Sweet….:
Can a little peer pressure make the ultrarich more generous? Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett are launching a drive to persuade billionaires to give away the majority of their fortunes.
What started as a series of very private dinners last year became a public campaign Wednesday when they called on their fellow billionaires to sign a “Giving Pledge,” to donate most of their wealth to philanthropic causes of their choice.
The pledge isn’t legally binding, but they hope the effort will generate more money to address important social problems and set a standard that becomes the norm, former Gates Foundation Chief Executive Patty Stonesifer, now an adviser to the Gateses, said in an interview.
The potential for philanthropy is huge — the United States alone has at least 400 billionaires with a net worth that Forbes estimates at $1.2 trillion. If those billionaires gave the minimum pledge of half of their fortunes to charity, that would triple the current amount of charitable giving in the United States.
via Donate your money, billionaires challenge the rich | Seattle Times Newspaper.
Of course, Warren Buffet did not get rich by giving his money away to anyone. Buffet got it by working hard and making something of himself. Now, he wants to give it away.
Memo to Buffet: Hit the TipJar as much as you wish. If you really wanna get crazy, leave me a message via the blog and I’ll give you my mailing address.
Okay something a little newer than that….. Hey, I am old, ya know! 😉
Oy…. and I don’t even really like Abba. But that one’s pretty cool. 😀