RED CROSS DEAD CAUSE?

I am frequently asked why I refuse to ante up for good causes like the Red Cross. Well, principally because I don't believe that the Red Cross is a good cause. And when asked why, I respond that I am a Veteran....and that usually ends the debate. But if it happens to go on, I will suggest that the questioner check the record.

Here's the skinny:

The Red Cross has never had trouble raising money; the troubles that they have had come from spending all of the money they have raised the right way.

It seems that every few years this is documented by one investigation or another into their Fund Raising tactics or misapplication of funds or simply inefficiency that seems so ingrained it should become part of their name. Anyway, routinely somebody resigns or is fired and the whole matter is forgotten.

The damage that is done, however, is real and to me it is the Red Cross simply overshadows all of the serious support groups that do good work, have serious volunteers and don't pay outrageous salaries to top supervisors who don't supervise. And, sadly, these really good organizations get simply overpowered by an organization that can't even control its own future...

If the past is any example, the Red Cross has a history of raising money from one disaster and using it somewhere else other than where it was intended; it has a blood program that is no longer even considered seriously; and spends way too much money on administration and organization. In the field, responsible people report that they are poorly prepared, fail to have the requisite materials needed, are totally inefficient and do not maintain paper records of their performance.

In short, they are the organization known for its "screw ups."

The latest in the way of reports that have come out of New Orleans suggest that the Red Cross inventoried all the wrong things, did not have food or water to distribute, registered high losses, did not document their activities, appointed unprepared volunteers to head up important posts while reassigning professionals to lower level jobs and were generally inefficient and disorganized about how they ran their operations. A report by a former high ranking official, reinforced these findings which were then substantiated by other observers and whistle-blowers within the organization and reported as recently as last week in the New York Times..

However, this time those reports have found their way to Charles Grassley, Republican of Ohio, who is investigating the activities of the Red Cross and consequently will not get lost in a heap of paperwork.

What is really troublesome is that the National Weather Service has predicted of the eight hurricanes projected for the new season, five are expected to be rated three or higher. And hurricane season is just about two months away!

While it may seem as if the fat is in the fire, what we expect with sincere apologies to Senator Grassley is that someone will retire and someone will resign and the whole matter will be swept under the carpet as before.

Les Aaron