Maggie's Farm

When I see a headline about a 'non-profit', I have come to assume the worst. A decade ago, or more, I would have immediately assumed that the organization had been put into place to fund somebody's lifestyle. This is what the Clinton's did, in their post-Presidency afterglow, where they were cashing in on their name. The foundation did a few good things for society, but it was really good at raising money to ensure a lifestyle of first-class comfort, excellent weddings, and top-flight leisure travel.

But nowadays, the purpose of non-profits seems to be even worse than just a vehicle for lifestyle enhancements. Nowadays it's a way for governments to quietly engage in extra-curricular activities without all that bothersome legislating. Like funneling hordes of illegal immigrants across the border and setting them up in hotels, in US cities. Just f'rinstance. Not to mention funding all different kinds of election shenanigans, putting people in place within the election apparatus that have absolutely no business being there, but are there by benefit of high-up, cross-organizational ties between people in the Administration and people in the NGOs. They are a blight on civilization, and they should be getting regulated out of existence when their mission creeps into becoming a privately-controlled arm of government, doing all the dirty work in a deniable way, above transparency and above principles of good governance.