Monument to Greed

[Tycoon]

Here is what I have dubbed a "monument to greed". Read the description and watch the video and you might get an understanding.

Richest Man In India Builds $1 Billion House - The Huffington Post

I don't know about you but I think money like this could certainly be used for a better cause... any thoughts?

[Halofan48]

Can you say "selfish and boasting"? I think this man is probably the portrait for greed now. Yet, i bet you something will probably happen to it and ruin it.

[Tycoon]

Yet, i bet you something will probably happen to it and ruin it.

If only. No doubt it has state of the art protection from anything that could possibly happen, namely earthquakes.

[lsbskins1]

My favorite thing about this link are the comments in the link after the story. Some butt wipe builds a monument to his own greed, and there is always some dink willing to call people communists when they suggest greed is bad. So very typical.

[grandpa]

Quote by: lsbskins1 My favorite thing about this link are the comments in the link after the story. Some butt wipe builds a monument to his own greed, and there is always some dink willing to call people communists when they suggest greed is bad.

Such people exist. Somehow, greed is a good thing.

Grandpa h.

[Apeman81]

Quote by: Halofan48 Can you say "selfish and boasting"? I think this man is probably the portrait for greed now. Yet, i bet you something will probably happen to it and ruin it.

Sounds like a boat load of wealth was put into the economy. Workers, fabricators, venders, salespeople, wholesalers... the list for this kind of expenditure is a long one.

Buying and selling IS what keeps the money flowing

[Tycoon]

Even so, most of those jobs will only be temporary, related to building the house. It's a billion dollar house. Even if it pays a few jobs, money like that could still be used for much better things.

[Tycoon]

While the ninth floor will a 'refuge' floor -- meant to be used for rescue in emergencies -- two floors above that will be set aside for 'health.' One of these will have facilities for athletics and a swimming pool, while the other will have a health club complete with the latest gym equipment.

Well, first of all... is this guy predicting his own death? Because otherwise that ninth floor is a huge waste of money.

I understand a swimming pool. I have a swimming pool. But who needs a health club and all the latest gym equipment? Sure we have a treadmill but honestly... does he even look like the kind of guy that works out a lot?

[Halofan48]

For the cost of the workers, just find out how much it normally costs for a mansion and then find the price of a commercial building that size and infer the costs.

[Compugasm]

I knew I should have built that house underground.

[G. Adams]

A massive number of jobs have been created in the building of this project. A massive number of people will be needed for all the maintenance and repairs. There will be 600 servants working the building. No doubt with a building this size, he will run some of his business here too.

This drive for greed has put $1billion dollars back into useful circulation and will continue to provide jobs for decades. Oh woe is the world.

[USSRv2]

The Monument to greed is far larger. It is the international Capitalist economy, almost an entire globe ruled by greed, only opposed by smaller bastions of light.

This is extremely sad, especially in a tormented country like India. Imagine how many schools and hospitals that money could have been used to build. :'(

[Tycoon]

This drive for greed has put $1billion dollars back into useful circulation and will continue to provide jobs for decades. Oh woe is the world.

True, it is giving a lot of people jobs. But I would agree with USSRv2 that it could have been used for a lot of more useful things that would still provide jobs.

The Monument to greed is far larger. It is the international Capitalist economy, almost an entire globe ruled by greed, only opposed by smaller bastions of light.

On that note, if you want to argue about that, make a thread. I'm not going to argue about it here.

[grandpa]

Quote by: Tycoon True, it is giving a lot of people jobs. But I would agree with USSRv2 that it could have been used for a lot of more useful things that would still provide jobs.

The ide athat something is good merely because it provided jobs is nonsensical. Forgive me for giving such a typical example, but Nazi Germany provided plenty of jobs. In fact, one of their slogans was "Arbeicht Macht Frei," or "work shall set you free."

Today, plenty of jobs are shifted to India, but the intent is to maximally exploit and subordinate the population, not liberate them. So the argument would be fine if it had some
shred of relevence regarding right or wrong.

Grandpa h.

[G. Adams]

Quote by: Tycoon True, it is giving a lot of people jobs. But I would agree with USSRv2 that it could have been used for a lot of more useful things that would still provide jobs.

He has generated a vast amount of wealth, employed legions of people across the world, keeping them and their families alive all that time. His industry will have driven an improvement in the local infrastructure of anywhere his production is that was lacking previously. The bringing together of large numbers of people into a factory will have given local people a new economy as these workers need food, clothing etc

In doing all that he will pay more tax per day than you or I will pay in a year. And your thinking he should give up more of what he has created? Why should he?

If all the people like him in the world left, went on strike so to speak, because they were tired of bloodsucking parasites trying to bleed them of their creations, what do you think would happen to the world? A new dark age, that's what.

[G. Adams]

Quote by: grandpa Today, plenty of jobs are shifted to India, but the intent is to maximally exploit and subordinate the population, not liberate them. So the argument would be fine if it had some shred of relevence regarding right or wrong. Grandpa h.

And you would rather those Indian's who are now employed to have remained in the gutter, than they have money and work for a profit driven businessman?

The population of India isn't being subordinated. Their economy is booming. In 100 years they won't have half the problems they do now (providing their birth rate slows a little, which will likely happen as their wealth increases).

[LookToTheFuture]

Quote by: G. Adams And you would rather those Indian's who are now employed to have remained in the gutter, than they have money and work for a profit driven businessman? The population of India isn't being subordinated. Their economy is booming. In 100 years they won't have half the problems they do now (providing their birth rate slows a little, which will likely happen as their wealth increases).

I presently live and work in India and i'm afraid to say what your stating isn't strictly true. The gutter you are talking about is actually village living. The majority of indians who seek work come from small communities that are pretty much self sustaining. They still have the town elder and all that.
When you say their economy is 'Booming" i have found that to be a bit of a misnomer. I also used to beleive as you did and on coming here it would apear that the foundations of there economy are a lot shakier than we are led to believe. I mean the place is just a wasteland really.

[grandpa]

Quote by: G. Adams And you would rather those Indian's who are now employed* to have remained in the gutter, than they have money and work for a profit driven businessman? The population of India isn't being subordinated.

Well, if there is a revolution to overthrow state-capitalist tyranny, I'm sure I'll see you on the other side. In reality, people working for corporations are subordinate and when you say "India's economy is booming" you really mean profits are booming. I'm sure many are still "in the gutter," especially when the only reason coprorations flock to such countries is to exploit their cheap labor pool.

Furthermore, in a free and rational society, one who was poor and was unemployed would not be "in the gutter," but the massive banking institutions and investors have instituted a system of global economic tyranny and they aim to keep it that way. If you care to look, practically every place going through these so-called "economic miracles" has seen economic riots of some kind. That's rather telling. And not long ago I posted a link on how the Gap was using genuine child slave labor. There is nothing to be too cheerful about, unless we're extremely cynical and self-defeating. To look at a billionaire having a bunch of servants as something positive is incredibly insulting. If the majority in every society was employed in such a way, they would essentially be destroyed as a race and as a culture within a remarkably short time. And this is being approximated in the States as well. It's not even that hard to notice. I could give some personal examples.

Grandpa h.

[grandpa]

Quote by: LookToTheFuture I presently live and work in India and i'm afraid to say what your stating isn't strictly true. The gutter you are talking about is actually village living.....

But you're talking to a capitalist ideologue, someone who thinks billionaires -- the same people stealing vast portions of wealth in the world -- are at all interested in "lifting everyone from the gutter." Of course, we're just supposed to assume the assertion is correct and be done with discussion.

Grandpa h.

[grandpa]

Earlier I addressed the argument that someone or something is great for providing jobs and I mentioned Nazi Germany. Well, here's an interesting piece of German propaganda regarding this:

Even in 1933, the number of new dwellings rose to 178,000, with particular attention being given to small and mid-sized units for those with limited incomes. This number grew year by year, reaching 340,000 dwellings in 1937, double the number of 1932. In all, National Socialist has built more than 1.4 million new, and above all healthy and affordable, dwellings for the German people since 1933. This is enough to house the entire population of Berlin... Growing prosperity and production led to a growth in traffic.

There's more, but I'm sure you get it.

Here's the source:
We Owe it to the Führer

Grandpa h.