Billionaires ... Can you believe that they would say this junk?
By imadriscoll
@imadriscoll (2228)
United States
December 12, 2006 12:25am CST
A few weeks ago I was watching a show on ABC that was talking about giving to charities and who is the most likely to give money away to help the cause of the needy of America.
Ted Turner was on and was talking about how he is ONLY worth 2 billion dollars right now. He at one time was apparently worth 10 billion dollars. I believe that the show said that he had given something like a billion dollars away to charities and different causes in his life time. He now says that he's done giving money away because he has to prepare for the future. He sited that part of the reason that he has to get ready for the future has to do with inflation and not knowing if social security would be around when he's ready to quit working.
Does this infuriate anyone else? He has TWO BILLION (not million, BILLION) dollars and he's worried about social security? With all the people in this world who are starving and don't know where their next meal is coming from, for all those who are suffering from a disease with no cure, for all those who work day in and day out just to get by and Ted Turner is afraid of what the future holds for him??
Another billionaire said that the reason he didn't give more to charity is because there weren't any "GOOD" charities out there to give to ... that none of them proved to him that they could handle his money as well as he could.
I had to shut the TV off because I couldn't listen to their nonsense any more.
53 responses
@TasksGirl (216)
• United States
12 Dec 06
OMG I get soo frustrated.
Look how much actors and athletes get paid! That is RIDICULOUS. We should NOT have starvation, sickness, disease, or third-world countries anymore. If everyone gave their money in the right places and got to the root of the problems in the world then we could have fixed the WHOLE WORLD! If everyone just gave $1 to the SAME place to do ONE thing at a time we could fix EVERYTHING.
NO ONE should have 2 billion dollars! I don't care what you did it was not enough work to deserve that!!
@katcarneo (1433)
• Philippines
12 Dec 06
just an added thought:
we are a third world country and we owe the world bank billions. one journalist said if we would just all give a certain amount according to our capabilities, like i'm a student and i could only give ten pesos, the average employee about a hundred pesos, and those who are much better off they could give maybe a couple thousand---then we could definitely pay off all of our country's debt. that's really a good solution but sadly nobody seems to want to do that.
@stennisfoundation (96)
• United States
13 Dec 06
If I had more money, I would donate to our hospitals, and the charities such as [this one], as well as the Ronald McDonald Houses, and Make-a-Wish. Our foundation raises funds to support medical research for the Leukodystrophies - a group of rare, brain-degenerative disorders. Children who are pre-symptomatic with these diseases are sometimes candidates for Bone Marrow Transplant -- the process is brutal, and some of our kids stay in the hospital for more than six months. Families relocate to places such as Duke, or University of Minnesota Medical Centers to give their kids a shot at life. What I could do with 2 Billion dollars!
Do you happen to know who the celebrity was that said there weren't any "Good" charities out there to give to? I'd love to know.
@imadriscoll (2228)
• United States
13 Dec 06
I cannot remember his name, I wish I could. I do know that when said his name on the show that it was not recognizable to me like Ted Turner was.
@stennisfoundation (96)
• United States
14 Dec 06
Okay, thanks! Maybe if you hear it again, you might recognize it...and maybe post it somewhere? I'll keep checking back.
@imadriscoll (2228)
• United States
13 Dec 06
I'm not jealous. I'm upset that anyone with that kind of money is not doing more to help the less fortunate. They have no social conscious.
@Kscott (634)
• United States
12 Dec 06
That is completely absurd...I dont like that man...the greedy S.O.B! Yeah greed has definately got to him, no good charities....what about the charities who feed homeless people on a daily basis, or provide a food package to family's or individuals in need......he should be shot for saying he's down to 2 billion, like he's saying well I have to watch my money...yeah watch his bank account grow. He shouldn't be eligible for Social Security with all that cash. Someone should make him have to live on an actual social security check each month of about $450, and see how it really feels, or be homeless for a month....Hey that might be a good reality show....make all these sarcastic and selfish millionairs and billionairs go through some tough times....their prize for winning the show.......a tv or something smaller! What does it matter how a charity handles the money, as long as the really use it for the charity, that is just selfish and crazy!
@imadriscoll (2228)
• United States
12 Dec 06
You're on to something here ... give them the $450 to live off of and then take what they normally would have spent during that month to a charity ... like The Red Cross, The American Cancer Association, any number of charities that would actually do some good with that money!
@malsun (1528)
• United States
13 Dec 06
charity is a personal thing. And it cannot be forced. If you force people like TEd Turner to donate for charity the whole point is lost. It has to come from within. If you have big money and an even bigger heart, one can see the plight of the less privileged ones
@imadriscoll (2228)
• United States
13 Dec 06
I don't think that anyone should be forced to give to charity ... I just don't understand those who have more money then most COUNTRIES who don't give to others. What kind of selfishness says, let them die ... I have to pay my million dollar mortage payment?
@cooldude8889 (2609)
• Singapore
12 Dec 06
These billionares probably don't even know what they are talking about or they are probably finding excuses not to donate money to the charity.the excuses are exteremely lame though.Why bother saying anyway.They should probably say that i am a billionare and i am not giving anyone any money.The money is all mine.
@imadriscoll (2228)
• United States
13 Dec 06
I actually think that I couldrespect someone who says that, "I'm a billionaire and I am not giving anyone any money. The money is all mine." Over someone who says that there aren't any good charities out there. I know that many are corrupt, but not all of them are!
@neon2000 (2756)
• Philippines
13 Dec 06
I agree with you. Those millionaire/billionaires are selfish. They should not stop helping the needy if their money is in billions. They just prove to be nonsense to American people.
@josephperera (2906)
• Sri Lanka
12 Dec 06
I don't believe that a Rich man can help the poor. On a temporary basis it can be done. Once one of our politicians did a nice housing project and distributed them free to poor people who were not in decent housing.
Before the poor people got their houses, their old houses were getting wet as the roofing was not proper. The roads were clogged with water, and so many problems were there.
One year after they got new houses, their houses were still getting wet as they had sold the roofing sheets and replaced them with inferior ones. The roads were flooded as they have dumped garbage in the drain because they are lazy to walk to the garbage bin. So after one year they were in the same position.
I think anyone can be a billionaire if they want to. I am not because I never tried to be.
@driscollini (174)
• United States
19 Dec 06
Not all poor people are lazy and I would say that your estimate is a little high of people who don't want to work. Have you ever heard of the working poor? People who work very hard, probably harder then Ted Turner does, and still remain below the poverty line. Then there are those who situation is such that they have no way to work out of poverty. Take for instance a man who works his entire life at a factory. Because of jobs being cheaper over seas his company closes and he's out of work. He has little education and since he's worked his whole life at this job he only as work experience doing his previous job. No one is hiring for this type of factory work because all of these jobs have been shipped to other countries. This man has a wife, 2.5 kids and a dog. Since he's lost his job his wife has been diagnosed with cancer and has to have several treatments a month. She's lost her job due to health reasons and the family doesn't have insurance. This family is poor and it's not because they're lazy. This happens more then you would like to think and people really need to stop judging those who are in poverty.
@soldenski (2503)
• United States
12 Dec 06
I saw the same show, and I did not feel the same as you do. He has given so much money, as the other people did. I understand how you feel, but as he said he has given so much and it would never been enough. There is alway's something new. I think it is hard to believe a lot of the "charitable causes" because of all the scam's out there. How much do you think, he should give? All his money, should he leave a few million's? What would happen when a new problem arises? I would appreciate that he has donated, most people don't.
@imadriscoll (2228)
• United States
12 Dec 06
It was also said on the show that if you were to average the giving of the those on Forbes list that they have given approximately 4% of their money away. 4%? When you're talking about billions of dollars 4% is next to nothing. He has given so much away that it will never be enough? If he gave another 2% to cancer research, how many lives could be saved? I'm not asking him to save the whole world, but there is always more that could be done. I don't think that poverty or cancer will kill as many people this year as greed will.
@rosey2006 (945)
• United States
13 Dec 06
That is upsetting, but you these people take the money with them when they die.
@stikitz1 (83)
• United States
19 Dec 06
Actors, sports-players, real estate moguls, I could naem a lot of people who are overpaid. It frustrates me that people who break there backs get paid pennies compared to people who do things like this. Most of the jobs fall under entertainment that are paid billions or millions piss me off. A teacher educating kids are not even paid a % of what they get paid. That's why children don't seem to care about education anymore. They can do something else, and make millions. Maybe one day I will be lucky enough to hit megabucks, but that probably won't happen until I am 60+.
@Aragorn23 (16)
• Australia
13 Dec 06
Well, I do not totally agree with you.
Its not the primary responsibility of the RICH's to take care of the POOR's of this world. Whereas the blame has to be alloted to the irresponsible governments, whose economic poloicies create the stark difference between the rich and the poor. Now, if the rich are concerned about inflation and social security, they have a right to do so. $10 billion, 2 decades ago, should be worth around $26 billion today (calculating with roughly 5% pa) but they end up with only $2 billion today, can be because of bad invst strategies but more pronounced is the effect of inflation.
Charity is voluntary, one cannot be forced into it. For some $2billion is too much money, while for few its not.
The govt policies that create such living conditions should be liberialised than playing the blame game with the RICH.
A more holistic approach to the problem can only help the cause.
Cheers
@TrinityRose (462)
• United States
13 Dec 06
OH MY FRIGGIN GOD! RICH YUPPIE TRASH!!! That seriously makes me mad! Not any good charities out there? Children are dying from cancer. People are dying from various diseases. People are homeless. There are tons of good charities! Whoever that person was does not realize that someone could change his life with one keystroke of the computer. What the heck is he gonna do then when he has no money and is homeless on the street or he develops cancer and it is terminal and is going to die because he felt that they could not use his money. Karma will get that snobby jerkface!
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
13 Dec 06
That is such nonsense. There are lots of good charities. If they didn't want to give to them, they could just give to people in need. I sure wouldn't hurt them. I wish all I had to worry about is social security. That is just an excuse. They just don't want to be bothered. They think they are better than the rest of us.
@mbs730 (2147)
• Canada
13 Dec 06
Gee, a mom who works her a$$ off earns nothing and you have folks like Vanna White who earn billions for turning some letters around! Where is the justice?
@nishanity (1650)
• India
13 Dec 06
WELL YA I UNDERSTAND UR FRUSTRATION, BUT HEY BE REAL... I DONT THINK MOST US WUD BE SO PHILANTHROPIC IF WE WERE IN THT BILLIONAIRE'S SHOES!!
AND MOREOVER, ITS HIS MONEY AND WHAT HE DOES WID THT IS HIS BUSINESS AND WE HAV NO RIGHT TO BE JUDGEMENTAL ABT IT
AS A HUMANBEING HE IS A TOTAL LOSER, BUT AS A BUSINESSMAN HE SEEMS QUITE SOUND
