bill gates, the superphilanthropist

[cody8200]

yahoo news---Microsoft Founder and Chairman Bill Gates (news - web sites) and his wife Melinda are the most generous charitable donors in America, Business Week magazine said on Thursday, as the couple gave away or pledged a staggering $23 billion -- more than half of their net worth.



In the magazine's second-annual ranking of the top 50 philanthropists in the United States, the Gates' are worth a net $46 billion -- the rough equivalent of Hungary's entire gross domestic product. With the couple's having donated 54 percent of their net worth, Business Week dubbed them "the reigning royalty of a new class of self-made superphilanthropists."

___________________________________
Can you guys believe this? This is ridiculous. He gave away freaking 23 billion dollars!!!!!!!!!! damn. No one can deny he doesnt give back to the world.

[lighthousekeeper]

That's some tax write-off.

[Franklinnoble]

What can $46 billion buy you that $26 billion can't?

Sure, it's great that he's giving it away, but let's not pretend that he's got to start driving a Ford Focus now that he's being so charitable.

[cody8200]

I dont think that's much of an issue. Why should the guy have to be poor to be considered a good person.

[JeeberD]

Originally posted by Franklinnoble
What can $46 billion buy you that $26 billion can't?

Yeah, but imagine how much $26 billion can help those in need...

[Kodos]

I'm not a huge fan of Bill Gates, but considering a lot of people wouldn't give away any of it, I think he deserves some credit for this. Nice job, Bill. Even if you are going to fire me if we don't win it all this season.

[Philliesfan980]

Great job Bill. I really don't understand why alot of people hate him. He's made computers what they are today, like it or not.

As for the donation issue. I've prepared many tax returns for my clients, and while they don't have the net worth that Gates does, many of them do earn a nice living (300k - 500k annually). So many of these guys give less than $300 a year to a charity. Its really quite disturbing.

[mckerney]

Originally posted by Franklinnoble
What can $46 billion buy you that $26 billion can't?

More evil robots.

[Dutch]

Amazing, the man gives away or is taxed 23 billion dollars, and some people think that's not enough. Damned socialists...

[scooper]

Originally posted by JeeberD
Yeah, but imagine how much $26 billion can help those in need...

Exactly.

What the hell do people want them to do?

[clintl]

As a philanthropist, I think Bill Gates has done a lot of good. As a businessman, however, he has a thoroughly dispicable and unethical record, and let's not forget that his wealth was built on those business practices.

[sterlingice]

Originally posted by mckerney
More evil robots.

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Awesome line, mckerney!


Originally posted by Philliesfan980
Great job Bill. I really don't understand why alot of people hate him. He's made computers what they are today, like it or not.

Well, that's the problem: he's made computers what they are today: buggy and controlled by a handful of companies through shady business practices

These are two different issues. My hats off to the man for giving that kind of cash away provided this isn't like some of his previous "charitable donations". I don't think giving away millions of bucks worth of computers to schools, as he has in the past, is charity. Whenever he typically would do that in the past, he insisted they run Windows- which means this isn't a gift, this is an investment, making sure future generations use his products all while getting a tax writeoff.

If this is food and goods with no strings attached, that's great. But his track record has been less than stellar at stuff like this.

SI

[Dutch]

Well, that's the problem: he's made computers what they are today: buggy and controlled by a handful of companies through shady business practices

Name the 5 or less companies that control the computer industry/information age?

These are two different issues. My hats off to the man for giving that kind of cash away provided this isn't like some of his previous "charitable donations". I don't think giving away millions of bucks worth of computers to schools, as he has in the past, is charity. Whenever he typically would do that in the past, he insisted they run Windows- which means this isn't a gift, this is an investment, making sure future generations use his products all while getting a tax writeoff.

Look, if the dude said, "No, I'm not giving away a single computer and I'll give them milk instead" people would bitch up a storm about why the richest man in the world doesn't give away computers with his software on it instead of forcing everybody to pay 100-500 bucks for it. Right?

If this is food and goods with no strings attached, that's great. But his track record has been less than stellar at stuff like this.

Well, if it walks like 23 billion dollars, quacks like 23 billion dollars, it's probably.....ah, never mind. :)

[Sloan]

Originally posted by sterlingice
But his track record has been less than stellar at stuff like this.


I think you are really misinformed here. I am not a Bill Gates fan at all, but his track record on donating tons of money to great causes with "no strings attached" is remarkable. A little google search will easily prove this.

I remember reading an article a few years ago that had the leaders of powerful companies discussing what would be needed to bring Africa up to speed in the technological world. All these CEOs from other companies would talk about donating PCs, and books, and all sorts of other things to help out, but Gates stood up at this conference and rebuked them all. He told them all that Africans didn't care about computers. The cared about getting food to eat, getting some sort of healthcare, and getting out from the shadow of AIDS.

[Esquared1]

Originally posted by Dutch
Amazing, the man gives away or is taxed 23 billion dollars, and some people think that's not enough. Damned socialists...

Hey, I'm a socialist, and I believe it is very kind of him to give away that much. Hell, I think 10 billion would have been plenty nice.

[Gallifrey]

Originally posted by mckerney
More evil robots.

We are not evil robots!
Or maybe....

[clintl]

Originally posted by Dutch
Name the 5 or less companies that control the computer industry/information age?


Microsoft.

[Gallifrey]

Originally posted by clintl
Microsoft.

:cool:

[tucker342]

Originally posted by Kodos
I'm not a huge fan of Bill Gates, but considering a lot of people wouldn't give away any of it, I think he deserves some credit for this. Nice job, Bill.

Agreed