Philanthropy is the most elegant power grab ever invented. A billionaire gives away money with strings attached, sets the agenda for public health or education with zero democratic oversight, and gets a tax deduction and a hero narrative for the trouble. Stanford philosopher Rob Reich makes the case in Just Giving that big philanthropy is plutocratic, unaccountable, and often self serving: Just Giving by Rob Reich. We'd never let someone buy this much influence over policy directly. Laundering it through a foundation doesn't make it democratic.
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