In Tough Times, Bill Gates says to give more

The previous is a quote from an AOL news post earlier today.

I have long-admired Bill and Melinda Gates for their unabashed philanthropy.

As one who works at a non-profit, it is hard to see the donations dwindling, wondering how many more people will be laid off in order to balance the books.

There are so many ueber wealthy individuals, who have weathered this financial tornado and are more than capable of giving more and then some to charities and other worthy causes. It is at precisely such times as this when more and more needs to be given, not the opposite.

http://news.aol.com/philanthropy/article/bill-gates-says-invest-more-in/319870

That is the link to the story - as always, I encourage you to read it in its entirety. Here is an excerpt: (Jan. 27) -- In his first annual letter on the work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates said he plans to invest more, rather than less, in philanthropy this year as a result of the global economic crisis: "[T]he wealthy have a responsibility to invest in addressing inequity. This is especially true when the constraints on others are so great."
If that doesn’t happen, he wrote in the letter, "we will come out of the economic downturn in a world that is even more unequal, with greater inequities in health and education, and fewer opportunities for people to improve their lives. There is no reason to accept that, when we know how to make huge gains over the long term."

Powerful recommendations from an equally powerful man. He truly puts his money where his mouth is and I commend him for his efforts to address health and educational inequalities at home and abroad.