Yes, good for you and Mrs. Rust. There are so many right in our own back yards who need help. Especially now that every public avenue is stretched to the breaking point.
Coincidentally, this op-ed in the NYTimes, by Peter Buffet, of Warren fame, is spot on, I think. “The Charitable-Industrial Complex” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/27/opinion/the-charitable-industrial-complex.html?hp&_r=1&
Here’s the main thrust –
Because of who my father is, I’ve been able to occupy some seats I never expected to sit in. Inside any important philanthropy meeting, you witness heads of state meeting with investment managers and corporate leaders. All are searching for answers with their right hand to problems that others in the room have created with their left. There are plenty of statistics that tell us that inequality is continually rising. At the same time, according to the Urban Institute, the nonprofit sector has been steadily growing. Between 2001 and 2011, the number of nonprofits increased 25 percent. Their growth rate now exceeds that of both the business and government sectors. It’s a massive business, with approximately $316 billion given away in 2012 in the United States alone and more than 9.4 million employed.
Philanthropy has become the “it” vehicle to level the playing field and has generated a growing number of gatherings, workshops and affinity groups.
As more lives and communities are destroyed by the system that creates vast amounts of wealth for the few, the more heroic it sounds to “give back.” It’s what I would call “conscience laundering” — feeling better about accumulating more than any one person could possibly need to live on by sprinkling a little around as an act of charity.
But this just keeps the existing structure of inequality in place. The rich sleep better at night, while others get just enough to keep the pot from boiling over. Nearly every time someone feels better by doing good, on the other side of the world (or street), someone else is further locked into a system that will not allow the true flourishing of his or her nature or the opportunity to live a joyful and fulfilled life.
And with more business-minded folks getting into the act, business principles are trumpeted as an important element to add to the philanthropic sector. I now hear people ask, “what’s the R.O.I.?” when it comes to alleviating human suffering, as if return on investment were the only measure of success. Microlending and financial literacy (now I’m going to upset people who are wonderful folks and a few dear friends) — what is this really about? People will certainly learn how to integrate into our system of debt and repayment with interest. People will rise above making $2 a day to enter our world of goods and services so they can buy more. But doesn’t all this just feed the beast?
I think he makes a very important point. We have let it all become about “the bottom line” only in dollars and cents. Therefore we don’t value things like compassion anymore, or selflessness. Those characteristic are too often taken for weakness. Ayn Rand would be very annoyed with us.
As for going into areas where you have no expertise, we see that everywhere now in the move to privatize education. Not just Bill and Melinda, the De Vos family, the Waltons (no, not Jim Bob and John Boy), and it’s very disturbing to me.
Going back to our previous discussion of the McDaonld’s employee “Spending Journal” here is a precious presentation by Stephen Colbert, of course, on the issue. Interesting that one can hardly find a single mass media reference to the McDonald’s journal scam, but reality journalism as practiced by Colbert et all does take up some slack.
small note on “financial literacy” which you probably already know:
financial literacy means teaching the people the lies that we use to sell stocks and bonds.
it does not teach people the risks
nor does it… as Buffet Jr does not seem to be quite aware… teach them the value of community in solving the problems that the free market cannot solve.
but this does not necessarily mean “welfare.” simply raising wages by one means or another would be a better place to spend the effort.
and keeping people, even such as Bill Gates, away from education, would be another.
The Mrs. and me did a mission trip to Moore Oklahoma in late June, working for the Methodists and the Salvation Army,
IT was an amazing, shocking and valuable experience.
Some of our photos:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zdln2e54s1bgbql/Xi98t0Z_zV
Hey, good for you guys Rust — and yes, some severe devastation but I was reading their newsletter and surely sounds that they are on their way back.
Other hand, I lived in ‘tornado alley’ for a decade and a half….never by one,, just close. ec
Yes, good for you and Mrs. Rust. There are so many right in our own back yards who need help. Especially now that every public avenue is stretched to the breaking point.
Coincidentally, this op-ed in the NYTimes, by Peter Buffet, of Warren fame, is spot on, I think. “The Charitable-Industrial Complex”
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/27/opinion/the-charitable-industrial-complex.html?hp&_r=1&
Here’s the main thrust –
Because of who my father is, I’ve been able to occupy some seats I never expected to sit in. Inside any important philanthropy meeting, you witness heads of state meeting with investment managers and corporate leaders. All are searching for answers with their right hand to problems that others in the room have created with their left. There are plenty of statistics that tell us that inequality is continually rising. At the same time, according to the Urban Institute, the nonprofit sector has been steadily growing. Between 2001 and 2011, the number of nonprofits increased 25 percent. Their growth rate now exceeds that of both the business and government sectors. It’s a massive business, with approximately $316 billion given away in 2012 in the United States alone and more than 9.4 million employed.
Philanthropy has become the “it” vehicle to level the playing field and has generated a growing number of gatherings, workshops and affinity groups.
As more lives and communities are destroyed by the system that creates vast amounts of wealth for the few, the more heroic it sounds to “give back.” It’s what I would call “conscience laundering” — feeling better about accumulating more than any one person could possibly need to live on by sprinkling a little around as an act of charity.
But this just keeps the existing structure of inequality in place. The rich sleep better at night, while others get just enough to keep the pot from boiling over. Nearly every time someone feels better by doing good, on the other side of the world (or street), someone else is further locked into a system that will not allow the true flourishing of his or her nature or the opportunity to live a joyful and fulfilled life.
And with more business-minded folks getting into the act, business principles are trumpeted as an important element to add to the philanthropic sector. I now hear people ask, “what’s the R.O.I.?” when it comes to alleviating human suffering, as if return on investment were the only measure of success. Microlending and financial literacy (now I’m going to upset people who are wonderful folks and a few dear friends) — what is this really about? People will certainly learn how to integrate into our system of debt and repayment with interest. People will rise above making $2 a day to enter our world of goods and services so they can buy more. But doesn’t all this just feed the beast?
I think he makes a very important point. We have let it all become about “the bottom line” only in dollars and cents. Therefore we don’t value things like compassion anymore, or selflessness. Those characteristic are too often taken for weakness. Ayn Rand would be very annoyed with us.
As for going into areas where you have no expertise, we see that everywhere now in the move to privatize education. Not just Bill and Melinda, the De Vos family, the Waltons (no, not Jim Bob and John Boy), and it’s very disturbing to me.
Going back to our previous discussion of the McDaonld’s employee “Spending Journal” here is a precious presentation by Stephen Colbert, of course, on the issue. Interesting that one can hardly find a single mass media reference to the McDonald’s journal scam, but reality journalism as practiced by Colbert et all does take up some slack.
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Sorry, but I can’t seem to get it right. One last try. And I can’t find the delete button that used to be at the bottom of a comment.
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/427948/july-22-2013/minimum-wage—mcdonald-s-spending-journal
small note on “financial literacy” which you probably already know:
financial literacy means teaching the people the lies that we use to sell stocks and bonds.
it does not teach people the risks
nor does it… as Buffet Jr does not seem to be quite aware… teach them the value of community in solving the problems that the free market cannot solve.
but this does not necessarily mean “welfare.” simply raising wages by one means or another would be a better place to spend the effort.
and keeping people, even such as Bill Gates, away from education, would be another.
the risks
by the way are not just that your stocks may go down at the worst possible time, but that you may be sold a “financial plan” by a scam artist.
they are out there now preying on the innocent (most of us), and they include the big banks.