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Bill Gates Calls for a 'Kinder Capitalism'
Strudelkugel writes "The Wall Street Journal reports that Microsoft's Chairman Bill Gates is going to call for a revision of capitalism. He will argue that the economics that drive much of the world should use market forces to address the needs of poor countries, which he feels are currently being ignored. 'We have to find a way to make the aspects of capitalism that serve wealthier people serve poorer people as well,' Mr. Gates will say in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. 'Key to Mr. Gates's plan will be for businesses to dedicate their top people to poor issues — an approach he feels is more powerful than traditional corporate donations and volunteer work. Governments should set policies and disburse funds to create financial incentives for businesses to improve the lives of the poor, he plans to say. Mr. Gates's argument for the potential profitability of serving the poor is certain to raise skepticism, and some people may point out that poverty became a priority for Mr. Gates only after he'd earned billions building up Microsoft. But Mr. Gates is emphatic that he's not calling for a fundamental change in how capitalism works.'"
Mohammed Yukos has been evangelizing a number of ideas about entrepreneurial businesses whose primary motive is helping their communities, and who only make enough "profit" to build their businesses and help more people. If this means that Gates is buying into those ideas, with Gates's resources, and the commitment to philanthropy he's always shown (outside his day job as the Satanic Overlord of the information economy, obviously), this might lead to good things.
Doesn't mean I'll be buying a copy of Windows any time soon, of course; and I'd still like to see the DOJ actually investigate some of Microsoft's shenanigans, but give the man credit where it's due.
Yeah, because Bill Gates and Microsoft are ONE, like the borg...
People tend to group things illogically. Separate the two, because in reality they are separate.
I have read mr. sachs book and I think it is a piece of crap.
In short it reads more like an adverticing for himself and the UN system.
If your are interested in ending poverty I will suggest you read
The Future of Money by B.A. Lietaer
Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
Wikipedia: Human Development Index
#2: Norway
#6: Sweden
#12: United States
Democratic socialist Scandinavian countries -- where people live in abject squalor and poverty due to the evil scurge of socialism...
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1) So he's the least well paid CEO? No. something must be wrong here. Are you insinuating that BG is laundering drigs money or something?
2) He kept an incredible amount of wealth for himself (see 1)
3) He's killed the market for third parties. Many companies have failed to get funding once MS announced they were making one too. Then never made it.
5) He's brought the price of software HUGELY up. Before MS, there was no economy of scale, so comparing enduser costs between the two completely different realms is ridiculous.
This view is one which is rarely expressed nowadays,
I agree.
yet, usually the less it is heard of, the more true it is.
I disagree. Your post is mindless drivel based on a loose and ungrounded interpretation of world events. `Poverty' is a necessity for capitalism only in the sense that not everyone may posess the same amount of wealth. But if you compare the poverty level in a developed nation like the United States versus a developing nation like China, you'll see why you should be qualifying a lot of the statements you just made. I've been to China within the last ten years. I've seen what they call `poverty.' Think going outside, peeling bark off a tree, and boiling it for food. The beggars on the street here where I live in Texas make above minimum wage.
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I have friends that live in Scandinavia, and they have to pay an assload of taxes. 180% on a new car, up to 63% income tax - that starts at about $70,000, and 25% VAT tax.
.... just to pay for all the 'free' stuff:
.... because there vets suck too.
In Denmark young people are moving to escape the tax system:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/05/business/labor.php
Oh if you do go and look you'll see all those people riding backs...not because they want to stay in shape, because they can't afford a car. Would you really want to live in a country where you had to pay 300,000 dollars for a BMW 3 series? I guess you could pay 30,000 grand for a new Kia....
The unemployment rate in Sweden is supposed to be as high as 20%
http://truckandbarter.com/mt/archives/000589.html
Because everything is so heavily taxed - forget the fact that college is free - everything is so expensive students have to take out loans anyway.
Oh then there is the gas tax. They pay 9 - 10 dollars a gallon. Yep 7 dollars a gallon in taxes for gas. Not for any environmental reasons
http://americanindk.blogspot.com/2007/08/gas-prices.html
Then there is health care....the wonderful system where you have to wait. Yep you really do. It's not a myth. Oh and you don't get a choice of doctor either. You pretty much get whoever the government decides. Unless of course you one of the few rich people and can afford extra insurance - and then you get better care.
Vets suck there too. My friend has had too dogs killed by vet ineptness. She is lucky because she can go to the police vet sometimes, but most of the time she is stuck with idiots. She can't always go the him though because he travels around the country and to Germany to help people
Yep its great there. No choice, high taxes, dead pets, everything is really expensive...