Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Clinton Sleaze - Do the Math

The Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation is much in the news lately, having allegedly taken money from foreign donors who wished to influence decisions made by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Ms. Clinton has claimed their foundation has done much good with the money.

The Federalist reports the Clinton Foundation has a wretched record of charitable grants, spending most of its money on expenses. Furthermore, they provide a link to the foundation's actual filing for 2013, go here to see the actual IRS 990 Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax form the Clinton Foundation filed. 

The Form 990 shows that in 2013, the Clinton Foundation spent $84 million of which less than $9 million went to charitable grants. Salaries, compensation, and employee benefits absorbed roughly $30 million, another almost $46 million went to "other expenses." And the form shows the foundation took in $64 million more than they spent.

It is hard to interpret the Clinton Foundation as anything more than a sinecure for their loyal retainers and a slush fund from which to pay family expenses, disguised as "foundation expenses." All of this paid for by rent-seeking others and by tax-free income earned by Bill whose gigantic speaking fees go to the Foundation.

Question: Under what circumstances would you donate to a charity which promises to spend only 10-11¢ of each dollar on good works?
Answer: If you hoped to influence the persons who direct the charity to make charity-unrelated but important-to-you decisions in your favor.