Los Angeles Times: Bill Gates: The world is better than ever
Doyle McManus, columnist at the Los Angeles Times

“Bill Gates wants you to feel much better about the future of mankind. Things are looking up, he says, way up. … Fewer children are dying from preventable diseases, thanks partly to the large-scale vaccination programs Gates has helped build. There’s even been progress in the global campaign to eradicate polio, although last year saw new outbreaks of the disease in Syria, Somalia and Kenya. There are even signs that Gates’ message is getting through on Capitol Hill. Last month, even as it was cutting federal spending for most discretionary programs, Congress actually approved the Obama administration’s full request for international health programs — and, after lobbying by Gates, actually increased U.S. funding for polio eradication. … Reducing childhood disease and closing in on the elimination of polio are historic achievements, to be sure. But persuading Congress to increase funding for foreign aid? Now that’s a miracle” (2/8).