Charity begins at home SIR – In praising Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and others for their philanthropy, you endorse the view that capitalism's winners should “use some of their wealth to compensate the losers” (“Billanthropy”, July 1st). Innovators like Mr Gates make money by serving their customers, who also gain from the exchange. The idea that wealth creators have a duty to “give back” betrays a lack of understanding of that most basic principle of economics: voluntary trade benefits both parties. Whether the wealthy should help the poor is an important ethical question, but to confuse charity with compensation is just bad economics. Isaac DiIanni Fairfax, Virginia
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