charles laurence finds the unlikely philanthropist funny and modest, but wonders if he has a heart
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It is a wonderful thing that the world's second richest man, Warren Buffett, has joined forces with the richest, Bill Gates, to build the world's largest philanthropic foundation.
But we shouldn't confuse with simple charitable impulse the determination of these moguls to prove that free enterprise can better rid the world of misery than international government agencies. They demand the freedom to get rich - and the freedom to give back when, and how, they feel like it.
Buffett's fascination has always been with numbers. He is famously an odd bird, living frugally, with the |
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The Sage of Omaha, now 75, really does live in a house he bought for $31,500 in 1958 |
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persona of a local bank manager, as he has built up his $40 billion fortune. The Sage of Omaha, now 75, really does live in a house he bought for $31,500 in 1958, drive a Chevvy and eat dinner at Gorat's, a steakhouse with formica-topped tables and overcooked vegetables.
He cares not for what money can buy, but only for money. When I met him I was charmed by his modesty and his cornball humour. But I also wondered what really makes him tick. Buffett had just waved his wand of profitability over Fruit of the Loom, makers of undies and T-shirts, which he had bought from bankruptcy. His shareholders cheered, as they always do.
But he did it by shutting down cotton plants in Harlingen, Texas in favour of sub-contracting to the Third World. The dreams of thousands of Mexican immigrants were shattered in a small city left on the dole. How 
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