Posted on 12/09/2010 5:12:45 PM PST by mlizzy
NEW YORK — Another 17 of America's richest people, including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, junk bond pioneer Michael Milken and AOL co-founder Steve Case, have promised to give away most of their wealth.
At 26, Zuckerberg has put himself on the map not only as one of the world's youngest billionaires, but also as a prominent newcomer to the world of philanthropy. Earlier this year, he pledged $100 million over five years to the Newark, N.J. school system. Now, he's in the company of media titans Carl Icahn, 74, Barry Diller, 68, and others who have joined Giving Pledge, an effort led by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and investor Warren Buffett to commit the country's wealthiest people to step up their charitable donations.
(Excerpt) Read more at comcast.net ...
It’s not always so purely cynical. Pretty much all the super-wealthy have eventually turned to philanthropy... especially in their later years. Ford, Annenberg, Carnegie, Gates... they all eventually seem to go that way.
That’s the thing FOX news brought up that this in not a legal binding contract and none of these guys have to say how much, where to and proof of where they give money too.
Which makes this “giving away money show” suspect as in teaching the US citizens how to redistribute their personal income 101.
I’m actually kinda with you. I wouldn’t mind being wealthy or even “rich”. I hope someday to earn enough to be at least very very comfortable. But at some point, I think a fortune would reach the point that it takes on a life of its own. I would have to spend so much time keeping it managed (and keeping an eye on the people that are supposed to be helping me manage it) and whatnot that I’d cease to enjoy the benefits. The billions I owned would end up owning me, so to speak.
What an absolute colossal waste.
Having worked for a public school I can say that this would
be shoving it down a rat hole. He should start a private
school that's worth a damn or give scholarships to worthy
recipients.
Both great points and what I believe as well.
Well, most billionaire’s own the majority of their wealth in the form of stock in their company - whether that company be Micro$oft, Facebook, or whatever. It’s not like all that cash is just sitting in a checking account somewhere.
Johnny Carson took an audience question asking what's the best thing about being rich. He said it's not having to worry about paying the bills.
We’ve got a guy that lives down the street that was a billionaire for a while (it fluctuates). He’s divorced, has this giant beautiful home to himself that he almost never lives in (maybe a few days out of the month) in addition to an empty lot next to it that he bought up. His sidewalks have lines running under them so when it snows, the bricks heat up (or however it works), so here’s this guy that almost never lives there, but his walks are completely bare when it snows, and everyone else (of a much more modest income) is outside operating their snowblowers or shovels. Somehow, it’s amusing to me. Different lifestyle is all, I guess. :)
And you sure don’t blow your billions the way the Bill Gates Foundation does.
What I know best of them causes me to salute them.
Johnny Carson took an audience question asking what's the best thing about being rich. He said it's not having to worry about paying the bills.One of our relatives is quite wealthy, living in Malibu, etc. and so on. He went food shopping with us once, and my husband and I were deciding what to purchase pricewise, and he just looked at us and said, "Oh, I never look at prices, ever. If I want it, I put it in the cart." So after my mother passed away and left us some money, I told my husband I was going out to do some "Siefert" shopping.
If I win the 1mil&1/2 from the Vermont Lottery I could send you a couple of bucks
Hey, you’re on!
Well... I'm not wealthy (like them, anyway) but I already don't have to worry about paying the bills. That's a pretty low bar. :-)
More to my own point: This is what puts the big lie to the worn-out liberal refrain that "the rich don't pay their fair share". Not only do "the rich" pay far MORE than a fair share in a lifetime of taxes... but they pretty much uniformly all end up turning to massive philanthropy projects. Not only are liberals idiots, but they're ungrateful idiots as well.
i bought one ticket for Sat nite! :D
These men ARE giving back - they created companies that hire citizens. They don’t need to back liberal ‘cause of the day’ crap...
Good luck, and since I’m in the “cut,” even if ever so slightly, I’ll remember to offer up a little “lotto” prayer on your behalf ... :)
Zuckerberg would had been better off starting a non profit private school in Newark than throwing it down the NJ sewer.
Agreed. Enough of this white guilt.
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