It’s easy to think of the ultra wealthy as megalomaniac thugs driven by
greed; utterly unconcerned about the good of society as a whole. It even brings
a measure of satisfaction, especially if you’re one of the have-nots.
Generalizations rarely apply to any individual, though, because what’s seen as
megalomania and greed can also be huge lust for life and ultra powerful
creativity.
It just isn’t black and white. Many celebrities, whether they’re
politicians, business tycoons or A-list actors, spread their wealth in
philanthropic ways. Some of them, like Oprah and Bill Gates, advertize it,
making much of the huge money they contribute to society. In reality, it’s chump
change to them which diminishes the heroism a little, but at least they’re
doing something. Other celebrities, like Matt Damon, just go about their philanthropic
business, using their celebrity status to promote projects but not to boost
their egos.
Some celebrities do it all and stay in the news because their philanthropy is really newsworthy. Like New York City
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the 7th wealthiest man in the US, and founder of
Bloomberg L.P., who took up the cause of gun control, not just in his own state
but around the country.
He leads Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a bipartisan, national coalition of
mayors which he co-founded in 2006 with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. It started
with 15 members and now has 1.4 million grassroots supporters and 950 mayors (Democrats,
Republicans and Independents) from small towns and major cities in 45 states. The
coalition’s campaign, originally focused on demanding a plan, has developed
into its current initiative, Demand Action, that calls on Congress to legislate on requiring background checks for all gun sales, making gun trafficking a federal offense
and limiting assault weapons and magazines.
The NRA is fighting back as hard as it can against Mayor Bloomberg and
the coalition. The Huffington Post reported CEO Wayne LaPierre saying the campaign is insane and based on a
“dishonest premise” – namely that criminals will not submit to the background
checks and that the system of tracking will be abused. Fine rationale, that. Might
as well dispense with law and order altogether.
They’re tilting at windmills. A report released by the coalition in early
March showed results from 21 statewide polls and 41 congressional district
polls conducted among likely voters. An average of 86% in the former and 89% in
the latter supported background checks on all gun sales.
That Mayor Bloomberg uses some of his money and power to actively promote
gun control says a lot about him. He and his coalition are active everywhere,
building support for federal regulations to reduce gun violence, employing
lobbyists. The New York Times reported on Sunday that Bloomberg recently spent
$13.3 million, which included $2.3 million on defeating candidates for an
Illinois House seat who were against gun control.
$13.3 million sounds like a lot of money, but it isn’t to Bloomberg – in fact
it’s only .05% of his worth. And it’s not as if that’s a static figure, as it
would be if he’d just won the lottery. It’s being topped up every second of
every day. Still, what he’s doing is truly impressive.
And let’s never forget that anybody who fights this openly for gun
control does so knowing they’re putting their own life in danger. Two letters containing
the deadly poison Ricin were sent to Bloomberg and the coalition. Another recently
sent to the White House and suspected of being from the same source is reported
to be under investigation.
