"I Find Gates' Access to 80 Senators Very Disturbing."

[Smarmie Doofus]

Gates, Tisch, Bloomberg. Can't turn around in DC these days without bumping into billionaires.

So what are they up to now. Interesting speculation below from this New Orleans--based ed blogger.

It puts me in mind of what Gore Vidal used to say: Why run for senator if you can *buy* one?

Unassailable logic.


>>>>Gates Dined on March 13, 2014, with 80 Senators
March 17, 2014
Bill Gates has too much power.

The following announcement, dated March 13, 2014, is from Politico:

DINNER WITH GATES – About 80 senators are expected to attend a dinner discussion at the Capitol tonight with Microsoft founder Bill Gates and the NYT’s David Brooks. The 6:45 p.m. dinner, according to an invitation obtained by Huddle, is sponsored by the No Labels Foundation, and one of that group’s honorary co-chairs, Sen. Joe Manchin, will make opening remarks. >>>> the rest: http://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2014/03/17/gates-dined-on-march-13-2014-with-80-senators/

[brooklynboy49]

1. Why so upset??

Don't you have access to 80 senators?

How about one?

smh

[Smarmie Doofus]

8. I have access to to two phone answerers. And Schumer sends me a constituent update periodically.

I'm pretty sure he didn't mention that his lawyer-brother wrote-up the COMCAST merger.

[tridim]

2. Gates is the top philanthropist in the entire history of Earth.

My question: Why are only 80 Senators showing up?

[Smarmie Doofus]

3. Ya. He should buy all *100* senators.

Why not just elect him philanthropist-King?


Maybe he needs a title. Let's go full throttle. Got it: Philanthropist-Supreme Being.

[tridim]

4. So you hate rich people who give their money away for the greater good?

Gee, how progressive of you.

[Smarmie Doofus]

5. Ya. *Loathe * 'em. Again: "unassailable logic."

[CBGLuthier]

7. It is because he did not do enough acid, wear sandals and make cool, cool toys for adults.

It may even be because he is a dedicated family man who supports his children unlike a certain self-centered asshole hero of the eliterati I could name.

[Jackpine Radical]

31. Is "eliterati"

how the illiterati spell "illiterati?"

[marble falls]

14. How "progressive" of Bill Gates:

http://www.campaignmoney.com/biography/bill_gates.asp

How Bill Gates feels about minimum wages:

http://hotair.com/job-creators/2014/03/17/bill-gates-on-minimum-wage-hike-i-worry-about-what-that-does-to-job-creation/

[snappyturtle]

28. +1 nt

[Squinch]

42. +2

[Rex]

48. Well he is progressive to a certain group.

They all seem to still love trickle down economics...go figure.

[marble falls]

56. Yeah. Trickle down.

[hfojvt]

17. who decides what the "greater good" is?

Why the munificent rich person does, that's who.

Bill Gates is pushing his own "education reform" ideas.

Supposedly the high and mighty billionaire only wants what is best for all us little people.

My Senators, though, in theory, are supposed to represent the people of Kansas. Which would maybe mean that they would listen to the ideas of Kansans more than they would the ideas of some billionaire.

In something like a democracy, we the people would be informed and then we the people would decide. In, however, a "benevolent" dictatorship. Our munificent dictator would decide and then we the people would be flooded with propaganda telling us to go along.

And, of course, we would always be inundated with stories about how munificent the "great one" is.

And smart too.

Have you seen him play chess? http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024386092

[prairierose]

30. That is precisely the problem....

with all of the billionaires who own Congress. And we have seen over the last 30 years or so how great their ideas are and how much they help us, the "little people"......not. All of their ideas help them but not everyday people.

And giving away money may be a sop to Bill's conscience but often does not do that much to help the people he is supposedly helping. For example, the Gates Foundation has done a lot in Africa but now he and his foundation are pushing the Green ag revolution in Africa. Industrial ag is not going to solve any food problems in Africa. Industrial ag (read GMO crops) requires huge inputs of water and chemicals to produce any crop at all. This is not feasible but the great one refuses to believe that is the case. What would help them is small ag and organic growing since organic now produces the same yields and in some cases, larger yields than industrial ag.

That is just one example of how a billionaires' ideas can harm people. Let's not even talk about the Koch brothers and how they have harmed this country and the many people they have poisoned, both intellectually and physically. Oh, but, they're philanthropists too!!!

[JackRiddler]

35. Gates didn't give away his money to anything.

He reorganized a portion of his Microsoft billions (which he should have never had in the first place) as a foundation under his control, which primarily seems concerned with waging the war on the schools and using Africans as subjects in medical testing.

I know it's pointless to argue with religious fanatics capable of the whoppers you've unleashed here, but there is no "giveaway" when the money is still under your control.

[roody]

10. He gave us the Common Bore, oops Core.

It requires the tests to be taken on computer. All for the good of humankind!

[marble falls]

13. And a top GWB contributor, too. And at a time Microsoft was being looked at for its business....

practices.

[tridim]

20. Gates is a Democrat. nt

[marble falls]

21. Ohhhhhh......

http://www.campaignmoney.com/biography/bill_gates.asp

Some Democrat. Libertarian, maybe. Did you hear what Bill G had to say on the minimum wage? Do you want to? Would you like to hear how much Bill G contributed to GWB?

[tridim]

23. Gates is a registered Democrat. nt

[marble falls]

26. Riiiiggggghhhht, because that's all it takes.

[TBF]

37. If the Koch Bros. register as democrats

will you kiss their asses too?

Bought and paid for. That is why the government does not work for the people in this country. We usually see a bit more empathy and consideration from the democrats, which is why we are obliged to vote for them, but both parties are being held hostage by big business.

It's time to change that dynamic.

[progressoid]

38. Ooooh, "registered" you say.

So were Zell Miller and Joe Lieberman.

Sweet baby Jesus

[Squinch]

43. Gosh. That makes all his undemocratic positions OK, then!

[Rex]

51. You pretend like being a DINO is okay.

No, I take that back you are serious.

[JackRiddler]

36. Why do you hate Democrats?

[marble falls]

44. Its us hating Democrats, not Bill Gate's cynical registering as a Democtat. Did you look at the...

links I posted?

[fbc]

18. The Koch brothers are right up there too

They give all kinds of money as charitable donations.

Gates may not be the Koch brothers, and he does do a lot of good, but he is also part of the movement to destroy our public schools.

[Bandit]

39. I question that claim

Ted Turner gave one billion dollars just to the United Nations. That was just to one interest. He has been giving since he started CNN.

[Starry Messenger]

6. You mean that nice man who cured malaria?

[marble falls]

22. And laid Windows 8 on us. Thanks a lot, Bill.

[valerief]

32. He needs more countries to outsource to. nt

[MisterP]

40. it's polio that the Pentagon's riding on now

"our fake-immunization plots have NOTHING to do with attacks on doctors! they're just dusky-skinned savages who have to be defeated if you want humanitarian aid!"

[jsr]

9. When the richest man in the world calls the meeting to order

Ask Not What Bill Can Do For You, Ask What You Can Do For Bill.

[dreamnightwind]

11. BSOD

No Labels + Bill Gates = Macroshaft, system fail, blue screen of death

[AAO]

12. Haven't seen a BSOD in 15 years.

I use windows heavily at work and home. I think you Apple bigots should update your screed.

[mattclearing]

16. If you worked in IT you would have.

They still happen.

[AAO]

33. I've worked in IT for 32 years.

I never said they NEVER happened, but unlike the days when I used to regularly used to get them, I have not seen on in many years. Now, mind you, I work with IBM Mainframes, but I used MS every day of my life at work and home. Maybe our Windows support is just really good.

[mattclearing]

45. They definitely still happen.

I'm still in the user-level support, and the BSOD is alive and well. Maybe not as prevalent as it used to be, but it happens.

[AAO]

47. OK - I stand corrected. I should be thankful I've been so lucky.

[mattclearing]

50. It's generally motherboard or RAM fail when it does happen.

So yeah, pretty rare, but comes up in enterprise support from time to time. Fun!

[AAO]

52. Luckily I'm not restricted at home what I get at work!

[frylock]

34. i work in IT, and they don't happen that frequently

[mattclearing]

46. No, not as frequently, but they still happen. :) nt

[frylock]

49. oh no question, but the majority of BSODs i see anymore are a result of buggy drivers..

usually video adapters.

[phleshdef]

57. Right on, every blue screen I've gotten with Windows 7 on my machine has been video card related.

[unblock]

29. lol. yeah, my microswift machine never crashes! nevers! series!111!

[dreamnightwind]

41. No Apple bigot here

and yes, the BSOD's are far less frequent. I still got some with XP, skipped Vista, have only seen a couple in Windows 7, haven't switched to Windows 8 yet.

An old IT guy here, too, started in the early 80's on mainframes.

I see Gates as a deserving target for his obscene wealth, his education work, where his money goes, etc. YMMV

And No Labels absolutely sucks, corporate rot to the core.

[pragmatic_dem]

60. Then you aren't working hard enough

i see them 1X a week or more. And so do dozens of my colleagues. add to that problems of random lockups of MS word, outlook, ppt, visio, share point, and just about every other clumsy bloated app that msft makes and gets foisted on us by IT drone from India.

Not to mention an operating system and business model so hostile to consumers and small business, millions of hackers spend nearly every waking moment exploiting their products with viruses, malware, etc.

How anyone could defend either msft or appl, is beyond the imagination, both companies treat customers like enemies.

[Octafish]

15. David Brooks?

Thank Father.

[Rex]

54. Don't push old information on them too fast

it will blow their minds! You think he will comeback? Full Moon.

[mountain grammy]

19. My daughter tells me how Bill Gates is pouring millions into immunizing third world children

to which I say, wonderful, that's what he should be doing with his riches instead of fucking with American public education and American children.

She said, I don't see you buying an Apple. I said, Steve Jobs was no hero either and I buy what I can afford.

[WinkyDink]

55. Millions to one with $76 billion---THE world's richest man---is car-floor coinage.

[pragmatic_dem]

59. The rich are bored with the US, it is more chic to feign interest in the 3rd world...

when the rich look at Africa and rest of developing world, they see an opportunity to exploit slave labor at $0.25/hr.

[closeupready]

24. In isolation, it's not terribly. But to the extent the pattern

is that only those with Big Money are represented in our Congress, it's consistent with Citizens United, the Koch Brothers' political machinery, the TPP, NAFTA, etc.

[toby jo]

25. The King has called.

[bobduca]

27. The Landed Gentry Don't like Labels

You wouldn't expect Lord Gates to meet with the rabble in the congress, now would you?

[WinkyDink]

53. $76 billion talks.

[pragmatic_dem]

58. Bill Gates has one plan...

convince school districts that they need to invest millions of dollars into Microsoft products starting in Kindergarten, while Microsoft sends 10,000 jobs to India to 24 yr olds using computers for the first time at $7/hr.

All the Bill Gates ass kissers out there need to understand that just because Gates knows how to make himself rich, it doesn't mean he is looking after our best interests.

[pragmatic_dem]

61. Is there any billionaire's ass that David Brooks hasn't attached his lips to?

ok, trick question. No, there isn't.