Chateau Lloyd

One of the most disturbing - and yet comforting - revelations of the past few months is just how much money is wasted on bogus aid programs.  It's disturbing because most people assuming that the US was incapable of Third-World level corruption.  We're not.

At the same time, it is comforting because we now know that there are vast amounts of resources that could be redirected to do immense good (or at least lowering the tax burden and reducing the national debt).

There is also newfound scrutiny being directed at the almost entirely useless "non-profit" sector.  Most of these organizations serve as pass-through recipients, who take a cut of whatever grant they get and then pass it on to others who then take a cut and pass it along again.

The mission statements of these entities is invariably open-ended.  They "advocate" or "raise awareness" or "build networks" and so on.  Their staff is well-compensated, with the CEOs living in luxury.  It was not always so.

Before women became preponderant in the office environment, actual charities were primarily staffed by volunteers, typically housewives whose kids had reached a point where they no longer demanded close supervision.  My grandmother was one of these women - having raised five kids, she now turned her attention to various societies and right up until her death, she was constantly busy organizing and attending meetings, events, and so on.

In those days, women gained status by having thriving families and doing good works (yes, she was Catholic).  To not contribute one's time was shameful.  How could you sit around the table at the country club without recounting your various activities, many of which you shared with your dining companions?

We have long since replaced this concept of charitable obligation with charity as an income generator, and the very uselessness of non-profits is held to raise them above grubby for-profit business, which of course are what powers the economy that keeps them afloat.

This shift is one of the engines that has powered Yard Sign Calvinism, which has no concern over whether any of their labor accomplishes anything, it is all about looking good and feeling good.  Pulling down hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary while running a food bank into the ground is the epitome of this mentality.

There is also the problem of where the money that isn't wasted on staff perks actually goes.  In the above example, some of it went to electioneering, which is clearly fraud.  

The fact is that we live in a fallen world, and one way to avoid aid being misused is to keep it close to home and under close observation.  Even nominally religious organizations can fall victim to a bureaucratic mentality.

As I have repeatedly pointed out, my parish bulletin is simultaneously asking for help in resettling foreign migrants while also lamenting the depletion of the food pantry and housing resources.  We are literally robbing Peter to pay Paul, all the while preening about our virtue.

Indeed, there is almost a perverse delight in this, as the Protestant work ethic is weaponized against native-born poor, who are condemned as lazy, ill-educated and of course racist, while those from overseas bear none of the sins of this blighted nation.

Our charities are increasingly uncharitable, designed to comfort the comfortable, and punish the suffering.  I see these discoveries as an opportunity to make a radical change, sweeping out the corruption and refocusing on truly good works.