United Way (too much money)

Ed Parker, who served as president and chief executive director of the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona chapter was paid a $180,000+ yearly salary, according to the Arizona Daily Star.

The United Way has been a stable force in charitable works in the last few decades. Started in 1887 by "a priest, two ministers, and a rabbi" United Way has been fighting to improve people's lives by mobilizing community support. And no, this is not the beginning of a really bad joke to share at the bar, but was an effort dedicated to gathering community support for the welfare problem in Denver.

There are three "building blocks" for a good life that the United Way focuses on, namely education, income, and health. Maybe we could surmise that the president of the local chapter here would feel comfortable retiring, knowing that he worked for a coalition so dedicated to the well being of sick, uninsured, and elderly.

Rather than going through United Way's bank book and mocking their fiscal and public "responsibility", let's just consider what $180,000 could have gotten Tucson residents:

• 6.38 people paid the average Tucson salary of $28,194.00
• 90 in-state resident's tuition and fees at Pima Community College (estimated ~$2,000/yr)
• 23 out of state resident's tuition and fees at PCC (estimated ~$7,700/yr)
• 21.9 months of potable water at 12 inches per month

With residents of Tucson struggling to send their kids (or themselves) to college and paying their bills like electricity, gas, and water as unemployment nears double digits, Ed Parker's $180,000 yearly salary is a kick in the face. His is yet another example of how national "charities" are guilty of being very self-charitable, while the communities that need help are left in the dust.