Questions on Funds for Disaster Relief

Re “Lawmakers Criticize Red Cross Over Relief Fund Disbursement,” Nov. 7: The agenda of the leaders of the American Red Cross is no mystery to me. I learned it directly after the last San Francisco earthquake, when they said they had collected too much after that disaster and they were going to save the money for another.

Their agenda is not so much to help victims of disaster as it is collecting money for their own preservation and to pay their own salaries. Their scrambling for answers now does not take them on a very long path, as it will always be, “We were on the side of good.” To hear them now say that a special fund, the Liberty Fund, had to be created for this type of disaster is a joke. A disaster--whether it be famine, flood, fire or any other--is simply not relevant. The American Red Cross loves disasters; it will never have such an easy opportunity to raise money.

I would also like another question addressed: Is it necessary to monetarily help the families of people who had their life insurance paid as part of their salaries? What about victims who never had the same opportunity at such insurance in other, less visible disasters? What about other human service workers who died in much smaller disasters? Why are they not part of this relief?

Arno Virant

San Gabriel