Gates does a good thing

[gittyup]

Gates Bankrolls Crusade for New Meningitis Vaccine

story

 

[Lucky]

that must be the pocket change he found in his couch last week. What a philanthropist.

 

[Mikal]

It's just "Richest Man in the World" guilt.

 

[huanaku]

Actually, Bill Gates has funded quiet a few things. He gives a lot more to charity than other sickingly rich people (see oracle chief).

 

[iamwiz82]

that is .175% of his wealth, which is pretty hefty amount. Thats like one of us with $100,000 saved up giving $175 dollars.

hmmm.... wait a second...

 

[Mikal]

<< that is .175% of his wealth, which is pretty hefty amount. Thats like one of us with $100,000 saved up giving $175 dollars.

hmmm.... wait a second... >>




LOL!!

 

[Beethoven]

That's just a $70 million donation from the foundation. Bill gives much, much more to the foundation which then decides where the money goes.

LE is a twisted, money hoarding mofo. :|

 

[jaybert]

didnt gates start a foundation where his wife is the chair with a $1billion+ initial donation or something on that line?

 

[StageLeft]

Man some of you guys are unrelenting! First you say hes a greedy SOB and then when he scores out millions of bucks you say its nothing to him. Well how often to most people donate money?

Look at all these actors. For instance Harrison Ford made $25 million in 20 day filming on his last film. I don't care what anybody says: He does not work as hard for his money as bill gates has. Plus Bill gates is more than just looks and a neat voice (I mean, he is neither...) How often do hollywood stars give out money? They get together on these pathetic fund raisers and between a dozen of them might raise $100k *GASP* for some charity.

 

[iamwiz82]

my point skoorb, is that i give more to charity, percentage wise, than Gates. He could afford to lose 39 BILLION DOLLARS and still be able to live better than 99.9999999999999% of the population using just the interest from that billion.

 

[Batti]

Well put, Red!

 

[DAGTA]

Geez people, he GAVE money to a good cause. He didn't have to. It's his money to do with as he pleases. Stop looking a gift horse in the mouth. On a related note, how many of you whiners give any money at all to a charity/good cause?
-DAGTA

 

[StageLeft]

iamwiz82

He couldn't do that with his money. Something people fail to realize is that his billions of dollars are not siting in a bank account. If he liquidated them then the worth of Microsoft would fall down the stinker. In fact if he is &quot;currently worth $70 billion&quot; now (Whatever its at now...) he'd never be able to liquidate and see that cash cause once he started selling MS Stocks (he is the highest holder of MS stocks I think) the share price would tumble before he offloaded them all.

Technically he is worth all this money but if he tried to get it Microsoft would suffer major damages and have to cut jobs and whatever else...

 

[Lucky]

&quot;. On a related note, how many of you whiners give any money at all to a charity/good cause?&quot;

I give money to the ACLU frequently.

 

[iamwiz82]

i agree that a good portion of his money is in MS stock, but you dont think he has some capital?

 

[Raspewtin]

<< my point skoorb, is that i give more to charity, percentage wise, than Gates. He could afford to lose 39 BILLION DOLLARS and still be able to live better than 99.9999999999999% of the population using just the interest from that billion >>




exactly. and when a normal person gives 2% of his wealth they don't get a wing in a school named after him/her, etc, his/her name in the paper, etc so even when billionaires give that little amount, it's still never actually given to help others but rather spent on buying positive PR. They could be more anonymous if they actually wanted to.



<< Well how often to most people donate money? >>


Actually considering the average person enjoys negligable tax advantages from giving, have a smaller income where giving actually takes a bite out of spendable income, it's amazing that they give a higher % of their net worth (over their lifetime) then many billionaires. It's pretty sickening actually and illustrates if they weren't taxed to hell, that money would never get reinvested in the system.

 

[Darksamie]

Wonder what he does with the other billions of dollars he has to play with.....ahhh wouldn't it be nice

 

[Jokeram]

<< that must be the pocket change he found in his couch last week. What a philanthropist. >>

LOL... but he did give it none the less.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

In all fairness, he is by far the largest benefactor to charity in the country (and I believe the world). In 1999 alone, he gave $2.4B to charity, and $5B in 2000 (both done through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation). It seems a little picayune to observe that he could be giving more - he has been very generous to a wide variety of charities.