Craig Paxton wrote:To be fair...I think it is important to remind everyone that these men are the CEO’s and members of the board of directors of a multi-billion dollar corporation and ARE entitled to the privileges of their positions.
Just as other corporate heads get special treatment and benefits because of the positions they hold inside the corporations that they are involved with, the top 15 of the church are rightly entitled to the same advantages given their peers in other corporations.
Who are we to deny these men their multiple million dollar homes, a generous living allowance, their chauffeur driven corporate owned vehicles, their first class airline tickets and access to corporate jets? Their first class-rock star status and access to power is their right.
Hearing stories of President Monson demanding his whole milk being served by a white gloved waiter, chilled to a precise temperature of 34 degrees and turning his nose up over the choice of birthday cake offered him because it was not his preferred chocolate…should not come as a surprise. These are men of power and privilege…and their office is expected to come with certain advantages not available to we mere mortals.
Yeah, except....
The General Authorities of the Church are called to serve as Apostles etc full time. In return for doing so they receive a "stipend".
As I understand it, they don't hold any positions within the commercial enterprises of the Church. If they did, they wouldn't be fulfilling their requirement to be an Apostle "full time". Didn't Hinckley ban them all from sitting on boards and the like? Instead it's done through the Presiding Bishopric.
So no, that apologetic (albeit tongue in cheek methinks) doesn't work as a valid excuse for Bednar having the Church buy him a second home when some people around the world don't even have one.
If they were true Apostles the headline would be -
"Bednar sells unnecessary extra homes to provide shelters for the homeless."No chance of that headline any time soon....