Being one of the world’s richest people must be great fun most of the time. But it does have its drawbacks, as we discovered while watching BBC World News on May 9. Microsoft main man Bill Gates was interviewed by a BBC correspondent about his personal foundation’s $50 million gift to improve the health of poor children in the developing world. But from the tone of the interview, you might have mistaken it for a deposition in Microsoft’s antitrust case. Or perhaps a murder trial.
1st question from BBC Correspondent: “Is this a way of salving your conscience?”
Outrage comment: We’re not really sure that, other than being a tough and very successful businessman, Gates has really done anything that requires “salving” his conscience. Of course, only he knows, but the tone of the question might have been more appropriate if directed at OJ.
Gates response’s proved that he may be a smart guy, but he should let his PR team handle the media. Instead of angrily denying that he required any such vindication, his mostly irrelevant response was that he enjoyed his foundation work, but he also enjoyed his business endeavors.
BBC question: “Do you think private contributions like this are a way of letting government off the hook for this sort of program?”
Outrage comment: Instead of saying something along the lines of “Hey Bill, $50 mill for the poor kids, nice job” the correspondent went on the attack, using the common but fallacious theory that any increase in private philanthropy must cause a corresponding decrease in government aid.
But the BBC question really implies an even more common, and more dangerous, assumption – that there is some fundamental difference between governments and the people that fund those governments. What is government aid to the poor but tax dollars that have been coerced from unwilling citizens of that government? And if rich citizens like Gates are willing to voluntarily fund those programs, why shouldn’t that lessen the tax burden on those who are unable and/or unwilling to fund those programs through taxation?
Gates has an answer: “Certainly we can’t let governments off the hook,because they’re the only ones with the scale of resources that are large enough to solve these tough problems.” Very interesting comment – on any given day, Gates and his best bud and fellow wrong-headed philanthropist Warren Buffett have a combined net worth of over $75 billion, depending on the state of the markets. That’s not enough “scale of resources” to fund these programs? So we have to rely on forced contributions from schoolteachers, factory workers, small business owners and other heavily taxed citizens? Ted Turner’s no superhero, but at least he put his money where his mouth is by donating $1 billion to the United Nations.
Bill Gates gives money to improve the health of the poor, thus increasing world population. Warren Buffett focuses his huge wealth on the problem of overpopulation, thus doing his best to prevent increases in world population. But maybe it would really be better if they would both just stick to business.
Charity is something done in private, no out in the public eye to gain attention. In addition, gates’ company was found guilty of abusing its monopoly power. To me, that strips away the title of tough businessman, and replaces it with criminal, so quit trying to canonize the man. For every dollar he has stolen, there is a person out of work from a company that he stole from, or abused out of business. He gives $50 million, which is about $100 to a guy like me, and the press wants to glorify him?? The average American donates that percentage of their income, quietly, and happily. The media doesn’t come around and make a big deal out of that, do they.
Any time someone wants to go after an idiot like biil gates, I am all for it. He is what this country is all about, and this country pretty much sucks, so that only seems about right.
The man is not a businessman, he is a criminal, and a lousy human being as it is, so leave his pathetic, stolen fortune, out of the media altogether. Try to recall that when the justice system catches bank robbers, then make the robber give back the money he stole. When the justice system catches a money thief like bill gates, they let him keep all the money he stole, and allow him to continue to steal. If that is justice, then we are no better than Iraq, or Iran.
Hell, no! ALL philanthropy should be private. Why should the government have the power to extract money at gunpoint (just try not paying your taxes and see how soon there will be guys with guns at your doorstep) and then give it to those whose votes the incumbents want most? A ripoff.
I see nothing in the US Constitution which authorizes this banditry. “Promote the general welfare” ? Come on.
“Ted Turner’s no superhero, but at least he put his money where his mouth is by donating
$1 billion to the United Nations.”
—
You may want to more carefully check on Ted’s cost of this PR move. The money’s in an interest bearing
trust which will, by many accounts, end up not costing Teddy a dime.
I thought I paid too much for Microsoft products. Now I know I did.
Sam
It is there money and they may do with it as they will.
Personally, I wish they would invest more in promoting freedom and less in “fighting poverty.” Freedom is the ultimate remedy to poverty.
Where the hell do idiots like Mr. John Brush get off by saying stuff like “The man is not a businessman, he is a criminal, and a lousy human being as it is, so leave his pathetic, stolen fortune,”. Listen pal, he (and Microsoft) made alot of money because they sold a product that alot of people bought inspite of morons like you saying otherwise. If Microsoft and Bill Gates were as bad as people like you say they are, he wouldn’t have made half the money that he did.
The Gov’t has NO business playing ‘mommy’… don’t remember that part of the constitution that specifically delegates local OR world welfare. If YOU are concerned, then YOU donate. Politicians FORCE others that don’t agree with you to donate to your cause. Be warry, because those same politicians are also going to force YOU to donate to MY cause that you don’t want to have ANYTHING to do with!
BILL GATES IS A HERO.
By making something that people willing buy because they want what he has to sell at ever lower prices and ever greater efficiencies in his product, and beause of this, Mr. Gates has created millions of new jobs, made other jobs more efficent, making the world more materialy better.
He is truly under paid for what he has contributed to man kind. It is truly a disgrace to condem him for his virtues, which are courage, conviction, perseverance, risk taking, inteligence, and reasoning to carry his ideas to ompletion; if you find this evil. I think you all ought to check your premises.
Envy and cowardice is what Bill Gates enemies have is an abundance.
We all who live in the civilized west owe Bill Gates, Herbert Dow, John D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford, William Durant, Irving Berlin, Will Kellogg,Wright Brothers, and Booker T. Washington, tremendous THANK YOU and to all the other great contributers, known and unkown who have through, thought, imagination, courage, perseverance, worked, saved, put lives on the line to make something better. The enterprisers, inventors, scientists, speculaters, are the ones who make this world a better place. Through private ownership of the means of production, i.e. CAPITALISM.
Bill Gates creates.
When you think we have a multi trillion dollar government that produces nothing, and can’t protect us from barbarian pirates,
Where do people get the nerve to say Mr. Gates is mearly acting out in this “good” nature to ultimately lay his concience at rest? The fact of the matter is that he has the means to do a LOT of good for the world with his wealth and he has chosen to do so. He is no elected official, he has no title that brings with it any assumed responsibility… he is simply a man acting out of his own charity on a very large scale. We should all be happy that there are still people out there, rich or poor, who are willing to do something to help others, regardless of selfish intentions. The way I see it, if you can help yourself by helping others, so be it, so long as you are helping others that is all that should count in the eyes of others.
You were right: Bill Gates should shut up, run his business, and not give the morons in the “news” media more ammunition. Gates might know something about computers, but he seems to know very little about economics and/or morality and ethics. As you sort of said, government has no funds except what it has stolen from the working and producing people, and, perhaps strangely, that even includes fuzzy-minded folks such as Bill Gates.
Our nations anti-trust laws are unconstitutional and therefore Bill Gates and his friends did nothing wrong. Additionally, Microsoft has changed computing forever, mostly for the good, too bad people don’t recognize that. I think mostly it’s jealousy that pits people agains them. Success is always frowned on by those that don’t have it. There isn’t a person in the world that wouldn’t kill to be in his shoes. As for his gift it should be commended. If you have to nitpick the gift and say that he did for pr or whatever than you are a huge loser.
I believe that in this environment it does more harm than good. It contributes to overpopulation in the areas of the world that can least afford it. These ‘saved’ children will then grow up to be adults that are constantly teased by and will want the greener grass on the other side of the fence. There are only two ways to get that green, 1. work for it, but, we’ve already shown them that if they beg loud enough, sombody will give them something. Or 2. take it by force.
No good deed ever goes unpunished, they say.
In my opinion, I haven’t any problem with the rich being philanthropists
and doing some good things with their wealth.
It has its risks, benefits, and responsibilities both ways, and why shouldn’t they help the less fortunate. We do need to remember that whenever we do anything (good, bad, or indifferent) in this world, it will result in an equal or greater, and sometimes, unexpected outcome, effect, or consequences.
Excellent article!
The BBC needs an enema, as usual.
The question is: Who’ll do it?
Yeah, that’s right. The government should reduce the rich until they are poor and then do good with the money thus stolen. The unexpected consequence of course is that when you tax the rich you get not only less rich but less tax.
“Tax the rich, feed the poor, till there are no rich no more.”
I think the rich should do something for the “poor” but I think the ” poor ” should do something also.
The idea that Bill Gates is a normal business person is never correct.
Mr. Gates uses illegal bundling deals to keep his money machine going. Every illegal bundling deals should be censored. Take away the illegal bundling deals with others, or requiring them to buy the product only one way, is him trying to control the other businesses. We do not and should not allow this on any scale. I have gone up on the side of Bill Gates….he is ruthless to win, and cannot win when he is required to fight properly. So let Bill put told, you can’t do so many illegal business deals.
Dear OUTRAGE,<br>
I would like Bill Gates email address, so I can personally thank him for his generousity in the world that I live in. I mean, he could take every penny and spend it all on himself. What’s the problem with all these rude jealous people. And as far as I can see, to the victor belong the spoils, that man went to school, and worked like a dog for a long time, and he is on top of the heap, and we should all applaud him. How many nice moments do you have in your day , with your computer thanks to BILL GATES, and his great MICROSOFT company. Come on folks, lets be thankful there are great people like this left in the world.
maybe the money Ted Turner gave the UN went for this:
U.N. Sex Book Encourages Pedophilia and Bestiality
With Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff
For the story behind the story…
Friday, May 10, 2002 6:55 a.m. EDT
U.N. Sex Book Encourages Pedophilia and Bestiality
A pro-abortion book distributed at the current United Nations Child Summit endorses sexual gratification with children and other non-consenting persons, and even suggests that animals and inanimate objects are appropriate subjects for human “sexual response.”
The UNICEF-funded book, aimed at mothers and teenagers, was given to delegates from Latin America. It promotes sexual activity and abortion among teens – and includes the following passage:
“Situations in which you can obtain sexual pleasure: 1. Masturbation. 2. Sexual relations with a partner — whether heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual. 3. A sexual response that is directed toward inanimate objects, animals, minors, non-consenting persons.”
The bizarre recommendations also include encouragement for young women to have lesbian relations, according to the Washington Times, which first reported on the U.N. sex book in Friday editions:
“Sexual relations with a partner: Here we should insist there is no ideal or perfect relations between two or several people. … This is why we encounter many differences among women. Some women like to have relations with men. And others with another woman.”
The sex book was distributed by the Mexican government with U.N. funding, the Times said.
United Nations spokesman Alfred Ironside defended the publication.
“That book was a product of the Mexican government, supported by UNICEF financially as part of UNICEF’s support to the Mexican government,” he told the paper.
“We do everything we do in full agreement with the governments we support. We do not operate independently.”
Ironside said that the book was “intended as a training manual for people working with adolescent women to prevent teen pregnancy” and noted that it carried a disclaimer that explained “the views of the writers do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations.”
Still, the controversial material has forced the U.N. to halt the book’s distribution:
“A very small number [of books] were produced – fewer than a thousand,” Ironside told the Times. “It was pulled out of circulation when the content was more carefully reviewed.”
You know ~~ at least Bill Gates does something generous! Every program that ‘OTHERS” FUND from taxpayers pockets have such overhead budget ‘expenses’ that probably less than 1% actually goes to the program or cause thats it’s intended to !! Gates is cool .. So shut the hell up.
Well, the comments in this topic make it clear that the real problem in this country (if not the world as a whole) is education.
I love how nobody wants to pay taxes, but they don’t seem to think about the consequences. How about the roads you drive on, and the cheap, government-subsidized gas you burn in your SUVs. And let’s imagine we didn’t give any money to the poor – they’d soon be at our doors with a big stick or maybe a gun – I know I would if I had to feed my family. And lest we think of “the poor” as some group “over there”, nothing to do with us, imagine you were laid off today and nobody was hiring. Job at McDonalds? That’ll pay a lot of bills. There but for the grace of god go most of us.
I believe that some of us have managed to wake up, really wake up, out of our selfishness and greed and realize that we don’t need every expensive luxury, and that we can help those less fortunate. We volunteer, we donate to charities and we pay taxes because we are human and we care about our community, not just ourselves.
And if it’s overpopulation we’re worried about, well, smart people don’t have as many kids.
I suggest we double or triple teacher salaries, and hold them to high standards in exchange for these high salaries.
dear bill gates
i’am lack of money would u send me some?
i shall to buy a computer then. i’m in indonesia here. and terima kasih sebelumnya
he done much to promote computer technology but i think there is still space is microprocesor can get the places of human being . are we able to use computer instead of doctors or engineers i think it is not impossible
it is continue to my first message dear bill gates i want contact with you actualy i made a program which is able to diagnose the diseases & infection i want support to make it well known my request is only that please only one time you see my program .thanx
why do you have to write means thing about him how came you don’t find were he lifes and tell what you are writing about him
My God!….has the world of man(which has always meant men AND women to me) gone completely insane??? The day that helping the worlds needy is considered to be wrong, or damaging to our world as a whole, is the day I build a bomb shelter and live out my days as a hermit!!! God help me, I really hate staying indoors!