2007 FIRST QUARTER FUNDRAISING
Hillary Clinton - $26m
Barack Obama - $25m
Mitt Romney - $23m
Rudy Giuliani - $15m
John Edwards - $14m
John McCain - $12.5m
Hillary Clinton is also adding another 10 million to this from her last senate race.
The Enormous total of all of this is 125.5 million dollars. That's a lot of million!!
So you might be wondering what is the point of this post. Well, could it be to say "Wow! I can't wait to start hearing all of the political adds, and nothing on talk radio except election, election, election!! (note: if this was in reference to Biblical election of the saints than I would say a big YAHOOO!!!!) AN EMPHATIC NO!!! I get pretty interested in politics and will gladly talk it with people, however that is not what hit me when I read those statistics on the BBC Headlines.
I am part of a local chapter of the Foods Resource Bank called locally the Hunger Relief project. As stated on their website (We have a link to this website also on our blog; see lower right column)
Foods Resource Bank (FRB) works on behalf of its members - 16 of the mainline Christian denominations or their agencies - to mobilize and increase the resources needed to support smallholder, agricultural, food security programs in some of the world's poorest villages. In the U.S., community "growing projects" raise a crop or other marketable resource, monetize it, and make the proceeds available to FRB. These financial resources are provided to the implementing members of FRB, who work with their in-country partners worldwide to help local communities to become self-sufficient and food-secure, producing enough to feed themselves and vulnerable individuals (AIDS orphans, the elderly, women and children), with extra to share, barter or sell to purchases basic medicines and staples, and send ALL their children to school.
A couple great things about the FRB is that 100% of the money raised is given to the missions organizations of the 16 members. To compare only about 60% or the money raise by/given to the Red Cross gets past the administration and advertisers. Also for the last several years there has been a dollar for dollar matching grant from US-A.I.D. (United States Agency for International Development). So for every dollar raised FRB received a dollar from the US government. What this has all worked out as in our specific project is that basically for every dollar donated to our project, after the crops have been grown and sold, and the money matched, every dollar given has turned into just over 4 dollars sent to people in need. Instead of 60% on your dollar it is about 400% on your dollar !!!
Soooo, back to politics. I realize that campaigns have to be run, and that there isn't much we can do about curbing the money spent. HOWEVER, I can' help but think of how so many of these people talk about helping the poor and needy and then spend this kind of money on campaigns (mind you this is only the money raised in the "first quarter").
The first thing that came to mind when I read those numbers was the difference that $5.37 can make. $5.37 is the average cost per person that it takes the FRB partners to feed a person for ONE WHOLE YEAR!!!!! So, I took the numbers, did a little crunching and came up with the 125.5 million dollars then divided that by $5.37 (this will not factor in the gov't matching funds). And came up with more than 23 million people!!!! That is a lot of people! I tried getting my head around that and it took a bit:
The total number of people living in Michigan is just over 10 million. Ohio is 11 million. That leaves another 2 million to feed.
Or you could feed the equivalent of 2/3 of all the Black people living in the U.S.
Or the entire population of CO,NE,KS,SD,ND,MT,WY,ID,OK,IA,NM, and MA combined.
This equates to whole countries in Africa (or several countries).
Angela and I visited Zambia (south central Africa pop. 10 million) last winter and visited one of the projects. Most of the projects work to teach people how to feed themselves. This picture is one example of the difference being made. The people of Zambia eat corn (maize) 3 times a day. This is the difference in the normal Zambian corn and the corn grown through practices taught using FRB monies. (note these practices cost VERY little more or no more than normal practices. The FRB corn is on the right and far left.
Needless to say I am deeply troubled when I think of the waste of such large sums of money on our politics, when so many are in need.
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 ESV
A bit ridiculous eh? May God give us the compassion and wisdom to share freely the resources that have been given to us.
ReplyDeleteHave you noticed I've taken up written communication with you since the phone waves dont work so well? :)
grace and peace slimerats -arns
Hey pipeface! So apparently you still haven't fixed the 4 minute battery issue on your phone. Yeh, well we loved the birthday card!!! I had both of us laughing our faces off!!!:) DEAD!! YOU'LL BE DEAD!!! ER, I MEAN I WAS DEAD!!! I TELL YOU WHAT!!! hehehe
ReplyDeleteAbout the Politics and poverty, yeh that is what exactly what we need; God's grace to carry on our part of reaching the poor. We can be concerned all we want about the resources that we have as a country and how they are used, but if we don't strive to live what Christ is calling us to then it is all for naught. I was talking with a couple people about this, and it is really interesting some of the responses that I have got on it. A couple of people have encouraged me to send in as a letter to the editor. Others get all defensive, even though I have really tried to not be offensive, I think their is some real guilt over how we spend our money. I am just really concerned for our country as this is a tell tale sign as to the condition of our country.:( One of the things that concerns me most about it is how so much of the rest of the world (both consciously and unconsciously) tries to emulate how we live as if it is something great to achieve, even though now America now has the greatest problem with depression of any country in the world. Sad, it really cuts me deap. Christ has shown us how to have freedom, and yet we as a church and society have thrown it to the side in search or riches. If only we would embrace Christ. In Him their is fullness of JOY!!! I have really come to believe more and more that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. And what a wonderful satisfaction it is, even in the Valley of the Shadow of Death (Morgul Vale or Shelob's liar are both very vivid in my mind when I think of this) we can say "Be at rest once more, oh my soul, for the LORD has been good to you." Psalms 116:7 NIV
OR "Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. ESV
It is amazing and ridiculous how much money is accumulated and spent on elections. I agree there are far better ways to spend such resources. Maybe it is the internet shopper in me, but I just wish there were a central location where you could get to know your candidates...honestly. This would save us all from the mean ads and campaign bogus. Debates and I suppose traveling around talking to groups would still be necessary, but it would be nice to strip the campaigns of all the negativity and waste.
ReplyDeletehey,
ReplyDeletenot sure if they talked about Jesus in the story or not, but I do remember them talking about the woman's divorce and how she needed some hope.
additionally, i enjoyed this post regarding the poor and hungry and money spent on politics. Good stuff.
Jake