Top 10 Billionaires in the United States

The list of the 400 richest people in the United States was released by Forbes magazine recently. The top 10 have a number of familiar names, led by Microsoft founder Bill Gates at #1 and Nebraska-based investor Warren Buffet at #2. At #3 was Larry Ellison who made waves with the news that he was buying the Hawaiian island of Lanai in its entirety. The infamous Koch brothers, who are attempting to buy their preferred election result thanks to loopholes in campaign finance laws are tied for 4th, followed by 4 members of the Walton family (whose patriarch founded the Walmart company) and at #10 is the 3-term mayor of
New York City, Mike Bloomberg.

Forbes magazine notes that things are going very well for most of the super-ricj=h, with their wealth increasing at an astonishing rate:

Gates alone was worth $7 billion more than he was last year. Berkshire Hathaway head and renown investor Warren Buffett again ranked No. 2 on the list, with his net worth climbing by the same amount to $46 billion. 

Larry Ellison, head of software maker Oracle, remained in the No. 3 spot, but posted the biggest gain in wealth on the list, with his net worth rising by $8 billion to $41 billion. 

Two-thirds of the list’s members saw their wealth grow over the past year to an average $4.2 billion, Forbes said.

It's too bad that we have a communist president or else these revered job creators would not be suffering so much! (Yes, this is sarcasm!)

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God

Microsoft CEOs Donate $200K To Approve R-74

Current Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and former Microsoft CEO (and co-founder) Bill Gates have each donated $100,000 to Washington United for Marriage, the marriage equality group tasked with defending that state's marriage equality law by advocating for the approval of Referendum 74.

KING-5 reports:

Microsoft is just one of several prominent Pacific Northwest businesses that have expressed their support for same-sex marriage, including Starbucks Corp. and Nike Inc.

Referendum 74 was certified for the ballot last month after gay marriage opponents turned in more than 240,000 signatures, far more than the minimum of 120,577 valid voter signatures required.

The referendum seeks to overturn the law passed earlier this year allowing same-sex marriage in the state. That law was passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Chris Gregoire in February. The law was supposed to take effect June 7 but was put on hold once the signatures were turned in.

This is an important signal to business interests that the leaders of the state's largest corporation are firmly in support of marriage equality (as are a majority of Washington voters) and are willing  to put their money where their principles are.

Hat/tip to LGBT Think Progress

What Browser Do You Use?

Matthew Yglesias over at Slate posted the above diagram showing the rise of Google's Chrome and the fall of Microsoft's Internet Explorer as popular browsers used to access the World Wide Web.

I use Chrome as my primary browser but at work "for da gubmint" most of the applications are written to be optimally run using Internet Explorer.

According to this blog;s stats, roughly 37% of you use Chrome, then 22% Firefox, 19% Internet Explorer and 9% Safari.

What browser do you prefer to use?

Microsoft Endorses WA Marriage Equality Bill

Good news! Microsoft corporation, one of the largest employers in the state of Washington and still one of the leading tech companies in the world, has endorsed marriage equality legislation currently pending in their state's legislature.

In a posting on its website, Microsoft said:

“Microsoft’s greatest asset is a talented workforce as diverse as our customers. As other states recognize marriage equality, Washington’s employers are at a disadvantage if we cannot offer a similar, equitable and inclusive environment to our talented employees, our top recruits and their families. This legislation would put Washington employers on equal footing with employers in the six other states that already recognize the committed relationships of same-sex couples. Passing the bill would be good for our business and for the state’s economy.”

This is excellent news and is another measure of the growing momentum for the legislation to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from civil marriage in the state of Washington.

According to Dan Savage's The Slog, Washington State marriage equality advocates are now just one vote short of having a majority of Senators as publicly declared in support of voting for SB 6239, the legislative vehicle which was introduced and endorsed by the state's governor, Chris Gregoire.

There are still 5 Washington State Senators who are undeclared on marriage equality. Let them know your thoughts on SB 6239, especially if you live in Washington state.