Serious question: How much money is TOO much?

[CubsFan1982]

This question was the take-home part of my phlosophy final, and I was interested in how DUers would respond to this: At what point, if any, does it become immoral for a person to accumulate more money? Why?

PS: I've already submitted my response to my professor, so this isn't aimed at helping me get a good grade. :D

[DS1]

1. The point where more money doesn't make him any happier

then you swing that into the classic 'what makes a person truly happy' argument

[lenidog]

2. In a way I guess it depends on your philosphy.

I believe it was Andrew Carnegie who said that "A man who dies rich is a failure." My idea would be that if I am comfortable and can do what I want without worries then I am rich enough. Everything else after that goes to charity. Lets say for arguements sake that Bill Gates has a hundred billion dollars right now. What the hell is he going to do with it. He can't take it with him, its more money than anyone can spend in a hundred lifetimes and well the government if they don't change the death tax is going to take a large chunk of it. So why have it?

[A HERETIC I AM]

7. "The DEATH tax"?!?!?!?!?!?!?

With all due respect, that is rethugspeak. It is "The Estate Tax" and even Bill Gates's dad was against it being modified.

And in defense of Mr. Gates, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation does a shitload of good. http://www.gatesfoundation.org/default.htm

A twenty billion dollar foundation is hardly chump change.

[lenidog]

10. As I said for arguements sake he has a 100 billion dollars

that would leave him with 80 billion. What is he still going to do with it? The question here is how much is enough? Not whether the estate tax is right or wrong.

[A HERETIC I AM]

12. I took issue with your use of the expression "Death Tax"

I do agree that enough is enough and that too much is simply that. Too much. But if you had more money than you could spend the larger question begs, how would you have OTHERS spend it or rather, what would your desires for the appropriate use of the money be?

I am certainly not a big fan of Bill Gates but he came up with a product the market wanted, he did exactly what the market demanded he do with the idea and he has been extremely well compensated for it.

I just think your singling him out for your example was......well.....unfair.

A side question. What has the Sultan of Brunei done for humanity at large recently?

[derby378]

9. From Brain MacNeill re: Andrew Carnegie

Lay the soul of a poor man on the anvil of ambition
Watch the hammer blows come down, and think before you blame
Is it any wonder on his way down to Perdition
That the hand of Compassion pulled his heart from the flames?
How many broken hearts can build a Carnegie Hall?
Better not to reckon by far
But beware when you see the likes of Carnegie fall
For a giant falls heavy and hard...

[yvr girl]

17. Bill Gates gives a lot of money to charity

When you have that much, you can hardly spend it fast enough - it just keep growing.

As to your question, I think it depends on the person. Some people with fabulous wealth live worthy lives. They give to good causes, they contribute to society, they help people. Think of someone like Chris Heinz. Sure John Kerry is family, but Chris' values seem to be pretty good, and he fought for a good cause.

Other wealthy people become gadflies and lose touch with reality. Their consumption is beyond conspicuous and they don't relate to regular people. Think Paris Hilton.

[mark414]

3. when you have enough money to pay someone else to do

what you can do yourself

[Ready4Change]

4. Not how much. It's HOW.

$1 is too much if it's gained fredulently or via abuse.

But if it's gained via win-win-win, I see no problem. (I win, my employees win, my customers win.)

[CubsFan1982]

6. I'd like to know what that formula is.

:D

[Ready4Change]

16. Not having run my own business, I can't say I know it myself.

:)

I know whats NOT part of that formula. Having a CEO who earns $20 million a year while his employees earn minimum wage. (Or less, with overseas labor.)

Bring the top down and the bottom up.

I'd limit my top earners to not more than 10x what the bottom earners bring in. If those top earners want more money, they've got to find ways for the bottom earners to make more money as well.

I'd likely loose a lot of top tier managers to "greener" pastures. Fine. I'll promote up from the lower ranks. That's better for employee moral, and managers raised from the ranks do a better job anyway, because they have a better feel for the business. And if those new managers want to move on, fine. I'll happily become a manager factory for my competitors. They can go broke paying my caste off managers, and I'll suck in their ambitious front liners.

Guess which of those levels of employees interface with my customers?

The idea may be naive. But if it's NOT, I'll eat entire industries for breakfast.

:9 Yum!

[shesemsmom]

5. I don't know but

I would like to find out

[Redstone]

8. However much turns you into an asshole, such as

putting signs that say "PRIVATE PROPERTY! NO TRESPASSING!" at the end of your driveway...

That's too much. I've instructed Mrs. R to shoot me, without any warning, if she ever sees me do that.

Redstone

[Momgonepostal]

13. My Inlaws farm has signs like that around...

and the reason is that too many assholes came on their property to fish and then left gates open, letting livestock out into the road or leaving trash strewn around or starting campfires that spread and burned stuff. Why do some people think a working farm is a public park or a KOA?

If it weren't for assholes, they wouldn't have even felt the need for those signs.

[Redstone]

14. Things are different where we live;

and I wasn't looking for an argument.

Redstone

[Momgonepostal]

15. OK, that's fair

I can see some rich people with "estates" putting signs up just to look important.

A lot of people with property around here aren't necessarily rich, but don't want freepers with guns coming on their land to hunt, etc. (This happened recently to my inlaws)

[Bluzmann57]

11. Certainly would like to have tons of money

But it most likely won't happen. Not too sure if money is happiness anyway. I've known a few well off people in my life and they were just like me, except monetarily better off. Actually, a couple of them were worse off than me because their parents loved them, but didn't truly and deeply care for them the way my working class parents did for us. Not real sure how to answer your question though. My answer is most likely that one can never have enough money as long as it's earned honestly and without stepping on the people who help you make the money.
I have started a (very) small business venture other than my regular job and will certainly try to earn my money. Actually, I have no choice. I am starting from ground zero, so to speak. Hopefully, we will get enough clients to make something out of this venture, but as I stated, it will be done by hard work and honesty. But we will never have enough money, I suspect. After all, I am a capitalist and will always be until I die. Capitalist does not always equal republican however.