Underlying the tax breaks is a perception among charities that the abrupt rise in wealth, created by the so-called new economy, has generated a new pool of potential givers in electronic businesses.

Further the marketisation of charities is anti-democratic because it actually gets in the way of potential givers from being really informed about the needs out there.

Staffers no longer flinch when a donor suggests to other potential givers that Dean backers eat ramen noodles for dinner once a week and forward the savings to the campaign.

To the extent that public stations have to count on viewer contributions, they will be tempted to lure more potential givers by putting on undemanding entertainments.

Her hope is posted on www.DonorsChoose.org, a new nonprofit Web site where potential givers can browse a list of teacher daydreams and pick a specific project to finance.

Of the potential givers, Mr. King said: "Some people treat you all right; some people want to curse you out.

Tireless telephone caller and pursuer of potential big givers, he has apparently never met a donor he didn't like.

There cannot be much satisfaction for the potential giver in knowing that a contribution is likely to enrich the thugs who are responsible for the massacre.

He explained to me that he was at no time a party to taking of money or even facilitating getting it from the potential giver to a bank account.

The campaign finance problem arises out of the recent explosion in campaign costs along with a vast disparity among potential givers.