Mark Zuckerberg’s Philanthropy Uses L.L.C. For More Control • Hacker News Board

Re: Mark Zuckerberg’s Philanthropy Uses L.L.C. For More Control

#111

Post by xenihn » Thu, Dec 03, 2015, 9:07 PM UTC

adventured wrote: post #85

mtalantikite wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People are upset because it feels like another step in the shift of power from a democratically elected state to the oligarchs. You're right that it is fully within his right to keep it, but then he would have had to do things like pay taxes on it. By doing this he can avoid estate tax and keep the power within his family or inner circle. He can be left to pursue his worldview without interruption. I'm sure he'll do…

Can you explain how this moves us further down the road of oligarchy and what the alternative scenarios are that wouldn't have done that?

Taxing a portion of that money is the alternative scenario.

Re: Mark Zuckerberg’s Philanthropy Uses L.L.C. For More Control

#112

Post by Nrsolis » Thu, Dec 03, 2015, 10:15 PM UTC

littletimmy wrote: post #110

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

and what happens when we let the "poor" make laws? Endless welfare, unaffordable backroom union deals, massive corruption, massive taxation to move money from the uppers to the lowers, etc. Just visit Chicago or Greece to see what happens when the power shifts to the unions instead of companies. Also, 'rich' is often a placeholder for companies. Companies want to be successful. That means compromise in a million diff…

A transfer of wealth from the upper class to the lower class is the price we pay for civilization. No welfare to the poor means they have no incentive not to kill you.

AYFKM?

If you kill all the rich people and take their money, who is going to be left to organize businesses or produce the kinds of inventions that benefit society? The "next-richest" people?

A society that demonizes its most successful members is a doomed one.

Re: Mark Zuckerberg’s Philanthropy Uses L.L.C. For More Control

#113

Post by littletimmy » Fri, Dec 04, 2015, 3:37 AM UTC

Nrsolis wrote: post #112

littletimmy wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A transfer of wealth from the upper class to the lower class is the price we pay for civilization. No welfare to the poor means they have no incentive not to kill you.

AYFKM? If you kill all the rich people and take their money, who is going to be left to organize businesses or produce the kinds of inventions that benefit society? The "next-richest" people? A society that demonizes its most successful members is a doomed one.

Inventions can be made through state grants (a lot of innovation is already funded by state grants like NIH). Who told you rich people finance innovation?

A society that demonizes its poorest is a doomed one.

Re: Mark Zuckerberg’s Philanthropy Uses L.L.C. For More Control

#114

Post by creshal » Fri, Dec 04, 2015, 9:22 AM UTC

encoderer wrote: post #96

darkstar999 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regular working class citizens don't have investments for the most part.

All the software developers on HN consider themselves rich then? To me, working class means you have to work to pay your bills. A lot of people in that category have investments in the stock market and in their home.

"A lot" is still a minority.

Re: Mark Zuckerberg’s Philanthropy Uses L.L.C. For More Control

#115

Post by Marazan » Fri, Dec 04, 2015, 9:55 AM UTC

mikeash wrote: post #73

CPLX wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did. If he's retaining control over how it's going to be given away then that makes it clear that he hasn't given it away yet. Giving a thing away means you no longer have control of the thing. That's not a side effect, it's the literal plain meaning of the concept. Him saying he is going to give it away $44 billion in the future should be evaluated in much the same way as my claim that I will receive $44 billion i…

OK, let's say he's completely full of it and he's not giving anything away. So what? That's fully within his rights. A rich dude might by lying? That's not headline news.

Yes, and people aren't going to write positively about it.

Re: Mark Zuckerberg’s Philanthropy Uses L.L.C. For More Control

#116

Post by mikeash » Fri, Dec 04, 2015, 2:28 PM UTC

Marazan wrote: post #115

mikeash wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OK, let's say he's completely full of it and he's not giving anything away. So what? That's fully within his rights. A rich dude might by lying? That's not headline news.

Yes, and people aren't going to write positively about it.

I don't expect people to write positively about it. I just don't understand why people are writing so negatively about it.

People seem to confuse my position with something like, "Why isn't everybody praising him to the heavens?" When it's really more like, "Why is anybody paying attention to this?"

Re: Mark Zuckerberg’s Philanthropy Uses L.L.C. For More Control

#117

Post by mystikal » Fri, Dec 04, 2015, 2:30 PM UTC

mikeash wrote: post #116

Marazan wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, and people aren't going to write positively about it.

I don't expect people to write positively about it. I just don't understand why people are writing so negatively about it. People seem to confuse my position with something like, "Why isn't everybody praising him to the heavens?" When it's really more like, "Why is anybody paying attention to this?"

He's a role model for this community.

Re: Mark Zuckerberg’s Philanthropy Uses L.L.C. For More Control

#118

Post by drzaiusapelord » Tue, Dec 08, 2015, 4:03 PM UTC

littletimmy wrote: post #113

Nrsolis wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AYFKM? If you kill all the rich people and take their money, who is going to be left to organize businesses or produce the kinds of inventions that benefit society? The "next-richest" people? A society that demonizes its most successful members is a doomed one.

Inventions can be made through state grants (a lot of innovation is already funded by state grants like NIH). Who told you rich people finance innovation? A society that demonizes its poorest is a doomed one.

>state grants like NIH

The PhD's, researchers, and managers at Federal organizations make salaries that would classy them as "rich" in this scenario. Just because something is publicly funded doesn't mean its thrifty, efficient, or "for the people." If anything, considering what we know of how governments all over the world work, its more than likely public research and programs are wasteful and corrupt compared to private equivalents.