Name: David Geffen Age: 71 Source of wealth: Movies, music, self- made Residence: Malibu, CA Net Worth: 6 billion
David Geffen was a college dropout at The University of Texas who had nothing when he started. He even faked a degree from UCLA to land his first job at William Morris talent agency sorting mail. He founded two record companies, Asylum Records and Geffen Records. Since creating his record label in the 70's he's worked with artists including: The Eagles, Aerosmith,and Elton John. He's also worked with broadway performances like "Dreamgirls". David was born in Brooklyn, New York on February 21, 1943. His parents were Soviet Jews and came to Brooklyn due to the large population of Russians. His father was a pattern maker and his mother was a sailsperson, selling women's undergarments. He claims to have learned everything he knows about business from his mother. David Geffen formed Dreamworks Studio with Steven Spielburg and began his career in movie production. He briefly retired back in 1980 until his mistaken diagnosis of terminal cancer which made him return to his true love, music. He has faced much controversy over producing violent movies, after a series of high school shootings back in 1999, President Clinton asked the entertainment industry to slow down on the violent movies because the effect it was causing. Geffen responded with the comment "Why not blame the libraries? They're full of violent books." and he continued to argue saying that that type of regulation infringes on his artistic freedom. He also said "Before you talk to people in music or entertainment or videogame, or even gun control- you need to talk to psychiatrists." Now, Geffen donates much of his income to the David Geffen Foundation; his organization to support AIDS research. He has backed this tremendously since revealing his homosexuality in the 1980's. He has also lobbied Washington on funding AIDS research and gay rights. He made a full page article in the newspaper opposing Clinton's stand on military gay rights. However, he continues to support and raise money for the Democratic Party.
poor...
Name: John and Stephanie France Location: Puna District County, Hawaii Age: 62-60
John is a retired airforce veteran disabled because of exposure to an illness in the Vietnam war. He gets just over $800 a month from the VA and $400 a month from Social Security and also $222 a month from Food Stamps.There main issue is electricity; they can not afford to pay for electricity. They have a generator but can not afford gas for the generator; in Hawaii gas at the time was $4.69 per gallon. He can not afford to fill up gas for the car and generator so he must choose. At the end of the month he has no money left over and starts running out of food on the third week of most months. When they run out of food they turn to the church and the foodbank. Their daughter, her husband and their four children, including a newborn, also live in the home. They buy ice to keep their food and beverages cold because they can't afford a refridgerator and spend over $100 per month on ice. The can only afford to run their generator for two hours a day meaning they go to bed around 7 or 8 o' clock every night, when the light runs out. John's main concern is electricity, and it isn't good conditions for a new baby without any heating in the winter or air conditioning in the summer. He is working to save up the money to get solar electricity, he's hoping the cost for that will pay off and he will be able to afford it. They don't have access to water nearby so they have to walk to and from the citty carrying heavy containers filled with water; they are trying to save the gas in the car for driving to work and back. They and their family fears something will happen to them in old age on these trips back and forth to the city.