[Grovenet] Genesis 4:9

[Walt Wentz]

>You're right on many of the comments Walt, except for the precious metals.
>Our gold intake is/was less than many other countries.

Granted that. I guess the Middle East traditionally accounts for most 
gold intake, while output has shifted to Siberia and South Africa.

>I'm a fan of the charitable trusts. For the person donating the money, it
>guarantees a pension for the rest of their lives. The tax savings equate to
>what is donated. Basically, you get to decide on where your tax dollars will
>go.

Sounds great!  If I and other lower-middle-class people could dictate 
where our tax money went, certain programs of the US Gummit would 
have to hold bake sales to stay in business.

>The hard part is you have to be over sixty, since the stipend is only for 20
>years.
>Almost every large corporation or business ends up with a foundation.
>Without capitalism, none of this would exist. But then again, without our
>complex tax codes, this might not need to be in existence.

And probably wouldn't be anyhow, given the example of the Gilded Age 
(c. 1870-1910) and most modern corporation execs' obsession with the 
bottom line. I wonder if Enron, for instance, had any charitable 
foundations? They do not seem to have left any legacy at all, aside 
from the ruined futures of thousands of aging ex-employees who 
trusted in their pension fund.

>Wouldn't it be
>great to imagine rich folks donating to charity because they want to instead
>of for a tax break?

Bill Gates comes to mind. Although reputedly a ruthless and even 
piratical businessman, he is one wealthy entrepreneur who actually 
seems to have comprehended the concept "Enough," instead of getting 
stuck on "More-more-more." He could easily afford to buy up 
Congressmen and hire regiments of tax attorneys and lobbyists to 
defend and aggrandize his vast fortune. Instead, he is participating 
in a huge effort to disperse it in many judiciously chosen social 
projects. But Gates is a shining anomaly.
Andrew Carnegie, of course, is remembered for his public libraries 
(two in little old Forest Grove alone), but during his ruthless 
business days he patted himself on the back for giving a dime to a 
beggar. Of course, back then dimes were real silver, and equivalent 
to an hour of manual labor.
Walt