How much did you donate?

[jdean]

There is plenty of criticism to go around for all charities.

Consider the largest "transparently operating" charity in the world, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with $33 billion in assets. To attract and retain qualified health care workers to their cause, they pay more for them. Here is what they get for their good deeds in the area of AIDS assistance in Africa:

"Diversion of health care resources.....
In a January/February 2007 Foreign Affairs article, Laurie Garrett claims that many charitable organizations, among whom the Gates Foundation is prominent, harm global health by diverting resources from other important local health care services. For example, by paying relatively high salaries at AIDS clinics, the foundation diverts medical professionals from other parts of developing nations' health care systems; the health care systems' ability to provide care diminishes (except in the area the foundation funds) and the charities may do more harm than good."

Sometimes you can't win on every angle that is scrutinized.