I should have such problems (too rich)

[Swift]

Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates said Wednesday he wished he were not the world's richest man.

"I wish I wasn't. There is nothing good that comes out of that," said Gates, whose personal fortune sank by billions since last week when the software giant disappointed investors by saying new investments would crimp earnings.

LINKY - CNN/Money.com

Poor Bill.
I would be happy to relieve him of some of his burden.

[Chuck]

He could probably move to the moon for a fraction of what he's worth. That would take care of the "in the world" part.

[Argos]

According to the poll attached to the article 60% of the people would like to be in his place. I´m not that kind. I voted "money can´t buy happiness".

[GDwarf]

According to the poll attached to the article 60% of the people would like to be in his place. Iīm not that kind. I voted "money canīt buy happiness".

I'd argue that it can help, though. :P

[Glom]

When you get too rich, you start to take on cause celebres to seek a new kind of wealth: public acclaim and self-gratification. Hence Zac Goldsmith.

[Gillianren]

I've often said that, were I Bill Gates-rich, I'd spend my money vaccinating entire countries for polio or some such. Isn't that some kind of good?

[Moose]

You can't buy happiness, that's true. But what they don't tell you is that you can rent it.

If I were sufficiently rich, I'd probably set up a law firm that does only pro-bono work for ordinary folk, who've gotten ripped off by corporations or abused by governments, and who have no other recourse to obtain relief.

Having been ripped off myself by a defense contractor to the very edge of no-return, I think that if there were such a pro-bono team of independantly-funded well-salaried land sharks to make things painful enough for CEOs and stockholders of crooked companies, then corporations would learn to play fair with their sub-contractors, clients, and employees. Or else.

*shrug* Yeah, I guess I am a jaded crusader.

[dvb]

I've often said that, were I Bill Gates-rich, I'd spend my money vaccinating entire countries for polio or some such. Isn't that some kind of good?

You're not too far off the mark.

The decision by the foundation run by Microsoft magnate Bill Gates to give $750m (Ģ400m) to a worldwide infant vaccination programme has been welcomed by immunisation campaigners.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3913581.stm

There's many other causes that he donates to as well, including the fight against AIDS.

[Cl1mh4224rd]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3913581.stm

There's many other causes that he donates to as well, including the fight against AIDS.

Definitely. While I may not be a fan of Microsoft's business practices in general, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation does nothing but good with all their money. Nearly $6 billion toward global health, $2.6 billion toward education, etc...

[Nicolas]

I said it before and I still have not changed my opinion:

I think that Mirrosoft has done a lot of good things for the implementation of computers in our lives (though we like to point out the mistakes), and the world should be glad that it is somebody like Bill Gates (as well as Paul Allen) who "owns" such an incredible amount of money. Of course he has bought luxury with it. But he has not done anything stupid with it, employs thousands of people and donates truckloads of money to charity. From what I've heard, that will be trainloads by the time he retires.

[Maksutov]

[edit]Having been ripped off myself by a defense contractor to the very edge of no-return, I think that if there were such a pro-bono team of independantly-funded well-salaried land sharks to make things painful enough for CEOs and stockholders of crooked companies, then corporations would learn to play fair with their sub-contractors, clients, and employees. Or else...

Wow, that would be a long list! Even longer if you add the companies that have also ripped off most of their own employees (the folks that do the actual value-adding work) while the CEOs give themselves multimillion dollar bonuses and golden parachutes, often funded from financially "adjusted" pension funds, etc.

Maybe we should take up a collection for Ken Lay?

BTW, I really enjoyed the testimony in his trial where it turned out Lay's son made money wagering that Enron's stock would plummet. Not that Lay's selling his own Enron stock to make $70,000,000.00 while he was urging employees to buy Enron stock could be looked at as being hypocritical.

[farmerjumperdon]

I voted "money canīt buy happiness".

Heartily agree. Material wealth is not the equivalent of happiness. Witness that wealthy people still commit suicide, kill each other, engage in excessive and harmful behaviors (with the means to do it up big), beat their spouses and children, steal & rob & cheat & lie, suffer the same physical & mental illnesses, and so on and so forth.

Happiness isn't about getting to the next tax bracket. People that think so find out it is not true when they get there. Money is like an addictive drug in that way. You get some and find out it really didn't change things much. If you then think just a little more will fix things and achieve the next level, most likely you find the same result, and so on and so forth.

I think most of the jabs at rich people are just whining and petty jealousy. Wealthy people have usually worked their behinds off (or someone in their family did) and taken big risks to get their moolah, including the risk that the hard work might not pay off anyway.

I've always contended that if more money is what you want, it's easy enough to do. I say anybody who put in a little effort could easily get a little more money, if by no other means than shopping yourself around. A person could also take all their assets, put them in one basket and try to make a go of it on their own. If they do not have the stomach for that risk, then they are all show and no go.