Rocky Smolin
rockysmolin at bchacc.com
Fri Feb 28 11:45:25 CST 2014
If there's something that you believe in strongly enough to spend your time trying to change in government - a policy, a law, etc. - then you could use that money to that end. You can finance campaigns to help get the people elected who support your position. You can buy media time and broadcast your message. All that money will help. All that is currently within the constitutionally guaranteed right of free speech and while I would like to change that, it's the current rules of the game. If you're suggesting illegal activity like bribery I don't think that's going on on a massive scale. The millions or hundreds of millions spent on politicking don't need to be hidden - they're legal expenditures. As far as an elected official taking money to change their vote - I don't think that's going on on any large scale. It's just not necessary. But if course, all that presumes that you're interested enough to spend your money on that versus building a hospital or funding an orphanage. R -----Original Message----- From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Jim Lawrence Sent: Friday, February 28, 2014 9:02 AM To: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] OT: What would you do with $100B? Hi Rocky: Then why not do what so many are...just buy the government and make then do as you wish? Jim ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rocky Smolin" <rockysmolin at bchacc.com> To: "Discussion of Hardware and Software issues" <dba-tech at databaseadvisors.com> Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2014 3:52:43 PM Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] OT: What would you do with $100B? What you CAN'T do is spend it. Remember, if you buy a private island with a mansion for 100 mil, you haven't spent the money - merely traded one asset for another. Someday it will be sold and the money will come back to you - maybe more than you paid. Same as the yacht you bought to get to your island. Same as the Manhattan apartment you bought for when you're not on your island. You simply CANNOT consume that much money in goods and services. So, there's only three things you can do with the money - invest it in ventures that makes even more money, do nothing with it (put it into a big bond ladder and let it roll, accruing interest along the way), or give it away - a la foundation. People think that it would be great to have tens or hundreds of millions in the bank. But after you've satisfied every creature comfort and whim, the balance is a burden - an ethical obligation. You learn in basic econ that money is stored value - that is the product of someone's labor that has not yet been traded for good and services. So when you're handed a chunk of dough like that, or inherit it, in my book you have an obligation to take care of it just as if you were taking care of the person or people whose lives are represented by that money. Just as you are obligated to use your thousands for the benefit of your family, you are obligated to use your billions to the betterment of your society. R -----Original Message----- From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Arthur Fuller Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2014 12:46 PM To: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues Subject: [dba-Tech] OT: What would you do with $100B? Just finished reading the articles at Wired and NYT about Egon's latest adventures, and also the Shimizu plan to create an 11K solar strip on the moon and broadcase said power back to Earth. Which raises the question... Suppose your app went viral and suddenly you had a million users, with attendant revenues. What would you do with the money? As an initial guess, I would factor in Number of Spouses (did you know that the plural of Spouse is Spice?), number of college-ready children, outstanding mortgage, car leases/loans, etc. But let us suppose that all these exigencies could be handled by the first B of your $100B, denominated in US $. What would you do with the rest? Would you join Bill Gates's foundation and donate 51% toward curing malaria and similar infectious diseases? Would you put some loot into breast-cancer research? Send medicine + education to Third World countries (e.g. this concerns some African beliefs that if you sleep with a very young girl, you stave off HIV/AIDS)? Or, radically alternative to the aforementioned proposals, would you choose to keep it all and let the lawyers figure it out upon your demise? I know that it's an imaginary question, but nonetheless I shall be interested in your responses. Even if we divide the amount by 100, it's still more money than you could possibly spend in the rest of your life, no matter how serious your habits; so what would you do with $1B? For starters... and then what would you do with $100B? As for me, I would join the group of billionaires that the Gates's have formed, that includes Warren Buffet and Sir Richard Branson and 120 others, all of whom have decided to give a minimum of 51% away, towards such causes as curing malaria and polio. As for me, I would go a lot further, and give away about 90% not 51%, leaving me enough to go vacation in Mallorca and Shanghai and Havana every year pending my demise. And you? What would you do? Arthur -- Arthur _______________________________________________ dba-Tech mailing list dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com _______________________________________________ dba-Tech mailing list dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com _______________________________________________ dba-Tech mailing list dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com