Jun

14

Atlas, from Victor Niederhoffer

June 14, 2011 |

7 Comments so far

1. david on June 14, 2011 10:01 am

   I think late one night i’ll sneak over and paper mache that globe..;)

2. Mike on June 14, 2011 3:17 pm

   I dont want to take away from the nobility of this quote. I too have aspirations making it big and then giving back.
   (Im still on step 1)

   But what Im wondering here is why do people feel they have the right to judge what others do with what they have.

   Whats interesting to me is that the guise we share is that all people are created equal and should be treated equally except when it comes to money, theres different tax rates on different amounts. If you taxed people differently by race or age or sex. This would be an outrage.
   We dont we do it by dollar amount, how much difference is 250k from 251k.
   I’d say that once someones resources accumulates greater than ours, our instinct trigger, and we get worried that none will be left for me. Thats why people are equal but we can easily justify unequal taxation.

   Resource accumulation
   But once someone has it why the need to feel the need to say what they should do with it. (as long as its made through legal means)

   What difference does it make to me what he does with his, Id go as far to say that he should do what ever he dam well pleases, its his money. Dont we need people to spend wildly to stimulate the economy.
   Wouldnt the money be just as useful helping his company stay in business well into this century, there is very few businesses that pass the 50yr and 100yr mark. I think they have over 200k employees that create a livelihood for there families, isnt that just as honorable to make the golden goose last as long as possible, with so many depending on it (Im using google docs to write this by the way, 5 yrs ago it would have been Word, the guard may have already passed)

   Its almost expected that great people must give away what they made, and those who dont are almost evil. It seems the media and people were almost relieved when Zuckerburg signed the billionaires pledge. almost like saying, thank god hes not a scumbag. We werent sure which way he was going to go, being so young.

   Is it because we feel anger, that a few has out performed us in the game of life. Is it because on a deep level we realize there is a finite amount of resources,money(lets forget Washington’s printing press for a moment.) the more someone has the less will be left for me.

   I sure there has to be a primate experiment out there, where 9 monkey were given just an equal amount of food everyday, and 1 monkey was given 10times all the others every day, what would happen?
   Im not arguing whats good or bad, but why do we react to what others have in the way we do?

3. jeff watson on June 14, 2011 4:23 pm

   That comment about Bill Gates not wanting his kids to inherit his wealth is just a bunch of malarkey. Bill Gates not wanting his kids to inherit his wealth is also malarkey and flies in the face of 4,000 years of history. I want my son to inherit every dime I’m worth at the time I die, and I hope he inherits ten billion dollars.

4. JK on June 15, 2011 8:44 am

   To “Mike on June 14, 2011 3:17 pm”

   We live in a regulated fiat-economy, i.e. the distribution of wealth/buying power is distorted.

5. Andre Wallin on June 15, 2011 9:59 am

   what is the longest the market has gone with out a green day stocks/bonds up?

6. Ed on June 15, 2011 9:36 pm

   Awesome!!!

7. vic on June 16, 2011 3:36 am

   let us realize that the Gates quote reminds one of the Chinese man who was commended for saving the life of a drowning party official who he didnt know and letting his own children wash away. The unselfish gene. Let us know that one approves highly of the above feelings of Dr. Watson
   vic