If You're a Million/Billionaire, Please Donate To (Good) Charities

Read: Not to any organization Charleton Heston is in charge of, or that crazy preacher who pickets gay people's funerals with signs that say "Glad you're in Hell", etc.

From an AP article: “President Bush hailed Martin Luther King Jr. Monday as one of the greatest Americans who ever lived, but said more must be done to ensure that his dream of equality becomes a reality.” But remember, this dream does not include homos.

Ok, I’ve been mildly obsessed with reading about HIV/AIDS drugs recently. I learned about them in my South Africa seminar class last semester, but I unfortunately can’t remember any details. I do remember learning something about how American companies hold the patent for certain HIV/AIDS drugs (I think the US government holds the patent for some). Because they hold the patent, other countries/manufacturers can’t make these drugs. However, there are other countries (notably India) who are offering and are capable of making these drugs and selling them at a far cheaper price than the US companies...but they’re not allowed to. Doesn’t this seem incredibly wrong when we’re dealing with a horrible disease that’s ravishing impoverished countries that can’t afford the exorbitantly priced medication? These US companies do sell the drugs to African countries at a cheaper price than they do in the US, but it’s still very expensive. I understand the argument about needing to make a profit in order to further research making new drugs, but come on. This is HIV/AIDS we’re talking about. And you’re making a killing.

But then I was reading more stuff on this topic and got confused as to how this patent law really works. But however you look at it, African countries are getting screwed. Right now India is selling cheap drugs because they had different laws. But when they joined the WTO, they were told that they had to change their patent laws by...sometime around now...so now they won’t be able to do what they’re currently doing. Wow, I sound like an idiot. Fyi, I know that I don’t have the best or most accurate info here. If you know more and wish to share it with me, go on ahead. Anyway, there’s a lot more that bothers me about this topic, but I can’t think clearly about it right now and my bookmarked internet pages are at home, not here at school.

And I do understand that curing all diseases is not necessarily a good thing. It’d wreak havoc upon the earth population-wise and resource-wise.

Anyway, I got to thinking about this because of a BBC World news report I saw on Bill Clinton and his organization. I guess they just struck some kind of deal with some drug companies (I don’t think American ones, but maybe, I don’t remember) to provide HIV/AIDS drugs to African and Asian countries at a much cheaper rate. Then I thought about how much I missed Clinton. Then I read up on his organization and was happy that he’s doing good, charitable things. Then I got curious about Bill Gates and his organization (Bill Gates and his wife Melinda were named Time’s People of the Year along with Bono). He’s also done a lot for global health. He’s also absurdly rich, but he has apparently promised to give away nearly all his wealth before he dies. Yeah, to his family… ;)

Bill Gates is the richest person on the planet according to Forbes (he has a net worth of over $51 billion). I guess he has some competition from the Sultan of Brunei at times, however. Where exactly is Brunei? I guess if you live in Brunei you get free education and medical services and don’t pay taxes. Nice. Anyway, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has an endowment of 28.8 billion dollars. So far (since it was founded in 2000) it’s given out more than 9 billion dollars worth of grants. It targets 4 areas: library computer upgrades; education grants (over 2.6 billion dollars in grants so far); global health, specifically in undeveloped countries (5.8 billion in grants); and money to the Pacific NW to help at-risk families in Oregon and Washington (over 506 milion).

Then for whatever reason I thought about Angelina Jolie. I used to really dislike her. I mean, she was weird. Let’s face it. Wearing a vial of blood around her neck? And her lips bothered me. But I guess she’s pretty cool what with all the work she does as a UN Goodwill Ambassador. And I guess she gives away 1/3 of her income to charities. She’s adopted 2 children, one from Cambodia and one from Ethiopia (Maddox and Sahara). I thought it was cute that Maddox (Cambodian) had said he wanted an African brother because of his love for Africa and his knowledge of Jolie’s work in Africa. Well, he got an African sister. I hope that’s close enough. But now I guess Jolie’s prenant with Mr. Pitt’s baby now. Another sibling for them.

I’d like to think that if I had millions of dollars I’d give lots of it away. And if I was famous I’d use my famousness to further good causes. Haha, Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” just came on my iPod (no laughing...when you can quickly download large numbers of songs for free you’d be surprised with what you sink to downloading) and the lyrics seem appropriate at this moment: “If you want to make the world a better place then take a look at yourself and then make the change.”