The Rest Of The Story; Misleading Advertising

On Monday, February 2nd, my next veteran's profile is scheduled for print in the Mansfield News Journal. In these stories, I'm restricted to a ballpark number of 800 words; that's very challenging at times because some of these veterans have very interesting stories and there's not space enough for the complete profile in the newspaper. Having said that, I'll be including what the late Paul Harvey termed 'the REST of the story' on this forum on Mondays.

If you're not familiar with these profiles, I was asked to continue the legacy of the News Journal's late, great writer Ron Simon in profiling area veterans from the WW II, Korea and Viet Nam wars; it is an assignment I gladly accepted, a task that needs exposure. These men and women, patriot heroes all, sacrificed a segment of their lives in order to serve our country; I count it an honor and privilege to tell their stories of military service.

Monday's installment here will be amazing. Stay tuned.

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We've all been exposed to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ads on television, commonly called the 'sad dog' ads, narrated by entertainer Sarah McLachlan. In them, McLachlan's emotionally-strained voice urges Americans to donate to ASPCA before the next animal dies...which seemingly will be YOUR fault if that recurring $19/month doesn't come out of your pocket.

Don't get me wrong; my wife and I are dog-lovers of the highest degree and our two pups are terribly spoiled. But before you commit to that financial obligation, here's a few things you need to consider:

* The ASPCA is a national organization, completely separate and apart from your local animal shelter. In 2013, they gave a mere 4% of their 129 million dollar budget to local SPCAs.

* Thirty-five per cent of ASPCA's budget went to overhead in 2013, and it cost them 38 cents for every dollar raised.

*Former CEO Edwin Sayres made just short of $600,000 before leaving the organization that same year. That's $600 k from a non-profit organization.

* Animal People, a newspaper put out by an animal rights organization, claimed in an article that lawsuits have challenged the legitimacy of the ASPCA at least four times due to their mishandling of the organization's affairs.

The bottom line is this: ASPCA is a national organization which raises and spends millions of dollars every year as they see fit. Our local shelters, right here in our own counties, would make much better use of your donations, funds which would be used wisely and in a transparent manner.

Have a great day, and make it count!