I hate money

[SweetZombieJesus]

The more I think about it, the more stupid the concept of money becomes to me. "Let's lust after green pieces of paper, everyone! That's a great way to spend our all too short lives!"

A friend of mine and I were talking about how Bill Gates has like 10 billion dollars or something like that as his personal fortune, and how ridiculous it is for one guy to have ten billion dollars. What the fuck is he going to do with it? Will he ever spend 10 billion dollars in his entire life? Fuck no. If he gave away a quarter of that to individuals who need it to live, he'd come close to wiping out some serious social problems.

[flyingfish]

1. If you hate money so much, I'll take yours

I'll take cash or a money order.
No credit cards or personal checks.

[NightTrain]

2. Gates' father would agree with you

Bill Gates Sr. is a philanthropist who actively opposed Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy. If only "like father, like son" applied in this case!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. I agree. The entire world could function and survive much better

in a paradigm not predicated upon greed.

[Rabrrrrrr]

4. Hmmmm.....

Partly...

I, too, share the disdain with the money, but yet, it IS a wonderful tool, and allows to have things like vegetables brought into the cities.

In re: Bill Gates, he's actually worth about 60 billion, and actually HAS given away billions of it in his own foundations.

I will remind you, though, as I remind others, that while he is WORTH 60 billion, he doesn't have 60 billion in cash. What he has is just under 2 billion shares of microsoft stock. So, in one sense, he's worth nothing (except the phyisicality of his house and possessions), because stock isn't worth a damn thing until you sell it (yes, one can borrow against it and there are other ways to leverage it into wealth, but in the basest sense, it's valueless).

What he owns is a significant portion of Microsoft Corporation, and his stock in it is only worth anything so long as Microsoft endures. if Microsoft goes belly up, Bill Gates net worth drops by 60 billion bucks. if Microsoft increases in value, gates could be become the first trillionare. But it would still be all paper value meaninglessness.

So don't be too hard on Mr. Gates. Yeah, he obviously has more spending money than most of us, but he doesn't have billions leaking out of his wallet.

[Maple]

7. Oh pul-eeze.

Money is a tool, nothing more.

And only those who don't have any complain about it, or sneer at it.

Bill Gates has a foundation to donate money to numerous causes.

You just wish YOU were one!

How sanctimonious you are all being.

[Rabrrrrrr]

9. Did you mean me?

Or the original posting person?

[Maple]

11. Ooops sorry Rabrrrrrr

I meant the original poster, and all those following who agreed with it, that money was filthy lucre somehow. Not you specifically.

[Rabrrrrrr]

13. Whew!

Thought you'd turned on me in a very odd way...

had a feeling you weren't talking to me.

Here's to the food and shelter that money brings!

[Maple]

14. I agree!

Here's to it!

[LouKYDem]

5. I like money

Well, I DO like money... especially when it is used for good causes such as education, health, and other worthy causes. See, money can be a good thing--the only problem is that it is NOT being used wisely right now.

[thermodynamic]

16. See #15

:D

[Astarho]

6. Whoever dies with the most money wins!

I agree with you, but what I hate more is how we are judged and graded by it. I have to have enough to insure that I have shelter and food and to keep that I have slave for someone else.

And of course the green pieces of paper are only valuable as long as we believe they are. Should we stop believing, it becomes, well, green pieces of paper.

[Birthmark]

8. I agree.

Money was a highly useful invention that helped to move products and services. However, society has become sufficiently complex and effecient so that we could easily do without it. In fact, money has now become a detriment, a limiting factor, rather than a useful tool to society. How many more useful things might be accomplished if we could "afford" it? It is juvenile silliness at this point. We know how to do things, we know what needs to be done, but the green paper won't let us. It'd be hysterically funny if it wasn't so destructive.

[TheBigGuy]

10. it aint the cash, its what you can buy with it...

$$$$ just by itself..? Who cares?

[Blue-Jay]

12. I love money

It's greed that I hate. Greed is the cause of most of the problems that our country has to deal with. There's nothing wrong with the toadskins, the cashola, gettin' paid, the bankroll, phat cash, the Greeeen persuader.... um... where was I?

Oh yeah!

Money is fine. Having a little extra is even better. It's when people cross the line and are willing to screw anybody over to get it that I get depressed about it.

Work hard. Make your money. Enjoy it. Just don't let greed take control at the expense of the society as a whole.

/still drives a crappy car, but at least it gets good mileage.

[thermodynamic]

15. "Money is the root of all evil"

An apt and appropriate comment.

It's not as much spending it as much as it is ruining other people and resources to get more of it.

Maybe I'm a pinko leftie dreaming commie, but if people did their jobs and innovated for the well being of society, we wouldn't be in any of the messes we're in. Especially the "dependence on foreign oil" one - which is 100% the fault of the republicans, who support the oil industry and its covert actions to destroy alternative resources wholeheartedly. :tinfoilhat:

[Maple]

17. Actually the quote is

'the LOVE of money is the root of all evil'

And lemme know when you find a world full of saints.