# Who hates billionaires? I do! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 6, 2003, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177 "2003-06-06T20:57:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jb\_007clone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@jb\_007clone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_007clone)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177/21 "2003-06-06T23:50:09Z")
So everything is fine then. Oh wait, people are still poor, hungry and sick! It seems like all the jobs that the billionaires are creating aren’t going to the people who most need them! I am not arguing that they help people, cause they do, but with that ridiculous amount of money there is so much more they could be doing to help those who truly need it. Of course they have given more money than me, they have more money than me. But I would argue that I have given a greater percentage of my lifetime earnings then they have. Sure they are sitting on the majority of their wealth, they’re still billionaries. What have I done for this world? I’ve tried my hardest and given all that I could so that I don’t ignore those in need. What does one really need with a billion dollars? Answer that question and I will be satisfied. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177/22 "2003-06-07T00:04:12Z")
**jb\_007clone** , you’re asking the wrong question. Your location isn’t listed, but I will assume you are in a capitalist society of some kind. In a capitalist society, the question “What does one really need with a billion dollars?” is totally irrelevant. I’m not dodging the question; I’m saying it’s a _pointless_ question. It’s like saying, “People only breathe a couple cubic yards of air every day, so why do we have to have an entire atmosphere?” People have money. If that bothers you (which it mysteriously appears to), you’re in for an unhappy life. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177/23 "2003-06-07T00:06:26Z")
What does one really need with a billion dollars? Answer that question and I will be satisfied. What does Gisele Bundchen need with all that beauty? Why does Dolly Parton need such huge boobs? What does Jeff Stryker need with such a big penis? Why does America need all that fertile farmland? What does the Middle East need with all that oil? Did Einstein really need with all that genius? Did your beloved Van Gogh need all that artistic talent? Does Hugh Hefner really need a huge tudor mansion? ---
**Author:** ![jb\_007clone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@jb\_007clone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_007clone)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177/24 "2003-06-07T00:11:58Z")
So what is the solution then, just get over the fact that there are those who could live a better life but don’t simply because others wish to live an even better one? If that’s what it is, then I guess I am in for an unhappy life. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177/25 "2003-06-07T00:22:43Z")
Bingo! ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177/26 "2003-06-07T00:23:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JohnBckWLD \* > \*\*I have a question, do you have as much contempt for those who confiscate more than a 1/3 in the form of federal, 7% in the form of state and 3% in the form of city taxes? \*\* Oh, this is such a joke! If you really believe that billionaires actually pay 33% federal taxes, JohnBckWLD, you are very, very naive! ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177/27 "2003-06-07T01:54:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jb\_007clone \* > \*\*So everything is fine then. Oh wait, people are still poor, hungry and sick! > > It seems like all the jobs that the billionaires are creating aren’t going to the people who most need them! I am not arguing that they help people, cause they do, but with that ridiculous amount of money there is so much more they could be doing to help those who truly need it. > > Of course they have given more money than me, they have more money than me. But I would argue that I have given a greater percentage of my lifetime earnings then they have. > > Sure they are sitting on the majority of their wealth, they’re still billionaries. > > What have I done for this world? I’ve tried my hardest and given all that I could so that I don’t ignore those in need. > > What does one really need with a billion dollars? Answer that question and I will be satisfied. \*\* I think you will find that most billionaires don’t have a pillow case stuffed with $100 bills in their closet (yes, I know $1 Billion won’t fit in a pillowcase, allow me some hyperbole!). They invest it in something. It may be a company or series of companies that provide (gasp!) jobs. It may be a money market account that is divested into several companies that provide (gasp!) jobs. It may be venture capitol that is gambling on creating a new drug that may (gasp!) save lives, or a better way to produce (gasp!) cheaper food or power for those who do not have as much. If you think everybody should be poor so everybody can be equal, you will find out that by and large, poor people don’t have many employees, don’t fund much research, and don’t do a whole lot to drive the economy. If you have a car, chances are it was built by a company owned by or funded by (gasp!) billionare(s). If you take any medicine, chances are it comes from a company built by or funded by (gasp!) billionare(s). Food?? You think farmer Brown grew it?? Nope, comglomerates owned by (gasp!) billionares. Go out and start a company and hire some people instead of griping on a message board. If you do good, you will make a profit. If you make a profit, you can expand and hire more people. If you do well, you can control your niche in the market and start making a profit…ooopppssss. I know YOU would never keep any profit so you could invest in other businesses…you would give it all away. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177/28 "2003-06-07T01:56:41Z")
Billionaires do not have a billion dollars under the mattress. All their assets are valued at over $1 billion. There is almost NO WAY to have that kind of wealth without owning major parts of companies. IOW, the people don’t really have that money. They own pieces of paper that could theoretically be sold for that amount. They wouldn’t do that, because there’s nowhere to really put a billion bucks, other than another company. Bill Gates’ wealth may be valued at $40 billion or whatever, but it’s not really available to him. If he started selling MS stock, the value would go in the toilet. If he doesn’t trust the value, no one else will, either. What it gives him is borrowing power and control over an industry, and the ability to give his heirs the same. His checking account doesn’t have a billion dollars in it. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177/29 "2003-06-07T02:05:18Z")
I hate to tell you this one, but no matter what happens, unless someone figures out how to make the Star Trek replicator, there are ALWAYS going to be hungry and poor people. Would it be nice of Bill Gates to come into my neighborhood and give a couple of thousand to Ms. Jackson, our most likable homeless beggar? Maybe. But the odds are that Ms. Jackson would be dead in a matter of days, probably from a drug overdose. Some people (including quite a bit of my family) have no idea how to live in society. Nothing you can do for them, short of giving them food and a place to stay (things our society already does for the most part…) will fix that. It’s just part of human nature. Does anyone need a billion dollars? No. But it is said that every writer has dozens of stories and such sitting in boxes or on discs, that they won’t publish. They can’t stop writing. People like Bill Gates, or Ted Turner, can’t quit working, doing what they do. And what they do is make money. It’s in their nature… like **handy** posting a lot or my mother taking in stray cats. Bill Gates had done more for charity than I and you will probably accomplish in our entire lives. And yet you still hate him… I think it’s sour grapes. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177/30 "2003-06-07T02:09:25Z")
I love billionaires. Every time they spend a large sum of money, it creates a ripple effect in the economy. The more money they spend, the more money I have. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177/31 "2003-06-07T02:45:58Z")
Bill Gates has started a $24 billion foundation which has granted almost $6 billion to various causes, including: $600 million for vaccine research and distribution, $600 million for HIV and TB research, $600 million for reproductive and child health services, most to benefit the world’s 40 poorest countries - and this is just over 1/2 of the $3.1 billion spent on global health initiatives. $210 million endowment to provide international scholarships in perpetuity $1.1 billion in other scholarship funds $225 million in library programs. $400 million for issues affecting the Pacific Northwest [http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Grants/](http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Grants/) **jb\_007clone** , please tell us of your efforts to solve the above problems. We eagerly await your answer. ---
**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177/32 "2003-06-07T02:51:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jb\_007clone \* > \*\*So what is the solution then, just get over the fact that there are those who could live a better life but don’t simply because others wish to live an even better one? If that’s what it is, then I guess I am in for an unhappy life. \*\* Damn straight, that’s the solution. Life isn’t fair, kiddo. Get used to it. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177/33 "2003-06-07T03:12:55Z")
Then there’s that phrase from the talkshow host, Larry Elder: “I never got a job from a poor person” It’s the rich who have the money to employ people. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177/34 "2003-06-07T03:55:11Z")
> [@](#): > > Well, don’t know if he hates them, but Jesus Christ apparently doesn’t want them hanging around him: > > “Easier it is for a camel to pass thru the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.” What Christ meant, I think, is that money is a huge distraction from real spirituality. It’s not that He doesn’t want them around, but it’s tough to make sure you’re around, what with all the comfort and self-satisfaction. It’s billioinaires like Warren Buffet who can fund the research for projects like the process that can refine anything carbon-based. This will be both hugely profitable for Con-Agra in the long run, but may also go a long way to solving the problem of waste and pollution around the world. If you really have an interest in what I mean, go to: [http://www.discover.com/may\_03/featoil.html](http://www.discover.com/may_03/featoil.html) You may be too young to remember, but George H.W. Bush had a tough time with taxes that were being put on the rich. There was a luxury tax on things like really expensive yachts. Who was complaining? Not the rich people. They bought used yachts or just other kinds of way-expensive stuff. No, it was the blue-collar yacht builders. They were in real pain. Rich people’s money gives jobs to the people who make and ship and fix the stuff they buy. Money always trickles downstream. ---
**Author:** ![Lorenzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4da419/32.png) [@Lorenzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorenzo)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177/35 "2003-06-07T04:23:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by [t-bonham@scc.net](mailto:t-bonham@scc.net) \* > \*\*Well, don’t know if he **hates** them, but Jesus Christ apparently doesn’t want them hanging around him: > > “Easier it is for a camel to pass thru the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.” \*\* This quote, in context, might change your opinion: “Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven”, but then two verses later Jesus explains: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Mt 19:24, 26 NIV ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177/36 "2003-06-07T04:27:28Z")
My job depends on billionaires. Hell, we giggle and snort behind the backs of people with only a couple hundred million. As for charities, one customer had to put a lot of his projects on hold when the market tanked so he could keep a quarter-billion charity commitment he had made. An honorable man. The ol’ Wobbly in me had a problem with these guys at first. Now I see it as my duty to society to work to get their money back into the system, preferably filtered through my pocket, while keeping them fat and happy and continuing creating wealth, both for them and for their people. Like was mentioned earlier, it isn’t a zero-sum game. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177/37 "2003-06-07T04:30:21Z")
Out of curiosity: does this mean that most people who’ve posted in this thread believe in trickle-down economics? If not, why not? Doesn’t not believing in it contradict what you’ve said in this thread? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177/38 "2003-06-07T04:36:08Z")
This is one of the richest collections of horseshit that has ever occurred on SDMB. Congratulations, jb, you really got 'em going! I don’t hate billionaires, they’re far too abstract a crew to hate. However, I don’t think anyone is “worth” a billion dollars in any sense of the word. If every last billionaire on earth were to die tonight, I don’t think it would make diddly squat difference in the world. the real problem with capitalism, one that has not been solved successfully as yet, but one that NEEDS to be solved for capitalism’s own good is that is has no self-governing mechanism. The Invisible Hand of the Marketplace is more like one of those idiot factories you see in cartoons, relentlessly piling up goods and dumping them in the appointed spot regardless of the appropriateness of doing so. As a general rule, rich people are people who have, for various reasons, wound up in a situation where the Invisible Hand is dumping a lot of goods on them, even as it starves millions of others. Some rich people inherit, some build corporations, some invent things or get lucky in the arts lottery. If a society is very wealthy, it piles up truly ridiculous amounts of wealth in some places, hence, billionaires, and to a lesser extent, multi-millionaires. Government has historically been used as a crude reset button for the idiot Invisible Hand when it gets out of whack, but it has never worked very well and some people don’t even think we need it at all – they’re called “Republicans.” We really need much more subtle means of redirecting the Invisible Hand so the millions can live a little better without beggaring the rich in the process. Republicans will tell you that’s impossible, but that’s because they’ve no interest in doing it in the first place. They see any attempt to better the lives of the poor and increasingly, keeping the middle class intact, as an attack on the rich. What I’m saying is, you’re on the right track, jb. Don’t let these wealth-worshipping yahoos distract you. They will find every excuse imaginable to say you should ignore the plight of the working poor and the middle class, but it’s bullshit. Hating billionaires won’t help. Figuring out how to get our societies wealth distributed more equitably will. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177/39 "2003-06-07T04:41:05Z")
Everything a billionaire spends his money on, that money is paid to a person providing goods or services. They don’t just keep their money under their mattress, they’re big spenders too - and that money goes into circulation. Every wealthy employer… employs. The wealthier the company gets, the more people they employ. Making more money means more goods and services can be produced at lower cost, allowing affordable goods and services to be available for all. This capitalism thing all works out pretty well, most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![jb\_007clone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@jb\_007clone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_007clone)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177/40 "2003-06-07T04:51:08Z")
> [@](#): > > Hating billionaires won’t help. Figuring out how to get our societies wealth distributed more equitably will. Well put. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-hates-billionaires-i-do/180177.md?page=3)