Melinda Gates: “I have rage,” she said, about the injustices she has seen. “It’s up to me to metabolize that and use it to fuel my work.” This is what women need to do with their anger, bitterness, resentment...and rage. Instead of "taking men out," we need to channel our anger and use it to fuel powerful, productive, lasting change. And we will need to create that change in positive, empowering partnerships...with men. I have worked for women's empowerment for 20 years as a coach, mentor, and intensive course facilitator. I have listened to unimaginably painful stories in quiet rooms with many women over the years. I have served as an elected official in my upstate hometown of 25,000; the only woman to serve in that position in almost 200 years. I have also experienced emotional abuse, sexual molestation, and gender and sexual harassment; I know whereof I speak. I can promise you that no woman ever heals – or truly empowers herself – until she chooses to shed the label of victim, heal herself, and channels her rage to fuel her “work,” as Melinda Gates suggests. Turning our anger on men, victimizing men…can never bring about healing or change. And...why would we choose to do to men, what was done to us? We are in this together.

Thank you to Melinda Gates for making contraceptives more accessible to 200 million people who do not have access to them. Thank you for your example and hard work towards lifting people out of poverty. I appreciate it!

Billionaire philanthropy is fundamentally undemocratic. We did not vote for the agenda of Melinda Gates. There may not be 20% charter schools in each state, but the hundreds of millions of dollars the Gates have spent to push their education agenda has cost taxpayers millions in fraud and lost revenue to our public schools. And after all that, there are still schools where students don't have enough pencils. The Gates Foundation has worked closely with Monsanto in Africa to promote GM crops, but the citizens of the African continent may want to weigh in on monocrops, GMs, and the decline of the insect population before making such a big decision. Teachers and farmers around the world are struggling to make a living and have a voice, but whatever they say about raising taxes on themselves, the more Bill and Melinda Gates give away, the richer they get.

Thank you for exercising a tiny bit of restraint in your personal world by eliminating the use of single serve water bottles. Just think of the impact you could have if you encouraged all of the organizations within your sphere of influence to do the same!

Her comments on privilege were interesting, to say the least. "When I read about a shooting, maybe in the south side of Seattle, I’m not living the experience. Whereas if I have a friend who’s a person of color, they most likely are living that experience or know somebody who was part of that community." Really, all of your friends of color? Or how she makes people comfortable, "So sometimes that means sitting down inside the front door with our dog — and I’m in my yoga pants, no makeup on — and petting the dog until they’re comfortable being there."

Life aint fair. There will always be poverty. People will die. If they didn't, the world would run out of resources faster than it already is. A large portion of the world lives in poverty. Has anyone thought that that's normal and the multi billionaires are the ones out of step. Ms. Gates is pouring tremendous amounts of money into goals that will never, ever come to pass.

I appreciate your efforts. However, dying is not optional, Ms. Gates. The problem is how we live...and force others to live. As the Trump administration continuing dumping migrants escaping violence on the streets of Las Cruces, New Mexico, we are doing all we can to help them. https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/2019/04/15/las-cruces-city-council-approves-75-000-migrant-response/3479774002/ https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/local/2019/04/15/donations-migrant-families-fill-house-gospel-rescue-mission/3476143002/ https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/2019/04/15/migrant-drop-offs-las-cruces-continue-sunday-and-monday-border-patrol/3473598002/ Please come help us, Ms. Gates.

Most commendable on the part of Melinda. Perhaps writer Marchese will give us a contrasting look at Melania's privileged status and her own hapless "Be Best" initiative.

Bill and Melinda Gates are to be commended for pledging to give away, and actually giving away, a large proportion of their enormous wealth to improve the lives of others in the US and around the world. God bless them for their generosity and for their efforts to persuade other wealthy persons to share their wealth with others less fortunate. I was struck by several points raised in the article; here are three: 1) While Melinda Gates is bright enough to have earned a bachelor’s degree and MBA from Duke University, she would not be in this article if she were not married to the richest man (or one of the richest men) in the world. 2) I thought I would die laughing over her statement "I’m actually really looking forward to the day that Bill and I live in a 1,500-square foot house.” Really? The Gates' servants and security team would not fit in a 1,500 square foot house. 3) The interviewer spends a lot a time trying to make Ms. Gates feel guilty about her privilege when there's really no need to beat her on the head about it; she acknowledges that she is privileged in many ways and is doing more than most of us to help improve the lives of others. She should be applauded for her philanthropy and setting a positive example to others of wealth.