Andrew Carnegie, if I remember my history accurately, became convinced that he had sinned greatly in accumulating his vast fortune, and the libraries and hospitals were an attempt to buy his salvation. Another historical note: after George Bush was elected president in 1988 largely on the strength of his "thousand points of light" rhetoric, it was reported (I guess by the IRS) that charitable donations from the wealthy dropped significantly. I can't remember the percentage of dropoff. --seed