Point well taken. However, there are many responsible corporations run on a triple bottom line (profit, planet, people) who contribute philanthropically. Key is to raise standards and perhaps devise a Corporate Philanthropy Reporting system that help beneficiaries and the public decide who the good philanthropists are.

One critical point to challenge in your courageous article is government's capacity to spend taxpayers' funds effectively. That's questionable when it comes to funding creative, innovative, society-wide initiatives that make a difference. Social entrepreneurs, civil society and NGOs have been rather good at discovering what citizens need, a task not exactly suited to politically controlled government.