Say you had 1 billion dollars in cash

[mudesi]

Would you give away 990 million to the less fortunate? That would leave you with 10 million dollars. Still rich. How about giving away 900? Would 100 million dollars be enough to satisfy your wants? How about giving 500? 200? 100?

Okay maybe you'd give away 10 million dollars. No? What about 1 million? Half a million? 200 thousand?

We all know the answers to these questions. Billionaires do not give their money away. In terms of percentages, they more often than not give an amount equal to or less than the interest paid on their assets. And the ones who do actually give a solid percentage of their wealth to more worthy causes usually do so only at the end of their lives.

There's a reason rich people are despised.

Nobody needs nor deserves a private jet. Show me a morally justifiable reason for one individual to deserve such a luxury and I'll show you an exercise in sophistry. Nobody deserves their own golf course, nobody deserves to own eleven mansions, and nobody deserves to have a front door made of solid gold.

Even if one saved a kitten from a tree, one would not deserve it.

[lumberjack_jeff]

1. Except for those in declining health, people don't give from their assets but from their income. n/t

[Qanisqineq]

2. I'd start out giving away $900 million to charities

Then, I'd probably buy myself a house and some other stuff. I wouldn't want to buy too much, I've come to a point where I am actually stressed by stuff. Then I'd give some to family to help them out and see what I had left and figure out what to do with the rest and how much I would need to save for myself.

While I'd love to win $10 million to take care of myself, my family, charity, I think that $1 billion would be too stressful.

[Clovis Sangrail]

3. actually some billionaires do give away money

Gates has given away billions and I seem to recall something about him saying he wanted to give away everything but 5% or 10% before he dies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_and_Melinda_Gates_Foundation

[Greyhound]

44. It was 1% and he'll have to live 1000 years to give away his money at the rate

he has established.

By using the shield of a "charitable foundation" he has avoided hundreds of millions in taxes and, as the Lord of distribution, decides what is done, for whom, and what message/goal/philosophy is promoted.

In the words of Barbara Dudley, a former president of the National Lawyers Guild, "What we've done is create a new nobility, where basically the lords and ladies decide who gets the money." (Barbara Miner, Rethinking Schools, Summer 2005.)

Did you know that a standard requirement to receive the largess of the Foundation, vaccine research for example, is that the recipient has to surrender any claim to potential "intellectual property"? IOW, if you come up with a good idea or discovery, we own it and will sell it to our benefit.

Don't ever forget who you are dealing with and what kind of scum they are.

[RoadRage]

88. Warren Buffet's..

Giving away all of his money when he dies. None to his kids.. he says he gave them an education (and they're all successful in their own right). His home here in Omaha, NE is worth about $600,000. That may sound like a lot to some - but it's well below the most expensive houses in town.. it's in an older section of mid-town and it's not spectacular by any means. And, this is where he PRIMARILY lives.. it's not like he shows up here for 2 days out of the year just so he can call it home.

There are some nice Billionaires. There are also some assholes who are dirt poor. What you do or don't do with your money shouldn't be the only thing that defines you. What if you have 1 Billion Dollars.. don't donate any of it - but work in a soup kitchen 2 days a week because you can afford to not work? Are you still an asshole because you don't give money? What if you only make $30,000 a year - and give $5 a month to charity... is that to little and you're still an asshole because you didn't give $10 a month?

My point is that no one should be defining what is or isn't "good enough". Help out other people - that's it.

[BrklynLiberal]

4. Interesting...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/18/BUD813K029.DTL

Buffett rated as most generous U.S. billionaire

Warren Buffett, who leads Berkshire Hathaway Inc., topped Condé Nast Portfolio magazine's list of the 50 most generous U.S. billionaires.

Buffett, 78, with a net worth of $52 billion, gave $46.1 billion from 2002 to 2006, according to the magazine's Generosity Index, which ranks billionaires' philanthropy relative to their wealth. The list will be published in Portfolio's November issue.

Ebay Inc. founder Pierre Omidyar was the eighth most generous billionaire, giving $549 million from 2002 to 2006, although in terms of overall wealth he ranked 32nd, with $8.9 billion.

Oracle Corp. chief executive Larry Ellison, ranked 21st in generosity, giving $363 million in 2002-06. He ranked fourth in wealth, with $26 billion.

Other Bay Area executives on the list include Google Inc. co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Page ranked 28th and Brin 31st.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt ranked 34th in generosity.

Buffett ranked first in generosity and second in wealth. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates was second in generosity and first in wealth, with $59 billion.

[Rage for Order]

5. Please don't interrupt the narrative with facts

You'll break up the continuity of the poster's self-righteous screed

[mudesi]

33. I said they give it away near the end of their lives

Buffet isn't exactly a spring chicken, you know. And pointing out an exception to the rule doesn't negate the rule.

[nichomachus]

24. Nice, except that Buffett is the exception to the rule

He isn't your ordinary billionaire. He lives very simply, invests in a way that no other billionaire does.

So, while your post is interesting, it doesn't invalidate the OP.

As far as someone like Larry Ellison, while the numbers sound interesting, do the math. He gave a little more than one percent of his net worth to charity. That's not a whole lot. I know many poor people who have given more than that. And, once you have $26 billion in the bank, it's a lot easier to give one percent away.

[lonestarnot]

51. and just like with hedge funds, who's the "raters?"

[djp2]

6. Walton Family fortune... if distributed

See my curent new post at:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4659780
regarding the Walton Family fortune

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

7. I was appalled at what all the Presidential and VP candidates had given to charity.

[rwenos]

8. Eat the Rich

"I hate the rich. But I think I would be darling at it." -- Dorothy Parker

[Connonym]

20. I love this one

Eat the Rich. "Their attitudes may smell like shit but they go real good with wine"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en--izIe5Fw

[Sanctified]

9. I would put the money all in a pile in the public square and then

burn the shit and just watch as people freak out over a billion dollars being used as a bonfire.

[all.of.me]

25. lol - I love that! It's just money.

But our society has attached so much importance to it, it's been glorified to become the most important thing anyone can have. I say horseshit.

[we can do it]

32. Don't Help Others Just But On A Display - Typical Rich Person

[Sanctified]

37. Well I just got a Billion dollars where I did nothing to earn it.

And removing it from the economy would actually boost the value of the dollars that people still posses.

[we can do it]

42. So Burning It Instead of Putting It To Good Use Helping Others Makes Sense?

What a fucked up bit of logic - watching people's faces as money that could solve a lot of problems burns. Sounds kind of like us pissing money down the iraqi war shithole.

[Sanctified]

55. How do you know it would solve problems.

Obviously I would have to decide on who was worthy and deserving and who is not, that is a problem for me. Burning the shit is easier especially since I did not earn it and because of that I certainly am not worthy of distributing it.

[sarcasmo]

77. Exactly, those are the kind of givers we have here in West Michigan, you know who they are

Because they plaster their name on every building they donate. Real Philanthropy is void of a name.

[yodoobo]

10. I wouldn't give it away in my lifetime.

Assuming i suddenly inherited 1 billion dollars,

I would probably set aside about 20 million to live on, and then setup trusts for my children of about 20 million each. I'd then give away about 100 million to my immediate and extended family. Any gifts would come with the stipulation that they devote the rest of their lives to charity work, now that they no longer have to work for a living.

that would leave about 820 million, of which I would use that money for charitable and humanitarian purposes, but not necessarily giving it away. Ideally it would involve setting up organizations that help people and I would devout the rest of my life to running those organizations. I wouldn't draw a salary, but just live on the 20 million I set aside.

Once you just give it away, you lose control of how it is used. By keeping it, you could insure that its used for charitable purposes.

In my will, I would give away whatever I had left of 20 million I aside, and make sure that organizations setup are setup in such a way to run in perpetuity.

If I just gave it away, it would be used up and possibly embezzeled away in my life time. By setting up foundations and organizations, the money could help people well beyond my remaining years on the planet.

[Citizen Number 9]

11. Jets are business tools

for people who work very hard and for whom time is terribly valuable.

Gates? Buffett? Gifts by billionaire philanthropists have had huge impacts going back as far as Carnegie.

Say, I'll tell you what. Why don't you go and make a billion and then come back and instruct us. I would find that a bit more "morally justifiable" then your negative squawking about philanthropists.
:eyes:

[LeftyMom]

12. As opposed to the rest of us who have ample spare time to laze the day away?

It's 2008. Almost no urgent business needs to be transacted in person, we have teh internet and teleconferencing and fax machines and couriers and overnight mail and...

[Citizen Number 9]

13. Thanks, Mom, but

I'd be a lot more likely to entertain meaningful discussion on this from anyone who actually knows something about these things.

Have you ever tried to have a board meeting where hundreds or thousands of jobs are at stake via "Teh Internet"?

However, if you're so "busy", I'd recommend hiring a driver and an executive car to get yourself a bit more time.


Just recommending from experience. ;)

[LeftyMom]

14. You don't know my qualifications.

But thanks for playing.

Besides, board meetings are planned well in advance, so one can easily arrange a charter flight or even brave a commercial flight.

[Citizen Number 9]

28. Mom,

Just the fact that you are taking this position shows you know nothing about it.

In any case, the planning of meetings has nothing to do with it, either.

Charter is usage, just at a lower level of utilization than owning or time sharing.

[girl gone mad]

18. Gates managed to take Microsoft from nothing..

to a multi-billion dollar company flying commercial only.

Apparently, it can be done.

[Citizen Number 9]

27. That would fall under the

"all things are the same" category.

There are small firms with less than $20M in revenue that use corporate aviation to good advantage.

How well do you know Mr. B. Gates and have you known him long?

Or, maybe, this was something you had "heard" somewhere?

[LanternWaste]

63. What are the precise and relevant points of order..

What are the precise and relevant points of order that could not be used/said were the aircraft not available?

[Citizen Number 9]

70. I would have a hard time

forming my wicked and thieving alliances with the minority shareholders on a conference call.

In short, my Jedi mind tricks would be useless on them over a broadband connection.

[LanternWaste]

72. I'm simply curious

I'm simply curious as to why a corporate jet might be considered a necessity to some rather than merely a convince...

That's all.

[Citizen Number 9]

74. It's all about time.

Executives have families, too and they want to spend time with them. At some point, time spent away from the family is very costly and having the jet available helps them get things done without an unacceptable impact on what's left of their personal lives.

[LanternWaste]

75. Seems to me that particular justification could be used by anyone.

Seems to me that particular justification could be used by anyone.

But it appears you implied it is simply a convenience rather than a necessity, yes?

[Citizen Number 9]

78. Just a guess,

But contracts in the millions and large numbers of jobs probably don't have much to do with how you spend your time, do they?

[LanternWaste]

87. Irrelevant.

"contracts in the millions and large numbers of jobs..."
Wholly irrelevant.

Again-- you initially implied a charter or privately owned jet as a necessity, yet the example you provide appear to be merely one of convenience.

If I am indeed wrong, and a charter or private jet is in fact a necessity, it brings up back to my initial question-- "what are the precise and relevant points of order...?"


I suppose I could be just as irrelevant and snarky and say something like, "Civility and directly answering questions don't have much to do with how you spend you day, do they?" Six of one, and half a dozen of the other, you see.

[Citizen Number 9]

89. Totally relevant

If your time is worth $15/hr you aren't in the market for air charter.

If your time is worth much, much more, paying $2500 an hour to save time suddenly makes sense.

I haven't been uncivil. If you are uncomfortable, it's probably just your subconscious kicking in to warn you that you are out of your league.

[LanternWaste]

90. I don't have a league.

"subconscious kicking in to warn you that you are out of your league."

I don't have a league.

If you feel better self-validated by assuming an income level to me, have at it-- I will neither confirm nor deny just what that level is though.

But again, we revert back to my original question: is a charter or private jet a necessity or a convenience? Yes? No? On what critical and relevant information is that answer based on?

If you can't answer or don't want to answer, I absolutely understand-- but you initially came across very strongly as though it were a necc., yet seem to be unable to justify with any valid reasons, and merely back-handed compliments as of the here and now... :shrug:

[Citizen Number 9]

91. It's not about your particular income level.

I quite clearly gave you the major reason for the use of expensive tools that can increase business productivity and you were unable to recognize it. That's why it is out of your league.

[DonEBrook]

41. We could require everyone, not just DUers to stay in the basement.

would that please you?

[Citizen Number 9]

71. As long as none of them achieved anything

and heaven forbid, no more than anyone else, I think it might suit a number of them just fine.

[mudesi]

34. Have you ever heard of American Airlines?

United? Air France, Air Canada, Air India, Delta?

They're called commercial airlines, and the way they work is you go to the airport and buy a ticket, and then you board the plane and it takes you to wherever it is you need to go.

[DonEBrook]

46. So if I go to the Delta ticket counter they will sell me a ticket to Topeka?

No because there is NO AIRLINE SERVICE there. :eyes:

[LSK]

43. how did you make your 1st billion?????

[Runcible Spoon]

62. people with that mentality are rarely wealthy, they just hopelessly aspire to it

they have their stable of neoliberal heros, and nothing like education or reality will change their Champagne Dreams and Caviar Wishes. It's sad really.

[Runcible Spoon]

59. HAHAHAHAHA funniest thing I've read all day.

thanks for the chuckles! My ass is a business tool!

[Citizen Number 9]

73. Okay, if you say so, but

folks don't usually go around bragging in 'public' about that sort of thing.

[DonEBrook]

84. So do you have a pimp, or are you an independent whore?

Just wondering...

[depakid]

15. No, what smart people do is set up a trust or foundation

using proceeds from safe investments to fund worthy causes, NGO's and indivduals in perpetuity.

[Contrary1]

16. I sure wouldn't give it to a charity...

Too much overhead. I would enjoy spending the rest of my life looking for those who truly needed it. Not just the poor, I would also seek out decent people, who for whatever reason, found themselves in financial trouble.

Yeah, I could get into that.

[Buns_of_Fire]

21. "...our... next millionaire, Mike..."

My dream. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Millionaire (Although, these days, Michael Anthony would probably be just as likely to forge my signature, set up an offshore corporation with the proceeds, stage a successful proxy fight for control of Tipton Industries, and have me removed from the board and committed as a threat to the New World Order -- if Blackwater didn't get to me first.)

[MrSlayer]

17. Deserve has nothing to do with it.

Expecting people who have advantage to concede it out of some sense of honor or nobility or simple compassion is a fine fantasy but it's not the real world. There are people right here on this site that would run you over without remorse for far less than the billion mentioned in your OP. People who have wealth will never give it up willingly and people who have never had it, crave it. It's human nature to want to better yourself. A billion dollars can set your family up for generations.

[The Doctor.]

19. Oh so true. At that level of wealth, unfortunately, we become immersed in the dynamic

of the power paradigm.

The retention of wealth depends on the exercise of power which requires the most effective application of wealth. Giving money away, for the super wealthy, is not considered an 'effective application' of resources.

If one does not exercise and expand one's power, one loses that power.

Some are perfectly comfortable with recognizing what they do and are, and consider the various luxuries their wealth can provide them necessary to augment their personal universe, and consequently their prestige and respect among those they must impress.

Others delude themselves with grand designs for the betterment of humanity, when in fact their pursuit to retain and increase their resources, their ability to do good, in essence, supercedes the implementation of a more philanthropic agenda.

In short, the pursuit to retain and grow power gets in the way of doing real good.

[Laelth]

22. Most rich people inherited their wealth.

They didn't "earn" that money, nor do they "deserve" it in any way. Those who amassed personal fortunes without the help of their parents, more often than not, just got lucky. While they may have worked hard to get it, 99.9% of us work hard and don't get rich, so it's hard to argue that newly-made millionaires "earned" or "deserve" their wealth either.

In principle, I agree with the OP. How much to tax the lucky is the only relevant question here.

The United States is a LIBERAL Country.

:dem:

-Laelth

[Citizen Number 9]

29. There it is again. The dependence on "luck".

A discussion of wealth never fails to elicit that belief from those who have few skills and who have done little more.

It may be too late for you, but the sad thing is that if you really believe that, I'm sure you will teach it or have already taught it to your kids.

[Laelth]

30. Save your snark, capitalist.

I know you need to believe that you "deserve" your wealth. That way you can justify ignoring the misery caused by the pervasive poverty that we allow in the United States.

I am certain you refuse to believe that any of the suffering of your fellow citizens is your responsibility, and I am not going to waste my time beating my head against a brick wall trying to convince you.

:dem:

-Laelth

[Citizen Number 9]

31. I think we should be careful not to trip over the concept

of 'responsibility' here.

If by 'responsibility' you mean that I have caused poverty amongst my fellow citizens, then you are most certainly incorrect.

On the other hand, if you mean that we should all share in concern for them, I agree. Some of us are capable of little and others capable of much more, but in the long run, doesn't everyone who has some compassion do what they feel they can?


Don't presume to divine my beliefs based solely on what you know. That is an exercise in futility and only makes you look foolish.

[Runcible Spoon]

61. in a world of limited resources, everything that you have is something someone else doesn't have

I'm sorry that neoliberal pigs have convinced you of the vast infinite amounts of resources and capital there allegedly are in the cosmos, but back here on Planet Reality unleashed borrowing and loaning by those who "create wealth" has ravaged our economy.

[Citizen Number 9]

64. Interesting theory,

wonder if it is correct.

At first glance, I don't think so because it takes more than resources to create value.

It also takes labor and as we all know, some of us are much better at that and more productive than others.

Do you have any doubt at all that if you put 100 people on a desert isle and gave them each an appropriate section, that after a year, some would be doing much better than others?

Feel free to support your .theory with actual facts

[Runcible Spoon]

65. umm, labor IS a resource, Boy Wonder.

It's not a theory to say that resources are finite. It's not a theory to say that unbridled borrowing, corruption, and greed have collapsed huge sectors of our economy. You need PROOF of this?

My question: If someone put you on a desert island, would anyone care? :shrug:

edited to more accurately address your "points"

[Citizen Number 9]

67. What you actually said was

"everything that you have is something someone else doesn't have".

and I asked you to support that contention.

I have an idea, I act on it, work hard, build something and employ people. I have something and the employees have something. How hard is that to understand?

Either you didn't have an education or you weren't able to get past what you did have. I see people suffering from one or another of those possibilities every day and they sound just like you.

Edited to add that your response to the desert isle question is leading me to believe your insult generator is more functional than your thinker.

[Runcible Spoon]

69. yes when threatened in a debate, question my education

I'm not going to sit around and debate a basic reality. If you agree that resources are limited, the vast majority resources are already discovered/owned, then basic logic follows that those who own more are taking away from those who own less. I'm not pushing wealth redistribution, just a basic human understanding that there really is a line where being comfortable crosses over into being greedy. There is NO SUCH THING as someone who "earns" a billion dollars. Cure AIDS, maybe we'll talk.

I've seen Honduran machiadoras first hand, have you?

Please look into a nice desert island for yourself. Ciao.

[Citizen Number 9]

76. Ha ha, this is amusing.

You don't even remember that you edited out your own education attack earlier.


"I've seen Honduran machiadoras first hand, have you?"

I'm not too impressed by your having "seen" a Honduran factory, especially considering that you don't even know how to spell "Maquiladora". I know what they are because I experimented with some of the earlier Mexican high-tech maquilas.

Furthermore, you haven't made an attempt to communicate what a Honduran operation could possibly have to do with me.

PS - A bizjet might be a good tool if a company was setting up operations outside of the country, like in the Honduras.

[DonEBrook]

47. You have been beating your head against a brick wall? That explains a lot.

:shrug:

[Laelth]

56. What are you talking about, sad little person?

:shrug:

:dem:

-Laelth

[DonEBrook]

79. What? I not sad, I so fucking happy I could shit!

:rofl:

[Greyhound]

48. "Behind every great fortune, lies a great crime". - Honore de Balzac

Criminality is the root of all great wealth, either on the part of the recipient or on the part of the industry that shared some portion of it.

The bottom line is that the only way to accumulate great sums is to deprive the creators of their due.

I know I'm preaching to the choir but I just don't have the stomach to deal with the deluded today.

Stay true.:fistbump:

[Laelth]

50. The deluded (and the complicit) are out in force.

Right back at you! :toast:

:dem:

-Laelth

[Ganja Ninja]

23. I would give a lot of it away.

But I would space it out over the years and try to spread it around.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

26. Because you need money to make money, I'd give away 1/2 immediately, then put aside 490 million

in a foundation and Safely invest it. The income would be donated in perpetuity.

The remaining 10 million would be split up between myself, my children and my ex-husband.

[Deep13]

35. Agreed, no one is worth that much.

The idea that anyone can live in unimaginable luxury while others starve or suffer from need is morally outrageous.

[LanternWaste]

36. one man's extravagance is another man's necessity...

"Nobody needs nor deserves a private jet." Or a television. Or a gaming console. Or air-conditioning. Or an I-pod. Or a morning latte from Star Bucks.

I'd imagine that the typical youngster in Rwanda would think that even the lower-income populace of America live like kings compared to themselves. They may even believe that there is absolutely no "morally justifiable reason for one individual to deserve such a luxury" as a CD Player when they themselves are forced to worry about eating vs. starving.

One man's peasant is another man's king; and one man's extravagance is another man's necessity-- like the I-Pod.

[Mari333]

38. I would open up no kill shelters all over the country

and make sure every unwanted animal had a home.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

39. You Don't Need A Computer Either. It's All Relative. I'll Listen To Your Preaching Once You Put

your money where your mouth is.

[Citizen Number 9]

66. Whether you are a RIghtie, or a Leftie,

I've noted that one needs a computer to spread the message that whatever they are, whatever they've made of themselves and everything that has happened to them is someone else's fault. That is a definite common denominator.

*squeal* "Government takes all my money in taxes and gives it to the poor..."
*whine* "Education is brainwashing by the liberal intellectuals and the MSM..."

*squeal* "The rich steal all the money from the poor..."
*whine* "The elitist rich are the only ones who can afford an education..."

And so forth and so forth.

All those extremists need to line up on the Internet to place the blame for their own shortcomings on someone else.

[DonEBrook]

40. Is my private airplane (not a jet) okay with you?

Just trying to find the goal posts here...

[lonestarnot]

52. You weren't talking to me, but I'm going to say No anyway.

:crazy:

[DonEBrook]

80. I'm not sure but I have an idea the terminally sick kids I and others

fly for free to hospitals might disagree.
http://www.angelflight.com/

[lonestarnot]

86. You are using the plane for a nonprofit?

Sounds like you are doing the right thing with such property. :)

[Xenotime]

60. Why do you feel you deserve a private plane?

What do you do to offset your carbon footprint?

[DonEBrook]

81. Nothing. I'm actually not interested in carbon footprints.

I'm like 90% of the people on the planet that way.

[Citizen Number 9]

68. I'm going to take a stab in the dark

here and guess that the non-aircraft owners are going to have a completely different view of it than you might.

[DonEBrook]

83. Heh...well that's a given, I imagine. Many people hate things they know nothing about.

(My plane cost no more than a new SUV. I can leave my house and be at my associate's office 560 miles away in a little more
than 3 hours. If I went by commercial airlines it would take 13.)

[tabbycat31]

45. I would

but instead of being very public about it, I'd do it at random times. Like in a grocery store, I'd pick up the tab for someone. I'd call utility companies and offer to pay the bills of people struggling.

[lonestarnot]

53. You wouldn't need a billion to do that!

:D

[WeDidIt]

49. If I suddenly had $1,000,000,000

I'd have to pay taxes on it as I would have earned it this year.

This means I could donate no more than $500,000,000 as 50% of your income is the maximum allowable deductible amount for charitible contributions.

Figuring the taxes would amount to about 44% all told (Self employment + income taxes + State income taxes), I'd be left with about $560,000,000 after the taxes on the billion bucks. If I gave $500,000,000 directly to charity, then taxes would leave me with about $280,000,000 at the end of the year.

So to keep $10,000,000 for myself, the maximum I could give away would be $770,000,000.

If you give any more than $780,000,000 you'll be in the red. Giving about that amount total would leave you at your cutrrent status.

[gravity]

54. Most billionaires don't have a billion in cash

It is tied up in investments, usually in stock of the company they own. If you own a company and it grows in value from a million to a billion, you aren't expected to liquidate it and give it to charity right away.

Many rich people do give the majority of their money away towards retirement to causes they feel worthy, while others are just greedy bastards. Don't paint everyone with the same stroke.

[Boojatta]

57. How much does it cost the mint to print ten million notes of a hundred dollars each?

It's not clear to me why you're worried about cash sitting unused. If there are ten million people each of whom owns at least a hundred dollars worth of gold wafers, bars, or coins then among them they collectively own at least a billion dollars worth of gold. What should they be doing with it?

[yardwork]

58. Well, maybe if you saved a kitten from a tree...

[dysfunctional press]

82. we'll see how much is left after the stately pleasure-dome that i'd decree...

on that lot that i'd be buying in xanadu.

[jmowreader]

85. I'm buying six C-130s

With a billion dollars, one could buy a half-dozen brand-new C-130s, have them outfitted as medical clinics, then fly them into serious shitholes that never even heard of doctors before.

I don't want a golf course, I don't want more than one largish house, and I like fiberglass front doors, thank you very much. Just give me my six C-130s plus a personal King Air so I can get around quick and the world will be a better place.

[Boojatta]

92. How much does the resale value of a C-130 go down

the moment you fly it off the lot? Of course some people are going to buy their airplanes new, but if you want value for your money, then why not consider buying used?

[jmowreader]

93. "Value for money" in the C-130 market can only be attained by buying new

C-130s are usually bought by air forces, who tend to fly them until they're completely worn out, then rebuild them and restart the cycle...over and over and over. By the time YOU get one, it's wore the fuck out about nine times over.

Any C-130 you might find on the used market is going to need new everything. If I bought a used one, I'd have to turn around and put twice what I paid for the plane into the restoration budget. But if I bought a new one, I could take it straight to the upfitter to have the medical-clinic interior installed.

Besides, do you know how happy you would make all the nice people who build these things if you bought a new one?