"Billionaires Should Not Exist"

[joe1776]

...
No billionaires got there without unethical exploitation. It's a part of the process.

It's an unfortunate fact that all else being equal, the competitor who can cheat and get away with it, will always win the game.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

It's an unfortunate fact that all else being equal, the competitor who can cheat and get away with it, will always win the game.

I agree. It's a good reason to at least try and re-balance the game, close loopholes, and enforce stricter penalties for cheating.
We'll never be in a perfect system but that's no reason to bait an absurd all or nothing like some do.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

So, have you sold everything you own? Oh, that's right, you don't believe so it does not apply to you.

I'm not a Christian, nor am I rich. I'm one of those impoverished "sponges" you insulted. Now why don't you address your blatant transgressions of your deity's teachings? Don't you fear being thrown into the hellfire alongside the rich you adore?

 

[PureX]

No human ever earned a billion dollars.

No human warrants being entrusted with that much power and possibility.

No human needs or deserves that much excessive wealth.

No human should be allowed to accumulate that much wealth.

 

[Vinayaka]

Really. I am pretty sure we can figure it out.

Is there some upper limit to how much money
anyone should have? Why? How much?

100 million is grotesquely larger than what anyone
could possible "need".

2.5 million seems like more than plenty for an
elderly gentleman.

So what next, once "need" is established?

I have no idea. With some wisdom applied, anyone (at any age) wouldn't 'need' more than 10 million, I would think.

 

[sun rise]

It's an unfortunate fact that all else being equal, the competitor who can cheat and get away with it, will always win the game.

That's why strong government is needed - as a check on criminals.

One of the fundamental tenets is checks and balances. A strong Congress balances a strong President. A strong system of laws balances some people's criminal instincts. Of course this is in theory.

Right now the power is tilted very very strongly in favor of the super-wealthy so they wind up paying less in taxes than the middle class. And they write bills that governments pass. This imbalance needs to be corrected.

 

[sun rise]

Since I don't think it has been brought up in this thread, I'm a fan of GivingPledge: The Giving Pledge is an effort to help address society’s most pressing problems by inviting the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to commit more than half of their wealth to philanthropy or charitable causes either during their lifetime or in their will.

Pledger List - The Giving Pledge -

 

[Audie]

I'm not in the mood for red herrings. Your hypothetical doesnt reflect the reality we're talking about.

haha

 

[Audie]

No human ever earned a billion dollars.

No human warrants being entrusted with that much power and possibility.

No human needs or deserves that much excessive wealth.

No human should be allowed to accumulate that much wealth.

Since another declines to answer, what do you mean
by "earn"?
How is money "earned"?

 

[Audie]

I have no idea. With some wisdom applied, anyone (at any age) wouldn't 'need' more than 10 million, I would think.

Lets say someone has ten million dollars, as many do.
What do you think they are doing with it? (this is under
the heading of "need".)

 

[PureX]

Since another declines to answer, what do you mean
by "earn"?
How is money "earned"?

No human could possibly produce anything equal to a billion dollars in value.

 

[Vinayaka]

Lets say someone has ten million dollars, as many do.
What do you think they are doing with it? (this is under
the heading of "need".)

I was thinking more of a young couple starting out with no job security. They could easily in comfort for the rest of their lives. Buy real estate and rent it out, for example. Depends on who and how we're defining need.

So for me personally, even at age 20, need would be far less than 10 million. But I grew up in poverty. So there is some variances ... location, psychological needs, etc.

Some folks convince themselves they 'need' stuff they don't ...
expensive cars, fancy houses, holidays, better clothing, gambling, booze, smokes, you name it.

 

[Audie]

No human could possibly produce anything equal to a billion dollars in value.

So you say. Tho obviously wrong-
but never mind that for now.

Could you just say how money is earned?
Illustrate with a example of two?

Like, say, "Grow potato, sell potato."

 

[PureX]

So you say. Tho obviously wrong-
but never mind that for now.

Could you just say how money is earned?
Illustrate with a example of two?

Like, say, "Grow potato, sell potato."

Produce a product or provide a service that you can trade to others for money. No human can produce a product or provide a service that is worth a billion dollars. And no humans does. The only way a human can gain that much wealth is by trading parasitically on the products and services being produced by others.

 

[Audie]

I was thinking more of a young couple starting out with no job security. They could easily in comfort for the rest of their lives. Buy real estate and rent it out, for example. Depends on who and how we're defining need.

So for me personally, even at age 20, need would be far less than 10 million. But I grew up in poverty. So there is some variances ... location, psychological needs, etc.

Some folks convince themselves they 'need' stuff they don't ...
expensive cars, fancy houses, holidays, better clothing, gambling, booze, smokes, you name it.

I did not gr ow up in poverty, but I like you see no
need for fancy stuff. Well, a little bit.
But, you know.

Now, how about someone who wishes to do something
other than engage in self indulgence?

Lets say they see an opportunity to build some
housing units in a fast growing community.

The need money in order to do that, do they not?

People with a lot of money generally work very hard.
That is why they have the money! And those who
inherit but do not work hard tend to see it evaporate.

The money does not just sit about, it goes out and works.
And it does things that a lot of people with a little money
cannot do. Spread money out evenly and only government
can undertake big projects.

 

[Audie]

Produce a product or provide a service that you can trade to others for money. No human can produce a product or provide a service that is worth a billion dollars. And no humans does. The only way a human can gain that much wealth is by trading parasitically on the products and services being produced by others.

Provide a service or produce a product. Ok, that will
do-
What though is the maximum value that someone
could possibly produce? Approximately, of course.

A thousand dollars? A million?

 

[Vinayaka]

I did not gr ow up in poverty, but I like you see no
need for fancy stuff. Well, a little bit.
But, you know.

Now, how about someone who wishes to do something
other than engage in self indulgence?

Lets say they see an opportunity to build some
housing units in a fast growing community.

The need money in order to do that, do they not?

People with a lot of money generally work very hard.
That is why they have the money! And those who
inherit but do not work hard tend to see it evaporate.

The money does not just sit about, it goes out and works.
And it does things that a lot of people with a little money
cannot do. Spread money out evenly and only government
can undertake big projects.

You don't necessarily need money to build apartments. What you need is the ability to convince a lender that it's viable. There are also co-operatives. Most really big money is either old money or lucky money.

 

[PureX]

People with a lot of money generally work very hard.
That is why they have the money! And those who
inherit but do not work hard tend to see it evaporate.

This is simply untrue. We live in an economic system that rewards excess wealth with more excess wealth. Everything in the system is designed to give the advantage (control of commerce) to the capital investor, who by definition is a person with more wealth than he needs to live on. And the system does not care at all how one gains that excess wealth, it will give them the control advantage, regardless.

The money does not just sit about, it goes out and works.

Money does no "work". People work. Money only enables people to do work. Investing money in the labor of others is parasitical. The investor is not doing any work, nor is he producing any product or service. He is simply using his excess wealth to gain a profit off the work of others.

And it does things that a lot of people with a little money
cannot do. Spread money out evenly and only government
can undertake big projects.

Spread the money out more evenly and we wouldn't need the capitalist parasites to enable production.

 

[Audie]

You don't necessarily need money to build apartments. What you need is the ability to convince a lender that it's viable. There are also co-operatives. Most really big money is either old money or lucky money.

Sorry-ah, but speaking as one who is involved in such
investments, I can tell you that you may want to get
that loan and say it is "viable" but unless you come in
with money, it is not going to happen.

Cooperatives? Seriously?

 

[Audie]

This is simply untrue. We live in an economic system that rewards excess wealth with more excess wealth. Everything in the system is designed to give the advantage (control of commerce) to the capital investor, who by definition is a person with more wealth than he needs to live on. And the system does not care at all how one gains that excess wealth, it will give them the control advantage, regardless.
Money does no "work". People work. Money only enables people to do work. Investing money in the labor of others is parasitical. The investor is not doing any work, nor is he producing any product or service. He is simply using his excess wealth to gain a profit off the work of others.
Spread the money out more evenly and we wouldn't need the capitalist parasites to enable production.

It is not true that people with a lot of money tend
to work very hard?

I must say here, that you've no experience in such things
and have no freakin' idea what you are talking about.

Spread it evenly and only government can undertake
large scale projects. Speaking of parasites, the
biggest and most pernicious ever!

I wrote what I did to someone who might benefit from
understanding my pov. You seem too devoted to
force fitting everything to your ideology.