( CNN ) -- As we approach the Christmas and Hanukkah season , we should remember that the American commercial republic , too often criticized for greed and excess , is unparalleled in generosity . Canadian radio commentator Gordon Sinclair said in the 1970s , at the height of American criticism abroad , that the United States is the `` most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the Earth . '' We are still the most generous people in the world today . Often the benefactors of American generosity capture it best . `` There is a reason the world always looks to America , '' Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said in an address to Congress this year . `` Your city on a hill can not be hidden . Your brave and free people have made you the masters of recovery and reinvention . '' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , in a separate address to Congress this year , echoed the sentiments , `` Providence entrusted the United States to be the guardian of liberty . All people who cherish freedom owe a profound debt of gratitude to your great nation . '' The critics of the American capitalist system are many , but when disaster strikes , the world still turns to America . One thinks most recently of Japan and Haiti . Not only did the United States send hundreds of millions of dollars in aid , but it also sent troops , food , water and medical supplies . We remember the moving picture of `` Thank you USA '' etched in the mud next to a rescue helicopter landing circle in Japan . In surveys taken around the world , the United States is most popular in Africa , a continent we 've given billions of dollars to help fight AIDS , starvation and other diseases . But we also donate more than money ( and the U.S. foreign aid budget is the topic of much debate , and rightfully so ) . Generations of Americans have sacrificed their lives to fight and die for freedom around the world . At home , with budget cuts affecting families , corporations and the government , Americans are still remarkably charitable . The Chronicle of Philanthropy , which tracks the corporate giving of America 's largest companies , recently reported that in 2010 , a very tough financial year , total cash donations by this group rose 13 % , to $ 4.9 billion . In 2010 , Kroger , the Cincinnati supermarket operator , gave away an astounding 10.9 % of its $ 589 million in 2009 pre-tax profits , totaling $ 64 million . Wal-Mart Stores donated the most cash last year , $ 319 million . As for individuals , a new American Red Cross poll suggests that while Americans had to tighten their budgets in 2011 , they are still as committed to giving to charity as ever . American generosity is not dependent on the government or public policy . It should be pointed out that conservatives , criticized by liberals as health care and welfare slashers and greedy capitalists , give far more to charity than liberals . Arthur Brooks wrote in his now-famous book , `` Who Really Cares , '' that households headed by conservatives give 30 % more to charity than households headed by liberals . Conservatives also give more blood and donate more of their time to volunteer work , according to Brooks . Generosity is in no way demanded or required by our Constitution or laws , yet it is an inherent part of America 's cultural fabric . Compared to the rest of the world , American benevolence is unmatched . China , which boasts the second largest economy in the world , is one of the least generous nations on Earth when it comes to charitable contributions . In the annals of human history , there has never been a country as compassionate and generous as the United States . When Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn , the great Russian novelist who defied communism , visited America , he said , `` The United States has long shown itself to be the most magnanimous , the most generous country in the world . Wherever there is a flood , an earthquake , a fire , a natural disaster , an epidemic , who is the first to help ? The United States . Who helps the most and unselfishly ? The United States . '' The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of William J. Bennett .
The U.S. is unparalleled in generosity , says William J. Bennett . Capitalism has its critics , but when disaster strikes , the world still turns to America , he says . America 's largest companies made $ 4.9 billion in donations last year , Bennett says . Bennett : American generosity is not dependent on the government or public policy .