Don Imus's Ranch for Sick Kids in the News

Don Imus's Ranch for Sick Kids made the front page of the Wall Street Journal, as Eliott Spitzer investigates. What the case highlights, I think, is the danger of mixing up, as social venture people so often do, plans that provide both private benefit and public good. From a legal and regulatory standpoint, there is a big difference between an investment, a personal expense, and a gift; as there is a big difference between a business, a hobby, and nonprofit. When you start blending these elements, from disparate legally distinct realms, into a new mix and calling it a charity or a social venture (where both you and the public benefit) you risk not only terministic confusion, but also hitting legal and regulatory trip wires, even if your intentions are pure.

Comments

[Harry]

Profiting off misery is one of the older cons. Ambassador Sembler could teach Mr. Imus a thing or two.

[Phil]

Virtue rewarded.

[RickObis]

...yup, casually mixing personal hobbies with 'public charity' is a bad idea.

It's clear that Mr. Imus owns all or most of the 'Imus Ranch', rather than the public foundation owning it.

The name of the 'ranch' is a good indicator of its primary purpose.

[Ron Tipton]

I think it is fairly obvious that Don Imus is also using his "ranch" for personal use. Why does he have to be at the "ranch" when the kids are there? I thought he had a radio show to run? I believe his wife and staff are perfectly capable of running this "ranch" for sick children.

Even though Imus makes light of it, he and his family do use his "ranch" for holiday getaways. I listen to his show every day and it's a known fact that he takes off every Thanksgiving and Christmas for the ranch. No kids are there at that time.

What is really shameful is the way he is trying to destroy the character of Robert Frank (the writer of the WSJ article). For far to long, responsible people in the media and political area have tolerated the spoiled brat tactics of Don Imus.

Don Imus's show is amusing but his "charity" is clearly a front for his very own "Cowboy Taj Mahal".

Ron Tipton

[Josh]

That's Imus for you. He's made a career of
personal and vicious attacks on people,
but as soon as someone exposes him to just-
deserved ridicule, he tries to hide behind
lies and further invective. He should be
thrown in jail.

[Walter Guest]

There oughtta be a law. Basically he stole money from kids with cancer but he did it legally. Give him credit. He found a loophole and used it. It's a loophole that should be closed. There oughtta be a law. They can call it The Imus Law. He earned it.
I'm putting a post on my blog about it shortly.

[Diandra E. Sanphy]

I am trying very hard as a mother of two and wife to a wonderful man. My goal as mom is to raise my children as well as I can, with good morals, belief in God and giving back to others. I am a strong believer in helping others and teaching others the way to keep themselves healthy, strong and remembering to give back to others also. I started a program in our area called S.Y.C.H.E.D. Seacoast Youth Committed to Hosting Events Drug-Free. It is a dream of mine that one day, my husband and I will be able to become a non-profit as we cannot continue to go on paying for all the fee's and cost involved with running programs for no cost to the participants. When I read information about the rich and famous, their charities, the amount of money people pour into them and then find out they are loop holes, or scams, tax evasion, etc. They make the news and the people are scared rightfully so to give in the future to someone who does not come with the fame and publicity of these non-profit giants. I am just wondering what can someone like my
husband and I can do to gain the trust of the people? We are by no means millionaires, rich or famous! We are hurt when we read articles about being conned by the sheep in wolves clothing. We have given money to the ranch before, and hope that someone in the government will do something about these non-profits-making profits off of others kindness in their hearts. Perhaps this is not as bad as it seems, but maybe it is! I don't have all the facts on the Ranch and do hope that a whole lot of good has and will be done for these families.

[vickie]

I woder if these people that are drgging Imus down would do if they would have a sick child that needed a little bit of something to make life a little more comfortable, I'm sure that they would remember him!

[Mark]

This is the problem with web blogs. They are but a flashbulb in time. Like a newspaper that prints a salacious headline above the cover in big large letters; then buries the retraction. Eliot Sptizer cleared Imus of any wrongdoing on the Ranch.

I understand that blogging is a free-form version of free speech and the comparison to newspapers is not exactly apples for apples. For that reason anyone who decides to look for truth should look for multiple, different sources, understand the timeline and use your own head.

Most important, understand blogging for what it is, someone repeating something they heard. Then, they take what amounts to a high-tech spray can and plasters it on the inifinte electronic brick wall.

Some blogging can be good if it can be independently verified and turned into real news. Most are little more that adults acting as children passing gossip or coming to conclusions before any facts can be found.

[Harry]

Very true, Mark. Another problem is the way people read them. Something about the chance to immediately comment on what's posted leads to a casual reading. For example, Phil wrote:

Don Imus's Ranch for Sick Kids made the front page of the Wall Street Journal, as Eliott Spitzer investigates. What the case highlights, I think, is the danger of mixing up, as social venture people so often do, plans that provide both private benefit and public good. From a legal and regulatory standpoint, there is a big difference between an investment, a personal expense, and a gift; as there is a big difference between a business, a hobby, and nonprofit. When you start blending these elements, from disparate legally distinct realms, into a new mix and calling it a charity or a social venture (where both you and the public benefit) you risk not only terministic confusion, but also hitting legal and regulatory trip wires, even if your intentions are pure.

It doesn't condemn Imus in any way. In fact, there's a strong suggestion that Phil thinks Imus' intentions were good. My opinion of Imus, from his radio show, is that he's an arrogant bag of wind. He deliberately misleads his listeners and makes a lot money as a professional shock jock. It wouldn't suprise me in the least if he skated close enough to acting outside the law to warrant an investigation, but not far enough to warrant prosecution.

Now it could be that what he says on the air, for all to hear, is just his idea of fun and he doesn't really intend to be demagogic or asinine. It could also be an act, and he's not actually pandering to the angry and stupid demographic. He might have a heart of gold and what says in order to get money to help people tears him apart.

Anyway. Thanks for telling us about blogging.

[Phil]

Note also the follow-up post, as the story changed.

http://www.gifthub.org/2005/03/spitzer_ends_im.html

[Jim Collins]

Please email us your address for donations.
We need this as soon as possible.
A family has requested a donations be made to your organization in lieu of flowers for a funeral service. We need this address for our newspaper notice.
Thank You!
Burns Funeral Home
Yellville, Arkansas
[email protected]

[Phil]

Jim, sent an email to you. I think there is probably a misunderstanding.

[Joe]

If Imus is ripping people off, they can quit donating money at ANY TIME!!!

[philip cubeta]

For some reason the funeral home wanted to send me the money. I think I got them successfully redirected.

[Dean Lawson]

If all you have to do is watch this low life show I would suggest you get a life as you surely need one.Once was enough for me.What a joke.Don is a con man from the word go. Help him finance his vacation home for him and his rich low life friends? Never in a million years. The name says it all. Wake up people. Don Imus is a dumb jock that gets off putting people down so you do not notice what he is really all about.A real jerk. This phony should be off the air.

[Steve]

Who gives a rat's ass if Don Imus lives at the ranch year round, during the holidays or never. His organization helps kids with cancer. He has $30M in personal assets, do you really think he would risk all that to, after it is all said and done, skim a couple hundred thousand dollars off a kids charity and risk losing his candy ass breand and butter job? Please.

Instead of spending time and energy trying to tear people down folks ought to spend the same time and energy helping people out.

Here's a link to the Imus ranch filed taxes -

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/newimus1.html

Move on folks.

[Marjorie S. Weisman]

I am trying to locate an address where I can send a donation to Don Imus' Camp.

My husband is in Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center being treated for APL. He requested that I make a donation to this camp on his behalf and I can't locate a snail mail address. Please Help!!!

[Linda]

I'm just asking. Did Imus pay for the broadcasting studio at the ranch or did charity donations pay for it? I think he said the ranch costs 1.4 or 1.6 million a year to run. If ten kids at a time are there (100 per year?), it must be the most expensive-per-child of any charity. If he continues to raise the money to pay for it, more power to him. I also wonder if his brother left the ranch voluntarily or was fired? He seems like a real sweetheart. Imus has respect for only a few people, hence his derogatory name-calling. He seems to have a strong dislike (phobia?) for people he thinks are fat. He should look in the mirror at his skinny, wrinkled face and messy hair before critizing the way others look.

[B B]

Please help, need Don Imus, Ranch address,
Thank you, Sincerely, B

[Cyndy]

WHo are you to judge and/or criticize? Anyone who thinkss they can do a better job for these kids or any others in such circumstances should get up off their considerable asses and do it!IF you are at all capable of bulding a business plan and realistically look at the details of thier plan, the per child expenses become embarrassingly obvious. I would like to see some airlines get into the donation mode and defray the costs of flying the kids and the necessasry personell to the ranch. It is what and where it is, deal with it, but the good cannot be challenged intelligently.