Bill Gate "Greatest American"

[sjpetry]

This (http://taylorguitars.com/guitars/model.aspx?model=305) is crazy. It is a show they are going to have on the Discovery Channel.

Search for Gates. (Can't post a link. :( )




P.S. I'd rather choose Bush. :rolleyes:

[Daveway]

That's a link to a guitar store.
EDIT: here are the links.

Steve Jobs (http://tv.channel.aol.com/greatestamerican?page=nominees&subpage=jobs)

Bill Gates (http://tv.channel.aol.com/greatestamerican?page=nominees&subpage=gates)

[poundsmack]

P.S. I'd rather choose Bush. :rolleyes:

you would really rather chose Bush?! ewww

[mcadam]

I'd vote for mel gibson
:D
what a show

A

[dotdotdot]

Hugh Hef. is on there!?

What did HE do? Oh right, brought pleasure to millions of American males (and females...) every night. Also, he helped the sales of lubrication go up over 100%.

[wdlove]

We can all agree that Bill Gates is the richest. He deserves credit as founder of Microsoft, but not as greatest American.

[sjpetry]

you would really rather chose Bush?! ewww
As opposed to Gates, yes. Even though I hate both. :cool:

Nice Picture. :p

[tpjunkie]

what a load of malarkey...

[skubish]

Greatest American? I wouldn't give that title to Gates or Jobs.

Great American? I would say both are great Americans. I would have to give the edge to Gates though because:

1. He is more charitable that Jobs. Giving back is part of being great.

2. He brought computers to the masses. Like it or not, MS products are used in businesses around the world. The fact that Windows is used all over the world with little competition is amazing. How many other products are so cross-cultural?

3. From what I read, Gates is a lot nicer guy to work for than Jobs.

Please no flames
Jobs is a great American too, Just I give a slight edge to Gates.

[neut]

Franklin, Jefferson, and Tesla ... all others are pop culture icons (including political figures and heads of business), scientists that were making parallel discoveries, or human rights martyrs (if you honor the martyr before the fight is over you're forgetting what they fought for ... )


peace | neut

[poundsmack]

me, i nominate me :D

[GFLPraxis]

Honestly...what the heck defines a "Great American"?
Lots of money?
Being a nice guy?
Making Americans look good?
Owning big companies that give the government a lot of tax money?

[GFLPraxis]

me, i nominate me :D

I nominate you as well. I have no idea who you are but you're definitely better than Gates, if just for the fact that you're on this board :D

[the_mole1314]

What happened to the innovators, the engineers, the people who made america great? Seriously, do you really think Tom Hanks or Dr. Phil helped america? No, they entertained them.

[neut]

What happened to the innovators, the engineers, the people who made america great? Seriously, do you really think Tom Hanks or Dr. Phil helped america? No, they entertained them.

Do innovators and engineers really make America great? Do the atomic bomb, disposable diapers, and ability to go 300mph in 5 seconds make America great?

What about the great American Indian chiefs that stood up for what they believed in ... are they not the Greatest Americans that ever lived???

Where's Russel Means?
http://www.users.qwest.net/~philbg/russelmeans.html
http://www.russellmeans.com/

Are we all black and white in America?


peace | neut

[Huff]

as much as people really don't like Gates, I think it is important to recognize the money that he donates toward improving world healthcare. I am a die hard Mac fan, but as a health care provider, I do have a great deal of respect for some of his ideas and actions...maybe not American of the Year though.

[GFLPraxis]

as much as people really don't like Gates, I think it is important to recognize the money that he donates toward improving world healthcare. I am a die hard Mac fan, but as a health care provider, I do have a great deal of respect for some of his ideas and actions...maybe not American of the Year though.

I'm probably going to be flamed for this, but I'll quote a post I saw at another board.

"If someone steals $100 from your pocket, then donates $5 to charity, is he in the right?"

Bill Gates may donate large amounts of money, but its a small fraction in comparison to what he has and the money was obtained via illegal monopolies and ripping off millions of consumers.

[natehan]

Pat Tillman is a classic example of a true American
Go Army-Hooah!

[neut]

as much as people really don't like Gates, I think it is important to recognize the money that he donates toward improving world healthcare. I am a die hard Mac fan, but as a health care provider, I do have a great deal of respect for some of his ideas and actions...maybe not American of the Year though.

His foundation has done a lot ... but he's done even more as a software pirate. Donating $3.34bn is one thing ... but how you've earned that money is something else. Is that not dirty money he's handing out? The gov. let's him play his game as long as he's nice to the poor and hungry?

B.S. ... definitely on the America's worst list ... along with half the current nominees (not including you poundsmack ;)).


I'd like to nominate (including those i've already mentioned) Bill Hicks, Zach Delaroch, Alex Grey, Maynard James Keenan, Stephen Hawking, Terence McKenna, Norman R. Morrison, the millions of amazing women in this country that have been ignored for far too long .. and those i cannot remember at this moment in time and those i have yet to discover.


peace | neut

[tangerineyum]

Honestly...what the heck defines a "Great American"?
Lots of money?
Being a nice guy?
Making Americans look good?
Owning big companies that give the government a lot of tax money?

what do u mean lots of tax money? the key to owning a successful company is learning to avoid paying your taxes, why do u think bush is so buddy buddy with corporate america, he owes them one for stealing the presidency.

[quagmire]

My vote is going to FDR. He did great stuff in his 4 terms as pres. FDR getting U.S out of the depression,and getting the U.S through WWII and win it with the help of Britain. Jobs or Gates can't match that.

[absolut_mac]

What about the great American Indian chiefs that stood up for what they believed in ... are they not the Greatest Americans that ever lived???

IMHO, no.

Personally I think that these kind of labels are both silly and divisive. No one person is perfect and no one person invents anything 100% completely on his/her own. Parents, teachers, friends, mentors etc all contribute to one's outstanding achievements.

So, to recycle an old cliché, what makes any person better/greater than the next, are those people who strive to leave the world a better place than when they arrived, no matter how small or large their contribution, due to the fact that not all of us start out with equal resources (money, intelligence etc) or opportunities.

So as one can clearly see from the above, the Great American Indian Chiefs do not fit the bill, regardless of their other positive attributes.

Further thoughts/arguments are gladly accepted.

[neut]

IMHO, no.

Personally I think that these kind of labels are both silly and divisive. No one person is perfect and no one person invents anything 100% completely on his/her own. Parents, teachers, friends, mentors etc all contribute to one's outstanding achievements.

So, to recycle an old cliché, what makes any person better/greater than the next, are those people who strive to leave the world a better place than when they arrived, no matter how small or large their contribution, due to the fact that not all of us start out with equal resources (money, intelligence etc) or opportunities.

So as one can clearly see from the above, the Great American Indian Chiefs do not fit the bill, regardless of their other positive attributes.

Further thoughts/arguments are gladly accepted.

Who decides this 'better place'? If more stuff is what constitutes a better place than yes, the American Indians did a poor job at that. If separating ourselves further from our world is bettering the 'place' than yes, American Indians failed. If trying to uphold a way of life that has a long-term future (regardless of what we think this current, 'future' is) in harmony with the life around us than no, American Indians did exactly what humans should be doing ... taking all parts of life with us through our journey; not destroying and judging all in it's pathway to a mechanical world.

Most of these, 'Great Americans' are recognized for the mess they've made messier or tried to make sense of ... either way it's still a mess.

This, 'Greatest American' is a great example of this mess. America is an even greater example.

*I would like to nominate all slaves ... and anyone who has been held against their will for any reason (including the working class).


peace | neut

[Mechcozmo]

Do innovators and engineers really make America great? Do the atomic bomb, disposable diapers, and ability to go 300mph in 5 seconds make America great?

The Atomic Bomb, IMO, prevented World War 3.

If there was not the threat of world destruction, what would have held the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. from going no-holds-barred towards each other? Pretty much nothing. But if the world were to end if an attack was launched...

Nuclear weapons were a horrible necessity.

[neut]

The Atomic Bomb, IMO, prevented World War 3.

If there was not the threat of world destruction, what would have held the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. from going no-holds-barred towards each other? Pretty much nothing. But if the world were to end if an attack was launched...

Nuclear weapons were a horrible necessity.

but the race to world war three was the weapons! how could the weapon itself be the prevention??? the reason we stopped was because both sides agreed it would end in ultimate devastation. common sense ended the war ... weapons only gave it a reason to exist.

and when did the us and ussr actually fight? in cold war books and bond myths? there was something going on, but not at all what we were being told.

why have a world power when it just leads to world war?


peace | neut

[sonyrules]

this whole thing is crap, Greatest americans are the ones that give us our freedom and all the firefighters, police etc... that put the ass on the line for americans. These are the people that need to be recongnized. Not bill gates,

[neut]

i would like to retract all my previous statements and nominate Walmart. :)


peace | neut

[ZoomZoomZoom]

What does "Greatest American" mean? I'm just now sure how it's being used - is it being used as the Greatest American as in the greatest person who is American? Or is it being used as in the Greatest American as in the person who has achieved the "American Dream" to the highest degree?

For the American Dream thingy, I'd probably say someone like Donald Trump. Tons of money, fame, and his choice of women.
For the greatest person who is American, I'd definately settle for someone alot more obscure. Probably someone who does alot of volunteer work, preferably in social work? Or someone fighting for American security in the military. Or those public defenders who are always trying to save the lives of potentially innocent men on death row.

[Xtremehkr]

I'll vote for FDR, but Howard Hughs was an interesting fellow. Before he fried his brains. Relentless innovators like HH are what move the world forward.

[Jaffa Cake]

295,734,134 people... and he's really the best you've got?! ;)

[puckhead193]

We should have our own contest, Greatest MR member..... :)

[Phobophobia]

1. He is more charitable that Jobs. Giving back is part of being great.


Yes, giving back in all the lawsuits that Microsoft has lost, making up for the hundreds of billions of dollars lost every year due to security issues with Windows, and giving back in all the profit lost on every Xbox sold.

In my opinion, Bill Gates is one of the worst people--his products make people lose much more in productivity than what he donates to charity.

[superbovine]

Hugh Hef. is on there!?

What did HE do? Oh right, brought pleasure to millions of American males (and females...) every night. Also, he helped the sales of lubrication go up over 100%.

Sold the playboy image to Americans, and revolutioned how America thought about sex which has had a heavy influence on American pop culture.

[dmw007]

this whole thing is crap, Greatest americans are the ones that give us our freedom and all the firefighters, police etc... that put the ass on the line for americans. These are the people that need to be recongnized. Not bill gates,

Could not have said it better! A big Thank You to all of the US Armed Forces and the police officers, firefighters, EMTs, etc..., you guys are the Greatest Americans!