Jeffrey Slott

Employment

One of the reasons for all of this

I had an appointment with my tax preparer the other day. I use to work for a state-funded nonprofit and was recently laid off. I complained about how they had just spent a lot of money overhauling and redecorating their place. I remarked it was kind of foolish to have spent so much with no attempt of putting some of it away in case of rainy days.

My tax guy, who has a lot of non-profit clients, says this type of budgeting is unavoidable. A non-profit goes to the state and if they succeed in getting any money, they have NO CHOICE but to spend it all for the upcoming fiscal year. Whatever is not spent has to go back to the state. When the time comes to ask their political patrons for more, and if there is any sign that not all the money given previously was spent, that will jeopardize further grants.

So all these non-profits are forced to be spend, even if it's on totally unnecessary things or items gotten at a better price.

And when the government becomes totally strapped, like now, and must make budget cuts, the non-profits must do like-wise. It's like a parent who not only smokes cigarettes but tells his children that they better take up the habit or else...

It all means an incredible amount of wasted funds as well as many people unemployed, like me.

Bronx