(no subject)
Feb. 2nd, 2010 11:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
theweaselkingBill and Melinda Gates give ten *BILLION* dollars to providing vaccines for curable illnesses to people who can't afford them and to create vaccines for illnesses that *could* have them but don't yet - a project that's expected to save on the order of nine million lives over the next decade.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 04:09 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 04:10 pm (UTC)I think not.
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Date: 2010-02-02 04:12 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 04:15 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 04:15 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 04:16 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 04:16 pm (UTC)It's all very well to play the hardass on the internet, but if somebody was dying a truly nasty death in front of you of one of the world's most preventable diseases, there's very few of us who would actually stand there going "La la la, one less mouth to feed!" and jingling the change in our pocket.
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Date: 2010-02-02 04:23 pm (UTC)Very few of us
Date: 2010-02-02 04:24 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 04:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 04:46 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 04:48 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 04:51 pm (UTC)There's a long history of food and other aid getting grabbed by corrupt local government, and given to them and their friends. Whereas one injection for everyone in the country is probably easier to get to its target.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 05:17 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 05:29 pm (UTC)I'm just saying.
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Date: 2010-02-02 05:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 05:43 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 05:45 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 05:48 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 05:50 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 05:54 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 06:11 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 07:03 pm (UTC)I grinned.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 07:09 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 07:20 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 08:13 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 08:14 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 08:29 pm (UTC)Meh.
It's easy to say that *now*. But let's not forget that a lot of the penetration of the computer into our everyday lives, rather than strictly a business tool, is due to Gates, his peers, and people like them.
Yes he got fabulously filthy wealthy in the process, but it's not like Jobs is selling iPads for cost.
I've gotta redo this icon.
Date: 2010-02-02 08:39 pm (UTC)What does Apple have to do with this?
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-02 08:50 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-03 01:06 am (UTC)Re: I've gotta redo this icon.
Date: 2010-02-03 02:17 am (UTC)I don't think forcing everyone into a lowest common denominator model is a better idea than the current model (which is also flawed in that it lacks upper boundaries)
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Date: 2010-02-03 02:19 am (UTC)Free energy.
totally.
worth.
it.
That's not what bill's doing of course, but it's a counter point to an overly absolute statement
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-03 02:22 am (UTC)Re: I've gotta redo this icon.
Date: 2010-02-03 02:24 am (UTC)Re: I've gotta redo this icon.
Date: 2010-02-03 03:12 am (UTC)It's fine if you're a dirty socialist etc, but you also should be a realist. There has always, throughout history been those on the lower threshold of society that exist in absolute poverty. Be it they had bad hunting skills, be it that they had been born with genetic conditions, or whatever. Some of these conditions were overcome-able, some weren't.
In some of those eras there also existed some form of social contract that allowed / encouraged those who were more privileged to extend help to those who were less.
So how do you get rid of absolute poverty? Because there are going to be some, who hate being completely dirt-eating poor, who also aren't really willing to overcome it (no I'm not arguing against social aid, or saying that all people on some form of social aid are lazy). So do we just establish an acceptable standard of living for those who are living at that poverty level but who aren't willing to work? What about the person who's just a tiny notch above that level that's busting their ass and sees they're barely doing better than the person who is doing nothing? If they know they're never going to hit the dream... why should they keep trying?
It's very hard to draw two lines and say 'You can never be more than this rich, while there are people that are this poor', without completely destroying a system that rewards invention, exploration and innovation, at which point everyone gets to slide into absolute poverty.
Re: I've gotta redo this icon.
Date: 2010-02-03 03:13 am (UTC)How do you establish an absolute minimum standard of living without disincentivizing work, and where do you plan to get the money / resources to pay for that since you can't exactly tax people who are already on the dole.
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Date: 2010-02-03 03:19 am (UTC)I could counter ask you to cite a economic system that completely abolishes absolute poverty, leaves room for innovation on both the large and small scale and doesn't require massive levels of governmental restriction on it's citizen's way of life.
Since the laws of socio-economics as we currently understand them, seem to disallow that as well.
(I ain't saying capitalism is perfect, and it's getting less perfect in many different ways, but it has advantages).
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-03 03:22 am (UTC)That Bill and Melinda seem determined not to establish a new 'The Washington Gates' moneyed family legacy you have to give them a huge amount of credit. Their goal, when their gone to have that money go overwhelmingly to continuing good works is also completely respectable.
Sucks a tiny bit for their kids, but in the sense of that kind of wealth a 'small' bequest will still end up being quite comfy one would assume.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-03 03:48 am (UTC)See my point? If you have a big pile of money and you're approaching the end of your life, you can leave it to your children and have them become druggies or presidential candidates, or you can do some good with it. Only idiots die wealthy.
Some philanthropist said that, not me.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-03 03:49 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-03 03:49 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-03 04:45 am (UTC)Think whatever you want of the man, his (former) computer "empire", how he did business to get where he is, or anything. However you slice it, this is how it's done.
Re: I've gotta redo this icon.
Date: 2010-02-03 06:11 am (UTC)We seem to agree more than we disagree on the issue itself, I tend to approach it more from raising the lower end than lowering the top end, but given that wealth and poverty are completely relative it amounts to the same thing in the end.
Re: I've gotta redo this icon.
Date: 2010-02-03 06:19 am (UTC)I tend to hold core beliefs that
1 - People should not be forced to do anything at all in order to live comfortable lives
2 - If people are living comfortable lives, they will tend towards producing something of value, net positive, it's how they feel good about themselves.
Those are entirely subjective values that can't really be argued about with more than agree or disagree.
I think if you agree with those two however, then you can have a society that works without people feeling like they can either work a shitty job, or die of starvation/illness or even live uncomfortable lives.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-03 08:08 am (UTC)Fucking plague-lovers.
Re: Very few of us
Date: 2010-02-03 12:01 pm (UTC)Re: I've gotta redo this icon.
Date: 2010-02-03 02:00 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-03 09:22 pm (UTC)I would like to note that the root cause of many of our problems is that we live in a country where the term "his net worth" refers to the amount of money he has accumulated.