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  #16  
Old 08-27-2016, 07:36 AM
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Basalt Beach Basalt Beach is offline
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So, Mark Zuckerberg's net worth went up $8.9 billion dollars last year. Now, I know it's not liquid and it doesn't work like this, but his net worth went up on average $282 every second of the year, the entire year... nonstop.

Imaging making $282 a second! That's ridiculous. In the time it took to type this, I could get a new Goodall.
Not so ridiculous as just Wow! btw, should the stock go the other direction, it could all be wiped out.

More power to Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Larry Page (Google), Sergey Brin (Google), Warren Buffett, Nick Woodman (founder of GoPro) and others like them. Their success demonstrates what can be achieved by hard work, good ideas & being at the right place and time.
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  #17  
Old 08-27-2016, 08:38 AM
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..............More power to Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Larry Page (Google), Sergey Brin (Google), Warren Buffett, Nick Woodman (founder of GoPro) and others like them. Their success demonstrates what can be achieved by hard work, good ideas & being at the right place and time.
Exactly.

But of course, all the success and riches comes at a price. The worry of keeping food on the table and the electric bill paid is gone, and replaced by a whole new, and far more complicated set of worries.

Maybe wealth is a bed of roses....but roses have thorns, don't they? I'm reminded of a line in the Eagles song, Sad Cafe......." Now I look at the years gone by, and wonder at the powers that be.......I don't know why fortune smiles on some....and lets the rest go free."
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  #18  
Old 08-27-2016, 08:44 AM
Nailpicker Nailpicker is offline
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More power to him, he's done it all without me. I don't use his service, buy his stock, or pay any attention to what he says or does.
Same here. He's gotten ridiculously wealthy by providing a ridiculous (IMO) product to people who are ridiculously addicted to it. Like HHP said, "More power to him."
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  #19  
Old 08-27-2016, 08:53 AM
Glennwillow Glennwillow is offline
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“I've been rich and I've been poor, and rich is better.” Mae West

My thoughts are that if someone is successful in this world, good for them. I try not to spend any time being envious. I am extremely grateful for the good life and living that I have been able to make.

One thing I have learned: as Mae West commented so many years ago, having money is better than not having money. You can solve an awful lot of problems with money. It's not all there is or even how a person should center their life, but in my experience, having resources to help solve problems is extremely helpful. Car driving you crazy? You can get it fixed if you can pay for it.

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  #20  
Old 08-27-2016, 09:01 AM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is offline
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Possibly one difference between now and 'then' is that there was more of a sense of linear progression in terms of wealth growth in the past. You started with a simple room, you worked hard, you got a house (however simple), and you acquired some assets, again, however modest. My family on my father's side, which was pretty huge, were certainly not rich but none of his many uncles and aunts or their various circles suffered from want in their middle and elderly years. My impression is that the possibility of building a secure future is more precarious now. 'At-will' employment, volatile financial and employment markets, and the erosion of various 'givens' - adequate healthcare and education - create a malaise in which workers now live on a tightrope throughout their working lives. You may have a fancy car and a fancy smartphone with all kinds of 'apps' one day, but you could be homeless the next.
Certainly the "job for life" was a present thought, in the '60s, and in my case - leave when you got fed up and join another company the following day.
The uncertainty was there but more for employers trying to find workers, now it is different.

The social laws, minimum wages, leading to zero hours contracts, and all the other in and out of work benefits have probably changed our society more than we think.

There is one fundamental difference ..... personal debt. The introduction of further education with enormous debts has made a generation happy to have debt rather than my generation being ashamed of it.
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  #21  
Old 08-27-2016, 09:11 AM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is offline
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e - not to be presumptuous, but from what I have seen and read, the 20th century in Britain (and Europe) had a far different trajectory than we experienced in the States. I don't think that we Americans have a clue as to how lucky we have been as a country. (Present company excluded of course). Silly adds some perspective, but it's only a fraction of what his country endured through two massive wars, economic depression and terrorism to beat the band.

best,

Rick
This is very true, and I confess that I have been speaking from a largely British point of view. I was born in '48, and grew up in the grey cold and dismal '50s and '60s. Anything "American" meant romance, opulence and consumerism on a scale unimaginable here, as our country was wrecked, the people were deprived and exhausted, and the economy bankrupt, and with crippling war debts to pay back tot he USA which kept our economy in hock until 2006.

The USA , whilst obviously contributing considerably to the latter years of WW2 and suffering considerable losses of men and materiel, did not have the blitz and so the manufacturing facilities/infrastructures were undamaged. Factories which had converted to the war effort were in a far stronger position to re-position into consumer products than those in the UK, and former occupied countries.

Possibly because of what was done to Germany after WW1, Germany may well have been rebuilt somewhat better than those who "won the war!" - that was certainly the cry here.
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  #22  
Old 08-27-2016, 09:30 AM
robj144 robj144 is offline
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Originally Posted by Kitchen Guitars View Post
Watch the movie The Big Short. The true story of the housing market bible created by Wall Street thievery and deception. Amazing movie about big money and how it was "earned"
I've watched about 10 documentaries on that and it's more informative than that movie. Watch the Frontlines on them... they're great.
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  #23  
Old 08-27-2016, 09:58 AM
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Mark lives locally and by all accounts is a generous and well-liked person. His wife is a doctor and continues to fight dreadful commute traffic daily from Palo Alto to San Francisco and back to help others. And, Mark's been VERY generous with donations to worthy charities. He's a Good Guy.

Basically, there's only one person in the world who isn't jealous of someone's greater wealth, and that's Bill Gates. As the world's richest man it's hard to believe he only ranks 32nd in terms of the all-time wealthiest American when you adjust for inflation (John D. Rockefeller was BY FAR the wealthiest American ever).

Last edited by 6L6; 08-27-2016 at 10:03 AM.
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  #24  
Old 08-27-2016, 10:16 AM
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Originally Posted by Silly Moustache View Post
Certainly the "job for life" was a present thought, in the '60s, and in my case - leave when you got fed up and join another company the following day.
The uncertainty was there but more for employers trying to find workers, now it is different.

The social laws, minimum wages, leading to zero hours contracts, and all the other in and out of work benefits have probably changed our society more than we think.

There is one fundamental difference ..... personal debt. The introduction of further education with enormous debts has made a generation happy to have debt rather than my generation being ashamed of it.
I'd prefer to return to the America that created THINGS other than apps that waste people's time. I'd prefer to return to the America that celebrated and revered higher education, instead of only creating food and wanting to enslave the people who bring it to the population. And an America with leaders and public servants and physicians who serve the public instead of themselves, Mylar.
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  #25  
Old 08-27-2016, 10:21 AM
zabdart zabdart is offline
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"The rich are VERY different." -- F. Scott Fitzgerald
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  #26  
Old 08-27-2016, 10:43 AM
ewalling ewalling is offline
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There is one fundamental difference ..... personal debt. The introduction of further education with enormous debts has made a generation happy to have debt rather than my generation being ashamed of it.
That's true. My Dad was an old school bank manager. Personal debt for a house or possibly a car he considered reasonable, but most other stuff he did not, and he actively helped customers avoid borrowing money and getting into debt. Contrast that with the predatory sharks who lie in wait for us at my bank here in the US. They get kickbacks from losers getting into debt, so they'll hang all sorts of temptations before the unwary to get them to buy things they can't afford. You almost wonder how some of these guys, from the top of the banking chain to the bottom, actually sleep at night. Presumably they consider themselves good people - maybe they manage to live easy with their devious and manipulative behavior by retreating into a form of idiocy - actually believing everybody wins and not just themselves. I remember when my Dad was in his 40s and 50s, the top management began putting pressure on branch managers to reach credit targets. Dad held out on principle for some time before applying for and getting early retirement at the age of 56. The banking world had changed and not for the better.

Last edited by ewalling; 08-27-2016 at 12:35 PM.
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  #27  
Old 08-27-2016, 11:11 AM
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"The rich are VERY different." -- F. Scott Fitzgerald
And yet when they appear on the Tonight Show and its ilk, isn't it remarkable how one of the primary goals seems to be to present themselves as humble, flawed, and 'just like us'? I think this is particularly true of people who make vast sums in entertainment. Their continued prosperity depends largely on us continuing to love them, and they really know how to push that button. The number of times they'll tell a tale about being an 'ordinary Mom or Dad' or an ordinary confused person screwing something up or affirming their commitment to some down-homey traditional value is quite interesting. They seem to have an unerring wisdom about how we the public need to have our ordinary lifestyles celebrated if we are to carry on signing the cheques and ensuring that their lifestyles will be thoroughly extraordinary.
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  #28  
Old 08-27-2016, 11:25 AM
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"There has never been but one question in all civilization-how to keep a few men from saying to many men: You work and earn bread and we will eat it."
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  #29  
Old 08-27-2016, 11:35 AM
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I'd prefer to return to the America that created THINGS other than apps that waste people's time. I'd prefer to return to the America that celebrated and revered higher education, instead of only creating food and wanting to enslave the people who bring it to the population. And an America with leaders and public servants and physicians who serve the public instead of themselves, Mylar.
Just what time in history do you think that would be ?????????????
While it is true that China has surpassed the US in manufacturing, we are still the worlds second largest in the manufacturing of products (THINGS )
The US produces more products today than at any time in history.
The GDP is the highest it has ever been in history.

While there has been the insistence by some, about the perception of decline in the view of higher education, it is voiced by a vocal minority, inflamed by extreme partisan viewpoints and fermented by specific national media. Yet according to a 2012 PEW study 60% of adult Americans view higher education as having a positive effect on how things are going in the country.

While there is no question that income inequality has skyrocketed in the last 20 years, and is a concern. There is also no question that overall with few exceptions the American laborer is better off now than at in any time in history.
And since it's inception America has always had both dedicated leaders, public servants and physicians, and those looking out only for themselves, that is as old as humankind. I know I received stellar care in the health issues I have dealt with in the last 4 years


Sorry, I think the propagation of all this fear mongering doom & gloom and or just plain over subjective nostalga "it was so much better back when " Is a load of ill informed nonsense
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Last edited by KevWind; 08-31-2016 at 08:09 AM.
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  #30  
Old 08-27-2016, 12:00 PM
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Just what time in history do you think that would be ?????????????
While it is true that China has surpassed the US in manufacturing, we are still the worlds second largest in the manufacturing of products (THINGS )
The US produces more products today than at any time in history.
The GPD is the highest it has ever been in history.

While there has been the insistence by some, about the perception of decline in the view of higher education, it is voiced by a vocal minority, inflamed by extreme partisan viewpoints and fermented by specific national media. Yet according to a 2012 PEW study 60% of adult Americans view higher education as having a positive effect on how things are going in the country.

While there is no question that income inequality has skyrocketed in the last 20 years, and is a concern. There is also no question that overall with few exceptions the American laborer is better off now than at in any time in history.
And since it's inception America has always had both dedicated leaders, public servants and physicians, and those looking out only for themselves, that is as old as humankind. I know I received stellar care in the health issues I have dealt with in the last 4 years


Sorry, I think the propagation of all this fear mongering doom & gloom and or just plain over subjective nostalga "it was so much better back when " Is a load of ill informed nonsense
My computer was made in China by children probably under the age of 10. My car was manufactured in England, my motorcycle in Thailand, my clothes, who knows where? America is manufacturing more than ever before?
When I graduated high school I had the choice of over 50 jobs. When I graduated college, same metric. I am concerned for my children's future to find meaningful and lucrative work in a fast-food society that seems to encourage many not to work.
When I try to refer patients to specialist doctors, they are refusing new patients. When we refer to other specialists, attorneys, they typically don't answer the phone or don't return the call. Why the national malaise?
You must be taking better drugs than I am, Pollyanna, and maybe America will find a conscience, hopefully while I'm still on the planet.

Last edited by Glennwillow; 08-28-2016 at 12:10 AM. Reason: removed politics
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