CEOs benefit as charities boom

[Ruffhowse]

WASHINGTON -- Business has never been better for thousands of charities that employ disabled Americans -- or for their chief executive officers, who are pulling in record compensation.

In Texas, one of the biggest nonprofits paid $4.6 million to a management firm founded by its CEO. In Baltimore, another charity's top executive earned more than $700,000 in cash and benefits. And a Tennessee nonprofit boosted its CEO's pay and benefits eightfold over four years to $500,000.

The soaring paychecks come from charities that often pay disabled workers less than the federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour, The Oregonian found in an ongoing investigation of the disparities. The increases parallel a big expansion of defense contracts set aside for disabled workers since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

A U.S. Senate committee takes up the issue at a hearing Thursday. Separately, a committee that oversees the federal set-aside contracts plans to propose new rules that would limit how much executives can earn.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/112963329249180.xml&coll=7
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This is outrageous!! But not surprising given the climate of this country since BushCo came into office.

[Deja Q]

1. Earning from peoples' suffering. Nice.

[aquart]

2. Greedy and grotesque.

[freethought]

3. Who the hell does this country exsist for!!!!???

Everyone or a bunch of fat-cat CEOs? They are like a disease, or at least a symptom of it! They have got their goddamned hands into everything!!

:grr: :grr: :grr:

[celestia671]

7. 5 years of Rethug rule hard at work...

Just like the 80's with Raygun.

I hope all the jackasses who voted for Bush are happy!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Nice. "Nonprofits" whose executives make big bucks

by underpaying and exploiting disabled people. That's about as low as you can get -- but somehow this doesn't surprise me. Good Republicans, I'm sure, who justify it all be claiming they're giving these poor souls jobs when nobody else would hire them. Bastards.

[JerseygirlCT]

5. There is something that leaves an awful taste in my mouth

about a non-profit CEO making that kind of money. It's been my field for more than 20 years, and I've heard all the arguments about equivalent experience and talent with the business CEOs (which is often true -- running a non-profit can be tough work!). But if you go into that field -- in the larger sense -- for the money, you're looking in the wrong place.

I'd like to see more exposure of those kind of figures to the public -- especially the donating publics of these organizations. Would Mr. and Mrs. Donor be as likely to be generous if they knew their hard-earned $100 was contributing to a salary 3 times their own?

[stepnw1f]

6. Correction: Charities Boom as CEOs benefit

and Of course it is.... It's a big tax right-off and money needs to keep busy. How else do you think "old money" got "old" in the first place?

[Sadie5]

8. My idea is not to give to them

but to give to separate charities as I see fit. I won't allow my measly few $ to support some SOB, CEO that takes money which is meant for a charity. Although I did give to the Red Cross during Katrina, that time was the exception. I will give to the winter assistance heating fund in my county and various other charities which don't keep any of the collected funds except for normal expenses.

[SoCalDem]

10. With technology what it is today, there is NO reason why

Individuals in need after a catastrophe, could not be registered at a BANK, and have funds transferred directly TO the people in need..All those millions of dallars that were donated "to the tear-stained faces" we were shown on tv.. Those people have just been USED to generate money for already-rich people to dole out nickels & dimes, reluctantly to the people they deem "worthy".. Most people are getting little if any, help.. and the help they are getting is done condescendingly and with many strings attached..

People who "adopted" these evacuees, will soon tire of the need for ongoing generosity..

The people of New orleans would have been better off being given $5k each and allowed to migrate on their own to family members homes...instead of being bused to parts unknown, and having to stand in line to beg from strangers

[salib]

9. This is CRAZY. Where are the Board Members in all this?

I am on the Board of a non-profit and I and all my colleagues would consider it SCANDALOUS to have such salaries for CEOs or Executive Directors, and DISGUSTING to pay people on the staff so little as what is described here.

True charitable individuals, especially those who have taken the PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for oversight and direction as those on the Board have, are the truly guily people in this story. They are, and should be held to the fact, personally responsible for mis-management, malfeasance, mis-representation and/or subterfuge. Ignorance is no excuse, both legally and morally.