I have been haunted for days by thoughts of the Rook family, and I know I am not alone. I wanted to acknowledge the really wonderful news we heard the other day -- that Warren Buffett has decided to give the majority of his vast fortune to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, thus doubling what they can do to fight poverty and disease worldwide.
I know Gates and Microsoft have been at times controversial, but the Gates Foundation by all accounts has done amazing work. The fact that Buffett, who can do no wrong in my opinion, is willing to hand over billions and billions of dollars to his good friends with the only stipulation being that they keep doing what they are doing, says a lot. So does the fact that the two richest people in the world share the viewpoint that "every life has equal value." How inspiring. How important.
I feel grateful that I am young enough to hopefully be able to see some incredible results from their generosity. It gives me hope, and has inspired me too.
Replies
7
SoWal Expert
This news made me smile too. How wonderful!:clap_1:
fishlips
elderly and homeless around here won't see it of course, now bill can give it to a grecian island (or the starving pygmies in new guinea :blink: ) or someplace to cancel the huge debt they owe the usa taxpayers
i'm probably too cynical, but i just don't trust anybody
great move by warren buffett to stop the pressure of handling what to donate to - now all the trouble lands on mr bill!
i'm probably too cynical, but i just don't trust anybody
great move by warren buffett to stop the pressure of handling what to donate to - now all the trouble lands on mr bill!
SoWal InsiderAuthor
i'm probably too cynical
Yes you are. :nono1:
There are formerly starving or sick African children who are alive because of the Gates Foundation. A worthy cause for sure.
fishlips
Yes you are. :nono1:
There are formerly starving or sick African children who are alive because of the Gates Foundation. A worthy cause for sure.
what about the starving kids with aids right here in the usa
kt loo
CNN said today that with the combined resources of Buffet and Gates, that two of Gates's personal crusades --AIDS and Malaria-- could be eradicated in about a year. Something like 14 billion for AIDS and 6 billion towards malaria. Interesting fact, if its true.
SoWal InsiderAuthor
what about the starving kids with aids right here in the usa
I knew that was coming.
There are agencies to help those people. It is not a perfect system by any means, but there is one in place. The people in Third World countries that are suffering do not have such a system (coupled with the fact that they have few rights under their laws), and in many cases a lot can be done for them for a relatively small amount of money. Note that the Gateses do not say that "every American life is equal." They are just trying to do the most good in the most places with what they have. Trying to tackle the spread of AIDS in Africa is a brilliant approach because it is such a calamity. IMO.
Skunky
I knew that was coming.
There are agencies to help those people. It is not a perfect system by any means, but there is one in place. The people in Third World countries that are suffering do not have such a system (coupled with the fact that they have few rights under their laws), and in many cases a lot can be done for them for a relatively small amount of money. Note that the Gateses do not say that "every American life is equal." They are just trying to do the most good in the most places with what they have. Trying to tackle the spread of AIDS in Africa is a brilliant approach because it is such a calamity. IMO.
The fact is that the kids with AIDS and other infectious diseases (and non-infectious for that matter) in the USA will be helped after the kids in the third world. Big pharma uses the developing world as their 'lab' when developing new meds and vaccines. Not only do developing countries have more pathology, there is generally less red tape to cut through when conducting studies. It may sound unethical on the surface but I think it is for the common good. Somebody needs to be the guinea pig, and soccer moms in the USA sure as heck aren't going to let somebody from Merck roll up little Kaitlyn's sleeve to test a mysterious antiviral medication.
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