$100 million to Musk is like $106 to the average household in the U.S.

"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction) 08/25/2020 at 09:50 • Filed to: None

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There was an article on Giz about Musk’s Neuralink, and how he’d put $100 million of his own money into the project. One quote was, “Only time will tell whether Elon has backed the right horse.” That made me wonder just how big of a bet it actually was for him.

Elon’s net worth was recently calculated at $91.7 billion, following the breathless rise of TSLA stock. The median net worth of the average U.S. household is $97,300.

So, ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS for Elon is like $106 to the average family in the U.S.

Zuckerberg’s about to break $100 billion as well, a nd Bezos is inching closer to $200 billion ... #TaxTheRich

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The Snowman > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 10:02

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I have heard some alternative plans on what to do with the rich.

Spanfeller is a twat > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 10:04

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Yikes. that’s a chilling calculation.

Though, it must be said that the net worth of people like Musk is absolutely arbitrary and abstract, whereas the net worth of someone in the middle class is very literal. Also, the ratio of cash/net worth of people like musk is much smaller than the ratio of cash/net worth of someone in the middle class.

That doesn’t justify that it is ludicrous that someone in the middle class could loose/earn 100 bucks in a bet or in a casino like Elon could play around with 100,000,000   

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > The Snowman 08/25/2020 at 10:09

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Protestors put a mock guillotine in Bezos’ front yard. That’s taking it a bit far...

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Spanfeller is a twat 08/25/2020 at 10:13

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Yes, it is, and who knows what TSLA will be worth next month, but that’s where it stands.

Using the stock-options-realized measure, the CEO-to-worker compensation ratio was 20-to-1 in 1965 . It peaked at 368-to-1 in 2000 . In 2018 the ratio was 278-to-1 , slightly down from 281-to-1 in 2017—but still far higher than at any point in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, or 1990s. Using the stock-options-granted measure, the CEO-to-worker compensation ratio rose to 221-to-1 in 2018 (from 206-to-1 in 2017), significantly lower than its peak of 386-to-1 in 2000 but still many times higher than the 45-to-1 ratio of 1989 or the 16-to-1 ratio of 1965.

facw > Spanfeller is a twat 08/25/2020 at 10:20

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The market value of their stock holdings is however the best estimate of what those are really worth in the minds of investors. The fact that those estimates can swing dramatically doesn’t change the fact that at any given point, this is what people think those holdings are worth. In some cases those holdings may not be very liquid, but the required holding periods for those stocks are not super long, in most cases the owners could sell them if they wanted to.  

Spanfeller is a twat > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 10:21

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Holy shit.

In the end it’s hard to compare, but of course... I doubt any mildly meritocratic system would reward most billionaires as much as they’re rewarded. 

Long_Voyager94 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 10:22

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And that to me is absolutely disgusting.

facw > The Snowman 08/25/2020 at 10:23

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Personally, I think the significant revenue supplied by even a small wealth tax would be considerably more beneficial than the small amount of calories society would obtain from eating the rich.

Though i f they continue to act like the lowest taxes in a century are an unconscionable burden on these illustrious job creators, who knows...

Spanfeller is a twat > facw 08/25/2020 at 10:24

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Someone like Musk wouldn’t be able to liquefy his Tesla stock without it plummeting. But I understand what you’re saying. I don’t want to imply that Musk deserves more credit or that he’s taking a bigger risk. It’s just that these fantastical numbers are so volatile that they don’t really mean anything. A billion dollars of the net worth of the Wa ltons is not the same as a billion dollars of the net worth of Musk. Their assets are comprised of different stuff. Made up of a wholly different kind of money. It’s why if Elon doesn’t move he might sink. The Waltons could stop working right now and have enough money/wealth for 9 0 generations to come.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Long_Voyager94 08/25/2020 at 10:33

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Seems like $5 or $10 billion should be a decent cap for anyone...

Not sure what the solution is to the situation we find ourselves in, but I’d like to see taxes on these ultra-wealthy extend the social safety net for those with zero, or negative, net worth.

hillrat > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 10:44

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I don’t know how you make something like that work in real life, maybe make them cash out $5BB and then seize the rest of their holdings? Indeed, it’s kind of crazy that people like Bezos have so much money they can’t spend it fast enough. Meanwhile, every time I walk more than 3 blocks from my house I’m getting hit up by a homeless person.

The Snowman > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 10:44

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Lol but how many miles is it to his house from the guillotine?

The Snowman > facw 08/25/2020 at 10:45

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After you eat them it's a Robinhood situation.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > The Snowman 08/25/2020 at 10:48

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His DC mansion, not to be confused with any of this other mansions.

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facw > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 10:57

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Hey now, It’s hard to spend $100B. I mean, you buy a $100M house (pretty fancy!) and that’s still only a tenth of one percent of your wealth. Of course you’re going to have more than one. And that DC mansion only cost $23M! And with Amazon’s gains this summer, Bezos is now apparently worth nearly $200B, so we are looking at more like one-hundredth of one percent of his wealth.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 10:58

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Although I haven’t read any of his books, I like Patrick Rothfuss’s take on wealth. It’s like cake:

The simple truth is, Jason, at this point in my life, I have enough money to live comfortably. And in my opinion, if you have enough money to live comfortably and you keep trying to get more and more and more money… well… it’s kind of an asshole thing to do.

It’s like this: if you have one piece of cake, and you eat it, that’s fine.

If you have two pieces of cake, you should probably share some with a friend. But maybe not. Occasionally we could all use two pieces of cake.

But if you have a whole cake, and you eat *all* of it, that’s not very cool. It’s not just selfish, it’s kinda sick and unhealthy.

And if you have *two* cakes, and you keep trying to get more cakes so you can eat ALL the cake? Well… that’s really fucking mental. And awful. And about as close to real evil as actually exists in the world.

Right now, I have… well… probably somewhere between 2-4 cakes, financially speaking.

But some people out there don’t have any cake at all. Some people don’t even have dinner, let alone desert.

That’s why I run Worldbuilders. Because some people out there have no cake at all. There are kids out there that are hungry all the time. There are kids out there with no books at all to read. There are kids out there with no beds to sleep in. No homes to come home to. No safe places. No sweet dreams.

That’s why I do all the charity work. Because the world isn’t as good as I want it to be.

Source: https://blog.patrickrothfuss.com/2014/01/concerning-cake-bilbo-baggins-and-charity/

fintail > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 11:00

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And if he gets more gifts it’ll all trickle down and make everyone a tycoon. It’s bound to happen any day now, some coddled rich  men told me so, and they wouldn't lie.  

fintail > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 11:01

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I’m not seeing the problem.   

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > hillrat 08/25/2020 at 11:03

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It’s always a Catch-22 with the ultra-rich. Make taxes too onerous and they’ll hire more and more lawyers to figure out ways not to pay it, or to set up tax-beneficial structures.

I’m thankful for The Giving Pledge and its signers, but things are completely out of whack in the States, and something has to be done to get things back to a reasonable balance.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > fintail 08/25/2020 at 11:04

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You’re okay with death threats?

hillrat > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 11:06

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Agreed. I also don’t know what motivates a person to do things for more money after they already have, say $100MM? Take  Koch brothers, I don’t understand them at all. They couldn’t possibly spend all the money they have but they continue to push for tax cuts, why? None of it makes any sense.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > fintail 08/25/2020 at 11:07

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So, what’s the actual solution to this ridiculous wealth imbalance?

fintail > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 11:10

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Not seeing any specific credible threat that would stand up in any court anyway, even in this darkest dumbest pity the rich timeline. 

fintail > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 11:12

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Massive real tax reform, to start.  The status quo of the past 40 years certainly has been proven a lie, although millions still fall for it.  

How about yours? 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > BaconSandwich is tasty. 08/25/2020 at 11:14

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Every ultra-rich person has a different motivation. I don’t think Musk is motivated by money; he wants to be this person doing big things and making big changes. I have no idea what Bezos’ or Zuckerberg’s motivation is, but it’s probably power, and they could be called two of the most powerful men in the world right now. Gates has become very philanthropic, but he wants to direct his money, so call that control.

https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3075956/why-hasnt-jeff-bezos-donated-much-charity-billionaires

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > hillrat 08/25/2020 at 11:19

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It’s power/control/achievement - there’s always someone richer... I don’t get it either. If I had $10 million, I’d never work another day in my life, and find a way to contribute to my community with my time. I’m sure some of these people see growing this huge wealth as an avenue to do good (as they see fit) in the world, but who knows how many think like that?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > fintail 08/25/2020 at 11:21

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No clue, but yeah, the taxes at the very top have to go up significantly, and seems like the obvious place for that money to go is toward the social safety net.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > fintail 08/25/2020 at 11:23

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So you’d be okay if someone hung a noose made of twine from a tree in your front yard (maybe because they don’t like the way your old car burns hydrocarbons) ?

BigBlock440 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 11:42

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Meh, It’s only that high because it’s in Tesla stock, and that’s only up because the feds printed a few trillion this year. If Tesla had a PE ratio equivalent to GM , his net worth would “only” be $256M.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > BigBlock440 08/25/2020 at 11:48

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Sure, but that’s what it is today.

Bezos fortune is definitely on more stable footing.

fintail > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 12:06

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I’d laugh.

Again, not a credible threat.

If withering economic mobility and the expanding socio-economic gap (weird how these exist with trickle down fantasty) continues, something something history doesn’t repeat but it can rhyme something.

fintail > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 12:08

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Agreed. The US is going to need to behave like the developed world sooner or later.

Sadly, neither party shows much interest in making a move.    The Ds have never really rolled back any of the idiocy implemented by the hardworking industrious bootstrappers who definitely weren’t born on third base.

Merkin Muffley > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 12:09

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What Bez os did is amazing

More impressive than FB or Microsoft by far.

Walmart or Kmart or Sears should have had the resources to crush him

Merkin Muffley > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 12:11

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Im the last guy to defend Musk but not only is most of this “in stock” it’s in restricted stock that he can’t sell for years.

And if he is still with the company then? There are still huge restrictions on when and how you can sell. It's not sitting in his wall safe in stacks of 100s...

BaconSandwich is tasty. > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 12:11

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I honestly love what Gates has done with his fortune. I’d be happy to support him, and think that he’s genuinely trying to make a difference (and has made a difference!). If he succeeds in finding a cure for Malaria, I think he’ll be known for that, not for his work at Microsoft.

I kind of get what Musk is about. He’s using his money as a tool to do what he thinks is awesome stuff (and for the most part, it is). If I had more money than I knew what to do with, I’d probably do some similar things. (Building a cross-Canada high-speed rail network would definitely be up there on my list, as well as investing in renewable/clean nuclear power).

Merkin Muffley > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 12:14

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The tax platform being proposed by the opposition party is interesting to say the least.... Seems pretty likely to trigger a “ capital flight”.

Even California wants to tax you for 10 years after you leave. The 1% always figure out ways to deal

Merkin Muffley > hillrat 08/25/2020 at 12:15

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Well... one of ‘ems dead....

Curious what their estate plan looked like

Merkin Muffley > Spanfeller is a twat 08/25/2020 at 12:16

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Its also supremely illiquid.

Musk for awhile was "worth" $30 billion but couldn't pay his child support. Too many restrictions on how and when he can sell. 

Merkin Muffley > facw 08/25/2020 at 12:17

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Musks are (and I hate to defend him) only because there's like a 20 year holding period over his contracts at the maximum. 

Merkin Muffley > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 12:20

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And THIS is the toxin that infuses all modern political discourse. It’s a ridiculous, and deliberately inflammatory, assertion.

Nothing Bez os has done warrants a “death sentence” yet it’s considered OK to make allusions thereto. This is not medieval France.

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 12:24

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I love doing this mental thought process. Back when Amazon put like $500 million into Rivian, I think Bezos was at 100 billion. I was like, I too would throw $500 dollars at any startup. It's crazy to think one dollar to the average person is the same net worth percentage as $1MM to the mega rich. Like, buying a La Ferrari is the same as the average person stopping for a Starbucks. Only the La Ferrari is going to appreciate. Truly hecking staggering to think about

facw > Merkin Muffley 08/25/2020 at 12:46

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I’ll admit don’t know the details there, but the fact remains they assets that the markets believe have that value. If he needed cash, even if he can’t sell them, he could presumably use those assets to help him obtain a loan (I’d also assume it’s a rolling thing, so he will be able to sell older stock grants sooner if he needs liquid funds) .

MrDakka > facw 08/25/2020 at 12:53

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You’re obviously thinking too small if you $100 billion is hard to spend.

I’m gonna need at least a $100 trillion to create my own roving tax haven micronation .

Mile long ships/floating arcologies , de ep sea mining platforms, crypto  mining server farms, nuclear/renewable energy plants, orbital launch facilities, global satellits communications plus the compensation and pay packages for all my citizen employees will burn $100 billion rather quickly.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor 08/25/2020 at 12:57

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Yep. One just cannot conceive having that kind of money.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Merkin Muffley 08/25/2020 at 12:58

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It’s very disturbing. It’s not okay.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Merkin Muffley 08/25/2020 at 13:02

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And that’s the problem. If you raise taxes too much, the ultra-rich just get better lawyers, or find a new home.

Merkin Muffley > facw 08/25/2020 at 13:03

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Oh, Musk had $2billion out in magic loans, pledging his stock for awhile to Morgan Stanley

One guy on S/A actually read the agreement and figured out that if Tesla stock ever fell below $153 a share Musk would get the Margin call For The Ages.

I don’t disagree that “the market thinks” that’s what it worth today. Musk can certainly borrow against that figure to some level. However that isn’t the price it might be worth someday if he has to sell either. That squeeze the other way can be painful.

To this point though "the Musk lifestyle " and alimony payments are financed with stock margin loans mostly. The PayPal money is long gone. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > BaconSandwich is tasty. 08/25/2020 at 13:07

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Watch Inside Bill’s Brain on Netflix, if you haven’t yet.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Merkin Muffley 08/25/2020 at 13:08

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Yes, of course. And wealth has never been his motivation.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Merkin Muffley 08/25/2020 at 13:10

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Wish I’d been smart/brave enough to invest bigly a decade ago.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > fintail 08/25/2020 at 13:11

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Really? How about a dog’s head on your front porch?

Seriously, it’s not okay to “joke” about executing someone.

fintail > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 13:15

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Or a horse’s head in my bed?

If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, or something. I suspect  no charges were pressed about the above display, no legit death threat, no reason for hysteria.  

Merkin Muffley > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 13:20

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Bezos was so open too... “I’m going to Seattle to sell books over the internet... from that franchise I’m going to conquer retail”

I mean who hasn't done that?

BaconSandwich is tasty. > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 13:23

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I have.  It was pretty good.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Spanfeller is a twat 08/25/2020 at 13:24

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but you also have how to account how much of a middle class persons net worth, is tied to home value or 401k, that either would take serious penalties if they had to take out in the next couple weeks or month?

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/composition-of-wealth/

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > fintail 08/25/2020 at 13:24

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Just because something is legal, doesn’t mean it’s okay. Also not okay to parade around with a replica of Trump’s (or Obama’s) head on a pike...

A guillotine, real or fake, says “meet our demands or we will kill you ”, whether you admit it or not.

Saracen > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 13:25

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I’ve learned the hard way, that I can’t really trust “investor news”. I have to do my own research and make my own judgement. Every time I trust an analysts word, or some hot stock time, I lose money. When I do my own research and trust in my own domain knowledge, it always pays off. I should have invested in Amazon when they first went public, but I was scared off by analysts, even though I realized that Amazon was the future of shopping. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > BaconSandwich is tasty. 08/25/2020 at 13:26

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Goes to show that all the money and ingenuity in the world can’t overcome politics and bad luck... But every project was definitely worth the effort. I hope he lives long enough to see some more great successes.

slipperysallylikespenguins > fintail 08/25/2020 at 13:30

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So do you think Bezos would have been completely safe going out into that crowd by himself?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Saracen 08/25/2020 at 13:30

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I’ve had Amazon Prime forever, I was a Netflix early adopter , I bought my first Mac in 2003, I knew about Bitcoin from day one.

I had the information, but not always the funds, and never the guts to make big moves. I’m doing very well in spite of that, but man, what could have been...

fintail > slipperysallylikespenguins 08/25/2020 at 13:32

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With a million eyes on him, probably not in real danger. I mean look at that mob, they look pretty tough, but probably have things under control.

fintail > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 13:33

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Those are valid opinions, and I respect them.

These actions will be real if current trends continue.  Again history rhyming and all that.

slipperysallylikespenguins > fintail 08/25/2020 at 13:38

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I think it’s been clearly shown in the last few months that large groups of people wearing masks and passionate about something can be emboldened into violent  actions very easily.

Spanfeller is a twat > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 08/25/2020 at 13:40

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Of course, undeniably... but even using your own graph the middle bracket is the most liquid, and home prices are much more stable than stocks. Granted... liquefying a principal res idence or a pension is not a great idea and does cause penalties.

But what the graph tells me the most is that for the middle class, money is very real. To richer people it becomes increasingly unimportant and very subjective .

BigBlock440 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 13:44

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It’s what it is today, but it’s not real and essentially meaningless. Bezos is somewhat more concrete, yes, but that number is also so large essentially because the feds printed over 30 times that amount to make sure stocks remained inflated. Amazon would have still done well (though not 200B like now), but Musk’s NW wouldn’t be anywhere near what it is (probably still in the 10/ 11-figure club though ) without the feds propping up the market. $ 6,000,000,000,000.00 just on the pandemic, on top of the already planned $4,790,000,000,000.00.  Nuts the amount of “money” going in to prop up those figures.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > BigBlock440 08/25/2020 at 13:53

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And that’s a whole different story... The debt of the United States now exceeds the size of its gross domestic product.

If either of these guys aren’t multi-billionaires in 2030, feel free to track me down and remind me that their wealth in 2020 was meaningless.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 14:36

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Can we MAGA our way back to when we had a 90%+ top income tax bracket and a separate crazy low tier for capital gains tax, please?

Also speaking of capital gains - I’m fine with having a 15% rate for say the fist million of income...hell, make it first 10 million if it’ll bring more people on board? But anyone making more than that on capital gains can also afford to pay the standard income tax rate for those gains. Let them threaten to invest their money elsewhere. It’ll be good motivation to start plugging up the holes around offshoring money to evade taxation  as well.

ranwhenparked > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 14:39

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Wonder if he’d be willing to throw about $4 at those assholes holding the Emmet t Till historic site hostage? That’s one of the things I’d love to do, if I had just a few hundred million, call their bluff and buy them out, and make sure their dad’s part in all of it gets pride of place in the museum.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ranwhenparked 08/25/2020 at 14:48

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Article?

Merkin Muffley > Saracen 08/25/2020 at 14:49

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The retail investors get much worse info than the institutions. Never forget that. The last time Tesla crashed it was found that$45billion had been sold by hedge and wealth funds the week prior.

When the big Tesla crash comes? It's the little guys who will feel the pain. 

ranwhenparked > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 15:10

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Ive got one bar of service right now, but, basically, one of the jurors who voted to acquit his killers based on fraudulent testimony bought the grocery store where it all went down, and let it fall into ruin from the 1980s onward. His kids own it now, a bunch of groups want it as the centerpiece for a civil rights museum, but they want $4 million for a property generously appraised at maybe $15,000. The thinking is they want it to finish totally collapsing from neglect, erased from history, so they don’t wind up assisting a museum that might paint their father in a negative light. It’s mostly gone now, but it could be rebuilt to as it was in the ‘50s without too much difficulty, but that would take another $1.5 million or so to accomplish. Remember, the Nazis wanted all the concentration camps dismantled brick by brick and buried, as well. Even horrible stories are just stories when you can only read them on a page, they inevitability lose some of their impact when there’s no concrete, physical reminders left of where they happened.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 08/25/2020 at 15:12

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Blame Kennedy, I guess.

Yes, there definitely needs to be some cut-off for the 15% capital gains tax.

The rate had reached 94 percent during World War II, on income over $200,000 (approx. $2.49 million in today’s dollars) . It dropped down to 91 percent in 1946 and remained there until the Kennedy tax cuts in 1962-64. Brackets weren’t inflation adjusted back then, so it still applied on income over $200,000, which by then had reached $1.41 million in today’s dollars.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ranwhenparked 08/25/2020 at 15:18

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Our collective past is terribly ugly, but we do our children a disservice when we try to erase or hide it.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51380171

BigBlock440 > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 08/25/2020 at 16:06

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Can we MAGA our way back to when we had a 90%+ top income tax bracket and a separate crazy low tier for capital gains tax, please?

To pay for WW3, sure.

fintail > slipperysallylikespenguins 08/25/2020 at 16:06

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If this was a large group of loud screaming protesters likely infused with proud boys types and anarchists , the comparison might work. Not seeing that very clearly here though.   Also haven’t seen any of the nation’s elite in legitimate harm’s way.

Spanfeller is a twat > fintail 08/25/2020 at 16:45

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Don’t tell yourself that lie. If you saw a threatening message outside your house you’d shit your bed. Its normal for that to happen unless you live in a constant state of agression and violence. Which you don't.

Guillotines in Bezos front yard are funny because of the French revolution and what not, and I think its evident those protestors wouldn’t kill anyone . I bet Bezos could give less of a damn about it too given his security budget probably rivals that of a small city.

Spanfeller is a twat > Merkin Muffley 08/25/2020 at 16:48

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Bezos has, through abusing his infrastructure and lax laws, ruined dozens of lives, just like the waltons have crippled the economy of millons of not billions of people.

I’m sure corporal punishment shouldn’t be a thing, but as far as physiological and corporal damage to millions ... Its irresponsible to think that oligarchs like them have no blood on their hands simply by being part of (and strengthening) the systems that be.

fintail > Spanfeller is a twat 08/25/2020 at 16:56

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What lie? Maybe it’s something so far outside the realm of possibility and reasonableness that it is impossible to take seriously - when the guillotines are dusted off, it won’t be me they are coming after.   I don’t have a ride helped by mommy and daddy, I can’t even afford a small detached house.

But indeed, those protesters look less than intimidating, I suspect Bezos could run out there without even a butter knife and be unharmed.  Not that he’s have to, as you mention, his protection squad will take care of anything for him.  I suspect during this incident, they looked, smirked, and got back to playing cards or something.

Spanfeller is a twat > fintail 08/25/2020 at 17:29

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You’re from a country that, where it not for it’s army and obesity problem, would be known for all of the serial killers. Couple that to easy access to guns and a completely destroyed mental health system, if I lived in America I would totally freak out if that would happen.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 17:31

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I have no allegiance to Kennedy, so go for it. He may have started it, but some fine fellows after him have really made a habit of helping out their donor class with never ending cuts, fiscal responsibility out the window although its one of their party’s main tenets. 

BaconSandwich is tasty. > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 17:48

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I was wondering what would have happened if the nuclear reactor design was “accidentally” hacked from them... or was shared with some friendly nation, who then shared it with China.

As much as I like renewable power, the thought of using something like Thorium really excites me.  Especially because I live in a frozen wasteland 6 months of the year, and no amount of solar would be enough to keep us warm.  (Wind and solar... maybe... mixed with some geothermal... but nuclear is just too dang cool to not use).

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > BaconSandwich is tasty. 08/25/2020 at 17:56

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Yeah, I hope their design gets to be used one day.

fintail > Spanfeller is a twat 08/25/2020 at 20:54

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I live in the most boring affluent techdork/money laundering “investor” suburb in the world. My streets are safe even relative to real first world areas.    That “if” is hilarious. What if it happened in Mexico? I know the lucky few born into unearned wealth don’t have to see the life of the proles, but those American social ills you mention are even worse in your backyard than mine.

Spanfeller is a twat > fintail 08/25/2020 at 21:14

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Oh, man, you really need to read without being argumentative. I was very careful with what I wrote.

Mexico is neither known for it’s army nor for its obesity problem (even if obesity is a bigger issue here than in the US)

Mexico’s mental healthcare system, while bad, is not nearly as stupid as the american one thanks to the fact that we have universal healthcare.

despite all of the drug wars, we have a comparable gun per capita ratio as the US. if not lower. 

If you ask criminologists, Mexico does not seem to have “serial killers” like the US does; in Mexico most homicides are related to organized crime or to gender violence. Which is an issue (a very serious issue, in fact), and while it is much more likely for an activist or a journalist to be murdered here than in the US, it is probably less likely than random individuals are murdered by a serial killer.

and of course, if someone left a threatening message in my house I would shit my pants. No social group in this country is truly shielded from the violence and crime that occurs.

and the fact that you live in a “safe” street just sort of reinforces my point. If something went slightly off course in your life... you’d shit your bed, because it’s just the human thing to do. You live surrounded by all of this peace and order that if there suddenly was an absence of it you’d be scared. I think it’s foolish to pretend otherwise.

fintail > Spanfeller is a twat 08/25/2020 at 21:43

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But you posted at me trying to be argumentative, no?

I guess I’d need to see real data about what might “seem” to be a lack of serial killers and crime stats etc. Looks like a weird tangent. I’d also be as leery of the veracity of data there as much as I am from certain US locations.

You’re playing a silly game of “what if” which in my opinion is meant to deflect and distract. I’m not buying it. I’m not a coddled 20 year old slurpin g down unearned dynastic wealth looking for a weird debate. I suspect people who have actually functioned as independent adults shit the bed less than some others.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/25/2020 at 22:51

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reminds me after katrina when the nfl was boasting about 1mil donation, and realsports called them out, “you made 6.5 billion last year ., thats the equivalent of the average american donating $ 20.”

hillrat > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/26/2020 at 06:53

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Blecch! My old man told me when I was young: there’s always going to be a dude with a hotter wife, a bigger dick, a nicer car, a better job, etc.; the key to being happy is not worrying about that guy and enjoying what you have. I don’t know why that’s so difficult for people to understand.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 08/26/2020 at 09:51

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Yep.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > hillrat 08/26/2020 at 09:55

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Contentment is huge. I’ve always believed that the way people are with money/possessions will be the way they are, regardless of how wealthy they become. It’s sickening to me how many rich people still manage to acquire s o much that they completely overextend themselves and live with the constant burden of debt. For what?