Whoever sends money to these organizations isn't doing it for the good of the people but for their own sense of feeling good. 🤷♂️
Any money sent to the Third World filters through the sticky fingers of the tyrants and sociopaths that gravitate to positions of authority in those countries. Come to think of it, the First World has more than its share of tyrants and sociopaths running things. 🤔
Anyway, moving on, the best thing that these money laundering organizations could do would be to use that money to build infrastructure that would enable poor people in those countries to reach markets more easily. Rather than focusing on developing in the capital cities.
There was a previous Thai Prime Minister that focused on infrastructure, building roads that allowed the rural poor to access markets that were denied them by the urban elite that had run things in Thailand before that Prime Minister. The urban elites never can brook competition as they are no more intelligent or motivated to work hard than the rural poor. Anyway, the rural poor were doing quite well until the urban elite staged a coup that kicked out the Prime Minister when he was out of the country.
And back to the "bad old days" in Thailand.
So, I never give to any of those "pretend" charities because I know how ineffective they are.
Tyranny follows wealth and power, so it makes sense there are more tyrants and sociopaths in the first world really.
Yup - years ago, my company really pressured its employees to set up automatic donation to United Way but I refused. I will not support those large organizations where 90 cents of every dollar goes toward "operating funds". I'll give to my local food banks and my local charities first or really vet out something larger than that if I wish to help some place that is further away.
\triggered\The military calls the United Way the Combined Federal Campaign. There is always a targeted dollar goal but they tell you that giving is voluntary, but that every man and woman must be personally contacted and be given the opportunity to donate after the pep talk. I got put in charge of it one year at a base I was stationed at with 4000+ sailors, Marines, USAF and Army. I took out a monthly allotment of $50 for one year to be a good example. It was one of the most painful things I have ever done. But you must realize that a C.O. who doesn't meet the targeted goal is probably not going to make Admiral. They all want to make Admiral. Me? I was a 39 year old LTjg and just wanted to make LT. Because who wants to retire as an O-2? We made 102% of goal. The Captain and I promoted. Prior to all that when I was an Enlisted Chief I'd talk to every man in the Division and ask them to donate. No pressure. I'd usually get a third of them to donate something. Those who did not want to donate got a $1 donation in their name from me whether they liked it or not. That way I was 100% and done by Friday of the first week of the month-long CFC charity drive which would always get more strident, panicky and just plain awful in every subsequent motivation/progress meeting. Gah...I remember clear as day when I was that loser 21 year 0-2 CFC coordinator attending the region-wide CFC meeting after the first week and proudly reported the dollar amount our base had raised. The Captain of the local Naval Air Station, an O-6 Naval Aviator, was the honcho in charge. He was good at mental arithmetic and promptly excoriated me and, by inference, my C.O, for not being with the program because we were something like only 17% toward our dollar goal when already the campaign was 25% complete...."what kind of man (toad was implied) can be happy with that?" I had no response except to mutter to myself, "Eff my effing life." Yup, Bam. Fond memories of the United Way, huh? \untriggered\
I did that once back in the 80s as a Butterbar. Hated my life that month, so I showed every person I contacted what percentage of donation was paid out as salary by the charity. It's why I despise charities like Wounded Warrior Project that pay fat checks to their employees.
I recall going ashore in Tunisia in the 60s and sightseeing in the local souk. There were huge bags of grain and other foodstuff for sale labeled something like "Hands Across the Sea" indicating that these were gifts from the U.S.A. to the recipient country's people. There they were...misappropriated bags of food being sold by the kilo by merchants. Similarly, I have heard that back in the day before SNAP, food stamps or EBT cards our Territorial cousin in the Marshall Islands and Samoa would receive commodities to feed their families. What did they do with cans of Spam? They fattened their pigs with it. Beneficent impulses can sure get shunted to ground PDQ.
Churches are good. Most of them. But I wouldn't put money in the collection plate at Mass for my LGBT(nth) leaning bishop or for the Catholic charities grifting the illegal immigration racket. One must be careful. In my own experience, I witnessed the Salvation Army doing very good work while I was assigned to hurricane relief duties as a county employee. I particularly like that the S.A. puts a padlock on their red kettle collection pots....not that don't trust a recovering alcoholic around cash, but... I always toss cash in those red kettles even knowing it would make my Pope frown.
This is truly why you don't put trust in large organizations - from a nation-wide federal organization to a global one. First, the penchant for corruption is incredibly high because of the sheer number of people involved, as we've seen over and over and over again in every single organization like this of any size, and secondly, the bigger they are, the less flexible they are and the less able they are to respond to a local community's individual needs.
Give the money to local charities and local organizations and let them care for their own, and quit funding these huge money laundering schemes that serve only to make the rich all the richer at the expense of the poor!
With VERY few exceptions, any donations to large, international, charity organizations will just go to line the pockets of criminals and tyrants. (And frequently just make the lives of those it was intended to help, worse instead.)
Donate locally, and personally, where you can see how it is being used, and hold accountable those who disburse it.
Indeed, AJ. Has charity improved the lot of generations of welfare recipients? It hasn't worked in the War on Poverty since 1964. I'd like to posit that a little hunger and shivering in the winter might motivate some people to self-improvement. Couple charity with tough love and pragmatism.
Whoever sends money to these organizations isn't doing it for the good of the people but for their own sense of feeling good. 🤷♂️
Any money sent to the Third World filters through the sticky fingers of the tyrants and sociopaths that gravitate to positions of authority in those countries. Come to think of it, the First World has more than its share of tyrants and sociopaths running things. 🤔
Anyway, moving on, the best thing that these money laundering organizations could do would be to use that money to build infrastructure that would enable poor people in those countries to reach markets more easily. Rather than focusing on developing in the capital cities.
There was a previous Thai Prime Minister that focused on infrastructure, building roads that allowed the rural poor to access markets that were denied them by the urban elite that had run things in Thailand before that Prime Minister. The urban elites never can brook competition as they are no more intelligent or motivated to work hard than the rural poor. Anyway, the rural poor were doing quite well until the urban elite staged a coup that kicked out the Prime Minister when he was out of the country.
And back to the "bad old days" in Thailand.
So, I never give to any of those "pretend" charities because I know how ineffective they are.
Tyranny follows wealth and power, so it makes sense there are more tyrants and sociopaths in the first world really.
Yup - years ago, my company really pressured its employees to set up automatic donation to United Way but I refused. I will not support those large organizations where 90 cents of every dollar goes toward "operating funds". I'll give to my local food banks and my local charities first or really vet out something larger than that if I wish to help some place that is further away.
\triggered\The military calls the United Way the Combined Federal Campaign. There is always a targeted dollar goal but they tell you that giving is voluntary, but that every man and woman must be personally contacted and be given the opportunity to donate after the pep talk. I got put in charge of it one year at a base I was stationed at with 4000+ sailors, Marines, USAF and Army. I took out a monthly allotment of $50 for one year to be a good example. It was one of the most painful things I have ever done. But you must realize that a C.O. who doesn't meet the targeted goal is probably not going to make Admiral. They all want to make Admiral. Me? I was a 39 year old LTjg and just wanted to make LT. Because who wants to retire as an O-2? We made 102% of goal. The Captain and I promoted. Prior to all that when I was an Enlisted Chief I'd talk to every man in the Division and ask them to donate. No pressure. I'd usually get a third of them to donate something. Those who did not want to donate got a $1 donation in their name from me whether they liked it or not. That way I was 100% and done by Friday of the first week of the month-long CFC charity drive which would always get more strident, panicky and just plain awful in every subsequent motivation/progress meeting. Gah...I remember clear as day when I was that loser 21 year 0-2 CFC coordinator attending the region-wide CFC meeting after the first week and proudly reported the dollar amount our base had raised. The Captain of the local Naval Air Station, an O-6 Naval Aviator, was the honcho in charge. He was good at mental arithmetic and promptly excoriated me and, by inference, my C.O, for not being with the program because we were something like only 17% toward our dollar goal when already the campaign was 25% complete...."what kind of man (toad was implied) can be happy with that?" I had no response except to mutter to myself, "Eff my effing life." Yup, Bam. Fond memories of the United Way, huh? \untriggered\
I did that once back in the 80s as a Butterbar. Hated my life that month, so I showed every person I contacted what percentage of donation was paid out as salary by the charity. It's why I despise charities like Wounded Warrior Project that pay fat checks to their employees.
I recall going ashore in Tunisia in the 60s and sightseeing in the local souk. There were huge bags of grain and other foodstuff for sale labeled something like "Hands Across the Sea" indicating that these were gifts from the U.S.A. to the recipient country's people. There they were...misappropriated bags of food being sold by the kilo by merchants. Similarly, I have heard that back in the day before SNAP, food stamps or EBT cards our Territorial cousin in the Marshall Islands and Samoa would receive commodities to feed their families. What did they do with cans of Spam? They fattened their pigs with it. Beneficent impulses can sure get shunted to ground PDQ.
I only have 3 charities I donate to:
1. my church
2. Stronghold Relief - they give a newsletter to subscribers with updates on what they are doing.
3. a givesendgo or direct paypal to someone with an emergency that I feel I should help.
Anything else and they will hound you forever. worse than political calls.
Churches are good. Most of them. But I wouldn't put money in the collection plate at Mass for my LGBT(nth) leaning bishop or for the Catholic charities grifting the illegal immigration racket. One must be careful. In my own experience, I witnessed the Salvation Army doing very good work while I was assigned to hurricane relief duties as a county employee. I particularly like that the S.A. puts a padlock on their red kettle collection pots....not that don't trust a recovering alcoholic around cash, but... I always toss cash in those red kettles even knowing it would make my Pope frown.
This is truly why you don't put trust in large organizations - from a nation-wide federal organization to a global one. First, the penchant for corruption is incredibly high because of the sheer number of people involved, as we've seen over and over and over again in every single organization like this of any size, and secondly, the bigger they are, the less flexible they are and the less able they are to respond to a local community's individual needs.
Give the money to local charities and local organizations and let them care for their own, and quit funding these huge money laundering schemes that serve only to make the rich all the richer at the expense of the poor!
With VERY few exceptions, any donations to large, international, charity organizations will just go to line the pockets of criminals and tyrants. (And frequently just make the lives of those it was intended to help, worse instead.)
Donate locally, and personally, where you can see how it is being used, and hold accountable those who disburse it.
Indeed, AJ. Has charity improved the lot of generations of welfare recipients? It hasn't worked in the War on Poverty since 1964. I'd like to posit that a little hunger and shivering in the winter might motivate some people to self-improvement. Couple charity with tough love and pragmatism.
OxFam... shouldn't really be talking.