# 7 billion millionaires (pros and cons)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-billion-millionaires-pros-and-cons/11202>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 27, 2000, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-billion-millionaires-pros-and-cons/11202 "2000-04-27T19:57:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![DKD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@DKD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKD)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2000, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-billion-millionaires-pros-and-cons/11202/1 "2000-04-27T19:57:00Z")

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If Bill Gates (or any other super rich anti-christ for that matter) really does have a $70 billion fortune what would happen to the world economy if he gave just $1 million (not much in the West these days)to every single person on the planet?

Would it end poverty or simply raise the stakes?

Forget the probability that many people would want to give up work and live a life of lesuire causing society to collapse etc. Just pretend that this could be overcome by some type of clause preventing immediate retirement or something.

I’m trying to understand the economic necessity for the unbelievably unfair division of wealth worldwide and wondering if there’s a bit more to it than greed and exploitation.

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**Author:** ![KarmaComa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e36b37/32.png) [@KarmaComa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarmaComa)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2000, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-billion-millionaires-pros-and-cons/11202/2 "2000-04-27T20:00:00Z")

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The real thing that’s stopping him is the fact that he could only afford to give everyone around $12. Check your math again. 1,000,000 \* 6,000,000,000 = 6,000,000,000,000,000. He only has 70,000,000,000.

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**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2000, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-billion-millionaires-pros-and-cons/11202/3 "2000-04-27T20:01:00Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Originally posted by DKD:  
> \*\*I’m trying to understand the economic necessity for the unbelievably unfair division of wealth worldwide and wondering if there’s a bit more to it than greed and exploitation. \*\*

It creates incentives for people to learn simple arithmetic.

I’m moving this thread to Great Debates.