A Pet Peeve

Every so often something just gets to the point that it raises my blood pressure. One particular ad on TV had been doing that for years.

Anyone who watches the cable Discovery channels or History International is well acquainted with the bald headed, gray bearded geezer who does his damnedest to use guilt to get donations to a Childrens Fund. But if you pay attention, the ads really don't ad up.

First, the group grabs 20% off the top from all donations.

Second - and this is the part that gets me - you are supposed to send money to help support one child. One child in what may be a village with thousands of children. By what the ad suggests, it's only your child who will get food, shelter, medical care, education, etc, etc. I guess all the rest are screwed.

Now, I'm not saying that there aren't millions of children across the world who are in desperate need - and the vast majority of them are in their condition because of their own governments where no donations are going to help because the governments will grab every bit of supplies entering their country.

But if that ad would be more honest and say that the money donated would go to help all the children in the villages instead of just the one, I might be persuaded to part with some cash.