How To Identify a Non-Asshole Billionaire

[TygrBright]

Billionaires are apparently having a Big Sad.

They hear people talking about them being assholes, and wanting the government to take money from them, and they are upset! "We are not assholes!" they claim.

And this, fellow progressives, is TRUE. It is possible for a billionaire NOT to be an asshole.

There are approximately 2600 billionaires in the world, and about 600 of them claim to be Americans.

Which of the 600 are NOT assholes?

Use this handy chart to identify Non-Asshole Billionaires:

A Non-Asshole Billionaire:

1. Is aware that they did not become a billionaire all on their own. They recognize the role that inheritance, a capitalist economic and regulatory structure, and/or a robust American infrastructure (transportation, educated workforce, copyright protections, hundreds of other factors) may have played in the accumulation of their wealth.

2. Regards a billion or more dollars as a more than ample amount and does not feel compelled, for reasons of ego or insecurity, to engage in additional wealth accumulation other than as a side effect of their existing wealth or any ongoing innovation or creativity they pursue for the enjoyment of the activity, not the wealth.

3. Generally refrained from harmful, vicious and exploitative (however legal they may be) practices that degraded the sustainability of the planet and/or impoverished vast sections of the labor force, to accrue their wealth.

4. Makes no effort to hide or move their wealth offshore to "protect" it from playing a productive role in the overall American economy that supported the accrual of said wealth.

5. Understands the economic and social responsibility that comes with vast wealth and willingly pays taxes, supports maintaining and growing the infrastructure that benefits everyone, and engages in non-self-serving philanthropic activities on a scale commensurate with their wealth- although often anonymously. Because for the Non-Asshole Billionaire, it's not about the props.

6. Is aware of the perilous (both for individuals, and for a society) nature of inherited wealth at such a scale, and supports inheritance tax and implements philanthropic bequests that will leave their family's inheritance sufficient to ensure financial security and well-being, but not create a hereditary oligarchy.

So that's it- a handy checklist of six items that can be used to identify a Non-Asshole Billionaire.

You can use this the next time the Billionaire Next Door whines about not being an asshole, why are they being picked on?

Journalists, feel free to use this in interviews and profiles of Billionaires, to identify the Non-Assholes and call out the rest.

helpfully,
Bright

[catrose]

1. 7. Is not running for president.

[TygrBright]

2. LOL... forgot that one. Yep. n/t

[marlakay]

3. I would like to know how many

Don’t keep money or invest overseas? How many have their money fully in America and pay their full share of taxes?

[virgogal]

4. Zero.

[marlakay]

5. Which is what I thought and why

I think they will spend millions to see Elizabeth and anyone going after money from them doesn’t get elected.

Very selfish!

[Karadeniz]

6. Good info...THANKS!

[trof]

7. Well, it ain't kindly Uncle Warren.

Warren Buffett's company, Berkshire Hathaway, hasn't paid much in real taxes over the years, choosing to defer $77 billion through the end of 2016. And now the company has taken advantage of the Trump tax law to claim a $23 billion 2017 federal tax benefit, ironically the same amount as the cost of the Child Nutrition Programs, which provide school lunches and other nutritional needs for millions of America's children.

Paying Hypothetical Taxes until the Tax Bill Expires

Berkshire Hathaway has declared nearly $200 billion in U.S. income over the past ten years, but including the 2017 writeoff has paid only $16 billion in current (non-deferred) taxes. The company's annual tax obligation has been announced to shareholders as satisfied by a "hypothetical" tax payment. Now, suddenly, with Trump's corporate tax break, $23 billion of its deferred tax liability just fades away, never to be paid, never to be used for the vital public services that are dependent on tax revenue.
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2018/05/14/kindly-87-year-old-man-who-took-all-schoolkids-lunch-money

[NCLefty]

8. Gates is giving away gobs of money. I wouldn't have called him an asshole before his recent comments

And he's working on Big Issues that often don't get enough attention (AIDS and other diseases in Africa, etc.).

The problem is if he decides to spend some of his money to protect his money. He--or anyone with that kind of money--could do a METRIC FUCKTON of damage in our elections. Which goes back to Citizens United (again again again) and how moneyed interests in this country have outsized influence--which they use to protect their position and profits. Rinse and repeat.

I guess money has probably always rules politics, whether it was obvious at the time or not. That's humans for ya. :p