Barbara Bush donates money to help children of families hit by Hurricane Katrina — with the stipulation that her son’s company get the business.
The Houston Chronicle reported Saturday:
Former first lady Barbara Bush donated an undisclosed amount of money to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund with specific instructions that the money be spent with an educational software company owned by her son Neil.
The Los Angeles Times followed today without a knowing nod to The Houston Chronicle’s scoop, but adds comments from Daniel Borochoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy:
“If everybody started doing that, it would ruin our whole system for tax-exempt organizations, because people would be using them to benefit their business rather than for the public benefit. That’s not why our government gives tax deductions for donations,” he said. “I hope other donors across the country don’t start dictating that their contributions go to their family business. That would be a rip-off of our tax system.”
Of course, most of the country works this way these days — from political contributions to congressional earmarks. Us suckers, who had little other guidance, just wish things were a little more like our elementary school teachers told us they should be.
