Comments

Did you say $43 million? - Obscene! Tell the buyer that 20,000 people, mainly children, die every day, mainly due to poverty.

Posted by Trevor Gay at December 4, 2006 11:22 AM

But Trevor, it does say it is an exceptional value...You are dead right though...makes me think about the huge gap in wealth in the world...

Posted by mike neiss at December 4, 2006 2:06 PM

Dear Trevor, and the price of having QE2? And William's probable wedding? Okay, okay, I'm starting to sound like Cherie Blair--sorry.

Posted by tom peters at December 4, 2006 2:56 PM

No problem with what you say Tom – the examples about we Brits are equally obscene when seen against the poverty in some parts of the world – my swipe was NOT at the USA … And by the way, thank God, you will never sound like Cherie Blair :-)

Over here we now pay footballers (soccer) crazy money. These men can become millionaires in 10 weeks at £100k per WEEK. I read an article recently about the financial wiz-kids in the City in London who make so much money their wives and girlfriends cannot spend it all. I am not a hypocrite and of course I would not turn down earning that sort of money. But what gets to me is the extremes we see on one planet that we are loaned while we are here. All this reminds me of the Gandhi reply, when asked what he thought of democracy in the UK – Mr Gandhi said – ‘I think it would be a very good idea.’

Sorry if it sounds like I am moaning - I am normally more of an optimist - but I guess that is how I feel about it.

Posted by Trevopr Gay at December 4, 2006 4:36 PM

While I am not an economist, nor do I pretend to be one, I can’t understand why we condemn those with money and continually focus on the gap between the rich and the poor. Is there such a thing as poor in this country? Again, I’m not Jack Kennedy but when Hurricane Katrina hit our church heading to Mississippi to one of the poorest neighborhoods. We performed a fun service called mucking, which is basically stripping a house of everything from possessions to wall board. The first home of a “poor person” had 3 televisions, 9 radios, 3 wedding dresses, microwave, three bikes, motorcycle, car, cd players, etc. Not to mention a shoe collection to die for. Being poor was a choice to live day by day on credit cards, off government subsidies, and waste 99% of it on junk. When the owner stopped by, not a single word of appreciation or assistance was offered to our group who had been working 12 hours a day on her house. Another gentleman’s home was much closer to our image of poor but he was rich in stories. We spent hours just listening to him tell us about the days of old and his former life as a sailor, writer, machinist, etc. That trip made us all wonder who was really rich and who was really poor.

Posted by RTodd at December 5, 2006 8:34 AM

Trevor - I'd submit that the worldwide poor are victims of their own corrupt governance. Africa & Iran & Syria & Latin America & North Korea & India & China - foster suffering of their truly poor people ... perverse anti Christ @ worst - low IQ at best.

And in other words it is EXTREMELY Darfur impossible for aid to hit the streets. Meanwhile the USA gives 14 times more than Italians & 8 times more than Germans - for example [CNN last week]. I've paid FAR more in tax than I'll ever benefit from - meanwhile Sir Mick "lives" offshore to avoid UK tax.

And Free Enterprise FREE World worldwide is the Answer - AND it means there are those with $43M homes that pay $10M in TAX each year - which supports the freedom of 1000's of those who can't or won't support themselves.

Mark's point too is very valid "... ah to be "poor" in the USA ... [and or EU]". Notice the Katrina obesity level - amazingly high ... exercise anyone - maybe saunter to a library?

Posted by sean_TP_fan at December 5, 2006 9:11 AM

Tom - interesting quote from USA Today December 4 - please explain?

"Shelly Lazarus

CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide

You won't find the woman who created some of the most successful branding campaigns in retail history reading how-to business books. That's not Shelly Lazarus' style. The CEO of advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide prefers novels.

"There was a time when I felt guilty because I didn't read all of the latest business books," Lazarus says. "Then I heard (In Search of Excellence author) Tom Peters say he only read novels because, 'All business is about is human interaction, and I learn more about human interaction from reading novels than I ever learned from business books.'"

That put an end to Lazarus' guilt trip."

Posted by sean_TP_quote_perplexed at December 5, 2006 9:51 AM

From the notebooks of Lazarus Long (Robert Heinlein):

"Throughour history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded-here and there, now and then-are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven our of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty. This is known as 'bad luck.'"

Maybe not 100% on point, but I think it illustrates both the dangers of class envy and the danger of poor governance keeping people in poverty needlessly.

Posted by Eric Ralph at December 5, 2006 10:19 AM

RTodd and Sean - the 20,000, mainly children that die every day due to poverty are not in the US or the UK. I suspect there is not much obesity and no televisions, radios, wedding dresses, microwave, bikes, motorcycles, cars and cd players in mud huts in Africa. Free enterprise is great and I am delighted with my freedom. I pray our leaders are working toward a fair world where all children on our planet have an equal opportunity to survive.

Posted by Trevor Gay at December 5, 2006 10:34 AM

Eric & Trevor - I agree with your points. The "rich" in free world free enterprise societies PAY way more than their fair share due to evolved governance.

It is the Islamist & African & latin American & North Korean dictators that are indeed Devils here on Earth ... they greedily keep incredible wealth ... while incredibly poor have NO clean water to drink - and even no simple medicine.

Just to keep a $43M house going in LA and/or Dubai CREATES dozens of careers. Bill Gates [just west of me] on Lake Washington has a $45M estate - AND he pays NO taxes really because USA tax law provides for those who donate $100 Billion and counting ... viva le rich.

Posted by sean_"rich" at December 5, 2006 10:45 AM

Why are the rich rich? I propose because they take risks and know how to handle money.

"For every billionaire he makes 10,000 jobs"
Quote last Friday on ABC's 20/20

While ABC did not give empirical data to back up that statement, the fact is that the vast majority of the wealthy create jobs for the 'rest' of society. And then many also go about giving it away in their own or in successive generations.

Remember that Rockefeller changed medicine to a system of research based science from potions (homeopathy) with his philanthropy.

Also the root words of currency denotes its nature, it has a 'current' and is designed to flow from one set of hands to another. One major magazine had an article about the richest people in America over the last 60 plus years and approx 7 people remained on the list the entire span. Again currency flows from one set of hands to another.

Another example is in FORTUNE Magazine on 10/25/1999 which reported how Bill Bartmann lost a billion dollars in a day. The real question is who did he lose it to? During the dot com bust money did not disappear, it simply changed hands. This means that there is a chance for the poor to become rich and a chance is all one can ask for.

So I say, make all you can. If you mess over people to make it you won't have it for long (Biblical principle of sowing and reaping) and if your honest in how you acquire it then make more of it. You will do the right thing with it.

Signed,
Pete - Current Giver - Future Philanthropist

BTW- Obesity is on the rise in North and South Africa according to recent stories by the BBC

Posted by Pete at December 5, 2006 12:07 PM

Pete - Thank you - I have no problem with what you say - and good luck to people who make a lot of money I would love to be one of them. The greatest gift they can pass on is the art of ‘radical giving’ as described by Nicky Gumbel. As you raised the Biblical connection it is interesting to note that the woman with 'nothing' was celebrated by Jesus more because she gave just a few coins which represented MOST of what she had. Those with great riches who trumpeted their giving were not celebrated as much by Jesus. Radical (and quiet) giving is a great concept.

Obesity may well be rising in Africa - I would not doubt the BBC - but 20,000 people die everyday – I suspect they are not dying of obesity.

Posted by Trevor Gay at December 5, 2006 7:30 PM

A bargain at twice the price I think

Posted by Dominic Dirupo at December 6, 2006 6:23 AM

Pete & Trevor - interesting too in the Bible - the parable of making the most of money in that Christ had scorn for the 1 that minimally invested, whereas the 1 that most amplified their money was graced with special praise. Trevor - think you'd have to agree in Africa the Idi Amin's MUST be killed - too many African warlords and dictators are killing/starving/raping Africans - so your Bono heartfelt donation goes to warlords' perversion FAR too often.

Posted by sean_out_of_africa at December 6, 2006 9:01 AM

Sean - great exchange - I prefer to sum up with Bono's statement - "Poverty is not a CHARITY issue - it is a JUSTICE issue" - Take care and keep smiling :-)

Posted by Trevor Gay at December 6, 2006 6:22 PM