January 27, 2024

Tim Schwab & “The Bill Gates Problem” Town Hall Seattle Podcast

Tim Schwab, author of  the recently published “The Bill Gates Problem: Reckoning with the myth of the good billionaire,” headlined a Seattle Town Hall event in December 2024 sponsored by the Community Alliance for Global Justice. In this podcast of the event, Tim explains how Bill Gates’ uses his foundation as a vehicle for unaccountable personal power and influence, using taxpayers dollars. He describes how  dogmatic belief in the primacy of the private sector and their patent interests and the ability of, for example, large pharmaceutical companies to have vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics undermined contributed to global vaccine apartheid. He documents how his foundation is empowering the wealthy to make decisions for the poor. He asks whether Gate’s model of charitable giving sets up distractions and roadblocks to real, systemic changes needed to help the poor attain basic needs such as a adequate housing, basic health care, clean water, adequate food, decent employment, non-discrimination, basic rights.  He notes that Gates’ voice is absent in struggles for fair taxation and reduced exploitation. Or the redistribution of power and wealth. He explains how the Foundation controls the narrative about the foundation’s effectiveness by massive lobbying efforts and funding much of the news media that covers global health. And he discusses Gates’ efforts to support corporate GMO agriculture in Africa and privatization of education in the USA.  Ashley Fent moderated, with Jesse Hagopian and Steve Gloyd providing commentary on Gates’ education and health programs, respectively.

Check out the podcast at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vs4KI3Nv9o

Also check out his 18 minute interview with John Nichols in The Nation: https://www.thenation.com/podcast/politics/reasons-for-hope-in-2024-plus-the-bill-gates-problem/  (start at 21:40)

And read the book!