There is the rich, and then there is the filthy rich

[Bateluer]

Sweet. I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him when the reporter mentioned that he has a band "on call...guys he pays to come jam with him whenever he wants..." If you've seen the movie Funny People, it reminded me exactly of the scene where Adam Sandler has to pay people to play in his band because he has no real friends to jam with.

He jams with Mic Jaeger and Dan Akryoid. Pretty sure those guys don't come cheap.

 

[jackace]

You can talk about bad wealth concentration and the destruction of the middle class in this country, but merely being wealthy doesn't mean ones the devil or necessarily part of the problem.

This

I have no problem with how the Wealthy Spend their $. It's their $, their Choice. However, clearly they(those above a certain level) are not hurting and can Afford to pay more in Tax. This is the crux of the matter.

And this

I have nothing against the individual who went out and made the money. My problem is with the system and how it allows and even encourages wealth to concentrate into the hands of just a few.

 

[Geekbabe]

Being able to make money doing things you love, spending that money doing things you love & making sure people in need benefit from your money after you've gone looks like winning in my book! go Paul Allen!

 

[Geekbabe]

Here's Paul Allen's personal collection of WWII aircraft:

http://flyingheritage.com
​

Note that these aircraft are maintained in flying condition, and that there are scheduled "free fly" dates when you can actually see them in their element!

I really should be there on 6/18 or 8/6 when this one takes to the air:

It's not just a FW 190, it's one of the long-nosed variants produced near the end of the war. I was literally dumbstruck the first time I saw it.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

So the man collects rare things & gives the public the chance to also see & enjoy those things/ Sounds generous to me.

 

[coloumb]

From watching the video - I doubt he pays Dan Aykroyd to jam with him - it looks like they are "buddies". He probably pays his band players because they too have to make a living.

 

[tcsenter]

Out of all the crooks in DC and Wall Street, why pick on this genuine guy?

Because class warfare instructs that there is only a finite amount of money and wealth to be had (zero sum). And because Paul Allen got so much, so many others didn't get their "share" or any at all. It doesn't matter how ethically, honestly, or productively he acquired this much wealth. Because he acquired it, someone else didn't. And those someone's who didn't "get their share", invariably, are always the thumb-suckers who drive trucks, bag groceries, sponge off seasonal unemployment six months out of every year, turn lug nuts, or whatever (i.e. chose to do things that would NEVER make them any substantial income or generate any substantial wealth), but still believe they should get paid like an MD, PhD, or MBA.

 

[Josh]

I know Paul's keyboardist. The guy's name is Gary and his other job is working with the Billy Graham Crusade as one of the chief musical directors. He's friends with my dad. Apparently he'll just get random calls from Paul like, "hey, I heard about this awesome studio in London so we're flying there tomorrow to record a few tracks."

Awesome.

 

[dainthomas]

"No one can earn a million dollars honestly."

-William Jennings Bryan

Could probably update that to a billion these days. Just because 60 Minutes does some flattering fluff piece on him doesn't mean he's actually some great, down to earth, regular guy. They could probably make the Sultan of Brunei look like the salt of the earth.