Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Gates Makes Largest Donation Since 2000 with $4.6B Pledge

bloomberg.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

181–190 of 301 posts

Re: Gates Makes Largest Donation Since 2000 with $4.6B Pledge

#181

Post by canoebuilder »

pc86 wrote: post #146
canoebuilder wrote: post #124

eradication of Malaria (1000 deaths daily, much more suffering and cost to society). If great efforts are made to eradicate diseases in an area that has historically been subjected to various diseases such that the local population has adopted the reproduction strategy of having large amounts of offspring to counter premature deaths, but upon eradication/reduction of said diseases there is significant delay in the ab…

"How dare these children live and cause me mild economic discomfort."

The insight I was meaning to convey was more along the lines of, How much benefit have things like harnessing electricity, or the germ theory of disease brought to the world? Nearly incalculable right?

So if European society suffers mass upheaval and disruption in coming years owing to causes we can plainly see at present, how many more of these monumental, universally beneficial innovations and achievements will die in the crib?

Re: Gates Makes Largest Donation Since 2000 with $4.6B Pledge

#182

Post by sctb »

bluthru wrote: post #172
ghostbrainalpha wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are talking about children dying... And you are also making the assumption that only Europe can contribute to innovation, and Africans can only be a burden on their neighbors and will never become contributors. I would agree that if the solving of a crisis like Malaria results in population growth, we need to plan on success and also focus on supporting infrastructure for those people. But I think you are saying…

.

We've already asked you to please stop using this site for political and ideological battle, and we ban accounts that won't.

Re: Gates Makes Largest Donation Since 2000 with $4.6B Pledge

#184

Post by ta23231 »

cutler wrote: post #106
elmar wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it's capitalism at is best you start a company in your garage take it to be worth Bilions an then give it all away, doesn't get better than this.

Not necessarily. Depends who you cked over along the way, including your workers. Not saying this applies to Bill, though.

You missed the 90's I see.

The guy is a ruthless, greedy arsehole.

Re: Gates Makes Largest Donation Since 2000 with $4.6B Pledge

#185

Post by canoebuilder »

burkaman wrote: post #159
canoebuilder wrote: post #124

eradication of Malaria (1000 deaths daily, much more suffering and cost to society). If great efforts are made to eradicate diseases in an area that has historically been subjected to various diseases such that the local population has adopted the reproduction strategy of having large amounts of offspring to counter premature deaths, but upon eradication/reduction of said diseases there is significant delay in the ab…

Why do you think healthier Africans would cause mass societal disruption in Europe? Do you think they're not capable of contributing to European society? Are they more likely to leave Africa if they don't have malaria? Is there no room for population expansion in Africa? I genuinely don't understand the premise of your questions. Why would people start leaving Africa, and why would it be a problem if they did?

You raise some worthy questions, particularly, Is there no room for population expansion in Africa? with which I would be happy to engage, but without knowing that we are operating on the same baseline level of reality, I'm hesitant to do so.

Why would people start leaving Africa, and why would it be a problem if they did?

Are you completely unaware of events that have been transpiring in Europe the past couple years?

Re: Gates Makes Largest Donation Since 2000 with $4.6B Pledge

#186

Post by wolco »

alexandercrohde wrote: post #150
pmoriarty wrote: post #128

A different view on Gates' charity work: [1] Some highlights: "The first question concerns accountability... The Foundation is the main player in several global health partnerships and one of the single largest donors to the WHO. This gives it considerable leverage in shaping health policy priorities and intellectual norms..." "‘Depending on what side of bed Gates gets out of in the morning,’ he remarks, ‘it can shif…

Are you serious? This is almost too goofy to merit a response. Yes, when a billionaire gives away billions of dollars he's not accountable to anybody else. Why the heck would he be? If he were, then he wouldn't have donated it in the first place but would have just "invested it" in a company he created and controlled. There's no way to spin this where donating to a charity is more evil than what all the other .1%s do…

Think about it for a second. He didn't really give the money away he gave it to a charity he controls. That gift reduced the amount of taxes flowing to the public/government vs if he cashed in the stocks himself personally.

You and I are paying more on a percentage basis to the government.

Re: Gates Makes Largest Donation Since 2000 with $4.6B Pledge

#187

Post by HNNoLikey »

alexandercrohde wrote: post #150
pmoriarty wrote: post #128

A different view on Gates' charity work: [1] Some highlights: "The first question concerns accountability... The Foundation is the main player in several global health partnerships and one of the single largest donors to the WHO. This gives it considerable leverage in shaping health policy priorities and intellectual norms..." "‘Depending on what side of bed Gates gets out of in the morning,’ he remarks, ‘it can shif…

Are you serious? This is almost too goofy to merit a response. Yes, when a billionaire gives away billions of dollars he's not accountable to anybody else. Why the heck would he be? If he were, then he wouldn't have donated it in the first place but would have just "invested it" in a company he created and controlled. There's no way to spin this where donating to a charity is more evil than what all the other .1%s do…

> Are you serious? This is almost too goofy to merit a response.

Unfortunately, I suspect the poster is dead serious. This is why I don't recommend trying to appease socialists. It is never enough and they'll never be happy until we're all 'equal'.

The first time I came across this phenomenon was while listening to Thomas Piketty on YouTube and he went on and on about how the philanthropic approach Gates and people like him (the wealthy) were taking to solve the world's problems was flawed. I couldn't believe it! Piketty disapproved of Gates' donations and his philanthropy on the basis that one cannot donate to a charity that one still controls. To him that was ridiculous despite the fact that Gates' foundation has done a remarkable job thus far; more than Piketty - with all his socialist nonsense - will ever do in a million lifetimes.

The irony is that, the first time I heard of Piketty was via Gates' reading list on his website.

The mistake that some wealthy people are making is that they assume that they can appease socialists. You can't. They'll always want more or everything if you let them!

Re: Gates Makes Largest Donation Since 2000 with $4.6B Pledge

#188

Post by johnsimer »

ghostbrainalpha wrote: post #131
canoebuilder wrote: post #124

eradication of Malaria (1000 deaths daily, much more suffering and cost to society). If great efforts are made to eradicate diseases in an area that has historically been subjected to various diseases such that the local population has adopted the reproduction strategy of having large amounts of offspring to counter premature deaths, but upon eradication/reduction of said diseases there is significant delay in the ab…

You are talking about children dying... And you are also making the assumption that only Europe can contribute to innovation, and Africans can only be a burden on their neighbors and will never become contributors. I would agree that if the solving of a crisis like Malaria results in population growth, we need to plan on success and also focus on supporting infrastructure for those people. But I think you are saying…

Some think decreasing poverty/disease actually decreases population growth. This is what Peter Diamandis argues in his book "Abundance: the future is better than you think". His reasoning (based on correlations and maybe causational data) is poor families have a lot of kids because they think many of the kids are going to die. But once their situation improves they have less kids.

Re: Gates Makes Largest Donation Since 2000 with $4.6B Pledge

#189

Post by grandalf »

I have a lot more respect for someone like Elon Musk who invests his money back into new ideas than someone who simply gives most of it away to charity.

Malaria, low literacy rates, etc., are the byproducts of failed political systems and corruption.

Musk's impact on electric vehicle technology will drain a great deal of despotism from the middle east as dependence on oil wanes, far more effectively than any philanthropic contribution he might have made would have.

There are a number of technologies that can drastically change the dynamic between the elites (officials) and everyone else worldwide. Our most gifted thinkers and entrepreneurs should be inventing the next printing press or cotton gin, not attending charity functions.

Re: Gates Makes Largest Donation Since 2000 with $4.6B Pledge

#190

Post by burkaman »

canoebuilder wrote: post #185
burkaman wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you think healthier Africans would cause mass societal disruption in Europe? Do you think they're not capable of contributing to European society? Are they more likely to leave Africa if they don't have malaria? Is there no room for population expansion in Africa? I genuinely don't understand the premise of your questions. Why would people start leaving Africa, and why would it be a problem if they did?

You raise some worthy questions, particularly, Is there no room for population expansion in Africa? with which I would be happy to engage, but without knowing that we are operating on the same baseline level of reality, I'm hesitant to do so. Why would people start leaving Africa, and why would it be a problem if they did? Are you completely unaware of events that have been transpiring in Europe the past couple years…

But I don't think it makes sense to compare population expansion to a refugee crisis. People leaving Africa right now are being forced out by war and violence, most of them aren't choosing to leave. In your hypothetical, I assume people are leaving for economic and social reasons, normal motivations for voluntary immigration. I don't think the refugee crisis will continue forever, and I don't think malaria eradication will reach the sources of the refugee crisis until the violence has mostly subsided.

Edit: I phrased this a little wrong, the source of the current refugee crisis is mostly not Africa, but my point is that the societal disruption you're referring to is not caused by voluntary immigration.

Post reply on HN