You speak frequently of giving to causes and have indeed laid out plans that to gradually give away your fortune with a large part that would go to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, a very noble goal indeed. However, I offer up to you another suggestion as to how to make a difference, a difference in the lives of average, ordinary citizens that are overlooked simply because they have no obvious critical needs, but there are needs none the less.
My plan is fairly simple and straight forward and begins with the creation of a Holding Company using between One and Five billion dollars that I would control and the express mission of this company would be to improve the lives of those in and around Charlotte, NC, at first and then spreading outward from there.
Here are the basic points of this plan, with the amount in the Holding Company affecting what I could and could not do, hence the 1 to 5 billion dollar range specified above;
First; I would give money to help my church build a new children's ministry building to support the growing number of children that attend, that would total 2 million dollars and would be my gift to honor the lord for just having the opportunity to make a difference.
Second; I would find a reputable paving/construction company that has worked on government road contracts before and offer to either buy out right or simply a majority ownership stake, this would be crucial as I would then immediately begin working with the government leaders to work out long term payment plans that would allow me to begin construction projects to alleviate horrible congestion in parts of the city, congestion that leads to wasted gas, money, and lost time at home with loved ones. I would offer the State a 15 year payment plan for them to cover one quarter to one half of the anticipated cost of the projects and I would cover the rest completely out of the holding companies funds, thus reducing the burden on tax payers to get these projects started and completed. These would include local outer belt (I-485) widening and construction of commuter rail lines, both crucial to helping improve air quality and providing better options to the public at large.
Third; I would help the cities residents by donating money to fill budget gaps for the Public Library system over the next few years; I would pay off the debt on the US White Water center, which I believe to be a great resource for citizens to get away from the concrete jungle; I would also do what I believe can have the greatest impact and donate at least $100 Million to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School system to help stave off thousands of potential job cuts and even closing of schools due to budget cuts.
Education is too often the first thing cut politicians who would rather sacrifice our future by cutting school funding rather than face up and make cuts that effect the present, how can we ever grow as a society if we do not educate the next generation of citizens and leaders?
Fourth: I would donate money to UNC-Charlotte and Johnson C. Smith University, two great local universities. Johnson C. Smith is a historically black school and has educated African Americans for generations and I would like to ensure it continues to grow and meet the needs of all who seek an education within the community, regardless of race. As for UNC-Charlotte, I would seek to fill in possible budget gaps there, as well as donate money to help in finally starting a Medical School, something that has been sorely lacking from the area and a travesty for a city this size.
These are just a broad overview of what I would do to help improve my hometown here, and of course, my list above would be greatly affected by the amount available. I know this has little chance of reaching you and even if it does, even less of a chance of coming to fruition. I just wanted you to know Mr. Buffett that there other options on how to use your money to make a difference, options that may seem pretty mundane and unimportant to some but could make a real difference to many.
No matter what happens with this letter, I simply hope that super wealthy out there will one day realize that there is more than one way to give back to the community and that just something like keeping a public library branch open could be just as important to our future as finding the next great medical breakthrough. Cures are necessary for our survival but you need educational resources available to help train people to find those cures....
With Regards,
Richard Boggs
Charlotte, NC
