That's actually pretty low for the Gates's!! They usually throw a lot more money around than that. But good for them all. I agree, they get kicked around far too much for being evil wealthy people. If more people know how much money Bill and Melinda Gates gave away, they'd have an entirely different opinion of them.
They give in lots of other ways than cash. At my college (and most, I think) as a student I can buy tons of MS software at $10 bucks a pop. This semester I bought XP Professional, Office Professional, Frontpage, and Visual Basic for Developers. Retail: $1100. I paid $40. Thanks Bill!
Some of our greatest philanthropists were also robber barons and cut-throat businessmen. Andrew Carnegie comes to mind, but nearly everyone whose name is familiar to us only because the word "Foundation" or "Endowment" is appended to their name today got their money by "bending" the rules.
In the long-term, I believe our society benefits overall. However, that doesn't mean that in the short-term Internet Explorer and Windows XP don't suck.
I admire the "Robber Barons" who built this country. Unfortunately, the foundations they long ago established are now being used to finance socialist causes that would have horrified them. I'm against that.
Well, maybe people in that mindset wouldn't.
In the long-term, I believe our society benefits overall. However, that doesn't mean that in the short-term Internet Explorer and Windows XP don't suck.