The Economist has written about (and Charlie Rose dedicated his show last night to) the philanthropic drive by billionaires like Bill & Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Frequent readers who have read this older post of mine, or this one, know how interested I am in the future of philanthropy and in recognizing the people who are pushing forward on ideas to better people's lives. Gates, Buffett, Turner, et al, have put great care, time and effort into massing their fortunes and could get away with simply living out the rest of their lives in luxury without a second thought for others. But in a climate where the rich are bashed more and more for making their money off the backs off the poor, it's important to recognize the people are giving back; and such recognition, I believe, can't happen enough (because the need for such important giving also knows no bounds).
2 comments:
I've always thought Buffett was a great american, and the model of what the founding fathers intended our system to produce: A wealthy, successful businessman who gives back to his community and country to help his fellow countrymen succeed. (How did we end up where we are?)
While I think our celebrity worship and money-envy have created incentives for the rich to hord wealth in the past and pass more on to later generations than to the poor, the work of current philanthropists brings out my optimistic side for the future. I'd suggest watching Charlie Rose's interview linked above: the Gates and Buffett families are making a big push toward bringing in more billionaires to the philanthropy game, asking them to pledge at least 50% of their estates (with much success).
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