The Gates Foundation has investments in companies that undermine the goals of the foundation’s philanthropy, according to a long investigation pubished in the Los Angeles Times Sunday.

Using the most recent data available, a Times tally showed that hundreds of Gates Foundation investments totaling at least $8.7 billion, or 41% of its assets, not including U.S. and foreign government securities have been in companies that countered the foundation’s charitable goals or socially concerned philosophy.

The report is generating lots of comments, ranging from suspicion of the foundation’s goals to surprise that the Seattle Times hasn’t covered such a story in its own backyard. Never mind that similar charges could be made against most large pools of money that aim primarily at generating a return on investment.

The article hardly addresses the issue of how the foundation could better invest its $65 billion or so in practice. With such a huge account, at some point the foundation would have to choose between getting a the best possible return or short-changing its charity programs.