Change for the better/change for the worse

This morning's reading included Anand Giridharadas' opinion piece in the August 24, 2018, New York Times, Beware Rich People Who Say They Want to Change the World. It was a sobering read and I want to share a passage that caught my attention:

Consider David Rubenstein, a co-founder of the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm. He’s a billionaire who practices what he calls “patriotic philanthropy.” For example, when a 2011 earthquake damaged the Washington Monument and Congress funded only half of the $15 million repair, Mr. Rubenstein paid the rest. “The government doesn’t have the resources it used to have,” he explained, adding that “private citizens now need to pitch in.”

That pitching-in seems generous — until you learn that he is one of the reasons the government is strapped. He and his colleagues have long used their influence to protect the carried-interest loophole, which is enormously beneficial to people in the private equity field. Closing the loophole could give the government $180 billion over 10 years, enough to fix that monument thousands of times over.

The link to 60 minutes profile in the quote is especially disturbing. Asked directly if the care of public monuments isn't properly a function of government, Rubenstien explains that government "doesn't have the resources" and the story goes on to portray him as a hero instead of talking about what he has done to limit government's ability to response to crisis...

I am not familiar with Giridharadas' writing, but I look forward to reading more...