I know that Limbaugh's shtick is to shock and use the most inflammatory language possible, but as someone who's dedicated my life to working in the nonprofit sector, it's hard to let this particular attack roll off my back.
On his August 12 show, Limbaugh called nonprofit workers
"[a] Bunch of lazy idiots. Many of them don’t want to really work. Non-profits siphon contributions, as their salaries and so forth, and think of themselves as good people, charitable people. I mean, these people are rapists, in terms of finance and economy."
Clip transcript:
And remember, my friends, the rich are not all millionaires, especially as this regime defines them. THIS regime defines the rich as any of you making $200,000 a year or more. In some cases, you can earn less than that and be called "rich" for their purposes. Yet they use the word "millionaires" in this story, "let the nation's millionaires hold onto this $36 billion dollars." The more accurate question is, do we want to leave this $36 billion dollars in the hands of America's small business?
But even that, even if you don't look at it that way, why, why have we gotten to the point where all money has to go to government first, and then government sends it out where it needs to go? What a crock.
Eric Cantor, the other day, paraphrasing said, "We're going to have to decide whether the private sector exists simply to support the government, or if the government exists to support the private sector. Can you believe we're even asking this question? Yes, I can, because this is who we are electing. United States of America, we've got to ask ourselves a question: what's the purpose of the private sector? To support government? Yes it is! That's the answer. If you're a Democrat today, if you're an American who's a leftist or what-have-you, the private sector is the golden goose they're killing to support them.
[pause]
Bunch of lazy idiots. Many of them don’t want to really work. Non-profits siphon contributions, as their salaries and so forth, and think of themselves as [spooky voice]good people, charitable people.[/spooky voice] I mean, these people are rapists, in terms of finance and economy.
The financial sector, the private sector of this country is being raped is the way to look at this. Plunder whatever.
video via Media Matters
Really, Rush? The non-profit sector (which is, by definition, NOT FOR PROFIT) is raping the financial sector? Remember that big bank bailout that your beloved president initiated? You remember what happened there? The financial sector had so plundered the lower and middle classes in such a scheming, unethical way that they compounded their successes over and over and over again until they turned themselves into knots, tripped over their own feet and went BOOM! If you want to talk about "raping" a sector of the economy, look to your precious financial sector.
Do I take offense to this? Youbetcha. I work in museums, archives and libraries as a collections access and metadata specialist. I have a master's degree in it and everything. I'm dedicated to making sure people have free access to information about our shared cultural and scientific heritage. Seems kinda weird to think that if I were busy raping the economy, people wouldn't donate to the institutions that pay my relatively meager salary.
Likewise, what about the AIDS workers who put in footwork on the streets, handing out condoms and clean needles to stop the spread of a deadly disease?
Or, ironically enough, the people who staff real rape victim support services? Are they not worth a salary, rarely what anyone would consider decent?
If I wanted to, I could probably work for a major for-profit company and pull in six figures. But I guess I just have way more fun plundering profits from the poor, innocent bankers who are tied in chains, huddled in the cold, while they're being beaten or starved... Oh. Sorry. Guess I was thinking of the sex slaves who are brought into the country illegally, and for whom legal aid and other support services are provided by non-profit workers.
Well. I'm just one of America's many non-profit employees (about 8.7 million of them) who give a damn about the well-being of my fellow citizens. Don't take my word for it. Instead, listen to how Robert Egger, Founder and President of the DC Central Kitchen, and one of the "50 Most Important and Influential Non-profit Leaders", responds to Rush’s appalling attack on the non-profit community:
sorry for the lack of transcript for Mr. Eggers. It's long, but really well, well worth the watch. Especially the parting shot, which I will partially transcribe:
So on behalf of all non-profits, particularly us in the DC Central Kitchen, we've got a one word message for you, my brother ...
And on behalf of myself: