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how about just a billion?

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by schinia, Jan 28, 2012.

  1. schinia

    schinia Member

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    take a billion 1 dollar bills, lay them end to end, and they will circle the earth 3 times. (at the equator) does anyone need that much money???
     
  2. ItsNotAboutTheMoney

    ItsNotAboutTheMoney EditProfOptInfoCustomUser Title

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    If you take 1 dollar bill and put it in the southern oceans it might circle the earth many more times.
     
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  3. Chuck.

    Chuck. Former Honda Enzyte Driver

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  4. fulltank

    fulltank New Member

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    I think once you get into the billions 'need' turns into 'want'
     
  5. schinia

    schinia Member

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    they asked a billionaire once, how much more money do you need? he said he "needed" just a little more. he didn't use the word "want"
     
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  6. amm0bob

    amm0bob Permanently Junior...

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    More class envy by the tax and spend advocates no doubt...

    What concern is it of yours how much someone makes... so long as they pay their taxes, let them make what they will... there is no need to take whatever they make over YOUR perceived upper limit of what someone can have...

    As long as they make their coins honestly, no-one should remove what they can from the pockets of the "Billionaire or Millionaire" because they think it's too much money for them to have.
     
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  7. amm0bob

    amm0bob Permanently Junior...

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  8. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    ...starting to look like this thread might have started as a theoretical question about how much a person needs and is turning political. Inching towards getting moved.
     
  9. amm0bob

    amm0bob Permanently Junior...

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    Hmmmm... curious...

    Is dissent about anything, political Bra... if you use a quote from a famous founding father as a basis for your contribution for debate in any topic, does that mean you have crossed a threshold that cannot be crossed in civil debate... and thus send the entire batch of contributors into another forum that most cannot enter without the risk of flames and arrows of true partisan discontent...

    I think the discussion of money and wealth is not just a political one Bra.

    I personally don't believe that this one is either... [​IMG]
     
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  10. Trebuchet

    Trebuchet Senior Member

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    :pound:

    Tony gets to choose what's political and what's isn't based upon some unknown but highly variable criteria . . . or maybe it's just upon a whimsy? :noidea:

    Who gets to choose how much a person needs . . . ?

    Tom missed the part about voting but Ben didn't and Ben also got our form of government correct . . .

    When people realize they can vote themselves money that will herald the end of the republic. :thumb:
     
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  11. schinia

    schinia Member

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    to put it simply, money is power, and freedom, and absolutely no one should have an excessive of either.
     
  12. amm0bob

    amm0bob Permanently Junior...

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    I disagree with the entire premis, especially in a Republic like ours Bra. It is only put simply like that by simple minded folks.

    While it IS true, money can mean power (and the buying of influence) the SCOTUS says that corporations are equal to a person in their right to voice an opinion... do you also believe that corporations/companies should be limited in their ability to gather coins... for example, once ten billion iPads are sold, should they just give away any more money they receive. How about the fella that got your sister to buy that pet rock... after all, he was just reselling small rocks at a tremendously inflated price.
     
  13. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    Yes. Terms of Service | PriusChat
     
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  14. prj

    prj Member

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    Years ago, I read about Jim Clark, who financed Netscape, among other companies. As he made more money, his goals kept getting bigger. Finally, it was to make a billion dollars. Then once he got there, the goal was a billion after taxes.

    From the book "The New New Thing"
    I reminded Clark that after he had said that once he became a real after-tax billionaire he'd retire. He said, without missing a beat, "I just want to make more money than Larry Ellison. Then I'll stop."​
     
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  15. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    The problem is they don't pay there fair share of taxes.That's why we are in the mess we are in.
    The USA has reached a breaking point in greed. And you keep voting them back in.
    And envy by the "tax and spend" advocates. Christ don't make me laugh.

    George Bush: Spend and then tax the ham & eggers to pay for it. The rich rode off into the sunset with there money in the Caymans.
    We will be paying for his uproarious 8 years of fun for the next 20. You too.

    And what a great choice you have this year:

    Newt Gingrich and Mitt. How will you ever decide?

    I loved the State of the Union.. Obama called for fairness in the tax code. All the Democrats rose off there seats in applause. Not one of your buddies stood up. Fairness in the tax code?
    My god...that's almost un american.
     
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  16. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    Only Merkins can even consider voting in the same group of clowns that brought the economy to the verge of collapse not 4 years ago.
     
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  17. amm0bob

    amm0bob Permanently Junior...

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    Well Ed... one thing I believe...

    EVERYONE NEEDS TO PAY SOMETHING.

    Today... half do not.

    That is wrong.

    And you are mistaken and misguided if you think the folks that ARE paying taxes ain't paying their fair share.

    Secondly...

    Class envy and taking what the govt can - to fund whatever they choose - from those that have made a better life for themselves legally, when there isn't enough revenues for what the govt spendaholics folks keep re-electing is what needs to be changed.

    In addition... you really should look into the facts of the day then Bra... Yes, Bush was funding war, authorized by the CONgress... but the reason we are in the problem we are is because of the market manipulators, inflationary manipulation by speculators about value of things like real estate, bundling very risky derivatives and selling them world-wide as AAA stuff, and govt guarantee for loans that the homeowners couldn't afford...

    Oh... you do know Bra... I have no buddies in the CONgress... and I am a life-long registered Democrat... just not the tax-n-spend, no-work, uninvested entitlement prone freeloader that is in the majority of the party these days.
     
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  18. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    The vast credit bubble of the Bush era was 99% driven by unregulated, non-transparent derivatives, NOT government loan guarantees. Even people not familiar with the facts should know this from common sense: after all, if the derivatives were already backed by the US gov, why the need to bailout the banks and AGs of the world ?

    Guess which party prevented an Obama inspired law to require derivative trading disclosures ?

    As for party affiliation, I on the other hand am a life-long NON democrat, but I can recognize insanity in the form of the repub aka tea party.
     
  19. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    ABob,

    Last year I changed my tax status from employee to self-employed, but I do the exact same work and my gross income is about the same. My total tax burden* has decreased 80%.

    * SS+federal and state income tax.
     
  20. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    This is one of the reasons we need government. While our free market system does a pretty good job, even the most steely free market advocate has to admit that some regulation is necessary to keep it on the rails. Without regulation, our free market system is like a football game without referees: it sounds good at first, but then all the rules go out the window - the team with the biggest thugs wins, regardless of talent.

    This happens when taxes are used to shape behavior. While the principal use of taxes is raising revenue, tax law can also be used to encourage or discourage certain behaviors. We do that a lot in this country. For example, we make mortgage payments tax deductible; that encourages home ownership. We heavily tax alcohol and cigarettes in the hope that it will minimize use. Likewise, as in your example, we use taxes to encourage people to start and run businesses.

    In your case it's just a technicality, you are doing the same job either way, but in the eyes of tax law you have created a job and should therefor be rewarded.

    Whether this is a good thing or bad is another topic, probably best reserved for Fred's House of Politics.

    Tom
     
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