Gift Hub

A Working Class take on the Triple Bottom Line of the Pharisees

And the Pharisee, wishing to justify himself, his rank, and salary, said unto the working class street teacher, "God/Man, so-called, what must I do to be saved?"

God/Man said, "You must observe the triple bottom line."

And the Pharisee, wishing to show his superior education and to test God/Man, said, "What is the triple bottom line of which you speak?"

God/Man replied, "Faith, hope, and charity, and the greatest of these is charity."

And the Pharisee, who had a law degree, said, "Define, charity."

God/Man replied, "Love your neighbor as God loves you."

And the Pharisee, who also had an MBA, and had read Adam Smith, and had Ayn Rand on his bedside table said, "And who is my neighbor if I may ask ?"

And the carpenter said, "There was this alien, an unemployed laborer, who was swimming across the Rio Grande when he was set upon by vigilantees...."

 

 

Huge Charitable Remainder Trusts

Who would have believed that Chartiable Remainder Trusts would be so large!

I wonder if this can be right. Could these actually be foundations formed as trusts, as opposed to a CRT?

Company	Assets
METZGER CHARITABLE REMAINDER UNITRUST	714,692,714,692
CULVER CHARITABLE REMAINDER UNITRUST	436,786,479,461
BETTY FIGG-CARTWRIGHT CHARITABLE REMAINDER UNITRUST	368,388,312,938
ROBERT J & RUTH WARNER CHARITABLE REM UNITRUST 623-011000307272	351,136,378,661
LILLIAN ZUCKERMAN CHARITABLE REMAINDER UNI TR UA 12301998	190,521,422,998
GRANT L & JANET M DUNLAP UNITRUST	143,569,149,087
ELIZABETH A BRYAN CHARITABLE REMAINDER UNITRUST	131,802,118,267
PATRICIA A MCDOWELL CHARITABLE REM TRUST	111,982,114,176
R C AND KRIS R CURTIS CHARITABLE REMAINDER UNITRUST NO 1	107,465,101,178

Added later: See Randy Fox's research in the comment linked below.

Sped Up and Fed Up

Jobs down, profits up, as employers dump several jobs on one remaning staffer. Great post by Wildwoman.

Growing Wealth Gap Between Whites and Minorities

Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON -- The wealth gaps between whites and minorities have grown to their widest levels in a quarter-century. The recession and uneven recovery have erased decades of minority gains, leaving whites on average with 20 times the net worth of blacks and 18 times that of Hispanics, according to an analysis of new Census data.

Eviscerating Worker Rights without Public Discussion

Committee on Education of the Workforce

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA) issued the following statement today after House Education and Workforce Republicans announced that the committee will vote on legislation in less than 48 hours that would strip the National Labor Relations Board’s ability to enforce the law to protect workers against unfair labor practices. The bill was introduced late this afternoon. “I am deeply disappointed that the Republicans have chosen to take such reckless action, ramming a far-reaching bill through committee in less than 48 hours without a hearing. A quick first read indicates that the Republican bill will make it easier to play American workers against each other in a race to the bottom and even easier to ship American jobs overseas. It would create an open season for CEOs to punish workers for exercising their rights. “The repercussions of this bill would be wide-ranging and damaging to workers’ rights. Chairman Kline should cancel Thursday’s committee vote and instead hold a hearing on the bill to examine its full range of consequences.”

At issue is whether Boeing, then other companies, can retaliate against a union, or nonunion workers, by moving an assembly line to another factor, when workers fight for their rights. Also at issue is whether Congress will act without a full and open discussion of this important matter.

Pentagon Sees Social Media as New Battleground

Some senior officers have spoken privately of the need to better track unrest revealed in social networks and to look for ways to shape outcomes in the Arab world through Twitter, Facebook or YouTube. The Telegraph.

Wealth Bondage Social Media Group has won the contract calling for monitoring populist disinformation and counter-acting it with truth provided by hirelings. Gifthub will now be run within a secure Pentagon gaming environment to simulate what will happen in the unlikely event that ordinary Americans ever wake up. If you are reading this post be aware that your comments are being run through the DARPA mainframe to detect any emerging trends that might tend to subvert our precious Freedom.

A Measured Defense of Strategic Philanthropy

Strategic philanthropy is a measured success. It has done immeasurable harm, but that is partially offset by small gains in what can be measured. On balance we are better off with uncultured barbarians imposing their methods on all sectors.

I am trying to write a contemporary defense of logical positivism, as applied to the social sector, in the hope of revitalizing my downard spiralling career. I am finding, though, that I pass out drunk before I can construct a convincing argument. Sober I just sit and stare at the blank screen in despair. We measure every student every year and now our society is run by people who have no moral or political tradition beyond pragmatism and expediency. They have been measured and managed for compliance with authority, now they assert it and call it leadership. It is only 10:20 am. Too early to drink. Maybe I will try meditation.

Mandatory Drug Tests for Drug Dealers

Shared value creation, business ethics, and triple bottom lines in Mexican Drug Cartel:

Federal police said they seized copies of the cartel's "code of conduct" booklet during an arrest of cartel members in the western state of Michoacan last week, but refused to release its contents Tuesday, saying they didn't want fan the flames of the quasi-religious movement. But a copy of the 22-page "The Code of the Knights Templar of Michoacan," illustrated with knights on horseback bearing lances and crosses, was obtained by The Associated Press this week. It says the group "will begin a challenging ideological battle to defend the values of a society based on ethics."

The booklet says that drug gang members are prohibited from using drugs and that they will be tested for drugs regularly. This is a good rule for an organization devoted to doing well by doing good, effectively and efficiently. We don't want the employees dipping into the product and the profits. The rule of law? Check out Wall St. Maybe I have finally found a lucrative niche for my morals tutoring business. The mob has attorneys, bankers, and politicians on the payroll, why not a morals tutor to South America's wealthiest families? Might have to give up banned substances, though. At least the week of the Cartel's drug test. Bum wine is still ok.

Nonprofit Haircut

Paul Light in the Washington Post

In a case decided just last month, Federal Appeals Court Judge Richard Posner declared that the “Girl Scouts are not readily distinguishable from Dunkin' Donuts.” In explaining his decision to allow states to regulate the Girl Scout cookie business the way they would a commercial business, Posner opened the floodgates for challenges to camps, daycares, fitness centers, and the rising number of other profit-making activities that many nonprofits have started as a way of reducing dependency on unreliable government contracts, individual contributions and philanthropic grants. 

Earnest's Philanthropic Money

Reading this, I thought, "The physician goes from house to plague stricken house, carrying the disease he cures. So strategic philanthropists will save Capitalism." The question smart philanthropists ask is, "Am I getting better?" What if we began by asking, "What must I do to be saved?" Or shriven? Or, "Am I totally lost?" Or, "Are we in rats' alley where the dead men lost their bones?" Or,"Can this madness be cured before we all die of it and take the planet with us?" The language of commerce is Usura set to banquet. When Oscar Wilde suggested that "all art is quite useless," it was against businesslike vulgarity that he was speaking. Now we hold such earnestness, Smart. Are you getting more earnest, Mr. Gradgrind? Yes, Sir, I think so, Sir. How much more earnest, you ask, Mr. Gradgrind? 11% year over year is my best estimate, Sir. I mean with a sampling error of 2%, Sir. You are getting better. Now if you will excuse me, I am supposed to be at the Circus, Sir.  They have elephants you know.