I’m not sure I understand. Here’s the deal: Wonkette.com picked up an article in the Houston Chronicle about Rick Perry’s apparently lackluster charitable giving to churches and religious organizations. I get the angle – if you’re going to hold prayer breakfasts and really identify as a Christian, it would be good if your charitable giving year-to-year at least matched the national average for his tax bracket.
But the math. The math is what is making me scratch my head. Now, granted, I became a journalist because math and I are not BFFs. But here’s my issue – the figure they used for 2008  is, by their own admission, not counting a raise that the legislature awarded Perry and he decided to give to charity. Now, I admit I am not a huge fan of Rick Perry. But I don’t understand why you wouldn’t include a bump in his charitable giving, even if it wasn’t there the year before, and it was reduced in the next year.
The other head scratcher? Perry’s camp turned down an interview about his tithing. “He never talks about his faith,” Perry spokesman Mark Miner said.
