Opinion Shining stars By Scott Hards	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
著名人の寄付行為に思うこと ビル・ゲイツの寄付の額には度肝を抜かれる。 アンジェリーナ・ジョリーの福祉への貢献も素晴らしい。 そして、私たちにも、それなりにできることがある･･･。

The amounts of money that some famous people are giving away these days are simply staggering. Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft Corp. and the world's richest man, announced late last month that he plans on retiring from his company by 2008 and focusing on the charitable foundation he runs with his wife. He plans to give away 95 percent of his wealth before he dies. That means that something like 42 billion dollar (¥4.8 trillion) is going to be distributed for fighting disease in Africa, reducing poverty and other causes.

Similarly, the second-richest man in the world, Warren Buffett, announced that he was giving most of his personal fortune (a contribution of about 30 billion dollar (¥3.4 trillion), depending on future stock prices) to that same Gates Foundation.

Just how big are these numbers? Studies show that in the United States, someone with a college degree can expect to earn around 2.1 million dollar (¥240 million) over their career. This means that Mr. Gates will give away the rough equivalent of the lifetime earnings of 20,000 people. Wow.

I've never been a fan of Microsoft. I'm a Macintosh user by choice and frequently find myself swearing at Windows computers when I do have to use them. Many of Microsoft's business practices are annoying and monopolistic. But I'll admit that Mr. Gates' incredible generosity has tempered my view of him and his firm.

Not all contributions are so enormous, of course, but they're no less laudable. Following the Asian tsunami in 2004, F1 champion Michael Schumacher donated 10 million dollar (¥1.1 trillion) of his funds to its victims. More recently, screen star Angelina Jolie auctioned off the rights to publish the first photos of her new baby with Brad Pitt, with all the proceeds — estimated at around 7 million dollar (¥800 million) — going to charity. Ms. Jolie's charity goes beyond just gifts of money, too. She has already adopted two orphans, and despite having just given birth, plans to adopt a third!

Some have expressed cynical opinions about these acts of generosity on the part of stars, arguing that they're just doing it to boost their own image — and thereby their careers — in the public eye. I tend to believe that what these folks are doing is quite sincere, however. And regardless of whether one thinks these stars' actions are self-serving — or selfless — the good that their money will make possible doesn't change.

Which brings us to you and me. While there are probably very few readers (or writers!) of this column who can afford to make a contribution on the scale of something like Buffett or Schumacher, every little bit helps. The Japanese government recognizes charitable contributions over ¥10,000 and under 25 percent of your income as a deduction for tax purposes, as long as the gift is made to an approved charity, such as the Red Cross (and you get a receipt!).

So why not try a little philanthropy of your own? You may very well find that the good feelings it fosters in your own life and others makes it worth every penny!

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