Behind every great fortune is a great crime...

[kentuck]

But the criminals say, "don't tax my money...I worked hard for it." They stole it fair and square.

But whose money was it before the criminals got their hands on it?

There has been a huge transfer of wealth in this country. And every single one of them will swear that they made their money the old-fashioned way, they "earned" it. But did they really?

Did they pay a fair amount of wages to their employees? Did they pay their fair share of taxes? Did they use the tax system to hide their wealth? Did they contribute to society or did they take from society? There are many ways to look at the transfer of wealth.

That is the way the game of capitalism is played. It is not fair. It is not compassionate. It is a dog eat dog world. The only thing that matters is the bottom line.

Do not these people deserve all the money they can get?

Don't you think they deserve another tax break?

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

1. But they convinced +50% of the electorate that we live in the United States of...

Oppositelandia, where we don't get gouged at the gas pump, the doctor's office, the banks because of them, we are getting gouged because our taxes are too damn high and things the Democrats want to force on us.

[pnwmom]

2. I'm not sure I'd completely agree with that, having observed Microsoft over the years.

Gates was lucky enough to have his father (a wealthy attorney) to back him, but I don't see a "great crime" that propelled him to success. (Maybe a bunch of little ones?) He paid fair wages to his employees, including stock options that left thousands of them millionaires. And he's been occupied lately with transferring most of his wealth to a charitable foundation that has been concentrating on vaccinating children in developing countries, among other good causes.

As for taxes, he and his father both support higher taxes on the wealthy. His father funded and starred in an ad campaign in our state about this. (In which the octogenarian got dunked in a dunking tank.)

[leftstreet]

3. Yeah, we need more Gilded Age Robber Barons like Gates n/t

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

4. You and I have different ideas of what constitute a little crime...

Judge Jackson issued his findings of fact<11> on November 5, 1999, which stated that Microsoft's dominance of the x86 based personal computer operating systems market constituted a monopoly, and that Microsoft had taken actions to crush threats to that monopoly, including Apple, Java, Netscape, Lotus Notes, Real Networks, Linux, and others. Then on April 3, 2000, he issued a two-part ruling: his conclusions of law were that Microsoft had committed monopolization, attempted monopolization, and tying in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act, and his remedy was that Microsoft must be broken into two separate units, one to produce the operating system, and one to produce other software components.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Microsoft

[pnwmom]

6. The crime boiled down to this:

"The plaintiffs alleged that Microsoft abused monopoly power on Intel-based personal computers in its handling of operating system sales and web browser sales. The issue central to the case was whether Microsoft was allowed to bundle its flagship Internet Explorer (IE) web browser software with its Microsoft Windows operating system. "


Sorry, but I don't think that bundling their software with their operating system constituted a "great crime." It did turn out to meet the judge's definition of a monopoly and thus, correctly, the judge decided to split the company into two parts. But I think most people think of "great crime" as something that people might deserve to be imprisoned for (assuming they were caught.)

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

8. Remember Netscape, Remember Word Perfect

Gates profited immensely from crushing his competition. And he went about it illegally. White collar crime pays. It doesn't matter that he got a slap on the wrist. He got off easy.

Remember that Reno's DOJ got a resounding conviction against Gates and MS for using MS's monopoly of Windows to slaughter competition? Remember Netscape, and how Gates crushed the company? Remember Word Perfect, and how Gates destroyed that company?

Remember how Gates put the screws to PC makers and consumers: He wouldn't do business with manufacturers if they shipped PCs without Windows pre-installed. The idea was to discourage consumers from installing a different operating system (O/S).

But, most of all, do you remember that the conviction was on the books and DOJ was working on the penalty phase of the case when the Clinton / Reno term ended and John Ashcroft came to DOJ? Remember that Ashcroft promptly reversed the progress on the case and saved Microsoft from being split into three smaller companies? Remember that Microsoft got to keep the $50 billion in cash it had in the bank (which has now grown to $65 billion)? Remember that the judge was so upset over the lenient settlement that Ashcroft had trouble getting him to sign off on the final deal? Remember how p----d the European Union got over the outrageous settlement?

Don't you know that Bush-Ashcroft made friends for life at Microsoft? Right? Surely, such help and support translates into appreciation. Right? — Er, but wait. What's this at Microsoft-MSN's Slate magazine? Is that a LIBRARY of hate Bush; hate Republicans; hate red-states America? —

Excerpt from one article:

"...we see the outcome now -- Cheney is the capitalist arm and Bush is the religious arm. They know no boundaries or rules. They are predatory and resentful, amoral, avaricious, and arrogant. Lots of Americans like and admire them because lots of Americans, even those who don't share those same qualities, don't know which end is up. Can the Democrats appeal to such voters? Do they want to? The Republicans have sold their souls for power. Must everyone?" —
Ahem... Did someone once say something about the pot calling the kettle black? — And not one kind word for Bush, Ashcroft, Republicans, red states, etc.



Remember that Reno's DOJ got a resounding conviction against Gates and MS for using MS's monopoly of Windows to slaughter competition? Remember Netscape, and how Gates crushed the company? Remember Word Perfect, and how Gates destroyed that company?

Remember how Gates put the screws to PC makers and consumers: He wouldn't do business with manufacturers if they shipped PCs without Windows pre-installed. The idea was to discourage consumers from installing a different operating system (O/S).

But, most of all, do you remember that the conviction was on the books and DOJ was working on the penalty phase of the case when the Clinton / Reno term ended and John Ashcroft came to DOJ? Remember that Ashcroft promptly reversed the progress on the case and saved Microsoft from being split into three smaller companies? Remember that Microsoft got to keep the $50 billion in cash it had in the bank (which has now grown to $65 billion)? Remember that the judge was so upset over the lenient settlement that Ashcroft had trouble getting him to sign off on the final deal? Remember how p----d the European Union got over the outrageous settlement?

Don't you know that Bush-Ashcroft made friends for life at Microsoft? Right? Surely, such help and support translates into appreciation. Right? — Er, but wait. What's this at Microsoft-MSN's Slate magazine? Is that a LIBRARY of hate Bush; hate Republicans; hate red-states America? —

Excerpt from one article:

"...we see the outcome now -- Cheney is the capitalist arm and Bush is the religious arm. They know no boundaries or rules. They are predatory and resentful, amoral, avaricious, and arrogant. Lots of Americans like and admire them because lots of Americans, even those who don't share those same qualities, don't know which end is up. Can the Democrats appeal to such voters? Do they want to? The Republicans have sold their souls for power. Must everyone?" —
Ahem... Did someone once say something about the pot calling the kettle black? — And not one kind word for Bush, Ashcroft, Republicans, red states, etc.

http://www.laughtergenealogy.com/bin/opinion/doublecross.html

[snagglepuss]

9. bkmrkd to read later

[lonestarnot]

12. Thank you! Rich never get there by playing without fire.

[kentuck]

5. The "crime" just might be more far-reaching...?

Than just behind the walls of Microsoft? Computers have affected us all in positive and negative ways - many which we cannot explain or define, in my opinion.

[unkachuck]

7. listen, Commissar....

....the rich gave themselves tax breaks, ponzi-schemed a meltdown and depression, took our tax dollars to fix their melt-down and depression but didn't, then gave themselves more trillions in tax breaks and now that the treasury is empty and the country is broke, the American people have to suffer and do without....

"Do not these people deserve all the money they can get?"

....of course they do!...........God hates stupid.

[BlueCheese]

10. I agree with much of your sentiment.

But I disagree in that I think there are some wealthy people who do deserve much of their success. People who provided goods and services that others wanted, and received payment for them. Nobody put a gun to anyone's head and forced that person to buy Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Lots of people bought it of their own accord, and Ben and Jerry became wealthy. Wealth was transferred from ice cream eaters to Ben and Jerry, but nothing illegal happened.

[Wednesdays]

11. "Anyone worth billions never earned that wealth themselves...

someone else earned it for them."
(My old signature)