Imus charity questioned

[NNN0LHI]

http://money.cnn.com/2005/03/24/news/newsmakers/imus/

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Radio host Don Imus is facing criticism from the Wall Street Journal Thursday for the costs incurred by his charity that brings sick children to his ranch for visits.

The paper, quoting the filings of Imus' charity, reports that it spent $2.6 million in 2003 and $2.7 million in 2002 to bring 100 children to the ranch each year. That works out to just under $3,000 per night per child, which the paper reports is far more than spent by other charities.

It said that Camp Starfish, another well-known charity for children, hosts over 150 kids a summer on a budget of $360,000 a year, while actor Paul Newman's charity, The Hole in the Wall Gang Fund, has a budget that's more than twice as large as the Imus Ranch but hosts 10 times as many kids at its summer camp.

The paper also said the charity is supposed to account for or be compensated for the personal use of the ranch by Imus and his wife, but hasn't done so.

more

[vi5]

1. This is old news I think....

I remember Howard Stern talking about this as far back as a couple of years ago, and I think there was an article in some magazine about it as well.

Imus is a phony idiot and it baffles me why otherwise intelligent people listen to him.

[acmavm]

2. One thing you gotta say about bush** supporters, they sure know how to

make a buck off someone elses hardship.

[Pirate Smile]

4. He actually supported Kerry, although he bitches so much sometimes

it is hard to tell who he supposedly supports.

[NNN0LHI]

6. He supported Kerry and then acted like that gave him the right to...

...rip Kerry and his wife every chance he had. Of course that was only when his little racist sidekicks weren't doing the same thing. Imus is one supporter that Kerry could have done without.

Don

[spooky3]

9. we don't really know what he did in the voting booth

only Diebold knows.

[jdj]

17. He is a bitch. A whiny shrewish bitch.

And the only reason he gets by on that is because he's some kind of phoney cowboy. Amazing what liscense male genatalia grants people like him...he reminds me of the wife in curlers with the rolling pin on hee haw.

[ElectroPrincess]

34. Oh gosh, thanks! I love that visual jdj.

[blogbear]

3. The Imus Show Today Discussed the Virtual Lack of Use By Imus and..

his wife..He invited the ones out there with the chronic belly-ache to come and see for themselves..

[goclark]

28. Yesterday the kids were waving from the couch

on the tv screen.

It was so staged it made me sick.

He is a phony!

[Gloria]

52. I thought he went out there for almost the whole summer....

at least he's done that in the past. I know he's broadcast from there live for months at a time in the past.

[penpal7]

5. and he's spent the last three hours crying, used to be a fun show to

listen to, i don't see why msnbc keeps him on the air ratings must suck by now.

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

7. They do not appear to be very open about their spending, unlike other

charities. Most of the large charities are an open book and you can find them evaluated and rated in places like "Charity Navigator."

http://www.charitynavigator.org/

Imus gives his charity so much publicity and so many people contribute to it, that it would seem only fair of him to open his books so that people could know their money was being put to good use.

[spooky3]

10. Here's the BBB charity report site:

www.give.org

But since I don't know the exact name of the ranch/foundation, I couldn't look for a report.

[Mr.Green93]

8. Wait till fired nanny lawsuit

hits the papers. Imus and his wife are swine.

[jdots]

11. Don Imus seems like a throw back to the 19th. century

A fake cowboy in the big city,is that his appeal ?
Seems to me that when more people got decent radio/c.d. equiptment in thier cars the worse radio had to get to pull in listeners,the same with t.v.Bigger pie smaller pieces.
Is talk radio and t.v. there because people get tired of entertaining themselves to death then search for people just talking
then to get ratings the talk turns mean ?

[GoldenOldie]

13. Viewing Imus this am, thought I was watching the Exorcist!

I usually switch Imus on just to see who they are attacking for the day. He and his bigoted/hateful crew could just tape one show and re-play it day after day because they just repeat themselves.

This am I was amused by THE I-MAN getting his panties in a twist because of the WSJ report on his ranch. He went into a total melt-down for the one-hour that I watched. It did my old heart good to hear him whine and complain about a WSJ reporter reporting falsehoods about The Ranch, The I-Man, and his wife Diedre. He sure didn't have any trouble doing a daily attack on Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton. He and his co-horts sure didn't/don't care if his their attacks against others were truthful.....if he gets them time and laughs, that's all that they need.

Imus has corraled mega corporations into investing in his Ranch, and let us not forget, it is his ranch. He has corraled the media/entertainers (journalists), to bow down and be at his beck and call.

Having married into an historical ranching family, and having watched the Imus videos of his Ranch with all the elaborate Disney structures, the herds of various animals, and the elaborate main-house, I also wondered who was actually benefiting from all this elaborate construction. He bragged about his use of jets to fly himself and his family to the Ranch, much like George Bush and AFI.
To find that his Ranch only takes so few kids was astounding. And, if he wanted these kids to experience ranch life, this sure as hell ain't it. I was also surprised to hear him say that the majority of these kids are ill due to environmental pollutions yet he never, never talks about George W. Bush's attack on the polution regulations nor those corporations that are the polluters that also donate to HIS ranch.

Almost thought the I-man was going to go into cardiac arrest.....wonder if he as a living will?

[jdj]

49. yes, we all need a good white male to tell us how to think.

even less verbose white males need to have reality interpreted for them by a more verbose white male like him.

You know, you give what you get, and he's raked so many people over the coals I think it's funny he's getting a taste of his own medicine.

And I hate the way he says mean things about KO.

[The Backlash Cometh]

12. Why doesn't the Wall Street Journal investigate to find out how much

money the Bush Administration or GOP donated to the charity prior to the election?

[Catchawave]

14. The WSJ is very tightie-rightie-wing

so this may be political? Imus does take some snarky pokes at the GOP?

As much as Imus talks about the ranch, I doubt very seriously there's a scam going on. I think he maintains a year round staff for his home and animals there, so maybe that $3000/night per child is a tad overblown. I just don't trust the WSJ's motivation.

[Merlin]

23. Wrong. Absolutely. There is an iron curtain between news and opinion.

The WSJ is one of the most objective news sources in the US. They were busting Bush's balls back when everyone else was silent.

Their editorial pages are run by a bunch of lunatics. Everybody who works for the paper is aware of that and most share the view that they are loonies.

But the journalistic side is highly and devotedly objective. Their credibility with moneyed interests depends upon them telling it straight.

[Catchawave]

29. I respectfully disagree Merlin....

I do not trust anything that comes from the WSJ. Ever. Period.

[Merlin]

30. With respect, I'll bet you never even read the WSJ.

So what you're saying is that you have a prejudice against it. Fine and understandable, and who cares and all. But in this case a prejudice that does not comport with the facts.

[Catchawave]

37. I'm a subscriber....any questions :)

It/they certainly didn't help the Kerry/Edwards campaign, in my opinion, the WSJ isn't the most liberal friendly rag out there.

I question their agenda even more by going after a toady like Imus.

:shrug: So this whole front page Don Imus Sick Kid Camp attack is disturbing at best for me.

[rinsd]

41. Huh?

You deride it as a right wing paper even in its news section(its oped is obvious) and you subscribe to it? Isn't that like signing up to get News Max? Or getting cable so you can watch Fox News?

I don't get it.

[Catchawave]

42. I subscribe to the Nation and Mother Jones , also

Newsweek, Time,ad naseaum. I agree to disagree with all of them, my mind's like an umbrella, it only works when it's open, I suppose....! <wink>.

WSJ is definitely a right leaner, but enjoy it nonetheless.

Why Imus? Certainly there's more big fish in their sea :silly:

[pelagius]

31. The WSJ news section is excellent...

...and the opinion section is the ravings of atavistic falangist lunatics.

[Merlin]

48. But Pelagius! Thou does't slur the Falangists!

They are scum, surely. But to compare them with the editorial page weasels of the WSJ! Goodness!
:toast:

[pelagius]

50. Point well taken! :-) n/t

[ElectroPrincess]

36. Merlin, in my biased opinion - You The MAN! this issue ; ) Agree 100%

[Merlin]

47. Bless you, my Princess.

:loveya:

[rinsd]

40. Howard Stern has been hammering Imus for years on this....

So while the WSJ is right wing, I wouldn't say this is political persay. And depending on how you feel about Howard, the allegations may have more weight.

[kentuck]

15. If there is anything shady going on, it would be...

the salary he pays his wife to run the ranch...I heard it mentioned in passing...

[dancingme]

16. Bernard is a racist jerk

I can't listen to Imus for more than 3 minutes at a time because Bernie usually has a racist remark to make or a Hillary bashing remark to make.

[gatlingforme]

21. Bernard is an effing loser, pig and wanna be pundit w/o a brain

[ernstbass]

27. Bernard is despicable

Not only does he make inappropriate remarks about persons of color but also fat people, liberals, the Clintons and most recently Hunter S Thompson!! Imus also called contessa Brewer a stupid moron last week - I can't fathom why MSNBC puts this shit on their station and allows him to trash their anchors that way. I used to find him entertaining but I can't stomach him any longer.

[gatlingforme]

18. I would like to see his credit card expenditures that he bills the

ranch. that would be interesting

[robcon]

19. Although it is Stern propaganda, I think there is meat to this story.

He lives sumptuously in New Mexico, and has a budget that is out of proportion to what he does. His 'contributors' get a lot of publicity from him, so their reasons for contributing are suspect.

Imus is an egomaniac, and should be called to account for his wasteful program in New Mexico.

[CarefullyLiberal]

20. Imus Fan

I've been listening to Imus during my drive to work for about 15 years. I usually listen between 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM and have found his show over the years to be interesting, informative, funny, and sometimes not so funny.

I found his politics to be less than consistent, and weakly informed. But during all the years I've been listening I've never thought of him as anything more than an entertainer.

I suppose entertainment is in the ear of beholder but by and large I found Imus to be fun to listen to.

I didn’t get a chance to listen to Imus this morning, but boy, I sure wish I did. Nothing gets the I-Mans heckles up like someone asking questions about him. He loves to dish out criticism but he can't take it.

I would think Imus would welcome an investigation into his ranch to help clear up rumors and to squash the WSJ article once and for all. The ranch is not going to be able to move forward until this gets sorted out.

Regarding Bernie, he's the engineer for the show but about six or seven years ago he started getting some airtime with some of the characters he plays. Personally I think his "Cardinal O'Connor" reading the daily lotto numbers is a hoot, but his humor regarding people of color is not.

If I don’t like I’m hearing on the Imus in the morning show I exercise my right to turn my radio off or move to another station.

Just my two cents.

Peace

[kentuck]

25. I do that with Limbaugh too...

and whne I switch channels, he's on again...and again... or one of the Rush wannabes.... :)

[jbm]

53. welcome to D.U. carefullyliberal!

:hi:

[catnhatnh]

22. Enough already....

...Yes Imus is an egomanaical hypochondriac with a persecution complex and a Dry drunk and ex-addict.Yes he is whiny and shrewish and twisted into vegetarian feminist eco nuttiness by his overly youngish wife.And we won't EVEN get into his name dropping,fame hopping lust for celebrity....However...
...The ranch IS a charity that does good things for children facing dreadful illnesses.It was founded and built by Imus and his wife.No child has ever been quoted as anything but positive about their experience there.No specific wrongdoing has been charged or even alleged.Instead this recent story comes across as meretricious insinuendo (my word...combined insinuation and innuendo).Until something concrete is charged or at least alleged the man has my support and respect if only in regard to this endeavor.

[NNN0LHI]

24. 3 grand a day per kid? Who is shitting who here?

Do you know how many kids could be fed with 3 grand who are starving to death as I write this? Whats he feeding them kids? Three squares of Beluga Caviar and Dom Perignon or something? Bernard? Is that you?

Don

[b...]

43. he is taking kids near death and giving them a positive experience

yes i know how awful it is that not everyone is fed, and how you know how he should actually run his charity, but get over it.

it's his charity. he built a damn ranch for these kids, and has them out there for weeks at a time. he supposedly pays for everything himself or takes donations. the charity doesn't pay him anything. and horses and goats and ranch upkeep doesn't pay for itself.

now we know that YOU know how to run a charity, so perhaps you could start one up instead of bitching at people who are helping some of the most unfortunate kids around. i'm really surprised at DU. here we have a man, who as politically incorrect as he is, is actually doing something.

and then we have here at DU dozens of people wasting their bitching about him

[Catchawave]

44. thank you b.....

well stated.

[b...]

46. right back at you

with how everything that's gone in this country the past few years, with all our talk about how the MSM rips people apart unfairly and unjustly, the DU'ers fell right into the trap, and went right after Imus because of a report in... the Wall Street Journal.

why? because his producer makes racial jokes and you don't like him for it? thank god there were no forums when redd fox and lenny bruce were out there. DU would have torn them apart.

holy cow! i thought DU'ers were a cut above the rest. now i see glee at republicans dying, rants at how someone is running a charity for kids, i-told-you-so pride everytime a bomb kills one of our neighbors in Iraq, and general batshit insanity.

guys, fucking wise up.

[UTUSN]

26. He Whined Non-stop for 3 Hours This A.M.

I doze in and out reguarly just to pick up which-way-wind-blows of his whore guests. But he's a repellent, repugnant specimen. I realize a certain amount is schtick, but still repellent/repugnant.

[AP]

32. Imus used those kids the way the RW use Schiavo: as a prop to attack...

...liberals.

The first time I ever heard about this ranch was when Imus used it to attack Kerry for not stopping his train to say hello to the sick kids.

Someone needs to disconnect Imus's feeding tube from that ranch.

[ElectroPrincess]

33. I concur ... and his present wife (she's getting old he should be looking

for a new one soon) is a Far Right Wing piece of work. She claims to have made him more conservative. :puke:

The only one I hold a shred of respect for is Fred (Imus's brother). Not much respect for him - but at least he does WORK on the ranch.

[GoldenOldie]

35. Fred is not working on the Ranch

He lives in a travel trailer just off of I-10, in Tucson, Arizona and he is a 2-bit radio jock at the local station.

[ElectroPrincess]

38. Hey thanks GoldenOldie for the education.

I've seen so little of the Imus show that I assumed ole' Fred had his trailer on their Ranch.

Thanks for squaring me away. <blush>

[ernstbass]

45. Fred mysteriously disappeared from the ranch

when the Autobody Express (clothing line) went belly up. My own personal belief is that Deidre (the one with the testicles in the family) put him out to pasture.

[Catchawave]

39. I report you decide...with a little help from SourceWatch...

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Wall_Street_Journal

<from the website>

The Wall Street Journal is an influential international daily newspaper published in New York City, New York with an average daily circulation of 1,800,607 (2002). For many years, it had the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, although it is currently second to USA Today. It is owned by Dow Jones & Company.

Nicknamed The Journal, this newspaper primarily covers U.S. and international business and financial news and issues. In fact, the paper's name comes from Wall Street, the street in New York which is the heart of the business district. It has been printed continuously since July 8, 1889. The newspaper has won the Pulitzer Prize twenty-six times.

The Journal enjoys the reputation of being a generally reliable source of news. The position of the editorial opinion and op-ed sections is typically conservative, although former news editor Al Hunt has a weekly column in which he expresses views more or less diametrically opposed to those of the editorial board, and occasionally space will be given to a piece by a liberal writer such as Arthur Schlesinger or Christopher Hitchens. The editorial page commonly publishes pieces by prominent U.S. and world leaders such as Russian president Vladimir Putin and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

more.....

[Piperay]

51. Rag Street Journal is just

after him cause he was for Kerry and dumps on the chimp regime. The regime will stop at nothing to shut up ANYONE who is critical of them. x(