Bernie Sanders says that billionaires have “psychiatric issues.” He’s not entirely incorrect.

originally posted by: johnwick
a reply to: Punisher75
I thought that curious as well but let it slide, because I didn't feel like arguing.

Eh I assume I must have just missed something, cause you know you need only a few things to get by.
1.) Food
2.) Housing
3.) Healthcare
4.) Education

Here in the U.S.
All have access to a free education. Don't matter if you are rich or poor.
If you are poor you can go get Healthcare in the form of medicaid.
Food stamps are available to the poor as well.
Section 8 housing for the poor as well.

If you are disabled not only can you get all of the above you also get a Social Security Check as well.

The only people who actually have to worry too much are those who are lower middle class, cause they make just a little too much to qualify for benefits but not enough to really be too comfortable.
The other group of people who suffer are those that kinda get lost in the cracks of the system, or non committed mentally ill who probably need someone to look after their affairs, and so on.

All that said I would say America is actually pretty darn socialist. Now you may not have a TV and a cell phone or much in the way of luxury items at all, but people Starving to death is pretty darn rare.

Say, suddenly, you inherited $15BN from a distant relative, that you had no idea existed before today...

What would you do with that money/wealth? Would you invest it? Would you distribute it evenly to your friends and family? Would you give it all away to charity? Would you ever give another F $#K what anyone thought of you?

Well I would give about 13 of it to charity
Distribute the rest of it up among myself friends and family
with my share move deep into the mountains and never give another f!#!k what anyone thought of me.


So a little of each please.

originally posted by: Punisher75

Say, suddenly, you inherited $15BN from a distant relative, that you had no idea existed before today...

What would you do with that money/wealth? Would you invest it? Would you distribute it evenly to your friends and family? Would you give it all away to charity? Would you ever give another F $#K what anyone thought of you?

Well I would give about 13 of it to charity
Distribute the rest of it up among myself friends and family
with my share move deep into the mountains and never give another f!#!k what anyone thought of me.


So a little of each please.

Well that is a very nice, honest answer.....

The kind politicians need to be using to reconnect to their roots.....

This dude sounds ok to me.
Has he got a chance of winning?.

a reply to: Vasa Croe

I have no idea what one even could do with 15 billion dollars, other than give it a huge chunk of it away, there is no way I could spend it all.
If I had like 100 acres of land in forested mountains, and a lets say a 3-4 bedroom cabin for the wife and my 2 kids sitting right in the middle of it, I would be set, for life. I cannot imagine a better life.

originally posted by: Punisher75
a reply to: Vasa Croe

I have no idea what one even could do with 15 billion dollars, other than give it a huge chunk of it away, there is no way I could spend it all.
If I had like 100 acres of land in forested mountains, and a lets say a 3-4 bedroom cabin for the wife and my 2 kids sitting right in the middle of it, I would be set, for life. I cannot imagine a better life.

Now that sounds like a good plan. Mine is more southerly...

originally posted by: johnwick
If tomorrow, none of the workers showed up how would the company do?

If tomorrow none of the management showed up, how would the company do?

If none of the workers showed up the work wouldn't get done and the company would go out of business.

If none of the management showed up the work wouldn't have direction, or anyone to enforce doing the work and the company would likewise go out of business.

You would still need gas for your car and food for your table right?

Well the guy at the gas station still needs those things to.

Except the guy who owns the gas station is suddenly left with land that's worth much less money, that he still needs to make payments on. Additionally, the people that are buying gas are now buying less because half of them are furloughed from their jobs.

originally posted by: Vasa Croe
I didn't read the entire thread, but I understand the jist. I just want to understand why people think the billionaires are any different from anyone else? Everyone hates on the 1%....why?

Say, suddenly, you inherited $15BN from a distant relative, that you had no idea existed before today...

What would you do with that money/wealth? Would you invest it? Would you distribute it evenly to your friends and family? Would you give it all away to charity? Would you ever give another F $#K what anyone thought of you?

I have always wanted to know what people who despise the 1% would do if THEY had the money.

People say 1% but really it's closer to .1%, though the 1% as a whole is doing much better than other people are (charted as improvements in life quality over time).

Anyways to answer your question I would be a philanthropist and invest in the American people. I would pick various cities in the US that are well run but could use some help and set up trust funds for them, with the purpose of the fund being to loan out money to those who need a business or home loan, while growing the fund for 100 years. At the end of the 100 years the city could spend half of it on civic works, and reinvest the other half. Very similar to what Benjamin Franklin (a hero of mine) did with Philadelphia. Long ago I decided that if I ever have anything to leave behind when I die this is precisely what I would do, I already have the papers drawn up actually... if I die a city gets it all. This 15 billion wouldn't change that at all. I would use 5 billion on those projects.

Ending homelessness would take 20 billion. I can't do that, but 5 billion targeted in the areas that need the most help would probably solve 40% of it simply by buying homes for people, similar to what Utah did.

I would take a few million to buy modest homes for family members in need.

The remaining 4.9 billion would go into creating a game studio, with that type of nest egg the money can be reinvested easily to take off the pressure of needing to release on time. I would gather employees that wanted to make good games without the constant pressure of the studio having enough cash or having to worry about the business side of things, and then use my time making video games, and hopefully a few of them would be good ones that people would enjoy playing.

Using this nest egg I would also set up summer internships for people looking to learn the field, with the payment being a large scholarship for their summer work.

This story has always struck with me. I wish it would happen more often.
www.upworthy.com...
nypost.com...
www.businessinsider.com...

I would make sure things like that happen more often.

I'm a bit surprised that NPD - Narcissistic Personality Disorder - hasn't been brought up. This is a Cluster B disorder, like Sociopathic Personality Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder (psychopathy).

Here are the traits for NPD. Having 5 or more qualifies you for clinical illness, according to DSM:

1. Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements).
2. Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love.
3. Believes that he or she is “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions).
4. Requires excessive admiration.
5. Has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations.
6. Is inter-personally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends.
7. Lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others.
8. Is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her.
9. Shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes.

NPD is on the rise in Western Society and taking on epidemic proportions.

soulwaxer

a reply to: Vasa Croe

I don't see how one could ever spend that amount of money or ever need that amount. I don't get the point of hoarding money like that in banks.

On a MUCH smaller scale, we recently received an inheritance. We bought 20 acres of undeveloped land near a lake and a nice RV. We already had a nice monthly retirement. Then we distributed the rest to our kids and grandkids. I was already involved in many charities.

If I had 15 bil?
Likely become the next Elon Musk but of biology.

I would do to biology what he has done for the car, energy and space industry.

Alas even with the high wage I have now I dont have enough to even finance one of my ideas.......anyone got a spare 500 mil?



I

originally posted by: Punisher75
a reply to: Vasa Croe

I have no idea what one even could do with 15 billion dollars, other than give it a huge chunk of it away, there is no way I could spend it all.
If I had like 100 acres of land in forested mountains, and a lets say a 3-4 bedroom cabin for the wife and my 2 kids sitting right in the middle of it, I would be set, for life. I cannot imagine a better life.

Thats the problem withthe banking and oil familys.

They hord the Billions and even then thats not enough, they will extort goverments, start war and manipulate the markets to get more, then store it offshore beyond the reach of any goverment and watch as the countrys who supplied that wealth burn. Then loan the money out to those country so they are even more at there mercy,

a reply to: crazyewok

Sarcasm on:

No they don't, they're all friendly loving humanitarians.

Sarcasm off:

Is seriously depressing

originally posted by: johnwick

originally posted by: links234

originally posted by: johnwick

He is a socialist, openly.

Socialism was tried many times, it is a utter failure.

It seems to be working well in the northern European nations, social democracies. Bernie's a Democratic Socialist, can you list some democratic socialist nations that have failed?

Oh, so this time it will be different?

Insanity - try the same thing over and over again and expecting to get a different result. Einstein.

Those countries are tiny, and they are all dying.

They have a reproductive rate of 1 or less, a country must have a 2.1 rate just to maintain their current population.

1 to replace mom, 1 to replace dad, and. 1 to make up for the Darwin award winners.

Without this, any nation will die.

This is not debatable, it is a numerical fact.

They are circling the drain as we speak, and this current generation will be the last that lives as they do now, because there aren't enough new tax payers to pay for the bloated benefits the older generations are receiving.

Am I the only math major in this discussion?

Because this is all very very easy to see and understand to me, just from a numerical perspective.

There is a very very easy fix to that problem when the times comes

Your smart you figure it out......here is a clue it relates to a big problem the US and UK have right now.......

a reply to: crazyewok

If I had it I would build an robotic exoskeleton like Stephen Hawking did.

originally posted by: xuenchen

originally posted by: links234

originally posted by: johnwick

He is a socialist, openly.

Socialism was tried many times, it is a utter failure.

It seems to be working well in the northern European nations, social democracies. Bernie's a Democratic Socialist, can you list some democratic socialist nations that have failed?

Except for the massive national debts in all the countries.

Tick by Tick -- Bombs Away

1) The debt means nothing. Its the deficit that matters. Debts fine if you can pay it back.
2) Most these country's have low deficits or running surplus which means its like a credit card debt you can pay back.
3) There spike in debt was not caused by them but the USA and UK banks #ing the world economy up in 2008. If it was not for us it would be a lot lower.
4) Even then there debt and deficits still a fraction of the USA

a reply to: Daedal

The problem with all these candidates is they fail to account for cloning technology and person replacement by powers that be

Only - semi joking

originally posted by: Watcher012
a reply to: Daedal

The problem with all these candidates is they fail to account for cloning technology and person replacement by powers that be

Only - semi joking

Wouldn't joke to much.

With gene Therapy soon it may be possible toe extend the life expectancy to around 200.

a reply to: johnwick

Capitalism doesn't seem to be working too well either. If he tries to enact a socialist government and it fails, guess what, we're in the exact same spot as we are now. The way I see it, we have nothing to lose at this point, we're already spiraling into oblivion as it is.

a reply to: Daedal

Fitzgerald is obviously talking about inherited wealth and big time wealth at that.

Just so we all know what the numbers are here, I thought I would toss out the actual quantity of billionaires we have.

615.

Yes, that's right, lynch em, squeeze em, shake em all you like, there will not be salvation coming out of their out-turned pockets.

In case anyone is interested, this is how not a billionaire Sanders is.