Give it away, you'll enjoy it!

[Rachmaninoff]

Or so Bill Gates is saying in this article here:

[URL="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31089365/"][U]?Give it away, you'll enjoy it,? Gates tells rich[/U][/URL]

Now apparently the idea is that giving to charity or doing charity work is something he thinks the rich should do, and he has at least started this by working to eradicate polio. I don't know more than what I read in that article, but it certainly seems like a good thing to do, to work on eradicating certain diseases.

Putting that aside though, to give this thread more to go on, what would you give money to if you were a billionaire?

I know if I had that much money, I'd probably do something similar, give money to research to find a cure for certain diseases, like cancer and AIDS. I'd also want to provide vaccines to those who can't afford them.

After all, it's not like you wouldn't have enough money to actually do that if you were rich enough to be considered a billionaire. =P

[Gavin]

[SIZE="1"]Well good on Gates, I suppose we can just hope he's not planning an Adrian Veidt on all of us should he find the world is heading towards a self-induced apocalypse. All kidding aside it really is good to hear a member of the ultra-wealthy preach to his peers about doing real good around the world.[/SIZE]

[Allamorph]

[FONT=Arial]If I were a billionaire I would probably have already spent money on stuff to make certain I didn't have to worry about being a billionaire. I save money because I'm poor. Saving it if I were not would seem kind of strange.

Although I have no idea what I'd be spending it on. Music and books, probably.

And big tracts of land.

Also, is it just me, or did this thread title seem really sarcastic?[/FONT]

[Raiha]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]It's mildly amusing that Bill Gates has to tell that to people who will soon be limited by the tax code as to how much they can give to charity and have it still be tax deductible. I believe in charity for charity's sake myself, not because the government will smile upon you for doing it. I also believe welfare is one big 'charity' system designed to force everyone to give up their money without their consent. Kinda like theft.

If I were a billionaire I would hire a trustworthy financial adviser that doubled as a CPA. Then I would buy and furnish four bedroom one story house in San Luis Obispo, then invest the rest of my money elsewhere and tithe monthly. My routine of giving blood every 45 days or so and volunteering at a local church would not change.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"]I think it's good advice actually, you certainly don't need to be that wealthy to contribute to the community though. My family owns their own business and my parents have always done charity work with some of the profits. If I was that rich, I'd probably just do a whole lot more. [/FONT]

[Pumpkin]

[size=1]I'd probably donate a huge portion of money to a charity I cared about and knew it did it's job...cancer is usually what everyone goes for, but I'd think I'd donate to something personal to me. Probably money that goes to shelters for abused women. That would be something that would hit home for me. I know a lot of people that would donate to HIV/AIDS and Cancer charities, those always get a lot of publicity. So it would have to be something personal.

Or for finding home to stray cats and animals. No one ever cares about the critters. Poor poochies. [/size]

[Rachmaninoff]

[QUOTE=Allamorph][FONT=Arial]Although I have no idea what I'd be spending it on. Music and books, probably.

And big tracts of land.[/FONT][/QUOTE]You forgot to include the numerous cats and large dogs that you'd get. Cause you know you would. =P

[Vicky]

[size=1]I'm far too paranoid to trust charities with my money if I were that rich. Some I'm okay with, like I believe Children in Need, but if I were to give money to certain causes I'd have to loom over them to make sure people aren't spending my money on beaches rather than cancer cures.

I would more than likely spend half my fortune on my friends and I'd buy out Primark. I'd also go around daily buying twenty issues off the Big Issue homeless men and routinely tell them to spend it wisely and not on drugs, ignoring the fact they reappear five minutes later acting like a giggled-up hippy.

Anyway, isn't Bill Gates nice...[/size]

[Elk]

Medical care is a big problem in most countries, and even here in the US for those who can't afford it or get government aid. So, I would mostly concentrate on providing health care for those who need it, even if I can't help every one, I can help some that would have been over looked before.
I've done charity work and have given away toys on Christmas to poor children in need around my area, and seeing their smiling faces while they unwrap their gifts is well worth the effort.
It feels good to give. =]