Governor Christie’s Favorite Charity

 

In the age of ceaseless parroting for “transparency,” it’s astounding to me that government do-gooders are apparently immune.

The Asbury Park (NJ) Press is reporting:

The Sandy relief fund chaired by New Jersey first lady Mary Pat Christie has raised more than $32 million so far. But four months after the superstorm, none of that aid has reached storm victims yet.

In her defense, Mrs. Christie cites the challenges of starting a charity from scratch, and other logistical problems.

Poor Mrs. Christie has exhausted herself, “soliciting advice from charity experts, making calls to wealthy individuals and corporations, seeking sizeable donations, and assembling a small staff and a bi-partisan operating board. She also helped recruit celebrities to join an honorary advisory board, which now includes Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi and Bono.”

But actually dispensing disaster relief? Not so much.

I guess Mrs. Christie neglected to share her view that such formidable challenges excuse such delays with her husband, who has called FEMA’s and Congress’s similar delays in providing relief to his state “disgusting.”

Of course, the chief question is: Why did Mrs. Christie find a need to create a charity from scratch, when there already exist dozens, if not hundreds, of effective, efficient charities with decades of experience providing disaster relief?

Why not simply lend her name and face to efforts to direct funding to one of these? For example, the private Robin Hood Foundation has drawn on its 25 years’ experience to so far direct more than $50 million of the $67 million raised from the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief “to dozens of nonprofit groups, with nearly 40 percent of the funds earmarked for relief efforts in New Jersey. The foundation expects to commit almost all of the remaining concert money by the end of the month.”

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