[zackmorris]

I don't know why the parent comment got down voted (other than being a bit harsh). I agree that too little is being done to cure cancer directly. Unfortunately, I see two main causes for this:

* Too many successful people (especially founders) end up having an "I've got mine" mentality. They take the money and run instead of seeing their wealth as a grant from society, in other words a kind of debt that they should pay back by applying their skills to really helping others.

* Everyone is in denial about aging and illness. So the real causes of cancer - alcohol and tobacco, too little regulation in food, pollution, and the real kicker: the inequality that causes the social ills that amplify these problems - are not being attacked by the population at large. To me, the sense that we are powerless as individuals to do something about disease is an indictment of capitalism at large.

I think the worst sin, as far as the golden rule goes, is to reach a position of privilege and power and do nothing to change the system that got you there. By that measure, the vast majority of people of influence are failing. I never see myself having a net worth of more than perhaps a few hundred thousand dollars (enough for a home and family), because I know in my heart that society has done more for me than I can every hope to pay back. So I plan to be rolling any wealth I acquire into disruptive technologies and giving grants to people who have a shot at really making life better instead of distracting us.

[acjohnson55]

Insightful comment. You might be interested in checking out the book Twilight of the Elites by Chris Hayes. It talks a lot about societal inequality and the concept of "elite failure", which I think you've alluded to.