Are they? Or is it sitting there in an account labelled "children named Tom who live in a town of between 10,000 and 11,000 people and got a C in math in 2003"?

Because the charity knows how best to spend it, not you (as explained in the essay).

They don't though, they just think they do. Their goals are largely motivated by current politics.

I would agree with this. In my youth experience as well, politics in relation to non profits determined if you were housed/fed.