That’s the only conclusion I can reach by the fact that the only people to get up and leave last Sunday when a priest at the church began to make a pitch for the Cardinal’s Appeal were led out by Ross Douthat.

The money raised from the appeal does not go to priest salaries or administration, but goes to things like homeless shelters, care for foster children, and education.

Because he left just after hearing what the priest was going to talk about, I can only assume that he has dismissed the idea of private contributions and civic/community groups taking the place of publicly funded social investments and so now supports increased spending on government social programs.

Or maybe he was just in such a hurry that he couldn’t wait sixty seconds to hear what the priest had to say.