008; a final humbug to the guy in my neighborhood who beat me out of the holiday decoration award last year because he uses Chinese-made decorations, and I won't.

Cal: Well, good luck this year in the neighborhood contest. I know you're not one to go down without a fight. And even if you can't out-decorate your neighbors, you can sleep well at night knowing that while some of your money is making your neighborhood a brighter place, you've wisely diverted other dollars to make the world a brighter place. I'll join you, directing some of the money I earn to people who need it and whose lives will be improved by it. This isn't charity. It is an investment in other lives that will pay dividends for them, for their nation and improve the prospects of peace. You won't get that from a video game.

Bob: Happy holidays, Cal, and a wish for finding common ground to all.