Does Bill Gates deserve to be as rich as he is?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

Before you vote or comment, let me clarify something that should be crystal clear from the subject line but people will misunderstand or misrepresent:

I'm not asking, "Does Bill Gates deserve to be rich?" What I am asking is, "Does Bill Gates deserve to be as rich as he is?" VERY different.

Ok, vote away.

[Greyhound]

1. No how, no way! He is one of the best examples of what went wrong

with our 'system' of capitalism. A liar and a crook from day one, sells shitty software, most of which his company stole, at unbelievably inflated prices to a populace that doesn't know the difference.
Believe me when I say I could go on and on and on.
He's the biggest reason for this smiley :argh:

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. Sure. We need to remember one thing:

The vast majority of Bill Gates' wealth is theoretical, and not real. It's tied up in hundreds of millions of shares of the company he started. If Microsoft goes belly up, Gates loses 60 billion bucks.

And since he started the company, in my opinion, he's entitled to whatever share of that company he owns.

And Gates HAS given away billions of dollars. I know many won't think he's a decent human being until he's given it all away and is living on the street as an AIDS-riddled wino, but I say, he, he took a risk starting a company, and managed to make it work.

No one is starving because Gates owns stock in Microsoft.

Now, if he were someone like Dick Cheney, who manages to get the government to give his company no-bid contracts and has his company then also bilk the government out of billions more through chicanery, theft, and lying, then that's different.

But there is the part of me that has suffered through probably thousands of blue screens of death, and that part says no, he doesn't deserve it, because the product he sells is fucking shit.

[ashling]

3. I am reminded of a quote by Mary Elizabeth Lease

Kansas populist:

"If one man has a million dollars and another has not enough to eat, then the first has something that belongs to the second."

you may apply her sentiment to Mr. Gates as you will.

Also, there is a television a "public service" spot on local TV about a teacher award for teacher of the year. I goes something like:
"How do you reward an outstanding teacher? By voting for them for ..." the award. And I'm thinking "BY PAYING THEM LIKE YOUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT!! Because it does.

When teachers and others in this country make a living adequate to their purpose in life as well as to their needs, then I will consider that a person of such means as Mr, Gates can possibly "deserve" what he makes. Until then,

NO!