The media has been buzzing about the billionaire challenge given by Warren Buffet and Bill Gates to other really rich people. Basically, they are challenging a list of billionaires to give up half of their wealth to “good causes”.
The whole thing is ridiculous. It’s wonderful that Warren Buffet and Bill Gates have found a purpose for their money that they find helpful and makes them feel more fulfilled. It would be just fine if they could leave it at that, but no.
Instead, it has turned into something a bit ridiculous. What do I mean?
Why the billionaire challenge is ridiculous:
- Can’t they be happy with their own charity? Can’t they be happy with allocating their own billions? No. Instead, they implore a group of other people to do what they want with the other people’s money.
- They made their challenge publicly. Now these men involve people who may just want to be left alone. Not only that, the public challenge is so self-righteous. “Hey, billionaires…betcha you can’t be better people than we are.”
- Maybe these people who acquired their wealth actually have plans for it. Maybe these people who were smart enough to become billionaires would like to put it to use in their own way.
- Maybe these billionaires don’t have plans for their money. So what. It’s their money. I don’t care if they buy a billion dollars worth of Pop Tarts. It’s not any of my business. Guess what? It’s not any of Bill Gates or Warren Buffet’s business either. (Nor the government)
- The media has turned this into a stream of propaganda. I actually saw a piece on Yahoo News about billionaire challenge “holdouts”. Are you kidding me? Holdouts? Now there is the assumption that these billionaires should and will do this? This piece was nothing but implied social pressure. Again, since when do people feel it is their place to tell people what to do with their own money?
- The news is surely going to use this as a plea to the working class tax payer. The message from the establishment will be something like this. These billionaires did the “right thing” and made a huge sacrifice. Is it asking so much that you do the “right thing” and make a small sacrifice? It is just one of those tactics to get you to buy into the myth of some “greater good” and collectivist thinking.
Another reason this challenge is ridiculous could be something else entirely. Although speculation, couldn’t this just be a round about way to avoid the very large increase in taxes on the horizon? Not that I blame anyone for trying to preserve their wealth, but it could just be a way to get kudos from an increasingly collectivist society instead of being subject to a witch hunt.
No matter what the motivation, the billionaire challenge is ridiculous. Here is a sincere and respectful request to Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, the establishment media, the government and many other Americans. Mind your own business and stay out of other people’s wallets.
