Thursday, June 20, 2019

The Opposite of Philanthropy

I am a believer in science, an adherent to the proposal that humanity can better itself with knowledge, with peer-reviewed research, and policy rooted in fact. My wish is for a society rooted in progressive policies, informed by science and scholarship... the sort of society which could, for example, eradicate measles. Even now, I believe that I once lived in such a society.

It was enraging to read that a wealthy billionaire couple has donated an ungodly sum of money to an organization which spreads anti-vaccination propaganda. These people are engaged in action deleterious to human welfare... they are squandering their riches on disinformation which is immiserating children, putting innocent individuals at risk. Whatever their motivation, they are making things worse for humanity.

I am all for Elizabeth Warren's proposed wealth tax- it's only fitting that the ultra-wealthy should be forced to pay to offset some of the damage they are inflicting on our nation.

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