Couloir Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Leave it to the fucking free market to create rich assholes like this. If he would have just paid higher taxes the government could have spent part of the $44 billion in a much better, more efficient way. This is an outrage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 A new, bizarre (but hopefully very good) machine called "Bill Gates, The Money Man for the Problems of the World" has been created. It should be interesting to track what the Gates Foundation does with the money...quite a bit to throw at some bad problems. I hope it actually delivers on getting money to the things that need it most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_agon Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 I am so into hoarding, I can't understand this mentality. Â Well, you go with your rich, helpful bad selves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foraker Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Well, as we've all observed, sometimes throwing money at a problem (through taxes or charity) doesn't necessarily solve it. That said, it's not always true that applying 'the business model' to a problem will solve it either. At least he's trying to be philanthropic with it and not hoard it and pass it on to some ne'er do well children who'll just squander it on coke and prostitutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crackers Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 My fiance works with the Gates foundation on a regular basis (among others) and says that they are far better than any other group active in the area, including UNDP, the Mellenium Challenge or anything else. Â If there is a malaria vaccine, it will be because of the Gates foundation... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foraker Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 If there is a malaria vaccine, it will be because of the Gates foundation... Â That I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minx Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 the gates foundation funds my work. i have to say after my experience working in industry, i'm stunned at how much more we accomplish than i did at a biotech. far more efficient and focused. the gates foundation is very serious and active in holding us to our targets. i'm sure there are flaws there just like every where else but in my limited experience they are great foundation to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainhesh Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 ...love, happiness and baby jesus don't feed mouths... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainmatt Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 The gates foundation is funding a project in our lab as well. I think that its great that they give so much money to work on some of the most difficult problems in science such as vaccine development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattp Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 I have a hard time seeing how the fact that Bill Gates is a major philanthropist has much to do with whether or not a free market or a more regulated economy is better, or whether taxses are good or bad or whether the government wastes tax money. I have not hear Bill arguing that (and certainly not his father). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavastik Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Leave it to the fucking free market to create rich assholes like this. If he would have just paid higher taxes the government could have spent part of the $44 billion in a much better, more efficient way. This is an outrage! Â Well, I heard the press conference today with Buffet and the Gateses (?) and he (Buffet) was arguing for keeping the estate tax and in general for responsibility and a fair(er) playing field in society. Just cause somebody made a bunch of money and donated it to charity doesn't mean he's an asshole. IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whidbey Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Seems kinda of funny that the second richest man in America and maybe the world feels the death tax is a good thing. Debate time is upon us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj001f Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Seems kinda of funny that the second richest man in America and maybe the world feels the death tax is a good thing. Debate time is upon us. Both he and the richest man (Gates) have been outspoken advocates for the estate tax for quite a few years. Perhaps you've missed that amongst the Republican renaming spin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whidbey Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Read above...slow... I support it and do they... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj001f Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Read above...slow... I support it and do they... Sorry, my sarcasm meter needs to recalibrated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whidbey Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 cj001f... no harm no foul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavastik Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Seems like my sarcasm meter (or smiley-meter or something) may need recalibrating too. Eh, whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TREETOAD Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 The gates foundation is funding a project in our lab as well. I think that its great that they give so much money to work on some of the most difficult problems in science such as vaccine development. Â It is amazing what can be accomplished if you take the for profit aspect away. Health care for instance... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 It isn't what can't be accomplished when you take away the "for profit" side...it is the delivery to the people who actually need it that suffers however. This is a strong desire by drug companies to solve the problems...but then when they figure it out they want to cash out and get rich....which means expensive drugs that people in 3rd world countries can't afford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZimZam Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 The "underdeveloped world" will have a hard time fighting any of it's problems until their leaders stop being corrupt. That notwithstanding I applaud Gates' foundation, and the way it is operated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayB Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Yeah. Eliminating the tarriffs and subsidies that detroy their ability to profit from the enterprises that they actually have a competitive advantage in would go a long way towards improving the lot of the third world. Money flowing directly to the people producing goods and services, rather than credit/capital/goods flowing only through the wretched governments that they have to live under, which would go a long way towards reining in the kleptocracy, and actually enabling the people who need them to pay for clean water, insecticides, food, and basic medication. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Sounds cool. Too bad we don't follow that advice here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crackers Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 yeah, too bad we penalized other countries that want to compete in their 'competitive advantage' areas. Â What is a 'competitive advantage' anyway? Sounds to me like an article of faith from some mid nineteenth century peddler of snake oil. Â And I thought the role of government was to provide uneconomic basic services --clean water, roadways, etcetera? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 The first job of the government is to provide security. that is a basic service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crackers Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 The first job of the government is to provide security. that is a basic service. Â That's what I thought! I mean security really doesn't get any more basic than clean water! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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