I am not ashamed of declaring my love for Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. They are two of my favorite business men because of their willingness to give back to society and the people who essentially gave them the wealth they earned. I’m a huge fan, and have been for a long time, but I think my fandom has reached epic proportions with the introduction of The Giving Pledge. Essentially, it’s an effort to encourage America’s billionaires to give at least half of their net worth away to charities, which is certainly a LOT of money! Below is a graphic from Mint.com (who have been doing some pretty fantastic graphics recently, right?) showing what kind of impact this could have.
I love it! There is a lot of good we can do in the world, and I am very happy to see some of the wealthiest among us giving what they have to bless the lives of others! <soapbox> This is how I personally feel it should be done – charitable giving from the heart. Forget government programs that are wasteful and bureaucratic… Giving to organizations that are run in the public sector with the intent of doing good is the way to go. We should be spending more time encouraging people to give of their excess and share of their good fortune. This is how to fundamentally change the paradigm and get Americans to look beyond themselves; good examples and encouragement to join in! </soapbox>
Here’s the graphic:
Also, for those with interest, you can now find me on Twitter: @jeffrsnbgh. I encourage you to follow me and to join in on the conversation!
