As Obama Postures for Election Season, Charitable Organization Launches Expansion Project to Keep Philanthropy Alive

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Last Week White House Advisor David Plouffe stated in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" that Republicans will be responsible for stagnating US economic recovery if they continue to oppose President Barack Obama's job plan and tax reform proposals.

"If the American people look to Washington and say, 'You didn't reduce the deficit,' there's only one reason," said Plouffe. "It's because the Republican party here in Washington refuses--through closing tax loopholes--to ask anything more of millionaires and billionaires."

However, Vincent Everett, CEO Works of Life International Ministries--a non-profit charitable organization in operation for over ten years--thinks it's too little too late for the Obama administration: "The President is posturing for the upcoming election season in part by issuing executive actions that are meant to fix economic problems in business, student loans, housing, and job training. But this recent show of partisan leadership comes on the hells of a first term encumbered by GOP opposition and failed policy proposals. Are Republicans to blame? That's not a question I'm going to waste time trying to answer."

For Everett and other like-minded members in the philanthropic community, the crux of this display of Congressional gridlock lies in a historically controversial debate about how much Americans should rely on the federal government to provide a sustainable social safety net.

"Obama's fiery antics at the podium don't help the people who are in desperate situations, nor do his speeches offer a practical solution to congressional stalemate surrounding important issues such as tax reform. And I don't believe his presidency has ever looked out for those who are in the most dire financial bracket," says Everett. The Works of Life Chief Executive encourages people to look at Obama's track record to improve their awareness of political trends as they actually occur rather than how they are portrayed in the media.

"Since the GOP took the majority in the House of Representatives, we all knew that they were going to push for smaller government, reduced government spending, and no tax increases on America's wealthiest citizens," Adds Everett.

Employment cooled in October, according to an article published in Bloomberg Businessweek, indicating that US economic recovery remains anemic. An upcoming Bloomberg news report--with the Labor Department's Nov. 4 release date-- may very well show that the jobless rate has remained at 9.1 percent for the fourth month in a row, economists say.

Works of Life, together with its charitable affiliate the With Causes Network, accepts a wide range of property donations to generate charitable income for several philanthropic causes. The key to Works of Life's viability even in national recession--and the reason they are able to begin an expansion project--is that its charitable program does not cut too deeply into the spending power of donors, according to Everett.

"In a climate of financial restraint and wise budgeting, together with drastic government spending cuts to government-run social welfare programs, philanthropy has taken huge blows. It's in a precarious position, with some surveys showing that charitable giving is at a ten year low. In this context, it's all about what you can do for the donor as well as charitable recipient," says Everett.

Works of Life and With Causes accept charitable donations based on the philosophy that donors shouldn't suffer financially for giving to those less fortunate. On the contrary, all asset donations are tax deductible, which makes sense to donors who want to liquidate items to improve their economic portfolio while providing assistance to a charitable cause. "When you donate boat, donate car, donate yacht, donate real estate, or even donate aircraft," states Everett, "the charitable income generated by these items go back into the communities they came from, helping both donor and donee."

Could this be the new face of charity? Everett certainly thinks so. The Works of Life leader emphasizes that charitable giving is as much a part of middle class culture as it is for the wealthiest Americans; the kinds of philanthropic programs that are going to survive a harsh economic environment are those that don't exacerbate the problem by cutting into the spending power of the middle class, who are already getting rocked by high gas prices, a weak housing market, and a tough job market.

"We are not in the business of taking sides in Washington," says Everett. "The main reason Works of Life has been able to grow is because we've been able to adapt to a political landscape dominated by the GOP. We don't need hope to guide our policies."

SOURCE Works of Life International Ministries