The Red Cross Money Pit

As the Red Cross pushes ever closer to its announced goal of $2 billion to cope with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, increasing numbers of local people in the affected region -- especially the indigenous poor black population -- are asking out loud whether such an imbalance in fund-raising is even healthy let alone effective. Red Cross CEO Marsha Evans answered the Chronicle of Philanthropy's question about whether Red Cross is in this for the duration or whether this is just a one night stand: "Our mission is to prepare and respond to emergencies...so we have focused primarily on the emergency response....we don't see ourselves as taking on many additional longer-term types of mission."

Is this worth 70% of all private aid given to help hurricane victims? I take on the question in a recent LA Times Op-Ed.