RE: Brave New World

[Dave Hamilton <DHamilton@baydweller.com>]

  If this is how you define philanthropy (and it is ok with me if you do),
  then how is Gates any different than most other CEO's?  Why even
  criticize him on this point?  It has nothing to do with the discussion
  on monopolies and seems to me to be just Microsoft bashing, which
  doesn't accomplish anything.
  
  What's wrong with prison labor?  Everything I've heard about prison
  labor (in this country, not counting communist countries where political
  prisoners are held) is that the inmates would much rather do work than
  sit around with nothing to do.  And isn't acquiring a work ethic, job
  skills, and self esteem a step in the right direction for getting
  prisoners "off the system", as you put it?
  
  Now if you are talking about forced labor, then that's a different
  story.
  
  As far as helping the homeless, mental institutions, and such, how do
  you know he doesn't?  I don't know one way or the other, but I am
  certainly not going to assume anything about what someone does in their
  private life.
  
  I'm not trying to protect Gates (I don't even know him).  I'm trying to
  see if there is any validity to this philanthropy argument.  And
  visiting a web page with the name "ms_sucks.html" isn't my idea of
  putting forth an argument.
  
  Dave Hamilton
  dhamilton@baydweller.com
  
  
  > -----Original Message-----
  > From:	Christopher Pall [SMTP:x97pall@wmich.edu]
  > Sent:	Friday, November 14, 1997 1:19 PM
  > To:	DHamilton@baydweller.com
  > Subject:	Re: Brave New World
  > 
  > It's not even fine to get a tax deduction, it's not fine to pay your
  > own
  > company to give software away in the hopes that "children" will grow
  > up to
  > know and love your software. Philanthropy is defined as giving
  > something
  > that you don't expect to get back. So if Mr. Gates gets all of his
  > money
  > back in a "tax deduction"  for his philanthropy, he's not really
  > giving
  > anything. Same
  > 
  > Why doesn't Mr. Gates help the homeless? (I forbid he provide training
  > for
  > MS software to help them get jobs) What's wrong with helping mental
  > institutions? What about paying his workers more?
  > 
  > Here's one you probably don't know. MS packages some of their software
  > using
  > prison labor. I realize most persons on this list don't know that
  > prisons
  > have labor systems but MS pays prison workers a meager wage to work
  > while in
  > prison packaging software. Why doesn't he work to help prisoners get
  > off the
  > system? Bill Gates is far from ethical, far from being a
  > philanthropist, and
  > far from needing to be protected by you.
  > 
  > Don't beleive MS does this? Go here:
  > 
  > http://www.natcavoice.org/un/f97/prison.htm
  > 
  > or here:
  > 
  > http://www.netural.com/lip/ms_sucks.html
  > --------------------------------------------------
  >               Christopher Pall
  > Delphi Programmer & Western Michigan Student (CS)
  >                  ThinkBiz
  >               Kalamazoo MI USA
  >              X97PALL@WMICH.EDU
  > --------------------------------------------------
  >