Non-profit

According to Wikipedia,

A non-profit organization (abbreviated as NPO, also known as a not-for-profit organization) is an organization that does not distribute its surplus funds to owners or shareholders, but instead uses them to help pursue its goals. Examples of NPOs include charities (i.e. charitable organizations), trade unions, and public arts organizations... They are in most countries exempt from income and property taxation.

Hospitals and churches also generally fit this definition.

Listening to some of the debate about the health care reform being debated in the US recently reminded me of the hospital inclusion in this category. More specifically, listening to some of the hospitals complain about potential "decreases in revenue" got me thinking about how flawed this "non-profit" system really can be. While I'm sure that there are many organizations that are truly using this status to the benefit of their customers (providing lower cost health care, or more healthcare in more places, etc), some of these organizations seem to be taking a different kind of advantage of the system. Gaudy hospitals that make Trump jealous. Over-paid executives. More money spent on advertising than on patient care. This is the kind of stuff that really makes me jaded about our country.

My understanding is that non-profits just can't have any funds (profits) left over at the end of the year. If they "accidentally" make "too much" money one year by increasing their rates, they just need to spend it on something (a large sculpture, painting, new desks for the executives, a "team building event in Hawaii", etc) so that it doesn't have to be recorded as profit. Heaven forbid that they don't raise rates instead.

I don't begrudge corporations that make a lot of money, so long as they do it legally, and I'm not suggesting that we collect it all in one big pot to make sure that we all have an equal share. Maybe I'm jealous that I can't seem to break out of permanent debt while all of these others are living higher than I think that they should be, and crying when they're made to pay taxes, or fines, or have to abide by the same laws that us lowly plebes need to. Maybe it's their arrogance. Whatever it is, I'm sick of seeing it on the news, in the papers, in the magazines, on the Net. How about reading about someone that gives all their hard earned money to someone that needs it more than them? How about reading more "pay it forward" stories? How about remembering the little guys that do the work that you take credit for?

Just a thought...