I donate what I'd like to think is a generous amount of loot each year to an organization called Operation USA. You may have seen me mention it here any time there's a tsunami, earthquake or other disaster that leaves human beings desperate. I did not pick them at random to be my "charity of choice."
Around 1982 or so, after I'd purchased the house in which I now reside, I decided to ramp up my charitable donations and I gave sums to several efforts that seemed to be doing good work. The end result made me feel that for every dollar I gave one of these organizations, I got back what felt like $1.25 worth of mailers and phone calls hectoring with me to donate more. It made me wonder if, when I gave to save the seals, any of my money was being spent to save a seal.
Then one week I volunteered my services to work on a telethon that was raising money for a good cause — and I may well have been the only person working there who was not on camera and wasn't being paid. Everyone else behind the scenes was, some of them quite nicely…and that wasn't the only thing that bugged me about the experience.
It was also troubling to hear some of the folks associated with the charity talking about what they did. There was way too much discussion about building their organization, moving into larger and nicer quarters, expanding the staff, etc. I didn't hear a lot about caring for the ill and needy. I didn't know for a fact that very little of the money collected was going where its donors thought it was going…
…but I sure had my suspicions.
They prompted me to do some research on the charities to which I'd donated. I came to the conclusion that out of every twenty bucks I gave to feed orphans in the Gobi Desert, around fifteen went to run the charity and pay its staff, a little over four bucks went to nag me to give more to the charity…and the starving kids were occasionally getting enough for a Snickers® bar. The size you give out at Halloween.
I was puzzling over what to do when I found my answer in a book by Dan Rather, of all people. In his autobiography, Mr. Rather told how he was being assaulted by various charities asking for dough and he finally decided to say no to all of them and just to give whatever he could afford to give to the Salvation Army. He said that in his travels, he had seen that organization doing fine work and he knew the money he gave them was put to good use. I decided that was a good idea; not necessarily the Salvation Army part but the premise of picking one good charity and supporting just them.
I looked around and picked the one now known as Operation USA. I knew a few of the folks on its Board of Directors and I studied its books. What I decided was that while others might help just as many unfortunates as that one did, no other charity could do much better. So now the way it works is that if you come to my door asking me for money to —
Well, actually, if you come to my door, the answer is no. Whatever it is. I don't like people who come to my door without an invite and I'm certainly not going to hand one of them cash or a check…
And if you approach me in any way for a donation, the answer is also no. I give what I can afford to donate to Operation USA, which feeds and clothes and delivers care to people who are starving and in need. Your cause may well be worthwhile but I can't imagine it being a whole lot more worthwhile than that. I'm sure the money I give to Operation USA goes where I want it to go.
Now, for the last few paragraphs, you've probably been wondering why I'm telling you all this. It's not to tell you what a great philanthropist I am since, well, you'll notice I'm not mentioning any amounts. They may be piddling for all you know. Also, I suspect some of you are thinking I adopted this policy to make things easier for myself…and those who think that are right. I don't have to consider other pleas for money and I don't have to feel any guilt when I figuratively (or even literally) slam a door in the face of someone raising greenbacks for a good cause. There's definitely a trace of self-interest in my deciding to just support one laudable crusade and no others.
The point I'm working up to here is that it isn't enough to contribute loot to a drive. You have to take a look at where that money goes. It may not be going where you think it's going.
And the reason I wanted to make that point is because I read this article by Joseph Tanfani and Maloy Moore about a PAC called The American Legacy PAC that in 2014 ran a big Stop Obamacare campaign. They did ads and videos and solicitations talking about what a disaster the Affordable Care Act would be. They urged people to give to this effort to destroy it.
They collected close to six million dollars. If you haven't clicked yet on the link, guess how much of that six million actually went to efforts to actually stop Obamacare.
Give up? About 2%. The rest went to run the campaign and, of course, to pay the folks who did. Some people pocketed an awful lot of that money…and I'm just cynical enough to think that's the case with a lot of PACs and political efforts.
I have a few sockpuppet e-mail addresses that I use when I have to sign up on a site and I can smell a lot of Spam coming. One of 'em gets a weekly mailing from a guy or group (it feels like just one guy) who writes about some new reason why, to ensure the survival of America the Beautiful, Hillary Clinton must be taken out of the political system and put in a prison cell somewhere. Then comes the promise that if you donate to this cause, they have the means to make this happen.
Do these solicitations bring in money? I've been getting these now for something like twenty years and it obviously takes someone time to write up these pitches. They must be bringing in some dough. That, of course, would mean there are a lot of folks who believe every allegation against Ms. Clinton — did you know there exists incontrovertible proof that she's masterminded over fifty murders, including Vince Foster's? — and don't notice that no one seems to hauling her off to the pokey.
My guess? The guy just riles people up with accusations, misquotes, unverifiable rumors and such — anything to get people to give. And then he just pockets the money. I think a lot of politics in this country is like that. There's money in getting people outraged so they tune in your radio show or buy your books or pay to come hear you speak. There's also, of course, money in just getting them to give you money.
The American Legacy PAC effort to stop Obamacare barely raised a pinky to stop Obamacare. Most of the money donated went to the folks who ran the operation including — and this is why it's getting attention at all — Dr. Ben Carson. It was also used to help build a mailing list to advance his candidacy. I think this kind of thing happens a lot and, yes, I think it happens on the Left too, even though lately it's the kind of folks who'd support a Donald Trump who seem to be stoked for maximum outrage. It may be to Trump's credit that he himself doesn't seem to saying to people, "You must give me money or your worst nightmares will come true!"
And I think it explains a lot about who's running for President though they seem to have a microscopic chance at victory: Because too many people are making too much money even from a failure, just as a lot of people made money off a Stop Obamacare drive that did jack squat to Stop Obamacare. They oughta be paying a royalty to Max Bialystock.
