Jeff Bezos has announced a donation of two billion dollars to help homeless families and to create preschools in low income communities. Bezos is due our praise for his gift and his stated intention of giving more in the future from his accumulated wealth.
We have other wealthy people in this country who give generously to worthy causes. They are to be congratulated for their generosity. The tradition of “paying it forward,” of sharing blessings is a noble one.
But why are the basic needs of so many in need of rescue? Why don’t our taxes cover basic education, medical care, and affordable housing?
If basic needs were met, wealthy giving could fund “extras”—scientific experiments, worldwide agricultural breakthroughs, and other endeavors not easily financed through regular taxation.
Of course, meeting basic needs would no doubt require more taxes from the wealthy.
There was a great article in a recent New Yorker about philanthropists and how their choice of causes might add a layer of imposing values by favoring cause A over cause B.
I recently read an article quoting a developing country spokesperson as saying the used clothes we often give to these countries may inhibit the development of local clothing manufacturers. On the other hand, I have read of entrepreneurs who create original clothes through sewing together pieces of used clothing. Maybe we need creative givers, fusing gifts with local talent.
You just said the magic word: “creative.” I wonder how many of these gifts get tied up in bureaucracy, and unfortunately “creative” and “bureaucracy” don’t often fuse very well.
How “creative” a bureaucracy is often depends on the boss: how well they listen to their employees and their ideas.