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Peter Foster: Conspicuous donation
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2010/06/30/peter-foster-conspicuous-donation/
Conspicuous donation
http://www.financialpost.com/Conspicuous+donation/3218556/story.html
Peter Foster: Conspicuous donation
,----[ Quote ]
| Bill Gates and Warren Buffett and the
| dangerous rise of philanthrostatism
|
| A couple of weeks ago, the worldâs richest
| men, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett,
| launched a scheme to âinviteâ Americaâs
| billionaires to give away half or more of
| their wealth.
|
| This move was widely interpreted as
| applying âpressure.â It thus left the
| impression that Americaâs Super Rich are a
| stingy bunch. Similarly, it tainted any
| signatory of the âGiving Pledgeâ with the
| suspicion that he or she might not have
| coughed up unless Bill and Warren â like
| the two portly gentlemen in the Scrooge
| story â had turned up on behalf of the
| poor.
|
| The motivation behind the move is
| intriguing. Capitalism is perpetually under
| siege, and particularly so in the wake of
| the 2008 financial crisis and the BP
| blowout, the two latest alleged examples of
| the unbridled âgreed.â But far from
| defending this remarkable wealth-generating
| system, which enables individuals to
| indulge their charitable urges on an
| unprecedented scale, the Giving Pledge
| seems to confirm that there is something
| wrong with it. More than that, it supports
| the subversive notion that private wealth
| is somehow really collective property, to
| be marshalled by the High Minded.
|
| [...]
|
| Mr. Gates has also become an advocate for
| corporate arm twisting both to make more
| products for âthe poorâ (under pain of
| government sanction), as well as becoming
| directly involved in promoting such grand
| UN schemes as the Millennium Development
| Goals. He has called for a âCreative
| Capitalism,â which muddles bottom-line
| objectives with political ones. This
| potential morass is also called
| âPhilanthrocapitalism,â which again implies
| that capitalism and philanthropy need to be
| negotiated together.
|
| One of the more bizarre analogies for the
| Giving Pledge is that it is like the
| promise taken by alcoholics, as if a talent
| for wealth creation was some kind of
| disease. According to The Economist, no
| less, the Giving Pledge letters âare
| intended to create a moral obligation,
| which will be reinforced by peer pressure
| from others who take the pledge â a bit
| like members of Alcoholics Anonymous who
| promise to stay off the booze.â But then
| maybe that parallel is less surprising when
| you realize it was Economist New York
| bureau chief Matthew Bishop who co-wrote
| the book Philanthrocapitalism.
|
| [...]
|
| While Messrs. Gates and Buffett should be
| free to give away as much as they like, and
| pressure their peers to their big heartsâ
| content (although I hope somebody has been
| bold enough to tell them to mind their own
| philanthropy), their activities become
| dangerous when they start directing public
| policy: Philanthrostatism. The best thing
| great capitalist entrepreneurs can do for
| society is to create jobs, serve consumers
| and make profits.
`----
http://opinion.financialpost.com/2010/06/30/peter-foster-conspicuous-donation/
An Abrupt Interview With Mark Dowie
,----[ Quote ]
| MB: Do you think that liberal foundations
| and/or individual liberal philanthropists
| have influenced your own work, and if so
| how?
|
| MD: No.
|
| MB: In Africa there is often quite a lot
| of overlap between the activities of
| environmental groups (i.e., Big
| International NGOs) and major mining
| corporations: how do you interpret the
| nature of such relationships? Here I am
| referring to groups like Richard Leakey's
| WildLifeDirect, and the mining industry's
| support of conservation ventures in Namibia
| and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
|
| MD: Corrupt.
|
| MB: Major foundations like the Bill and
| Melinda Gates Foundation have taken a lead
| role in promoting what they refer to the
| Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa.
| Could you please comment on the potential
| impact of this new Green Revolution for
| Africa?
|
| MD: If they learn from the disastrous
| blunders of the original green revolution,
| it just might succeed.
`----
http://www.swans.com/library/art16/barker53.html
Bill Gates bigger funder of WHO than US govt?
,----[ Quote ]
| However, a careful examination of the list
| of voluntary contributions and the donors
| shows there are several organizations like
| the Global Alliance for Vaccines and
| Immunisation (GAVI) -- which has
| contributed over $85 million -- and the
| Programme for Appropriate Technology in
| Health (PATH) that has given over $9
| million to WHO. The Gates Foundation
| happens to be one of the biggest donors for
| both GAVI and PATH.
`----
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Bill-Gates-bigger-funder-of-WHO-than-US-govt/articleshow/6099581.cms
âGates has created a huge blood-buying operation that only cares about money, not about people.â
--AIDS organisation manager, December 2009 (New York Times)
Recent:
Merck executive is new Gates Foundation CFO
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14794193
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