This does not sit well with me. The other day a guy called one of our local radio stations (KKRW). He talked to the hosts (Dean and Rog)telling then what he had witnessed the night before. To say he was mad was an understatement. He said that the previous night he was at a local topless bar when he saw a man at one of the ATMs. What struck him was the fact that the guy was using a card with the Red Cross on it. He was so astounded by what he saw, he asked the guy if that wasn't one of the hurricane relief cards. The guy told him that it was and not only could he use it for whatever he wanted (lap dances, etc?) but that he had more cards and it was none of his business what he used the card(s) for anyway! That brought up an obvious question because there is no way to control how the money given out on these cards is being used. Now, I'm mad.
Friday, September 16, 2005
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6 comments:
Some folks can have a beer or two and function just fine. Others will drink and drink, and then run their cars through innocent people or go home and beat the wife and kids. Most of the time you can't tell who is going to do what. So do we ban all drinking?
Doesn't really bother me. I sent my donation off hoping it would help somebody on their way back to "normal," and everybody has different ideas of what "normal" is.
I have to say it doesn't bother me either. For every person who abuses the cards, there are probably 10 at Target buying clothes for the kids.
Every time a major disaster happens somewhere and donations are collected, we hear about stories like this one.
Of course, I do not agree with the abuse, but does that mean I am not going to give money anymore? Of course not. I hope that my money is well used, but I cannot know for sure.
In any case, if this makes you mad, which I truly understand, then perhaps it is time to take some different action than just entrusting money to others. I am of Colombian descent, and about six years ago, there was a terrible earthquake there. Living in Belgium, I wanted to help, but knew well that sending money was not an option, as corrupted officials would steal it asap. So, my mother and I organised our own private "food and medical supplies collect", and made deals with the airlines and cargos to bring our help to safe destination. It worked.
Of course, not everyone has the time or the energy to accomplish this, but my point is: there are people out there trying to help in alternative ways. If you do not trust the official organizations, there is always another solution.
My humble opinion.
There will always be people who abuse the system and take advantage of it. Should we all stop donating because some individuals use the money for "unapproved" purposes? Should the gov't shut down all charities because some are scams? Obviously, the answer is no. People seem to think that these cards are the source of the problem. Got news for you--the same types of "abuses" occurred (and will occur) when the victims are paid via check/direct deposit.
If this makes you mad, that's fine. Just make sure your frustration is directed at the individuals who abuse things and not the system itself (which is doing everything it can to help those who need it).
Phil
http://nomadechoes.blogdrive.com
That really horrible. Grrr, I'm mad at the man now, :-P
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