Quote from: NewLiberty on July 25, 2013, 06:54:22 PM

Quote from: crumbs on July 25, 2013, 05:14:24 PM

Quote from: NewLiberty on July 25, 2013, 05:02:50 PM

Quote from: crumbs on July 25, 2013, 02:28:35 PM

Quote from: NewLiberty on July 25, 2013, 01:29:12 PM

Matched by Warren Buffet (who is leaving less than 1/10000th of his wealth to his heirs and the rest to charity).

You don't know how inheritance works, do you? Cheesy

No matter, help me with my math: Would 1/10000th of 60 billion dollars make me a pauper?

I do. The Buffet endowment is premortem. Is your goal that all ought be paupers?

No. According to you, that was Andrew Carnegie's goal. He failed. A great man, nonetheless. B+ for trying.

Non-sequitor? Apropos of nothing. (Unless you are imagining that I am saying Carnegie was trying to impoverish the nation by endowing libraries Hint:I am not saying that)

Non-sequiturs are always apropos of nothing, redundant. This, OTOH, was not a non-sequitur. Allow me to quote your earlier post:
"Andrew Carnegie, a century ago, declared it disgraceful to die rich." Unless you're suggesting he was poor (a pauper) when he died, he has died in disgrace. By his own standards. I thought it was cruel of you to speak ill of the dead, and called him "a great man nonetheless."

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Quote from: crumbs on July 25, 2013, 02:28:35 PM

Quote from: NewLiberty on July 25, 2013, 01:29:12 PM

He paid for his kid's educations, + they get about US$1mil.
So if they are going to be jet-set, they have to earn that on their own.
He lives a relatively modest life himself as well.

Either you do not know how inheritance works, or you assume that i do not. The goal, my friend, is to pass on much while, on paper, appearing to pass on nothing. In his case, nothing is not plausible, so he *claims* that he's *planning* to leave the minimum creditable amount.

Much lower than the minimum creditable amount according to current tax law, in fact.

I meant credible to humans. I didn't realize you couldn't legally disinherit your kinfolk

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Your assumption that your goals and his are the same is your error here, you assume invidious motives in him which are not in evidence other than your imagination about how people with more money than you *must* think.

Beg your pardon? I simply pointed out that motives can not be determined from claims that you plan to leave next to nothing to your kin. He may wish to only leave a mil ea, or he doesn't want the tax man's grubby paws on his monyz. That's all. Stop reading bad stuff into everything people say, it's unbecoming.

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Instead he is less evil than you are, apparently, as it appears were all of these .00001%ers under discussion. Fascinating.

I still find the "got your nose" trick more fascinating, but that's just me.

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Have you checked out the Bill and Mel Gates fund and their work?

No, but i have a feeling you'll tell me about it & i'm in for a big surprise.

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The same ruthlessness and business acumen that brought his wealth being used to target some of the biggest problems worldwide is a marvel to behold. As an NGO, they do far more than any government could on these matters. He is doing it with his own money and his time and energy. This is how he spends his life, giving and making a difference.

I'll be darned... Doing more with his money than any government could. Color me impressed. You should write to Bill & Mel and see if they could do something about all the taxes you have to pay on your minimum wage. I'm sure if he finds you a worthwhile cause, he'll help out.

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You keep comparing these people that gained wealth by doing things that the world craved,

In Bill's case, you're confusing IBM with the world. IBM wanted a 16-bit OS in a hurry, the world didn't even ask

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and then giving back what they made...with people that are less innovative and less energetic and less creative as if they merit the same decision making power (money).

Not quite following, but if you're suggesting that Bill is smarter than minimum-wage mom, i agree 100%. I just don't think minimum-wage mom should give 50% of what she makes to charity & starve to death. You obviously think that she should. To each his own, i suppose. One less dumb bitch & one less hungry brat -- they didn't support major charities anyhow.

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Some folks might image that people who make really good decisions over and over and over, might be better than average at doing that. Why not let them spend it on doing good... rather than take it at gunpoint, and have the highest bidder for government favor make that decision instead?

Unless you personally practiced your gun-fu on Bill, i doubt he had many guns pointed at him in his life. Further, i never heard him bitch about taxation -- that's your gig, stop projecting.