40 billionaires to date: 50% or more of their wealth to Charity

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Jason Ramsey

Jason Ramsey

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Don't know how many of you have heard about the giving pledge started by Bill & Melinda Gates, and Warren Buffet. The deal is to get as many of the worlds billionaires as possible to give at least half of their wealth to charity during their life or after their death.

So far, there are 40 who have pledged. Which could be around 150 billion dollars...

anyways.. pretty interesting...
Here is the current list:
http://givingpledge.org/
 
Sounds like the basis for a good "The Far Side" cartoon. A bunch of billionaires in power suits playing paintball, led by Bill Gates, every one on his team already shot and splattered and the rest, uncharitable and afraid to get pegged, hiding behind the trees unwilling to "come out, come out wherever you are"...
 
i just contacted them. i hope "ugafan's new af100" sounds like a legit charity.
 
a rich guy will give one dollar only if he can earn at least two.
after all isn't it the way they get rich ?
 
I waa going to make the obligitaory joke that I'll make it 41.

But then I thought, if Buffet is determined to give away 99% of his money by the time he dies, and he's happy to do the majority of it through the Gates Foundation, he should be saluted. No joke to be made there.

Cheers, Warren, Gates and the other gazillionaires :beer:
 
what would one do with so much money, really? at a certain point everyone wants to do good for humanity, they clearly have the most (monetary) power to do so, but is not like they do anything besides write checks. i respect what the philanthropist is able to do, but much more so what an activist DOES with a philanthropists' money.
 
George Lucas? if he gave skywalker ranch away, you could make a pretty nice film school for poor people... (I'm poor...)

aside from jokes, I saw this in the news yesterday. A TV channel instead of saying how good it was it started speculating about the opinion of their families (that want to inherit all the money...)....oh TV channels nowadays are really......well you know....
 
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I'd settle for George promising not to get involved in any more production projects. That would be about the greatest gift he could offer humanity, at this point...
 
Sad Max said:
I'd settle for George promising not to get involved in any more production projects. That would be about the greatest gift he could offer humanity, at this point...
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Or at the very least screw up some new content and not continue sullying the legacy of his classic works.
 
If the 'new content' is going to be along the lines of previous magnum opuses like Howard the Duck I think a simple total ban would be a lot safer, for everybody.
 
Zissou said:
what would one do with so much money, really? at a certain point everyone wants to do good for humanity, they clearly have the most (monetary) power to do so, but is not like they do anything besides write checks. i respect what the philanthropist is able to do, but much more so what an activist DOES with a philanthropists' money.
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I'm not sure I agree with that. I work with a lot of non-profits, and I am on the Board of Directors for one. The people who start and work for non-profits are incredibly dedicated and hard-working people, and for the most part they understand the value and importance of philanthropists. I see it as a symbiotic relationship and have come to understand that the overwhelming majority of the donors who help us out are honored to have the opportunity to do so. Most of them still work very hard at whatever they did to earn their money (I would still be working if I were rich, because I love what I do), and like the rest of us, they still have 24 hours in the day. Yet they take the time and effort to do something for others when they have the opportunity to pursue other things.

It's not really about what any of us are ABLE to do, but what we CHOOSE to do that makes the biggest difference. We are all able to do something. I know stingy poor and generous wealthy, and I know the opposite as well. Anyone who recognizes a need in someone else and makes an effort to give towards filling that need (whether it is time, money, wisdom or any other valuable asset) is okay by me.



nosys70 said:
a rich guy will give one dollar only if he can earn at least two.
after all isn't it the way they get rich ?
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There are lots of ways to get rich, but I never assume anyone's intent. When someone gives, I tend to just say "Thank You".
 
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