Should Court Have Honored Helmsley Will?

The Humane Society of the United States is upset. Seems the trustees of the Harry and Leona Helmsley Charitable Foundation doled out $136 million of grants. How much did "dog-related organizations" get? Just $1 million.

Thwarting the intentions of those who leave their estates to benefit animal protection has a sad and deplorable history, including in the cases of Helen V. Brach, Geraldine R. Dodge, and Doris Duke, who like Mrs. Helmsley bequeathed their great wealth for the benefit of animals. The foundations these women left behind may be operating in their names, but their wishes are not being honored.

"There is a larger principle at stake…," says the HSUS, "one of protecting the decisions of people who leave their money for the care of animals, a wholly legitimate philanthropic purpose."

[Before you snicker, ask yourself this: If the Great Recession turns into another Great Depression, would you want to see Bo Obama wandering, homeless and hungry, through the streets of Washington, D. C.?]