I often rant about the ongoing class warfare between the rich, the powerful, and the corporations against the rest of America, but I don't really think that very many of them are bad people. It is just that most people and especially corporations act in their own best interests. Unfortunately, when it comes to revenue generation, if the rich and corporations aren't paying their fair share, than we have to shoulder their burden.
Some of the rich are actually very good people and do wonderful things. The richest people in America, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have probably done more as individuals to make life better for the unfortunate, and to save more lives than anyone before in history. Bill and Malinda Gates have given away more than $28 billion to help the poor and Warren Buffet has promised to give away 99% of his fortune to their foundation.
Buffet and Gates have issued a challenge to their fellow billionaires to join them in their philanthropic largess. They have asked them to do as much good as they can with their money before they die. They have convinced 40 billionaires to take the giving pledge and give away at least half of their fortunes to charity.
Collectively these people are raising $600 billion dollars. With that amount of money they could alleviate much of the hardships in the world and save millions of lives.
So Kudos to the Billionaires! (At least some of them).
One of the 40 is Alfred E. Mann who is the founder of the Alfred E. Mann Foundation. He is worth $2.2 billion and he's giving away 90 percent of his estate to be devoted to philanthropy. Mr. Mann said " Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett and a number of us have been meeting and talking, hoping to set examples, so people will become more oriented and more motivated to give their estates away, hopefully, during their lifetimes. It seems to me to make more sense to see the good that you can achieve with your money before you die, rather than afterwards."
"I believe that inherited money is not wise. I think it can destroy people when you take away their will to be productive, and so I've taken care of my family in modest ways and I want to use the money to try to do what I can for civilization."
The list is still growing and I hope it continues. To read what some of the other billionaires think read:
http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.actio...