bill gates wishes he wasn't so rich (why not give 51% to me then?)

[unblock]

http://money.cnn.com/2006/05/04/news/newsmakers/gates.reut/index.htm


REDMOND, Wash. (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates said Wednesday he wished he were not the world's richest man.

"I wish I wasn't. There is nothing good that comes out of that," said Gates, whose personal fortune sank by billions since last week when the software giant disappointed investors by saying new investments would crimp earnings.


Miscrosoft Chairman Bill Gates



The corporate leader who made Microsoft into the world's largest software maker - and who is also one of the biggest philanthropists - is seen as a man who does not like publicity. He explained that he did not like the attention of being the world's richest person.

"You get more visibility as a result of it," he said during an interview conducted by CNBC reporter Donny Deutsch in front of a crowd of people attending a Microsoft advertising event.

[Blue_Tires]

1. my heart bleeds for him n/t

[Sannum]

2. boo hoo

[unblock]

3. notice the caption on the pic - "miScrosoft"

:rofl:

[bleedingheart]

4. Well let us help you out with a 50% income tax on your wealth

and the Estate Tax to help relieve your children of that burden as well...it will still leave them enormously wealthy...but it might help relieve that stress...

[tridim]

6. Would you rather he pay 50% taxes or give 50% away to the poor?

The taxes would go to things like blowing up brown people, the charity goes to people in need and is often life saving.

I think Gates gets way too much shit here. He (and his father and wife) are the most generous philanthropists on Earth. IMO it more than makes up for his ruthless, but typical business practices.

[bleedingheart]

9. I understand your point, but someone has to pay for the deficit

which is going to drag our government down..

I guess under better government I would like to see it put to use on roads, public health..etc

As for charity...that is fine too.....but charities don't put forth large public works projects...like Maglev trains...

[northzax]

17. to his credit

the Gates Family has been outspoken in favour of keeping the Estate Tax, and higher taxes on the ultra-wealthy.

[bleedingheart]

23. I know that his father has been an outspoken critic of the repeal..

[Nomad559]

37. Gates Sr. supports estate tax

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2003-01-12-gates_x.htm

President Bush, in pushing big tax cuts for America's wealthiest, is about to get an earful from an unlikely opponent, again. Bill Gates Sr. — father of the co-founder of Microsoft who is the USA's richest man — is fighting to keep Bush from killing the estate tax that hits the super-rich but also some small-business owners and farmers.

His son agrees with him, as do billionaires Warren Buffett, David Rockefeller Sr. and others.

Why? Gates, 78, says the wealthy should pay the tax because they owe a special debt. Their riches, he says, would not be possible without a strong society supporting capitalism.

"Most of the things that have generated the enormous advances in our economy are things that started on some campus or in some laboratory," Gates said in an exclusive interview last week. "And most of those are because the government financed it."

[Kingshakabobo]

20. My understanding that he has been lobbying AGAINST the repeal..

....of the inheritance tax. Another DUer posted a link to a website/foundation funded by him and other wealthy people IN FAVOR of keeping the inheritance tax.

...for what it's worth...

[tanyev]

5. Start giving more away, Bill. Easy problem to fix.

[Raine]

38. He does

the article says "the man is also one of the biggest philanthropists"

[tanyev]

40. I know he does give a lot away. Kudos.

That's why I used the word "more". But Bill is the one who's publicly wishing he weren't the world's richest man. I was merely offering a suggestion on how to fix that problem.

[Yavin4]

7. It's Hard To Be A Pimp

I feel soooo sorry for him.

[savemefromdumbya]

8. He can repair our pool?

[grasswire]

10. two words, Bill......Andrew Carnegie

I'm sure there's a project deserving of the Gates fortune. Andrew Carnegie was instrumental in the building of libraries all across this country. There was no finer investment in America's future.

What Bill needs is a visionary estate planner, apparently.

[bigscott]

12. Bill and Melinda

do an awful lot of good in this world. Perhaps we should focus on the billionaires that don't?

[William769]

14. He gives more in AIDS research

Than Several Countries combined! But no Bashing is all that seems to be on anyone's plate.

[anitar1]

34. I cannot understand the mindset that spews hatred toward

Gates. I have read so many posts attacking him as if he is part of the BFEE. I am neither a champion or a hater of Gates. Just find it hard to understand the hatred?? Am I dense or what ? What has he done that causes such contempt. Maybe my info is incorrect so please educate me if I am mistaken. From what I have read, he had no money to begin but made a success of himself when computers became THE thing to have.Did he design software or is that a lie? I am not computer savvy at all,and maybe I do not prefer MicroSoft,but what evil things did Gates do? Someone please tell me and verify it. On the positive side, I do know what he has done with a lot of his money--or I should say--the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.Is he a crook or what? I do know that the Foundation gave quite a chunk of money to schools, one of them being North Eugene HighSchool , here in Eugene. It is wonderful to see the programs being initiated. Our schools in Oregon are so broke it is pathetic. I could cry over the programs that have been dropped the last few years. Our schools have fallen to 34th in the country.My grandchildren attend that school and I feel grateful for the Foundation. They are funding many schools through the country. Plus all the other things they do. so tell me about the Gates family. I want to know. I rarely see other extremely wealthy people funding anything directly. they all go to charity balls in NYC.

[Amonester]

36. He was lucky IBM came knocking at his "garage" door...

...because their "first choice" happened not to be at his office desk the day they went to visit him ("poor guy," I hope he's still "alive" today...), and he was very lucky also that he found a genius programmer who was developping a 16-bit OS in his "basement" so he bought his system (paid 50 grand to him later, of course...), renamed it MS-DOS 1.0, and then called back the execs at IBM to say he had "their" brand-new IBM-PC (a "new" open standard) OS.

So I wouldn't say he's (or "was") a "great" software developper. A good "and very lucky to be at the right place, at the right time" business guy, no doubt... but a "great" software designer: not really (besides... Microsoft screwed up big on all things "security" and woke up on that way too late... The damages were done).

But he never gave up. Got to give him that.

Edit: forgot the "first choice" story and the "OS."

[stepnw1f]

48. Because He's Part of the Problem (nt)

[donheld]

39. I don't understand the hate either

It doesn't make sense to me.

[FlaGranny]

41. From reading this thread, it is obvious

that one of the reasons Bill Gates doesn't like being the richest person in the world is that people hate him for it - no matter, as shown in the above post, that he has given BILLIONS of dollars to good causes.

Edit: Money is not a cure for unhappiness. It can be a curse. Ask any big lotto winner what happens when people find out they're winners. When you're worth as much as Gates, you don't even need to earn any money. What you have invested gives you returns so huge you couldn't spend them all. I understand why he doesn't want to be the richest in the world. I wouldn't even want to be rich at all - just "comfortable" enough to decently without worries.

[donheld]

43. It really is lonely at the top

:argh: :banghead:

[stepnw1f]

49. He's Part of a MONOPOLY

Which is a huge problem in our economy. So spare us the tears and assumptions that bashing is due to him JUST being rich.

[FlaGranny]

51. Did ya see tears?

Only stating a fact about why someone would not want to be the richest person in the world. Being as rich as he is, he is going to draw the worst criticism, even aside from monopolistic business practices.

Edit: His business practices have made it possible for him to contribute billions to good causes, which they otherwise might not receive, not that it makes his business practices right.

[stepnw1f]

52. The Donations are probably a tax right-off

Anyone acrueing that much money, isn't that generous. But hey, I don't know him personally so I am guilty too of assuming he is greedy. The fact still remains, that the reason people are poor is because a hand full of wealthy people are hoarding it all, due to an imbalance in our economy. If they really cared, they'd use their influence to correct the imbalance. But they don't...

[northzax]

21. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

has a net worth of roughly $30 billion. Every single penny given by Bill (and Melinda) he gives his foundation somewhere in the neighborhood of $4-5 billion a year.

some things the Foundation does with that money:
$750 million for vaccines in Africa.
$250 million for children with AIDS in Africa.
90% of the world funding for the campaign to eliminate Polio
$1 billion to the United Negro College Fund


totals:
$5.8 billion total for health care in the developing world.
$2.6 billion for scholarships and education
$292 million for libraries in the US (there's your Mr. Carnegie)
$575 million for affordable housing, community programs and education in the Pacific Northwest.

that's a lot of money. it's the largest charitable foundation on the planet, by a country mile (Ford is next at a measly $20 billion) Gates has said he plans to die only a millionaire, having given the rest away. And while the family does give to places like Harvard and Duke, the foundation gives to people who really need it.

[bleedingheart]

24. you know while some laud Carnegie...all I can think of is the

sweat, blood and lives of the steelworkers whose hard work really built those libraries...

I think in his old age Carnegie hoped to buy indulgences to try and get into heaven after what he did to his workers...so in deed some good did come of that money...

[Canuckistanian]

11. It must be absolute Hell to be filthy stinking rich

And look at all the taxes you have to pay. Why, you're lucky if you have any money left at all.

And there's a class war on millionaires and billionaires, I heard Rush himself say it.

And he should know.

[William769]

13. It here were more people like him.

Maybe this would be a little nicer world to live in.

[Chrisduhfur]

15. Yet so many people bash him 'cause he rich...

and in some cases because they don't like his companies products.

[WhiteTara]

16. how about charging a reasonable sum for

your software. It's not worth half of what it costs.

[William769]

19. The other side of that coin is

You don't have to buy it.

[jayfish]

31. Interesting Isn't It?

Everyone hates it but they all want it. ...for free.

Jay

[WhiteTara]

33. I don't

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

18. I was under the impression he was going to give most of it away.

He was going to leave only a very small percentage of his wealth to his wife and kids (enough to live comfortably on, but not a fortune) and give away the rest to charity.

I say good for him. This article makes it look like he's whining about it.

[Seabiscuit]

22. Aw, Bill... you poor sap... here - I'll take a few million off your

troubled shaking hands. Not good enough? OK, make it a few billion.

[Vinca]

25. You've got to hate the rich and famous sometimes. Boo hoo, Bill. nt

[Nye Bevan]

26. You are greedy

51%? I would settle for a measly 0.01%. That would be $5 million.

[unblock]

29. it's completely selfless! i'm only thinking of him!

he has to give me 51% to ensure that he's no longer the richest person on the planet.
0.01% would certainly satisfy ME, but it wouldn't do much to solve HIS problem, now would it?

[AX10]

27. We all feel for you Bill, really, we do....

:eyes:

:boring:

[BrownOak]

28. His biggest complaint

is that those $100 bills are much rougher than the old $50 bills he used to use to whip his ass.

[bdamomma]

30. Pass it around Bill

we would gladly accept.

[geniph]

32. Well, Bill, I've got a great suggestion to take care of that, then:

Fund the tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Call it the William Gates Tunnel. You'd hardly notice the money, we'd finally get off the stick about a major problem in Seattle, and your name would be remembered as a great benefactor of the area for a long time.

[Haole Girl]

35. Is his guilt catching up with him? n/y

[kiraboo]

42. BILL! I can't afford to keep my house. Please help!

[lonestarnot]

44. wagh wagh wank

[area51]

45. Bill Gates Jr.

Though his/his wife's Foundation have done some nice things re: healthcare in other countries, he seems to have no knowledge that we need healthcare help in this country. Perhaps it's b/c he's so rich that he can afford all the healthcare his family could ever need. Perhaps he should take some of his billions & buy some lobbyists & lobby our traitorous Congress to give us the universal healthcare that we're already paying for in tax $$. :nopity:

[Weaksauce]

46. Noone deserves to be that rich

He hasn't ever done anything that makes him deserve to be the richest man. His money is earned on the backs of his employees.
He isn't even like an athlete that accomplishes lone successes, but I don't think they deserve to be multi millionaires either...

If we had responsible government they would make him share all of that fortune.

[stepnw1f]

47. Hey Bill? Pay off my Student Loans

because they are killing me slowly. I wish I wasn't in debt.

[Tactical Progressive]

50. Gates is the biggest crook in American history

He can afford to be 'generous', if you can call it that.