Bill Gates at it again!!!

[virividox]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/conditions/12/13/gates.malaria.grant.ap/index.html

from the thread title you may think this is a bill bashing thread. but as much as this guy is abused, i think we should acknowledge all the good he does. sure what he may have done in the past is seen as questionable, and maybe his company right now isnt exactly promoting the most pro-competition practices out there

but HE does give a lot to charity!!! so lets hear it for him

 

[AmigoMac]

good for him, now make office open source...

 

[dotnina]

Well, good for him! It’s nice to see he’s supporting a nonprofit drug company. It sounds like they really do want to market inexpensive drugs.

I think Bill’s alright, it’s Ballmer that scares me.

 

[Mr_Ed]

Very nice indeed. I'm sure Gates "ther man" is alright. I just hate Windoze and the level of mediocrity that now seems "acceptable" in the software industry because of its pervasiveness.

 

[wdlove]

I have long acknowledged that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has done a lot of good. Being that he is the one of the richest in the US, he uses that money to benefit many needy causes. A large focus of his foundation has been to fight problems that occur in Africa.

 

[munkle]

Good for Bill, it must be nice being able to give that amount of money away to cause you want.

Wasn't there some scandal awhile back though about Bill using his charity contributions as a bargaining chip for favourable Microsoft rights, in India I think it was?

 

[AmigoMac]

from the thread title you may think this is a bill bashing thread.

not really, but it did turn a bashing thread... charity, charity, charity...

 

[maya]

Good for Bill, it must be nice being able to give that amount of money away to cause you want.

Wasn't there some scandal awhile back though about Bill using his charity contributions as a bargaining chip for favourable Microsoft rights, in India I think it was?

Something about supplying computers to schools for free with M$ software and paying for grants for students.

Same thing in Mexico I believe.


I believe those numbers are counted in as market share as well.

 

[jxyama]

i think some of the bashing come from the fact he obtained a lot of his wealth from questionable practices. (understatement of the year, right there.)

in effect, some feel that he's giving money away on the behalf of everyone who had been "victimized" by his questionable ways of obtaining them...

just because he's being charitable doesn't mean he should be completely off the hook as to how he got the money. (sort of like just because troops are now in iraq, should we unconditionally support them even though many in this country have opposed the war to begin with?) (let's not discuss this point further, though. at least not here.)

i get annoyed every time comcast runs those stupid community service ads. they are just jacking up the cable prices left and right, while sponsoring various service messages or concerts. kind of hypocritical to me. why not simply lower the cable bill for everyone instead of acting like a charity middleman?

 

[Fukui]

i think some of the bashing come from the fact he obtained a lot of his wealth from questionable practices. (understatement of the year, right there.)

just because he's being charitable doesn't mean he should be completely off the hook as to how he got the money.

Hey, at least he gives something away....even if it is only about .1% of his overall wealth...

 

[jxyama]

Hey, at least he gives something away....even if it is only about .1% of his overall wealth...

right, i guess i'd feel better if he, instead of giving a portion of his wealth to be charitable, would play "fair" in gathering those wealth and and perhaps those who got "ripped off" could have been more charitable themselves?

 

[Mechcozmo]

Still don't get why he doesn't give out Windows 1.x and 2.x for free.... cmon, nobody can USE THEM!

And Bill is a nice guy. His company just has some really ****** software.

 

[Les Kern]

I think Steve gave $100.00 to Kerry.
Seriously, without sounding too "religious", Gates lives by the "true" christian ideal that oh so many so-called christians only pay lip-service to... help the least among us. He plans on giving ALL of his money away except for 30 million to each child. Fair enough... and very noble.

 

[Les Kern]

i get annoyed every time comcast runs those stupid community service ads. they are just jacking up the cable prices left and right, while sponsoring various service messages or concerts. kind of hypocritical to me. why not simply lower the cable bill for everyone instead of acting like a charity middleman?

Cancel them and get a dish. You have the choice, and nobody forced you to get Comcast. If enough people did it, it would speak louder than an obscure posting on an obscure web site.
But the problem with those who insist on tying MS's questionable practices with charitable donations, how about this: Who's questioning the practices, why, who determines the merit, and is that REAL cash he's giving away? I'll take the concrete over the rhetoric any day. (Okay, I hate the company too, but a LOT of people don't, and that's my point)

 

[Mechcozmo]

He plans on giving ALL of his money away except for 30 million to each child. Fair enough... and very noble.

I think that this is, (IMHO) a great idea. His kids will be fine, but they won't have it as the richest in the world.

 

[iAlan]

I do admire Mr G for giving to charity and increasing awareness for many charity groups/causes/etc. This is a good thing. What I don’t like is the fact that everyone says ‘ Hey Mr G gave $46 million, what a great guy’ If he is as rich as he is reported to be then the $46 million is a drop in the bucket. To keep things easy, and this is far from scientific or an accurate number, let’s say $46 million is 1% of Mr G’s ‘disposable’ income. If someone on a $50,000 salary (after tax) was to donate $500, then I would consider them a humanitarian as $500 to someone with $50,000 is noble. $500 is food or rent or schooling or other essential item.

Again, credit to Mr G for his donations and support of a major disease that kills millions, but let’s not forget all the individuals who give to charity when they would benefit from the money by keeping it themselves.

 

[jxyama]

Cancel them and get a dish. You have the choice, and nobody forced you to get Comcast. If enough people did it, it would speak louder than an obscure posting on an obscure web site.

it's not that simple for me. dish is not any cheaper, considering the equipment cost. i also don't have a view to the southern sky from my place. (at all, none.) finally, i don't have a regular phone line so DSL ends up costing me a lot more than cable.

if i could, i would, no kidding.

i don't expect any of these posts to make any difference, of course. i'm just putting in my mini-rant to prove a point, somewhat.

 

[mcarnes]

According to the calculator here (which is now 6 years old), $42.6 million to Bill is equal to $53.25 to an "average American of modest wealth" [assumes a net worth of $70000].

So if I were to give away $53.25 it would be a fair donation. Not exceptionally generous, but not stingy either.

I'm not bashing Bill here, but lets keep a little perspective. The guy did get his money in an unethical way. Now he is redeeming himself and buying a stairway to heaven. Who can blame him.

 

[Rocksaurus]

I do admire Mr G for giving to charity and increasing awareness for many charity groups/causes/etc. This is a good thing. What I don’t like is the fact that everyone says ‘ Hey Mr G gave $46 million, what a great guy’ If he is as rich as he is reported to be then the $46 million is a drop in the bucket. To keep things easy, and this is far from scientific or an accurate number, let’s say $46 million is 1% of Mr G’s ‘disposable’ income. If someone on a $50,000 salary (after tax) was to donate $500, then I would consider them a humanitarian as $500 to someone with $50,000 is noble. $500 is food or rent or schooling or other essential item.

Again, credit to Mr G for his donations and support of a major disease that kills millions, but let’s not forget all the individuals who give to charity when they would benefit from the money by keeping it themselves.

iAlan makes a very good point... To Bill that's just dead money. Sure, it's a lot of money and it's helpful, but the people who donate disposable income who actually need it (using "need" loosely) are the ones who should get all this media attention. That's not to say I don't approve of Bill's actions regarding the donation. If there was an airplane running on Windows I wonder if Bill would fly in it though.

 

[absolut_mac]

I don't think so...

http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/conditions/12/13/gates.malaria.grant.ap/index.html

from the thread title you may think this is a bill bashing thread. but as much as this guy is abused, i think we should acknowledge all the good he does. sure what he may have done in the past is seen as questionable, and maybe his company right now isnt exactly promoting the most pro-competition practices out there

but HE does give a lot to charity!!! so lets hear it for him

I may be in the minority opinion here - but when you make tons of money illegally, is it supposed to save his soul that he gives his ill gotten profits to charity just because he's paid a few fines on it?

IMHO it would have been better had he managed his company honestly right from the start and given more modest amounts of honestly earned funds to charity.

Why do thses CEOs think that it's okay to trample all over the laws and the competition and then give a few billion dollars (ill gotten in the first place) will make everything hunky dory?

 

[stubeeef]

I should not speak ill of charitable giving, any of it. But it seems that billyboy would be in rather deep dodo if he did not give numbers that atleast looked good. Charity has always been the standard that wealthy people judge each other.

It is good that he gives, WE ALL SHOULD BE GIVING REGULARLY!

I hate windows, my company makes me use a dell, I hate it too, I would love to donate it to charity.

 

[junior]

I may be in the minority opinion here - but when you make tons of money illegally, is it supposed to save his soul that he gives his ill gotten profits to charity just because he's paid a few fines on it?

IMHO it would have been better had he managed his company honestly right from the start and given more modest amounts of honestly earned funds to charity.

Why do thses CEOs think that it's okay to trample all over the laws and the competition and then give a few billion dollars (ill gotten in the first place) will make everything hunky dory?

It may not save his soul, but may save 10 million people from death over the course of 10 years.
Do you think those people living in miserable conditions, seeing those around them dieing and knowing they may be next, would really care where the money came from?
Yes, Gates has always been unethical but he is no gangster. He didn't go around killing people, he put them out of business unethically.
I don't support Gates but I certainly don't support opinions against his will to help those who seriously suffer.

 

[wdlove]

I may be in the minority opinion here - but when you make tons of money illegally, is it supposed to save his soul that he gives his ill gotten profits to charity just because he's paid a few fines on it?

IMHO it would have been better had he managed his company honestly right from the start and given more modest amounts of honestly earned funds to charity.

Why do thses CEOs think that it's okay to trample all over the laws and the competition and then give a few billion dollars (ill gotten in the first place) will make everything hunky dory?

I think that he is a shrewed business man. Willing to do anything in order to secure his status. Now he is looking to his and his children's future. Since he is nearing 60, he realizes his mortality. Hopes to secure a better eternal life. Bill will need to do more than just giving money away. There has to be an actual relationship with God.

 

[absolut_mac]

In other words....

I should not speak ill of charitable giving, any of it. But it seems that billyboy would be in rather deep dodo if he did not give numbers that atleast looked good. Charity has always been the standard that wealthy people judge each other.

It is good that he gives, WE ALL SHOULD BE GIVING REGULARLY!

I hate windows, my company makes me use a dell, I hate it too, I would love to donate it to charity.

It seems to me that what you are implying is that if I mug someone in the street and steal $2,000 from them, I am then called a *hero* by society if I then give $1,000 of my ill gotten gains to charity???

I don't think so.

Personally, I don't see any difference beween a thief who mugs someone in the street, versus someone like Bill Gates, who has been *mugging and stealing* from corportations for decades. For whatever reason, the law makes it a lot eaisier for guys like Bill gates to get away with it, and even when caught, their fines are so insignificant in proportion to their ill gotten gains that it actually makes even more mockery of said law

 

[Josh]

That's awesome that he did that.

But then again, Bill Gates shelling out 42 million is like me giving a homeless person 1/4 of a cent.