Parks scandal
Jul. 23rd, 2012 09:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snousleThe whole flap about California state park closure has had me kind of upset - aside from the great importance I place on parks, which play a key role in keeping myself sane in this state, it has been obvious all along that the park closures were political in nature and had little to do with lack of funds per se. (Yes, the state is short on cash, but parks are not exactly a big part of the budget; what they are, however, is highly visible, making for lots of drama and teeth-gnashing.)
Still, I was astonished to recieve this email this morning:
After an intensive and successful year-long effort to keep Hendy Woods State Park open, the Board of the Hendy Woods Community was stunned, along with others who have struggled to avoid closure of parks around the state, to discover the Department of Parks and Recreation was hiding funds that could have kept every targeted park open...
I thought, no F'ing way. But it's true - the parks chief has resigned, though it wasn't her doing, and the secret-funds scandal is being covered by major news outlets.
This is a good example of why I mostly ignore charitable causes. The Hendy Woods issue in particular has occupied a lot of time and attention, and I have personally contributed quite a lot of money, only to get burned.
I'm starting to think that nearly all "charities" are actually frauds, one way or another. Although nearly all of the people involved are acting in good faith, it takes only a few crooks to ruin everything. A sad conclusion, but even with my extremely discriminating approach I've still been duped, and I find it less than amusing to consider all the good things that money could have gone towards. In a world with so many urgent needs, the lack of credibility and accountability throughout the private-charity sphere is truly depressing.
Still, I was astonished to recieve this email this morning:
After an intensive and successful year-long effort to keep Hendy Woods State Park open, the Board of the Hendy Woods Community was stunned, along with others who have struggled to avoid closure of parks around the state, to discover the Department of Parks and Recreation was hiding funds that could have kept every targeted park open...
I thought, no F'ing way. But it's true - the parks chief has resigned, though it wasn't her doing, and the secret-funds scandal is being covered by major news outlets.
This is a good example of why I mostly ignore charitable causes. The Hendy Woods issue in particular has occupied a lot of time and attention, and I have personally contributed quite a lot of money, only to get burned.
I'm starting to think that nearly all "charities" are actually frauds, one way or another. Although nearly all of the people involved are acting in good faith, it takes only a few crooks to ruin everything. A sad conclusion, but even with my extremely discriminating approach I've still been duped, and I find it less than amusing to consider all the good things that money could have gone towards. In a world with so many urgent needs, the lack of credibility and accountability throughout the private-charity sphere is truly depressing.
