Bill Gates takes rich to task

[Nathan Newman]

The way Gates got rich was illegitimate but the way he is spending the
proceeds is, as far as I can tell, quite admirable.  He is following in the
footsteps of the elder Rockefeller, but more consciously and earlier in his
connection of private philanthropy to the broader social conditions.

And in a return to Cold War military-scientific investments in public
research, Bush announced today that there will be a massive infusion of funds
to the NIS and CDC for "bioterror" research that will include a lot of basic
research on vaccinations and public health.

The CATO institute has to be just curled up in a ball, since every
libertarian impulse on right and left is under attack in the wake of 911 and
Enron.  The military-fascist expression of that anti-libertarianism is doing
best so far, but there are some odd openings for progressive interventions as
well, the public health issue being one of the most prominent as evidenced by
Bush's budget allocation.

-- Nathan Newman

----- Original Message -----
From: "Doug Henwood" <dhenwood at panix.com>

[from a WEF press release]

At 12:15 PM -0500 2/4/02, Charles McLean, Director, Communications,
World Economic Forum wrote:


>Turning to the challenges to corporate power by demonstrators on the New
>York streets during the Annual Meeting, Gates said: "It's a healthy thing
>there are demonstrators in the streets. We need a discussion about whether
>the rich world is giving back what it should in the developing world. I
>think there is a legitimate question whether we are."