Posted on 10/26/2011 4:51:10 PM PDT by Starman417
Steve Jobs passed away earlier this month with an estimated fortune of $8 billion. I have yet to see a single report about one single dollar that he gave away to charity. How is it possible that a person who was lucky enough to be born and grow up in the United States and take advantage of our laws, schools, infrastructure and patent protections could be so selfish? Compare his lack of philanthropic giving with that of other similarly rich types, past and present. Andrew Carnegie gave away virtually his entire fortune, over $350 million dollars during his lifetime – $5 billion in today’s dollars. John D. Rockefeller gave away over half a billion dollars over his lifetime – $8 billion in today’s dollars. Bill Gates has given away over $30 billion dollars and promised to give away most of the rest of his fortune while his friend Warren Buffett has promised to donate 99% of his wealth. The pair has created The Giving Pledge where billionaires pledge to donate a significant amount of their fortunes to charity. If all of these people can give this amount away, what was wrong with Jobs?
Charity and private giving has been a great force in America since its founding. Through churches and local organizations for those of modest means to building libraries, museums, or foundations for the wealthy, America has been a country where the successful and struggling alike look to support their communities as well as support the less fortunate around the world.
Apparently not so for Steve Jobs however… and charity’s not the only place he was tight. When he was alive he did everything he could to reduce his taxes. He used tax shelters to lower his tax rate from 35% to around 15% on millions. He put his real estate and other assets in trusts so they would escape the death tax.
Everywhere you look Steve Jobs was doing what he could to keep his own money. Not giving it away. Avoiding paying taxes. All while he’s taking advantage of everything America has to offer.
What’s wrong with a person who sees the misery going on around the world, from hunger in Africa to millions of poor here and does nothing to lend a hand? What kind of legacy is that?
When the robber baron Andrew Carnegie died his legacy was obvious. He had built thousands of libraries around the world, founded a university and built Carnegie Hall. By the time he died, JD Rockefeller had remade the face of modern medicine and created what was for years the largest charitable foundation in the world. Bill Gates is still very much alive, and he is remaking the face of charity. What kind of legacy is Steve Jobs leaving?
In 1977 he and Steve Wozniak introduced the Apple II, the first fully assembled personal computer. At the time the notion of a personal computer was an utterly foreign concept to 99.9% of the people on the planet. Term papers were still being written on typewriters. Math was still being done on calculators. Research was still done at the library.
In 1984 Apple introduced the Mac, the first personal computer to feature a mouse and graphic user interface. At the time most others still used the C: prompt.
In 1986 when he purchased Pixar, it was primarily a high-end computer hardware company with graphics as a side note.
In 2001 when Apple introduced the iPod, digital music was just becoming popular but most digital players were “big and clunky or small and useless”.
In 2003 when Apple introduced the iTunes Store the music industry was imploding and college students were being sued in their dorms.
In 2007 when Apple introduced the iPhone few people were able to surf the Internet on their phone and most competitors’ products were poorly designed and performed similarly.
In 2010 when Apple introduced the iPad, it essentially created the market, selling 5 times more than the rest of the devices combined.
Looking at all of this, the question to ask is, is Steve Job’s legacy going to be that he didn’t care about other people because he didn’t give his money away or let the government take it? Or is it going to be the fact that he changed the world and gave people something that is far more precious than money… more of their own time.
(Excerpt) Read more at floppingaces.net...
I didn’t particularly like Jobs, but it is much easier to fawn over him or tear him to shreds .... after he is dead. Both the guy hawking the autobiography and this writer are probably not to be believed.
But, he contributed more wealth, and he distribution of it, than most people who ever gave to charity.
More people were helped through his work and his company than the number of people that Bill Gates might’ve helped through his charitable work. But, Gates also contributed through his work and his company, and that’s a lot more valuable than the charitable work.
Capitalism is the best form of charity. A man that creates jobs, instead of giveaway schemes, is a lot more valuable to society than one who just gives away his fortune.
Too few, it seems.
Does it matter? He’s dead and gone. Let him rest in peace.
So if I win the lotto tonight... you will feel free to judge me based on how much I give to charity?
LOL!
What if I used my money to start a company that provided a job to someone who invented a new form of energy or cured cancer?
What if I use my money to buy things from other companies, instead?
Will it ever occur to you that how I, or anyone else, spends money is none of your business?
Whatever.
The writer started out slamming a dead man and then grew a conscious in the last 1/3 of the article.
I shared the article with another friend who knew Jobs better than me and his take away was the same as mine.
The author is still and A-hole and didn’t Shiite about Steve.
And yeah, I call Woz and Steve by their respective names, as that is how we all knew them and distinguished them.
Well, we all know he didn’t take his money with him and it didn’t evaporate when he died. Someone will get it and they can choose to do with it what they will. One way or the other it will circulate through the economy.
No, he did not. He set out to "bury Caesar, not to praise him". He did a fine job, only the knee-jerkers misunderstood.
I shared the article with another friend who knew Jobs better than me and his take away was the same as mine.
Similarly, a person with little clue.
The author is still and A-hole and didn’t Shiite about Steve.
You really did miss the whole point of the article....
And yeah, I call Woz and Steve by their respective names, as that is how we all knew them and distinguished them.
Hey, guess what, that's what I called them too. As I grew up, these two men were my heroes. I may not have known them, but at least articles like this don't go over my head, and at least I dont jump on public forums and trash people before I know whats going on. Your post #28 was borderline, and seemed to attack the Freeper who posted it. Not nice, especially when you are wrong.
I didn’t attack the poster. I attacked the author who only grew a conscience very late into the article.
The author lines his article with a title implying overtly Steve was a selfish SOB and spends two paragraphs on the subject of legacy and draws a comparison of legacy and intent with says Steve was tight with philanthropy.
He even calls Steve out for watching all the misery in the world and not lifting a finger.
He has zero idea what Steve did and I barely have any idea as well, except that he helped my charities at various times.
He begins his transmogrification by calling out the cleansing of consciousness for Carnegie and Gates.
It is only then he tells the tale of accomplishments from Lisa, which doesn’t mention but, does begin with Apple II and all the way through Ipad.
It is only now, at this point in the article, he begins his lame legacy epithet of who much Steve changed the world.
This, after painting him as a charitable misery? Puhlease.
“Selfish son of a bitch? Don’t know. Doesn’t matter. A model for prosperity and improving the human condition… now that’s a legacy worth leaving.”
Seriously? After the preface?
Give me a break.
I met the man and found him helpful if not generous.
This article is stupid and so is the author.
And I dont care how well you knew Steve, you didn't "get" the article. Your loss really, because you got all worked up over nothing.
And I still think it’s a stupid article.
I very rarely light into another poster and is pretty clear when I do.
I’m fine with we just disagree on this.
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