31–40 of 212 posts
I wish Bill or Warren would have run for presidency as an "outsider" instead of Trump. I guess our only hope will be their successor Mark (Zuckerberg)
Nice On the opposite number side, I hope they can help to find ways to reduce the population growth. It is unsustainable, especially in Africa and Arabic countries. (Pity one cannot just implement a China-like one child policy:))
Check what Hans Rosling said about this. You don't need to do anything.
You have to fight poverty and improve educational attainments for those most in need.
Contributing to those causes will have the side effect of stopping overpopulation.
I find Gates' lack of focus on environmental issues disheartening. I know he does invest in clean energy and feels strongly about climate change, but this doesn't really do anything to prevent deforestation NOW. I know that bringing people out of poverty may have a side-effect of improving some environmental parameters, but it also makes whole swathes of people start demanding more meat, more palm oil, more cars, mor…
His foundation takes a very analytical approach and he wouldn't dismiss that issue lightly.
They can't tackle everything. You have to pick your battles, even when you're the richest man in the world.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I would argue that in the long term, Bill Gates running his foundation has a much deeper impact on humanity than being president, which would effectively cut him off from his philanthropic activities for 4-8 years. In other words, we're better off with Bill helming the Gates foundation rather than presiding the USA.
I would argue the otherwise. Imagine the resources and the influence power he would have on both U.S. and other nations, compared to few billion dollars spared by few people.
He can move more or less unilaterally.
It was really uplifting to read this post.
Because of it, the world now looks a little brighter to me.
We're all surrounded by alarmist news every day and often lose sight of the big picture.
PLEASE write a post like this one at least once a year :-)
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I get Bill and Warren, but Mark?
Don't know about Buffett, but I don't get Gates either. He was a ruthless businessman using every trick in the book (legal and illegal) to solidify his company's monopoly.
Have you changed in the past 25 years? I sure have.
I wish Bill or Warren would have run for presidency as an "outsider" instead of Trump. I guess our only hope will be their successor Mark (Zuckerberg)
OT: Can someone explain the GOP's strident opposition to funding contraception, both domestically and in the US's foreign aid? Apart from the obvious problems with unrestrained population growth, I'd have thought that aversion to abortion would imply whole-hearted support for contraception.
I wish Bill or Warren would have run for presidency as an "outsider" instead of Trump. I guess our only hope will be their successor Mark (Zuckerberg)
I can't help but shudder at the thought of the dystopian future that leads to a Zuckerberg presidency.
He already has his name on a hospital. How long will it be before he decides he can do a better job as President?
Once these rich boys make their "nut"; they become very moral/ethical in their latter years, except Trump?
I think it has to do with their guilt? I don't know a wealthy man who didn't do some very unethical things clawing their way to the top.
However, is it fair to credit philanthropy as the sole cause of quality of life improvements across the most destitute populations?
It's a story about the stunning gains the poorest people in the world have made
over the last 25 years. This incredible progress has been made possible not
only by the generosity of Warren and other philanthropists, the charitable
giving of individuals across the world, and the efforts of the poor on their
own behalf, but also by the huge contributions made by donor nations, which
account for the vast majority of global health and development funding.
If you want to posit that their efforts have been invaluable in improving access to medical services across the globe, you'll get no argument from me. However, that's a small part of what makes up "stunning gains."
[1] https://www.amazon.com/Great-Escape-Health-Origins-Inequalit...
[2] https://www.amazon.com/Road-Hell-Michael-Maren/dp/0743227867