Gift baskets for the poor

Today's Al Franken Show was a repeat, but it was interesting nonetheless. One of their guests was Cork's Maggie O'Leary, who's started a site called gift-baskets-for-the-poor-of-the-world.com. She appeared on the show together with socialite and socialist publisher Bettina von der Hoovel to promote her plan.

Maggie discussed how much of the poverty in the world is due to low self-esteem and depression, and how her organization is working to combat that. Apparently many of the world's poor think no one in the first world cares about them. After complimenting her on her British accent, Franken disclosed how O'Leary intends to help poverty-stricken nations lift their spirits: distributing small gift baskets in poor neighborhoods throughout Africa.

Each tiny gift basket will contain items such as a walnut, a dried apricot, and a small bottle of grape juice. And, each basket will also contain a world map, so the recipient will feel part of a greater whole.

The only fly in the ointment is that reciprocal agreements mandate that gift baskets contain 70% American walnuts and apricots, and those could not be purchased from, for instance, a Chinese cooperative farm and work center. O'Leary - together with Franken and von der Hoovel - are working to get these restrictions lifted.

While I "dis" Air America Radio frequently on this site, it was good to hear liberals returning to their original mandate of caring for the world's most vulnerable people, and I only wish they would do more of it.

Posted in Satire at June 28, 2005 12:45 PM

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