PrintDecember 18, 2006
Lives of the rich and famous: The UN
There is a certain kind of "wealth" that goes undetected by tax authorities, surveys, and the general public. It is the wealth that consists of the ability to spend other people's money on pleasurable objects. A shining example is on offer today, courtesy of the London Sunday Telegraph and Mark Malloch Brown, Kofi Annan's right-hand man at the United Nations.
Now that Annan's corrupt era as Secretary-General is coming to a close, it is time for hagiographies to be produced, so as to drown out the cries of mean-spirited people who might point out the world's largest financial scandal in history or the genocidal slaughter in Rwanda, both of which happened under Annan's responsibility.
And hey, if you are going to lavish praise, you might as well be lavish, right?
The United Nations Development Program, which spends $4 billion a year allegedly helping the world's poor, has just paid over half a million dollars to produce a vanity history of itself. And the resulting book has rocketed to # 577,233 in the sales rankings at Amazon.com, showing that the UN's legendary skills at getting value for money are still at work as Annan's reign comes to an end.
The project was authorized by Mark Malloch Brown, who himself knows how to lead a life of wealth without actually having to earn all that much money. As the New York Sun reported last year:
Mark Malloch Brown, whose current annual net salary as an undersecretary general is $125,000 a year, has emerged as the tenant in a house that Mr. Soros owns and that rents for $120,000 a year?
The rich are different from you and me, according to F. Scott Fitzgerald. The kind of wealth wielded by Annan and Brown is different from that of the rich. No taxes, no accountability, and the ability to pose as some kind of saint. Nice work, if you can get it.
Hat tip: Brigitte
Hat tip: Brigitte
