> Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit > > > ------------------------- > Via Workers World News Service > Reprinted from the October 2, 1997 > issue of Workers World newspaper > ------------------------- > > THANKS A BILLION, TED > > By Hillel Cohen > > With Mother Teresa and Princess Di gone, how will the poor > survive? Fear not, ye wretched of the earth, Saint Ted of > Atlanta has stepped into the breach. > > Without a word of advance publicity, Ted Turner of CNN, > TNT, TBS, etc., etc., fame and fortune, announced that he > will donate one billion dollars to the United Nations for > projects to help the poor of the world. It will be the > single largest charitable donation on record. > > A billion dollars is certainly newsworthy. It is equal to > 1,000 million dollars, which is the same as a million $1,000 > bills. > > Turner's wife Jane Fonda, who has a reputation for support > of liberal causes, was not at all worried about the big > chunk coming out of the household income. She thought the > donation was a great idea. > > The billion-dollar amount has a special political > significance, because it approximates the $1.5 billion the > U.S. government owes the UN in unpaid dues. Turner > challenged the government to use his gift as an incentive to > pay up. > > But before anyone nominates Ted for sainthood, a little > look at where the money came from is in order. The billion > dollars was equal to the amount Turner "earned" in the stock > market in the last nine months. > > "All I'm giving away with this billion dollars is my nine > months' work," Turner said modestly. > > HOW TO `EARN' A BILLION > > Even if Turner worked every second of that nine months, > including eating, sleeping, and attending other bodily > functions, the billion would equal a "wage" of $42.55 per > second, or $153,180 per hour. He could earn $125 for a > three-second sneeze and another $125 for wiping his nose. > > And what enormously valuable work did Turner do in those > nine months to earn such a mighty sum? Nothing. > > Of course, Turner is not idle. He wheels and deals and > administers his businesses that were recently acquired by > the Time-Warner media giant. But most if not all of the > billion came from dividends, profits and increase in the > value of the stock he owns. Had he slept all nine months or > played on one of his yachts he would have "earned" almost as > much. > > How is that possible? > > Because millions of workers all over the world, working > directly or indirectly for his companies and other companies > owned by his companies actually "earned" all that money but > were paid in wages a lot less than they actually earned. > Quite a bit more than a billion less, since a lot of other > bosses got a piece of the action too. > > In fact all the big, charitable gifts, from the first > "philanthropists" John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie and > Andrew Mellon, all the way to Turner, came from profits > stolen from millions of workers. A historic footnote: The > land the United Nations sits on was "donated" by the > Rockefellers. How many coal and oil workers died or suffered > to help the Rockefellers accumulate the gift has not been > reported. > > Is it fair to criticize what Turner called his "spur of > the moment" gift? After all, very few bosses give away > anywhere near such a big chunk of their stolen wealth. A > large number of hungry children might get food or medicine > as a result of Turner's generosity. > > THE BIGGER QUESTION > > The bigger question is why are there so many hungry > children while a handful of billionaires have so much? Why > should the lives of millions of children depend on Turners > "spur of the moment" whim when he might just as easily have > used the money to buy another company or even donate it to > some fascist militia like some of the billionaires do? > > Under the world capitalist system, all production, all > economic activity goes on only for the purpose of making > rich capitalist bosses like Turner even richer. > > Even if every capitalist boss donated all their profits to > the world's poor--something they will never do--the > capitalist system would still create homelessness, disease, > war, racism, bigotry and extreme poverty and hunger around > the world. Under capitalism, production is organized for > profit without regard for the needs of the billions of > people of the world. Capitalism holds back production by not > allowing unprofitable production for people's needs. > > According to news reports, Turner will try to organize > other super-rich capitalists to join him in making donations > to charity. > > In the meantime, socialists will try to organize the > world's workers and oppressed masses to take over the > corporations the capitalists control and reorganize society > and production to meet the needs of all. Sharing will then > be a way of life. "Charity" will be a shameful reminder of > the past. > > Thanks a billion Ted, for showing why capitalist charity > is only the flip side of capitalist theft. > > - END - > > (Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint > granted if source is cited. For more information contact > Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://workers.org) > > > ================================================================= > NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems > Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us > 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 > http://www.blythe.org e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > ================================================================= > > samples-09.27.97-08:32:40-28796 > >
