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The future our grandchildren deserve

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Re: The future our grandchildren deserve

#61

Post by kulahan »

RunSet wrote: post #60

Our grandchildren deserve a future without the vendor lock-in and anticompetitive behavior that gave Bill Gates the fortune he is currently using to attempt to whitewash his legacy.

I hate how nobody can have a change of heart and do an INSANE AMOUNT OF GOOD without some goofball constantly needing to feel cool by pointing out they weren't always doing good stuff.

Who gives a shit about anticompetitive behavior in comparison to saving human lives from a preventable disease? Talk about missing the forest for the trees. It's so miserable to talk about positive actions these days, because it's verboten to focus on that when there are negatives to point out.

Re: The future our grandchildren deserve

#64

Post by btdmaster »

atlasunshrugged wrote: post #36
stephc_int13 wrote: post #16

Am I the only one growing suspicious of this since the SBF/FTX effective altruism turned out to be a front to masquerade a good old Ponzi? I don't think the Gates foundation is a Ponzi, but I am not entirely convinced that all of this is really what is advertised. Are there any reliable (external and independent) audits for charities?

I'm not sure I understand the concern about the Gates foundation in particular -- they are mainly funded by Gates and Buffett and don't solicit donations from the general public, don't do much domestic political stuff, and foreign political work they do doesn't seem like it'd be particularly beneficial for Microsoft or Buffett's portfolio. Since you're skeptical of effective altruism, Givewell probably isn't going ga…

Gates foundation primarily spends money on stocks[0] (many of which arguably going directly against its stated goals, like John Deere)

[0] https://dataroma.com/m/holdings.php?m=GFT

Re: The future our grandchildren deserve

#65

Post by 29athrowaway »

SuoDuanDao wrote: post #42
stephc_int13 wrote: post #33

Money is only a proxy for power, because it is easier to measure and is fungible. But talking about inequalities, especially related to political systems and redistribution, we should be taking a closer look at power because this is, always, ultimately, the real thing. Money can be kind of boring when you have too much of it, power has a longer lasting appeal, and for some people, the appetite is bottomless. I tend t…

>contrary to wealth, power is a zero sum game Not sure I agree. Power over other people maybe, but there is also power to affect the nonhuman environment. A modern farmer's power to alter his immediate environment is similar to a feudal lord's.

There are dimensions of power.

A corn farmer is ruled by the government, the market, the seed corporations, the fossil fuel industry, the different machinery manufacturers (vendor lock-in), the banks, etc.

Re: The future our grandchildren deserve

#66

Post by eloff »

btdmaster wrote: post #64
atlasunshrugged wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure I understand the concern about the Gates foundation in particular -- they are mainly funded by Gates and Buffett and don't solicit donations from the general public, don't do much domestic political stuff, and foreign political work they do doesn't seem like it'd be particularly beneficial for Microsoft or Buffett's portfolio. Since you're skeptical of effective altruism, Givewell probably isn't going ga…

Gates foundation primarily spends money on stocks[0] (many of which arguably going directly against its stated goals, like John Deere) [0] https://dataroma.com/m/holdings.php?m=GFT

You have to invest the money you don’t intend to spend now.

Re: The future our grandchildren deserve

#67

Post by semi_square »

stephc_int13 wrote: post #16

Am I the only one growing suspicious of this since the SBF/FTX effective altruism turned out to be a front to masquerade a good old Ponzi? I don't think the Gates foundation is a Ponzi, but I am not entirely convinced that all of this is really what is advertised. Are there any reliable (external and independent) audits for charities?

You can check the IRS website and retrieve the form 990 and 990-EZ for the charities you're curious about. The SBF/FTX cause from the get-go was a grift enterprise, the dude knew what he was doing as per his countless messages, relationships with politicians, and his parents/families involvement in his cause.

Re: The future our grandchildren deserve

#68

Post by beachy »

RunSet wrote: post #60

Our grandchildren deserve a future without the vendor lock-in and anticompetitive behavior that gave Bill Gates the fortune he is currently using to attempt to whitewash his legacy.

Bill gates was a ruthless competitor in business who pushed things to the limits, the original alpha geek. Not unlike thousands of other business leaders over the centuries.

Holding a candle of bitterness against him so long after he moved on to an admirably altruistic life and actively redistributed his wealth says more about you than about him.

(Spoken as someone who has experienced brutal commercial outcomes thanks to Microsoft shenanigans back in the day).

Re: The future our grandchildren deserve

#69

Post by manmal »

SuoDuanDao wrote: post #42
stephc_int13 wrote: post #33

Money is only a proxy for power, because it is easier to measure and is fungible. But talking about inequalities, especially related to political systems and redistribution, we should be taking a closer look at power because this is, always, ultimately, the real thing. Money can be kind of boring when you have too much of it, power has a longer lasting appeal, and for some people, the appetite is bottomless. I tend t…

>contrary to wealth, power is a zero sum game Not sure I agree. Power over other people maybe, but there is also power to affect the nonhuman environment. A modern farmer's power to alter his immediate environment is similar to a feudal lord's.

Where I live, some (ex) farmers own half of their town‘s land. They practically _are_ feudal lords.

Re: The future our grandchildren deserve

#70

Post by muh_gradle »

stephc_int13 wrote: post #16

Am I the only one growing suspicious of this since the SBF/FTX effective altruism turned out to be a front to masquerade a good old Ponzi? I don't think the Gates foundation is a Ponzi, but I am not entirely convinced that all of this is really what is advertised. Are there any reliable (external and independent) audits for charities?

They're not even in the same conversation. FTX was set up to be a grift by SBF from the get go. Gates Foundation has decades of work.
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