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FakeBillGates's avatar

Dang! I never interpreted Twelve Monkeys in that way despite having watched it many times as a teenager. Guess I believed in the good of humanity and was oblivious to any other possible theme.

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Rascal Nick Of's avatar

We need some changes on the tax exempt charity laws in. the US. They should not be allowed to lobby governments or GSE’s on public policy. They should not be allowed to donate to government entities or other charities. I’m sure there are a myriad of their reasonable limits that should be put on them. Some of them are now doing far more damage to society than their alleged benefits.

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Jestre's avatar

Yeah... I don't even know what good charity reform would look like. I think it's more a sign of the breakdown of societal cohesions that we allow something like the BMG Foundation to be tax exempt. Basically all their spending is strings attached. Not exactly charitable.

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Rascal Nick Of's avatar

It’s a very low bar to cross to create a charity but once it’s done, there’s almost no oversight. Look at what the Clinton’s have gotten away with. Theirs is a slush fund of bribery to themselves for others to make “donations”. It’s as if they mostly are used for legalized bribery in both directions.

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GadflyBytes's avatar

It should not be considered a legitimate charity expenditure to hire a for profit company with charitable funds. Doesn’t Gates routinely use his foundation’s fund to contract companies, many that he owns an interest in, to conduct his ‘charitable work’? It’s a circle jerk, where he raises money or donates himself to his foundation and funnels those funds to for profit companies in which he owns a stake. If he does this, they all do it. Why do people accept that these foundations are on the up and up, with so many politicians getting rich and also having their own foundations? I’ve heard most people say, oh it’s their book sales. I doubt they’re selling books at the level of Harry Potter.

In the end though it’s just exorbitant speaking fees, influence peddling (Clinton foundation donations sank precipitously when she lost in 2016) and legalized money laundering. Does anyone really believe Gates didn’t know about or wasn’t involved in Epstein’s child prostitution activities? Isn’t that why his wife left him? When this disastrous economic situation perpetrated by a few to hoard wealth happened before, they were appropriately called ‘robber barons.’ Isn’t it about time to call them that again? Gates would be far more palatable if he were more honest about being a money grubbing insecure wanker, instead of pretending to try to save the world.

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Rikard's avatar

Quite easy, in theory. Remodel the forms of organisation to either share owned company or single owner company.

Bob the Carpenter and Juanita the Arborist who runs their businesses out of the family van aren't impacted. Neither is Microsoft. What is impacted is the all the other various forms of evading taxes and legal liability and public oversight.

I mean, our overlords are really fond of the old harp "if you've nothing to hide you've got nothing to fear", and I feel it applies here in modified form:

"If your dealings are on the up and up, you have no reason to need to obfuscate, hide and dis(sa)ssemble regarding your business and the spendings nd transfers it does."

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Bandit's avatar

Churches should also be taxed. Especially, the huge ones.

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Bandit's avatar

Thank-you for the plot. Thank-you for tying in Gates of Hell. --- I have never been able to watch that whole movie. I always fall asleep. Probably 'cause I was watching late at night.

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