Bill Gates vs. Elon Musk

Bill Gates and Elon Musk are both massively wealthy innovators.  They have also become divisive figures to large swaths of the population. 

Mr. Musk, of course, riled the left by heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which had as its goal to cut government spending and help our country be more fiscally responsible. 

Mr. Gates is known for his charitable giving through his Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  While many conservatives take issue with some of the left-wing causes that Gates contributes to, most people would praise much of the giving that deals with feeding children in third world nations.  In May, he announced that he would donate almost all of his fortune, nearly $200 billion, by 2045.

Conflict arose after Gates announcement when he took a shot at Musk.  Gates accused Elon of “killing the world’s poorest children” with his proposed cuts in USAID programs.  While Mr. Gates is right that we should help the poor, there are some big problems with his criticism of Elon. 

First, while Gates might have good intentions wanting to help people through USAID, it is a very unwise use of our money.  The United States Government does not have the money to spend.  It would be one thing if the government had a large budget surplus.  Unfortunately, the government is operating on an estimated budget deficit of $1.83 trillion!  It is not a good idea to spend money that you do not have.

Second, and more importantly, there is the issue of freedom.  One of the main differences between conservatives and leftists is what we do about disagreement.  Conservatives say, “I disagree, so I’ll do what I want and you do what you want as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone.”  Leftists say, “I disagree, so the government should force you to do what I say.”  In short, conservatives believe in freedom.  Leftists do not. 

This criticism by Gates denies the American people of their freedom.  If we cut USAID, it does not deny the people the ability to help people through foreign aid.  Any person who wants to donate money to the causes that Gates supports can do it the same way he does, through private donations.  There are, in fact, many good reasons for a person to prefer individual charitable donations to going through the government.  If we have learned anything from DOGE, it is that government is wrought with waste and fraud, and highly inefficient. 

There is a recent TikTok that went viral by a woman named Jen Hamilton, where she makes a similar argument.  She even tries to make the case that the Bible backs her position.  In the video, she is responding to a comment that said, “Whoa.  Be careful there.  I am happily MAGA and absolutely love Jesus.  We are exhausted from liberal nonsense.”  Hamilton opens her Bible and reads from Matthew 25:31-45, which culminates in Jesus explaining, “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.”  As she reads the passage, she overlays on the screen headlines that say things like, “Millions of Low-Income Households Would Lose Food Aid Under Proposed House Republican SNAP Cuts,” “Trump’s new spending bill includes reducing federal funding for SNAP food program by nearly $300 billion,” and “Exploring the potential impact of Medicaid cuts in Trump’s big budget bill.”  Then she says, “I don’t know.  Sounds pretty liberal.”

This woman and Gates make the same mistake.  They equate care for the needy with government spending.  What she forgets is that the Bible also advocates for free will.  The Bible is very clear about this.  2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  When you push for government spending to fund your pet causes, you are using compulsion through taxes to pay for what you think is best.  Government spending does not even count towards what the Bible says to do, because it is not by choice.  You are basically saying, “I care about this cause, so you should be forced to pay for it.”  That is not caring.  It is controlling.

When it comes to the giving that the Bible actually calls for, conservatives dominate the left. Statistics show that while conservatives earn 6% less income, they give 30% more to charity.  The fact that Elon wants to save money for taxpayers is the opposite of greedy.  It actually helps people, and respects their freedom to choose where to give their charitable dollars.  Those charitable dollars are far more likely to be spent wisely when not being filtered through government bureaucracies. 

Bill Gates has the right to give his fortune to whatever causes he chooses to.  Some of those causes are probably great.  Likewise, you should have the right to give to whatever causes you choose to.  Here lies the big difference.  While conservatives would love it if Bill Gates gave to causes of our choosing, we respect his free will.  Conservatives think that freedom must be protected, even if people choose to use their money differently than we want.  It is their money, not ours, and not the government’s.  Elon Musk respects this fact, and should be praised for his work at DOGE, not attacked.