Why is Bill Gates asking the government for money? You would think the richest man in America could make do with his own -- but apparantly not. A recent Washington Post article reports why and how the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest philanthropy, is asking for taxpayer money and pandering to liberal causes.

With a $33 billion endowment...If you add in donations expected from billionaire Warren Buffett, the charity's assets will grow to twice that size, making them nearly as large as those of oil-rich Kuwait.

...The foundation also is going after money from American taxpayers. This month it gave a three-year, $3.8 million grant to Families USA, a liberal advocacy group, to coax billions of dollars from the U.S. government to advance the cause of global health.

Why is Bill Gates a rich man? Thanks to the glorious capitalism of America. The man does amazing things with his riches, and I say God Bless to the research and charity done with it, but there are limits.

The organization is working directly with Families USA, who "has been one of Washington's loudest and most effective cheerleaders for expanding the government's role in health services in the United States."

Because they are not permitted to lobby, they are doing their best otherwise to gain attention. The article specifices that "It will push hard, however, in ways that fall just short of buttonholing lawmakers. It certainly has the resources."

There's a good thing. But you can't get a good thing done by implementing other, wrong things in the process.