On 1/28/02 9:41:00 AM, Tom Markham wrote:
>Why do people expect Bill
>Gates to spend all his money
>on others?
Answer:
Because he has so much and most everyone has so little monetarily. Because the people who help keep him excessively wealthy are the people who use his products-us the consumers. I think he and other excessively wealthy people ought to give back to the consumer who funds their wealth; keeps them wealthy and in business. I think Bill Gates and company may have profit sharing etc. within his company, for the few who are lucky enough to have been employed by him esp. early on, this is certainly progressive, however, more still needs to be done among the excessively wealthy to help end poverty. If Bill Gates is setting an exceptionally good model of running his company and giving to others, good for him. He ought to run workshops or more workshops showing the other excessively wealthy people how to do this effectively themselves!

>He made the the
>money himself, no one gave it
>to him. He's already said
>that he plans on giving it all
>away except a few million to
>his children.
Answer:
I'm really glad Bill Gates has this plan. This plan of his is news to me, I've never heard it before. Thanks for sharing. I hope he follows through.

>Do people expect him to give
>everything away until he is
>poor and living off of Social
>Security?
Answer:
Bill Gates would never do this, I don't think. I think some would like to see him do just what you've mentioned here, yet realistically, although Bill Gates and other excessively wealthy people would never do what you mentioned above, most likely, they all could definitely do more than they do. An actor doesn't have a career without an audience, A computer mogul doesn't have a company without consumers to buy his/her products! And by the way, as for Social Security, is it going to be obsolete soon anyways? I hope not. Maybe the excessively wealthy people could do more to ensure that social security is stabilized and reformed for that matter.

>I have friends who make a few
>dollars an hour less than me
>and they often times expect me
>to buy them food or drinks. I
>think it is arrogant for
>people to expect others to
>spend their hard earned money
>on them.
Answer:
Your friends who are moooching off of you need to stop. Many people living three paychecks or less from homelessness don't save their money but stay broke constantly spending their paycheck right away, often to have nice stuff to impress others and to do enjoyable activities that alleviate their minds of the s*** jobs they have to do. Some have better jobs/careers which they like or
can tolerate fine and still blow their paycheck each time. This is short term thinking, not long term, these people need to start saving their money. Do your friends take you out when they get their paycheck, and go broke, even though they make less than you, then expect you to reciprocate? If they do, they ought to wise up and save their money. If they don't take you out and still expect you to take them out, they need to really wisen up. Maybe you need new friends who save their money, cook at home, find fun activities to do which cost little or no money, and start respecting you more. Perhaps you could suggest that they get more education, so they can get better jobs and make more money, or that they use their off time(what little of it they may have!!) constructively, and start a business on the side. Regardless, you ought to discuss with them in some way appropriate for your friendship that you don't appreciate them always asking you to take them out and spend money on them, and ask them cordially to stop doing this. Maybe they don't know the value of a dollar. If they have kids esp., they ought to learn the value of their money and start budgeting and saving more. Good Luck Tom with these "friends" of yours. You may really love them this is great, but you don't have to love or tolerate their lame behavior towards you.

>It's great if they
>share it but it shouldn't be
>expected of them. It's not
>charity when you force someone
>to share their money, it's
>extortion.
Answer:
Seems like it!

>Your pal,
>
>Tom

Reply by:
Shaunasi D. Sprain