UN Says the future's looking brighter. . .

UN Says the future's looking brighter despite the fact that:

The income of the richest 225 people in the world equals that of the poorest 2.7 billion or 40 percent of the global population. . . .

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20070910/twl-un-world-future-outlook-4bdc673.html

Interesting article. The UN contends that the world is becoming more peaceful, but it does have its problems:

On the negative side, it pointed to hikes in CO2 emissions, terrorism, corruption, global warming and unemployment and a decrease in percentage of voting populations.

The upside is education, but the voting population is down? Huh?

I think a dramatic change needs to take place before I'd say we're stepping into a brighter future. And I'm hoping that the required change does not lead to more violence.

dclary said:

He's an American, btw. A damned good one. Shame so many hippies and anti-capitalists want to shut him down. I don't see them ponying up at the charity till.

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Gates?

Edit: Look at that figure, D. Forty percent of the world's population is equivalent to that of 225 people. What's your definition of generous, D?

Well, Mr. Gates couldn't spend it all on himself, family and friends if he tried. I'm glad he's doing something altruistic, but it hardly excuses the fact that wealth is still absurdly skewed.

dclary said:

The Bill Gates Foundation has endowments of 35 billion dollars, funded almost entirely by Gates and Warren Buffett.

They donate more than a billion and a half dollars a year to help improve impoverished childrens' health and education.

That means they spend more money per year on the poor, than the COMBINED GDP of 26 nations, whose combined population is over 30 million people. That's 2 guys. Outspending 30 million people at a time to make the lives of hundreds of millions better.

That's what I call generous.

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That's because they have more than the combined GDP of 26 nations.

Duh yourself.

Bad Penny said:

As a sidebar, Gates wants an open gate on the border with Mexico. Gates is 100% behind letting Mexicans flood into the States at will.

And you're a fan, dclary?

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Just as long as those Mexicans work for slave wages and those liberal Canadians STAY PUT, he's fine with it.

William Haskins said:

would this be your attitude as well if it were some rich guy handing out free meals that he funded to the poor in some inner city?

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Knew a billionaire that threw tons of land into conservation: I mean hundreds of thousands of acres. Think he's a "good man," eh?

Well he isn't. He did it for tax reasons. No problem declaring that to me. . . . He still owns the land; nobody can roam it but him, his family and his beaucoup Angus herd and those that he occasionally deems worthy.

Now for every dime he doesn't shell out, the rest of us do. And that land is no better than Queen Elizabeth's hunting ground when it comes to you or me or frankly, the wildlife there.

And this same man is the reason why I know Giuliani has a hard fight. . . an almost impossible fight. Because this man - and Turner - have the great wild west locked up.