The latter are available to people throughout the world, whereas those of Bill Gates are restricted, and as one cynic pointed out, showed good business acumen since the costs of a university education in Britain is less than that of the United States. Be that as it may, Bill Gates latest comments and actions are noteworthy. Speaking at a Seattle Conference on using computers to help the third world, he angered some in the audience by saying, the world s poorest 2 billion people desperately need healthcare, not laptops. People who live on a dollar a day with no electricity are just buying food trying to stay alive. They are basic to the question of work, its rewards and taxation.
People see wealth as the reward for work.
We can appreciate how those at the lower end of the scale, using all their talents, can say their hard earned money is theirs to spend. At the other end of the pay scale, others would agree. Many would then say that taxation should be minimized. Those who like Bill Gates have become so generous may indeed recognize that their wealth comes from talents, gifts of God, and have come to realize the burden of being rich. Addis Ababa is a teeming city of 3 million, many of whom have been displaced by war and famine.