Every now and then you go to church and they ask you for some money. One time in particular sticks out in my mind.

When I was about 12 years old, a couple of people spoke during mass one day about tithing. Tithing, as they explained, was giving the first 10 percent of your income to God.

The idea of paying a tithe has a bit shadier history than they let on. It was originally a forced tax on the Irish for the maintenance of the Anglican Church.

But like many traditions born in tyranny, tithing has somehow evolved through the years.

Tithing, as these well-meaning folks described, was a way to show your devotion by using your money for charity before you use it for yourself. And sure, these people were essentially working a good hustle in the name of the Almighty, but I still think there was some merit in what they had to say.

In this country, whether you like it or not, money is one of our most sacred possessions. A good friend of mine recently pointed out something you may have noticed as well.

When you’re in high school, or even college, you talk to your friends all the time about how much money you have — or rather, don’t have.

But as soon as you’re out in “the real world,” nobody talks about it; it becomes taboo. The inference is that if you are financially inferior you haven’t done much with your life. So, it becomes poor taste to discuss anyone’s financial shortcomings.

So, I think to myself, “Hey, I like this whole tithing thing. It’s easy to be generous when you have a surplus of income. I think it’s rather noble to help someone else before you help yourself.

So, anyway, a couple weeks ago I heard that Bill Gates had made a $3 billion charitable donation. I was thoroughly not impressed. In fact, I was even a little offended.

Remember my cute little tithing story? So did I. One of the first things that struck me was that Gates contribution was less than 10 percent of his net worth, which is over $40 billion.

Puts him right up there with Gandhi, doesn’t it?

Even if Gates is making a personal donation that is larger than the entire GNP of many small countries, it really isn’t costing him much. In fact, it’s less than 10 percent.

So, don’t expect me to be overwhelmed by his generosity. I’ll be damned if I’m going to act grateful when the wealthy decide to throw us peons a few scraps.

But that’s what we’re supposed to do. We’re living in a world where the richest couple hundred individuals have as much wealth as the bottom 50 percent.

Yet somehow the bottom 50 percent are always the ones who are blamed for their own economic problems.

Whenever politicians talk of mending the federal budget, the welfare system is always to blame. Yet America is by far the least socialized industrial nation.

We’re holding on to the American dream. We still choose to believe that because it is remotely possible for someone to rise from the bottom to the top, that everyone who doesn’t has failed.

So, just because some computer geek and his friend who could write code got lucky, we’re supposed to put them on a pedestal? I sure as hell don’t.

What’s more is that once people achieve great financial success we’re supposed to be in awe of their great acts of philanthropy which are the equivalent of us chucking some change in the little dish at the gas station.

The Carnegie Foundation is a great thing, but John Carnegie was not a great man.

Oh sure, the foundation couldn’t come about without the donations of the man.

But “Schindler’s List” was a great movie, and it couldn’t have come about without the Holocaust.

The end justifying the means is usually a way for the “haves” to justify screwing the “have-nots” for a few hundred years.

Screw philanthropy; I respect generosity. There is nothing noble in funding a building with your name on it. True nobility is in giving until it hurts.

And if some of the people on the bottom of the financial heap aren’t giving as much? Guess what — it’s probably because it already hurts.

Giving the first 10 percent of your income to the needy is a respectable contribution for most people. When a man with Gates’ wealth can’t even do that, it’s pathetic.

Three billion dollars? Bill Gates owes us at least that much.

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Ben Godar is a junior in sociology from Ames. Viva La Socialism!