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Ask HN: What would you do with $700 Billion?

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Re: Ask HN: What would you do with $700 Billion?

#21

Post by Retric »

potatolicious wrote: post #16
sfamiliar wrote: post #4

give $11,000 to each of the 62 million households in the u.s. making under $50,000. watch the ensuing chaos with glee.

... Give $11,000 to each household making under $50,000, and you're in essence paying all of that towards households making over $50,000. Some people are poor because they're honestly down on their luck, and need a helping hand. The majority on the other hand are simply unemployable, or horrible with their finances. Give them a handout and the money will simply end up in richer people's hands. That's not helping them…

Hey, I was working with a college degree for 3 years before I broke 50k. At the time I was investing 8% of my income and I was still eating out all the time etc.

I think the bar for poor needs to be a little lower than 50k/year.

Re: Ask HN: What would you do with $700 Billion?

#22

Post by potatolicious »

whacked_new wrote: post #12

Create an alternative, multi-tiered research funding organization and proceed to turn the education system upside down. In fact, $700b is more than enough to do this several times over, so the surplus will probably go to funding a century of other programs related to exploration, bioengineering, green technology, and other sustainable development projects. Seriously, what could it be other than this?

Agreed. I would establish an organization that will essentially usurp the position of the NSF. It will be non-partisan, be free from political influence, and non-ideologically driven. It will be available to all academics everywhere.

My brother is a researcher in evolutionary biology. I have seen how the Bush administration has been sabotaging funding into this area over the last few years. Science should be a free for all of ideas, not influenced by politics, religion, or anything else except good hard science.

Re: Ask HN: What would you do with $700 Billion?

#27

Post by kamme »

I think I would buy an uninhabited island and make it a research facility where top scientists can work together and find a way to optimize solar power and batteries.

If I have those I will start a production company that makes those inventions and sells them at the price (or below) it costs to make the goods so everyone can use them. I would also invest in agriculture in dry area's (africa for example). What I would NOT do is waste it on politics, that's why I want the uninhabited island. If you build a facility/production company with that goal there will be government regulations about it and as most of us know, they tend to screw things up and only care for their wallet.

Also a part of that money will go to education and proper sports centers. I'm a bit overweight myself and I want people to know better then always go to McDonalds and have the option to do any sport they like, as it should be.

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