Vice President Joe Biden has famously said that paying taxes is patriotic. Yesterday was tax day and Biden went out of his way to make sure that he maximized his "patriotism" by minimizing his charity.

The White House on Wednesday also released the tax return for Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his wife, Jill. They reported an adjusted gross income of $269,256 and paid $46,952 in federal income taxes.

The Bidens also reported donating $1,885 to charity, less than 1 percent of their earnings. In a press release, the White House said the Bidens have made additional donations to charity not listed on the returns.

“The charitable donations claimed by the Bidens on their tax returns are not the sum of their annual contributions to charity,” it said. “They donate to their church, and they contribute to their favorite causes with their time as well as their checkbooks.”

The donations listed on tax returns are seldom the sum of anyone's annual contributions to charity. However, it's fairly easy to list donations to any church -- so long as it isn't just whatever spare change you have in your pocket.

This isn't out of character for Biden. In the decade before he became vice president, Biden donated less than $3,700. That's less than $370 a year -- for a guy who makes nearly $200,000. (That figure doesn't include his wife's income, which pushes their income over $200,000.)

Unfortunately, this is not uncommon on the left side of American politics. Instead of private charities or churches, the government is seen as a sort of charity because of all the social programs it provides. So, they pay their taxes and they feel they're done -- like much of Europe.

And, just for the record, Biden's $1,885 to charity is 0.69 percent of his adjusted gross income.