CNN 2010-06-24

Oh, I was delighted. I mean, this is the kind of thing that I've been pushing for for some years. In my book, "The Life You Can Save," I ask everyone to think about what they can give, the percentage that they can give. And, of course, billionaires do have more, so they can give a higher percentage than ordinary people.

 

But I think it's great that they are showing the way, that they're setting¹ a lead, and, you know, doing something that's really ethical² of their life. I think that's important.

 

You said billionaires should give a lot more. What about the average person, though? What amount? Have you come up with the percentage for the average person to give?

 

I do. I set up a Web site, too, TheLifeYouCanSsave.com where I got a scale, just like a tax scale, so it starts off with 1 percent. And for most Americans, it is just 1 percent.

 

But as you get wealthier, it jumps to 5 percent and then if you get wealthiest still, 10 percent. And I actually topped out at one-third.

 

I wasn't particularly thinking of billionaires. So, I think it's great that they're going up to half. And I don't see why they shouldn't really if you're that wealthy. Obviously³, you can manage with just half a billion dollars. That's not too tough.

 

So, listen, do you think for billionaires, is half enough for billionaires? I mean, when you have so much money, even if you take away half of a billionaire's fortune, that's still a lot of money. Is that even enough?

 

It is a lot of money. But, you know, I think we have to begin with something realistic, as Melinda Gates said, most billionaires are not giving nearly that much yet. And this would be a huge increase. So, I think half is something they can feel comfortable with that's realistic.

 

And if all of the billionaires on the Forbes 400 list were to give half of their wealth, that's $600 billion. That's going to go to charity and philanthropic causes. And, you know, that's a fantastic amount. I mean, if that were to go to help the world's poor, for example --

 

Yes.

 

-- it could really make a huge difference.

 

I've got to ask you -- I've got to ask you this because you're talking about the world's poor and helping⁴. But how do you respond to critics who say it is better if billionaires keep their money because in a sense that drives the economy, it can boost⁵ the economy not only of this country but the world, rather than just giving it to charity?

 

Well, you have to think what the charities are doing, right? They're not just handing out money or handing out food. They're investing⁶ in development in developing countries. So, that's also driving the economy of those countries.

 

And often, you can get great returns by investing there and eventually then you bring those economies of developing countries into the global economy, as, of course, has happened with Asian economies like China and Korea and Taiwan over the years. And that helps to make us wealthy, too, because it increases the global economy and gives us a larger pool to trade with to sell our goods to.

 

All right.

 

So, I think it is the best investment⁷ for the benefit of us, as well as the poor, too.

1 setting   

n.背景

参考例句：

• The play has its setting in Vienna.该剧以维也纳为背景。
• Where and when a story takes place is called the setting.故事发生的地点和时间称为故事背景。

2 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

3 obviously   

adv.显然；明白地

参考例句：

• Obviously they were putting him to a severe test.显然他们是在给他以严峻的考验。
• Obviously he was lying.显然他是在撒谎。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 boost   

n.鼓励，激励，提高；v.鼓励，使增强信心

参考例句：

• This will be a great boost to the economy.这对于经济发展将是一个巨大的促进。
• These changes will help to boost share prices.这些变化将有助于提高股票价格。

6 investing   

v.投资，花费( invest的现在分词 )；授予；（把资金）投入；投入（时间、精力等）

参考例句：

• He was timid about investing money. 他不敢投资。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Europe also caught the excitement of investing in American railroads. 欧洲人对投资美国铁路也极感兴趣。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

7 investment   

n.投资，投资额；(时间、精力等的)投入

参考例句：

• It took two years before I recouped my investment.我用了两年时间才收回投资。
• The success of the project pivots on investment from abroad.这个工程的成功主要依靠外来投资。