What would you do if you won $636 million?

Doorway,

All the "communist" countries you cited are actually capitalist or just military dictatorships with no real economy at all.

As for a matter of choice, only the first world, and a handful within it, truly benefit from unfettered capitalism. Most people don't agree with how it works, and America's not exactly in a good shape, either. Russia is possibly the most capitalistic country in the world, just with no free market.

In any case, some key aspects of socialism and limited capitalism can be combined to make the "best of both worlds". I don't think you really know much at all about socialism.

 

I'd buy several vehicles (for sure a Range Rover Sport and Audi RS5), a house & land out somewhere in the Mountain States (and another one on the East coast - maybe Maine), donate a lot to Médecins Sans Frontières and St. Jude's, and then travel the world.

 

I think the house I owned would fit in that living room!

my apartment fits in one of the bathrooms!

there is another thread about privilege - I think it is kind of a weird look here about "how the other section of society lives"

holy freaking cow! :rolle:

even in my wildest imagination I did not think of this, just a ranch house on a private island

 

Save, save, save! ...3/4ths of it!
I could use some of this cash to get into the prestigious colleges!
I could use some of it to help advance gender reassignment surgeries! Less discrimination!
I could support some charities, but I hate it when they keep most of the cash for themselves.

 

Hire lawyers, security, wealth management team.

Make a will to ensure that when I die, my sister and family/friends are protected but never at the helm of a half-billion dollar fortune (when I die, I will ensure my dog and I have university buildings/schools named after us).

Fly off to some small town and spend a few weeks in isolation with my parents and sister to avoid the media since in Texas (and most states) lottery winners cannot remain anonymous.

Change names and surnames, perhaps.

Cut off contact with relatives who are bad with money, but even then give them a tens of thousand dollars and maybe establish scholarships for their kids.

Give maybe $10 million dollars to both Alzheimer's and HIV research, plus some extra money to LGBT advocacy groups/youth programs.

Every 2 years, find the King Bigot of the 435 Club and donate a million dollars to a PAC that tries to defeat the most racist, homophobic or sexist Member of Congress, just for fun.

Live an unassuming lifestyle and hopefully find a guy who likes me because of me and not my money.

Teach my sister that money is a necessary evil and great privilege and see it in perspective. Can't have her or my nephews become spoiled brats.

Invest wisely in a well-balanced portfolio, living off of the dividends of the blue chip stocks.

 

In response to the debate about capitalism vs socialism:
While I prefer capitalism to socialism...
Throwing around "Communist" and "Socialist" around has caused a lot of Idiots to label their enemies socialist. Kind of like the "Poorly Cited Bible Quotes" thing.

 

Not sure what my family would think about sharing it (they might not want any unless in trouble), but any one in my immediate family (parents, sister) would not have any issues in paying for anything if in crisis...


Hell I don't know if I'd work if I had $200 mill in the bank...sure I'd volunteer somewhere to stop from going crazy...but otherwise, just give me a comfortable house (no need for a pricey one), a car (again, no need for a luxury one), and hell let's go with Seattle Seahawks season tickets. :lol:

Maybe I'd take a college course at a time for fun? With questions like this I normally say I'd continue as normal and attempt to develop a career - but with $200 million I wouldn't really see a need to get a degree anymore.

 

Thank you!!! History has enough examples of communism to know it's terrible. Capitalism works because it has all the motivation for a man to work hard, a business to provide the best product/service it can, and nobody can survive without working hard to contribute to the economy...or mooching off Welfare.

That's what capitalism IS! Communism and socialism lead to dictatorships. As a citizen of a free country, don't you want freedom in all aspects of your life and the lives of your fellow man? Don't you want complete control over your own life? Without capitalism, every business from the biggest corporations to Mom&Pop shops would lose everything, go out of business. The global economy would collapse. Bringing everyone down to the lowest common denominator is not equality. Imagine yourself working 18 hour shifts, giving it your all, and opening your paycheck to see the exact same amount of money as the one who shows up late, leaves early, and gets nothing done. Really imagine it. You tell me how it would feel. How does your precious communism suit you?

 

This. :eusa_clap
Just... All of this.
Makes sense in theory, but in practice? Not so much.

 

Which one do you mean? Are you agreeing with me or was that first part condescending?

 

You know nothing about socialised economy.

And the history of communism tends to be faux-communist dictatorships which mirrored the Western world.

Imagine yourself being born in a world where political power and dictation of the economy is in the hands of an essentially hereditary elite who don't actually have to work a day in their lives, while you live off an income several hundred or thousand times less.

Oh wait.

 

At least I have the freedom to rise from poverty to whatever level I want as long as I have the determination and will work hard for it! And how would you describe life in a socialist economy? How exactly is that best?

 

Grew up poor. After paying off mad bills and student loans, I would do a fuckton of charity work.

 

Somehow, a thread about what you would do if you won hundreds of millions of dollars turned into a debate about economic and political systems. Please keep your replies on topic, and please keep things civil. Thank you.

 

That much? I could get my parents out of the paycheck by paycheck situation they live in, pay for my brother's college education, pay for my own, move out of my Grandma's sewing room (I'd probably buy a nice house in San Francisco. Something that's roomy, comfortable and definitely a good building, but not gigantic or mansion-sized. This is the city, after all, and once the money is spent I have to pay property taxes and such with a 50 grand a year public sector salary.), fund my entire gender transition, including the best surgeons available, have all the pretty clothes I've been eyeing, and give a massive chunk to charity.

 

I'm sorry. I've got a temper and can't let things go. I'll shut up.

 

Honestly?

Buy a House, possibly a group of 4 houses, for my family, so we can live together, but also separately.

Buy a car for me, learn to drive, then buy a car for my mom and 2 sisters as well.

Other than that, save it. If I see a friend or stranger who is obviously struggling financially, help them, anonymously when possible. I would volunteer in the community I move to (and donate money, obviously). I know at the Food Bank, I hear people who struggle for rent each month, etc., and although I couldn't help them due to laws of a contract we had to sign, I could help other volunteers that I know also struggle.

I rarely want things. Literally the only thing I've wanted in the past 10 years has been Pokemon Games, and a 3DS. I really don't want a lot in life.

 

My dad lives in San Jose, and always buys a ticket. No win, though T.T

 

I've always maintained that if I won any significant amount of money it would be split evenly between people in my family (there are only 27 people in my extended family that I have anything to do with, so each would get 1/27th). In the case of 232 million then each would get about 8.6 million.

Out of my 8.6 million I'd probably donate 3.6 million to charity. With the remaining 5 million I'd buy a decent house (nothing extravagant) and then just live off the remainder and the interest it earns in the bank.


(If I won something like 20 million, then I'd probably keep 5 million for myself and split the remaining 15 million between my family members - I am too selfish to give away the opportunity to never have to worry about money again.)

 

In all honesty, if I somehow came into more money than I'd ever be able to spend, and $200 million+ is a hell of a lot more money than I know what to do with, I'd be hard-pressed to find enough to do with it. I wouldn't work ever again, that's for sure. I'd put money into things that would pay me back over time, stocks, an IRA, start a business online, whatever I had to do to ensure I never ran out of money, I'd tell my parents they could retire if they wanted and take care of them from that point on as the ultimate re-payment for taking care of me. I don't really know what I do. I'd probably buy land nearby, I don't want to leave Indiana or the city I currently live in, and build at least three houses on it, one for myself and move my mom and stepfather in with me, one for my sister and her family, and one for my dad and stepmother, one more for my brother-in-law's father and stepmother and their son if they accepted, no expense spared, each house built to the exact desired specifications of the intended occupants, so we could all be together and see each other whenever we wanted and have holidays together. And I'd build somewhere I could decorate for Halloween and Christmas and not have to worry about thieves and vandals ruining my display.

One thing I know I'd do, though. Crazy Fourth of July parties, every year. Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays, so I would go out and buy the biggest and best fireworks assortments available and have a good charcoal grill going pretty much all day, and me, my mom and dad and step parents, sister, brother-in-law, and his immediate family, regardless of living situation, would sit out and do fireworks all night long.

Other than that, I don't really know. I suppose charitable donations would be in line for good karma. Maybe fund scientific and technological research. I wouldn't be too public with my newly gained fortune. Sure, I'd buy more and pricier things in the hopes of getting the best money could buy, but I'd also try to save as much as possible. I'd still shop at Walmart and K-Mart and the like, and I'd still look for sales at the grocery store. I'd just be the world's richest middle-class American, with more money than he could possibly do anything with even after building three or four dream houses and doing whatever he needed so his immediate and some of his extended family would no longer need to worry about food, the bills, and their cars ever again.

Ah, but that's all wishes and dreams. Poor jerks like myself don't usually get the opportunity to do things like that, no matter how hard they try.