Perfectly Fine Value Extraction
Happened to come across a story in my morning LA Times about a charitable group formed from the Service Employees International Union. In two of the charity's four years it raised $165,000 to be used to help members get low-income housing. Well, as you can imagine, none of that money went to the recipients, all of it went for expenses and overhead.
A couple of problems arise from this "travesty of justice." One is that every institutionalized charity must cover its operating expenses or you have no recipient benefits. Don't have a building and laborers to process things? The money can't get places to begin with. It is almost as if a charity must declare, "We must have x amount of money before we can actually make other monies available." This is just plain business reality.
The second problem comes from an inherent condition of "charity." In looking all around I don't see much about this condition addressed.
For context I came across another story having to do with charitable activity, one which dwarfs the SEIU problem. That story is here on the web if you want to peek at it.
Some big-shot rich guy pledging millions to charities has been found to be less than truthful about his financial situation. I'd imagine most would react in a similar manner as they would with the SEIU story: Rawwr! I'm really angry with these people! How on earth could they shaft those poor poor poor poor poor people?
This will happen when you rely on liars for your sustenance. The liar in the Washington Post story was particularly insidious, because he felt that as long as he wrapped himself in love and kindness and generosity, his method of value extraction was perfectly fine. We can excoriate him for his loathsome conduct, but really now...
How many of us can claim to be above that kind of thing?
In the end, only two answers to this question may be offered. One, "Why yes, I am above that kind of thing." Two, "No, I confess, I am just the same, only in my own way of doing it."
From that first claim, an individual will most likely continue to lie to themselves about their abject misconception, eventually destroying their souls and, sadly, those who enter into relationship with them. Furthermore they will enter into contractual arrangements with other liars because all know how likely they are to exploit one another. When charities are involved this requires onerous regulations such as 501c3 contracts and turgidly written laws and bylaws so there can be elaborate pretense of trustworthiness.
From that second claim, one can resign himself to wallowing about in the pity that must foment from such a realization, and this in turn can calcify into a pronounced victimhood sustaining huge demand for those charitable services. Yes, indeed, it is a racket.
The other option to the second claim is one I just don't think is authentically chosen as much as you'd think. You'd think it would be, seeing how many "Christians" there are, but the sobering fact is most Christian churches are just as much caught up in the codependent charity merry-go-round as any other. Churchianity is all over making sure there is some pitiful victim somewhere they can rescue and get a warm feeling about.
The fact of the entire matter is that if people actually did one thing then all this charity crap would go away. What is that one thing?
Put your faith in Jesus Christ and actually do what He says.
Whoa-ho-ho-ho there. Didn't Christ say to do charity?
Of course He did. But he also said that when people actually use their gifts and encourage others to use their gifts and people actually loved one another and didn't worry so much about getting something someone else has then guess what...
There would be no need for charity.
There would just be everyone doing their part to make everyone abundantly wealthy.
Yes, I know, I'm a Pollyanna. I just have this crazy idea that everyone would come to Christ and there would be His Kingdom on earth. Sorry. It does seem that people will still arrogantly claim they're above it all and that Cain's agency must continue to stomp on the liars to check their ugly behavior.
But whatever the case, I still just write because maybe someone will come across these words, which is only to get him to see His words. The upshot is that someone may see what's really going on, and then see how much Jesus would love to blow us away with His provision of all good things, not the piddle a really good liar offers.
A couple of problems arise from this "travesty of justice." One is that every institutionalized charity must cover its operating expenses or you have no recipient benefits. Don't have a building and laborers to process things? The money can't get places to begin with. It is almost as if a charity must declare, "We must have x amount of money before we can actually make other monies available." This is just plain business reality.
The second problem comes from an inherent condition of "charity." In looking all around I don't see much about this condition addressed.
For context I came across another story having to do with charitable activity, one which dwarfs the SEIU problem. That story is here on the web if you want to peek at it.
Some big-shot rich guy pledging millions to charities has been found to be less than truthful about his financial situation. I'd imagine most would react in a similar manner as they would with the SEIU story: Rawwr! I'm really angry with these people! How on earth could they shaft those poor poor poor poor poor people?
This will happen when you rely on liars for your sustenance. The liar in the Washington Post story was particularly insidious, because he felt that as long as he wrapped himself in love and kindness and generosity, his method of value extraction was perfectly fine. We can excoriate him for his loathsome conduct, but really now...
How many of us can claim to be above that kind of thing?
In the end, only two answers to this question may be offered. One, "Why yes, I am above that kind of thing." Two, "No, I confess, I am just the same, only in my own way of doing it."
From that first claim, an individual will most likely continue to lie to themselves about their abject misconception, eventually destroying their souls and, sadly, those who enter into relationship with them. Furthermore they will enter into contractual arrangements with other liars because all know how likely they are to exploit one another. When charities are involved this requires onerous regulations such as 501c3 contracts and turgidly written laws and bylaws so there can be elaborate pretense of trustworthiness.
From that second claim, one can resign himself to wallowing about in the pity that must foment from such a realization, and this in turn can calcify into a pronounced victimhood sustaining huge demand for those charitable services. Yes, indeed, it is a racket.
The other option to the second claim is one I just don't think is authentically chosen as much as you'd think. You'd think it would be, seeing how many "Christians" there are, but the sobering fact is most Christian churches are just as much caught up in the codependent charity merry-go-round as any other. Churchianity is all over making sure there is some pitiful victim somewhere they can rescue and get a warm feeling about.
The fact of the entire matter is that if people actually did one thing then all this charity crap would go away. What is that one thing?
Put your faith in Jesus Christ and actually do what He says.
Whoa-ho-ho-ho there. Didn't Christ say to do charity?
Of course He did. But he also said that when people actually use their gifts and encourage others to use their gifts and people actually loved one another and didn't worry so much about getting something someone else has then guess what...
There would be no need for charity.
There would just be everyone doing their part to make everyone abundantly wealthy.
Yes, I know, I'm a Pollyanna. I just have this crazy idea that everyone would come to Christ and there would be His Kingdom on earth. Sorry. It does seem that people will still arrogantly claim they're above it all and that Cain's agency must continue to stomp on the liars to check their ugly behavior.
But whatever the case, I still just write because maybe someone will come across these words, which is only to get him to see His words. The upshot is that someone may see what's really going on, and then see how much Jesus would love to blow us away with His provision of all good things, not the piddle a really good liar offers.
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