By Arthur Solomon
Millions of Americans need help. However, you don't hear too much attention about their plight from celebrities who champion causes on behalf of animals or people on other continents.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt recently gave $2 million to an animal wildlife sanctuary in Namibia.
Ellen DeGeneres asked Americans to donate $30 to a farm sanctuary to cover the cost of a turkey adoption. (Donors received a certificate of adoption and a photo of their bird to know that the animal has either been placed with a loving family or granted refuge at Farm Sanctuary.)
On March 5, I attended a glorious Bernadette Peters concert. At the conclusion, she announced that money from the sale of her CDs in the lobby would go to animal shelters.
Ben Affleck, on March 8, testified before the Congressional subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights about the humanitarian crisis in The Democratic Republic of the Congo. “We have to take a hard look at our current commitment and then we have to do more,” Affleck was quoted by AFP. (He is the founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI) advocacy group and uses his fame to gain media attention on the violence in the central African country.)
Agree or disagree with Affleck, at least he speaks out on behalf of people.
But unfortunate Americans desperately need help. Our budget slashing representatives on the state and federal level should keep that in mind when cutting funds for the needy while fighting to lower taxes for rich corporations and individuals that need no help.
America is, at a snails pace, hopefully clawing itself out of a deep recession. Millions of Americans are unable to find jobs or unable to afford decent clothing, or are struggling to pay their utility bills, or are unable to afford decent medical care, or are limited to eating cat food, or are living in sub-par housing or on the streets, or are faced with the closing of Senior Centers that often provide the only nutritious meal of the day and socialization activities for the elderly.
With bean counters cutting back on programs that help young children, how about these high-visibility humanitarian actors organizing and campaigning for better services for the needy population in the United States?
Ever since I was a young child, audiences at movie theaters were asked to help support the efforts of March of Dimes to find cures for various diseases. In Broadway theaters, audiences are asked to dig into their pockets to support those afflicted with AIDS. I gladly throw in a $5-bill, knowing the money will “fund the social service work of The Actors Fund and award grants to AIDS service organizations nationwide.” (And not just because I have an association with the "legit" theatre.)
But now all we hear from both liberal and conservative politicians is that “we have to tighten our belts. There is no money left in the piggy bank.” (But there's always enough money left for another war, to lower the taxes for the rich, or to provide tax loopholes for people and corporations fortunate enough to be able to take advantage of them.)
Show biz stars are always in the forefront about speaking out about the plight of peoples on other continents, or how money is needed for animal rescue campaigns.
Perhaps it's time for them to use their high-visibility platforms to turn the spotlight on the needs of poor Americans. (Yes, I did have dogs and I didn't beat them.)
If there is a shortage of money, what is available should be used to help needy Americans. People first.
If there is money left over, then help animals.
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Arthur Solomon was a Senior Vice President/Senior Counselor at Burson-Marsteller, where he handled national and international accounts and traveled worldwide with top foreign government and Olympic officials as a media consultant. He is available at [email protected].
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