Not Theirs to Give

The likes of Ted Turner, George Lucas, and David Rockefeller are joining Warren Buffett in donating a significant part of their wealth to charity. In many cases, it seems clear that the philanthropic acts are genuine acts of giving back, of trying to make the world a better place. I'd be the last one to attempt to dissuade them from such donations; however, the problem is: the money may not be theirs to give.

On first glance, a billionaire such as Bill Gates is the picture of generosity. But whose money is he donating? If his company has that much money to give away, why are the workers--the cogs as it were--not being given their fair share of the wealth?

On a smaller scale, my employer claims that--due to the stringent economic times--all employees are to have their salary increase postponed by a certain amount of time. That's fine. I can handle that.

But.

In the meantime, they are hiring more teachers, creating an i-touch lab, buying new computer carts, and undergoing useless, aesthetic renovations. All of these expenditures would be fine if I (and the other employees in the district) were not paying for them.

So whenever you hear that Bill Gates has donated several million dollars to charity, remember the many people who helped to make that donation a reality. And when your child tells you about the cool new equipment in the computer lab, be sure to thank a teacher. After all, he probably paid for it.