Is Jimmy Carter’s Habitat for Humanity Next for a Bailout?

Carter could be looking for some handouts from somewhere if this story proves true and these lawsuits hit his charitable organization hard:

RESIDENTS of a model housing estate bankrolled by Hollywood celebrities and hand-built by Jimmy Carter, the former US president, are complaining that it is falling apart. Fairway Oaks was built on northern Florida wasteland by 10,000 volunteers, including Carter, in a record 17-day “blitz” organised by the charity Habitat for Humanity.

Eight years later it is better known for cockroaches, mildew and mysterious skin rashes. A forthcoming legal battle over Fairway Oaks threatens the reputation of a charity envied for the calibre of its celebrity supporters, who range from Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt to Colin Firth, Christian Bale and Helena Bonham Carter.

The case could challenge the bedrock philosophy behind Habitat for Humanity, claiming that using volunteers, rather than professional builders, is causing as many problems as it solves.

One also wonders, based on the location of the homes being on top of a wasteland and the record time the houses were built in, if any corners were cut or regulations that were not followed correctly.

I am in no way mocking the good intentions of those who volunteer their time to help those less fortunate by helping to build homes for them.

What I am pointing out is the self-indulging hypocrisy of the “darling of liberal social activists” by having Carter and these celebrities doing things that they probably weren’t qualified to do, so they could smile for the camera holding a hammer and wearing a hardhat, feeling good about themselves as they fly back to their mansions and private islands.

This brings to mind the failed “rescue” attempt of Sean Penn in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, as he was rowing in a leak filled boat which was crowded with his entourage and his own PERSONAL photographer, which led one bystander to ask “How are you going to get any people in that thing?”

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