You know what a Trojan Horse is — that big hollow statue filled with enemy soldiers who gain access to the city when the “gift horse” is brought inside the gates.
Mega-rich business people give away mega-bucks — nothing wrong with that, right? Well, those gifts come with strings attached and are used to gain control over local politics, culture, industry or causes. Existing culture and alternate philosophies are squeezed out, leaving philanthropists and their beneficiaries in control. The philanthropy is a Trojan Horse.
Foundations, charities and trusts enjoy tax-free status and a lack of scrutiny by the communities they shower with gifts. That needs to change.
Trust but verify ―Russian proverb made famous by Ronald Reagan
Zuck Bucks
Recently South Dakota passed a bill banning outside funding for elections when it became known that Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg pumped upwards of $250,000 into South Dakota county election managers’ budgets during the 2020 election. According to a report by Wisconsin Special Counsel Michael Gableman, cities in their state that accepted the Zuckerberg grants had to abide by conditions set by the intermediary for Zuckerberg’s money called the Center for Tech and Civic Life. Thirty-six counties in SD are listed as recipients of grants from CTCL. (The SD bill is good as far as it goes, but it leaves definitions of “nominal and intrinsic value” up to the State Board of Elections rather than being written into the legislation itself.)
Bloomberg Beneficence
Billionaire Democrat presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg was invited into Sioux Falls through an arts grants program. Sounds lovely, doesn’t it? Proceed with caution.
Bloomberg Philanthropies focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: public health, environment, education, government innovation, and arts & culture. One of the issues climate crusader Bloomberg is most passionate about is suppression of the use of fossil fuel. In 2020, Bloomberg Philanthropies plowed millions of dollars into a nonprofit group that embedded 18 attorneys into 11 Democrat AG offices, some of whom went on to sue ExxonMobil.
It’s one thing if citizens vote for politicians to control our cities and state because we know and approve of the policies they promote. It’s another thing if control over a city or state is awarded without public debate through Trojan Horse gifts and election interference by outside entities.
South Dakotans will pay for the things we value. If we don’t value them, there is no justification for bringing in Californians and New Yorkers to give us gifts we do not need in order to grant them control they should not have in our state.