Posted on 03/24/2005 3:25:36 AM PST by billorites
Every weekday morning, listeners across the country tune in to radio host Don Imus to hear his trademark rants about politics, Hollywood, sports and Iraq.
Mr. Imus and his wife, Deirdre, opened the 4,000-acre ranch, nestled in the mesa country of northern New Mexico, in 1999 to help sick children. Its stated mission is to give "children with severe illnesses an opportunity to experience the life of an American cowboy."
The ranch has also burnished Mr. Imus's image. With his signature scowl, gruff voice, 10-gallon hats and tendency to refer to some public figures as "creeps," "thugs" and "fascists," Mr. Imus, 64 years old, has built a top-10 national radio show with 3.25 million listeners a week. It is also simulcast on MSNBC television. The ranch has helped shine a spotlight on his softer side, transforming Mr. Imus and his wife into two of the country's best-known philanthropists. They've donated more than $1 million to the ranch over the past four years and raised $20 million for its start-up and operations. Celebrity donors, including TV-news star Barbara Walters, former New York Stock Exchange Chief Richard Grasso and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, receive praise on Mr. Imus's show.
Yet the charity's large budget, and the Imus family's personal stays at the ranch, are drawing scrutiny from tax officials and regulators. The ranch's expenses totaled $2.6 million last year, while it hosted only about 100 kids -- an unusually high dollar-to-child ratio, charity experts say. The Imus family stays at the ranch all summer with the children, but they also visit for weeks at a time during holidays as well as dropping in for occasional weekends, Mr. Imus says...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
That's $26,000 per severelly ill child or about the cost of a ten day stay in a specialized hospital or care facility. That does not seem unreasonable to me. From what I understand, that cost also includes the cost of transporting the children to and from the ranch and depreciation of the buildings (which is still legal under the tax code). I also suspect that the real estate taxes on the facility (or payments in lieu of taxes for a not-for-profit organization) are fairly hefty. And this so-called reporter is shocked that Imus and his family use the ranch? Well duh, it is called the "IMUS Ranch." If Imus and his family didn't spend time at the Ranch, Robert Frank would accuse Imus of lending his name to a charilty that he really doesn't care about.
nope, he talked alot about the wife voting for Kerry.
The notion that they are tax deducting and depreciating their ranch via having 100 kids there in the summer, huge expenses and deductions raises eyebrows. It looks like Imus gets his ranch expenses paid for, hefty deductions all while lookinig like a compassionate man.
I don't know that that is true or not. It just doesn't look good. Looks like a faux charity for personal gain, publicity and such.
I listen to him almost every morning and I never heard that. Imus himself voted for Kerry.
These private donations were used to build property that will be used for personal enrichment (a 10,000 sf plus architectural and decorative showcase) as well as limited charitable functions. The fact that all these millions of donations are tax deductible means that we, the public, are subsidizing this.
Imus is doing a great thing for those kids with cancer. He is very good at raising money for the ranch. The kids that go there need doctors and nurses 24 hours a day. That can't be cheap. The WSJ is off base on this one.
As I've already said, an organization I was involved in came under scrutiny by the NY AG.
I think what's going on with Imus is that his ranch is probably a 501(c)(3), i.e., no taxes. When the AG's office comes after you, they prefer to do it after a major newspaper does an investigative piece (no matter how badly covered) on the charity involved. Once that's in place, they can begin a formal investigation. Good luck, Don!
P.S.: It's not at all unusual for a disgruntled employee (in this case, a fired cook) to get the ball rolling.
I suspect the Ranch is owned by a not-for-profit corporation, not by Don Imus himself, and that the not-for-profit corporation will continue to provide charitable services to severely ill children long after Imus has met his maker. I would expect Imus to spend a lot of time at the ranch since the place is called "The Imus Ranch." Imagine that -- a celebrity who has not only given his name and money to a worthy cause, but also spends time with the very children he is trying to help on behalf of the charitable organization that bares his name. I'm shocked.
"(in this case, a fired cook)"
And, I understand, Frank talked to Howard Stern.
While giving him the benefit of the doubt, and I would point out that for many years before he started the ranch thing, he was very involved in SIDS research, and raised a huge amount of money of endow a research center in NJ...as well as significant personal contributions of his own...what bothers me a tad about the ranch is why the need to be so extravangant...I mean, couldn't you give a whole lot more kids a similar experience on a regular dude ranch, for a much lower cost per child..It seems a litle wasteful that the facilitiy is only used for such a small nuimer of weeks per year...<P
re his family's personal uses of the property..the Clinton Library double wie in Little Rock has an extravagant personal living apartment for Bubba...
About $800,000 is depreciation.
The article reports that he failed to file returns.
I am not damning Imus but just saying eyebrows will be raised.
I file for extensions every year and never finish my taxes until October. I am lazy.
"One wonders what cancer research could have been funded with the millions used to build the ranch."
As a cancer survivor I will tell you, not a hell of a lot. Cancer research isn't a lack of money. It is a lack of focus of resources. The political agenda that drives breast cancer research and research for the cancers caused by HIV is about being politically correct and not about the cost effectiveness of the research.
Oh boy, this is not going away, imo. Imus just used "SOB" in referring to Frank and he called him a, "g-d punk!"
I just have to laugh when the government, which loses BILLIONS every year, expects everyone else to be correct down to the penny with a bunch of arcane rules and regulations.
Sounds like they're questioning the deductibility of some expenses, which is really nothing unusual for the taxman to do.
"If Imus and his family didn't spend time at the Ranch, Robert Frank would accuse Imus of lending his name to a charity that he really doesn't care about."
I wonder if the Ray Croc family would spend weeks vacationing at their Ronald McDonald House Charities?
what you say about the AG working with the media prior to an investigation is true..I don't believe Imus would do anything dishonest. Some of the extravagance is unfortunate and seems to stem from Diedre's pathological need to feel superior...I do think about how many more children could have been helped in a scaled down version...I am going to pray for Don Imus -- he's overcome a lot...
What are you talking about?
The Imus ranch hosts the siblings of children who died of SIDS --- i.e. healthy children requiring no medical attention.
See for yourself: http://www.cjsids.com/ranch_2002/
"During June, July, and August groups of 10 kids stay for nine days at a time and spend the time doing chores and learning the basics of handling horses. The young ranchers might gather eggs, groom horses, mend a fence, or move stones."
What is this ranch used for the remainder of the year? Personal use by the Imus Family? If it is, then it does not qualify as a legitimate tax exempt organization.
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