How Would You Spend Your $50 Billion?

How Would You Spend Your $50 Billion?

by Michele                              

If you had $50 billion to throw around, what would you do with it?  Save the planet or buy a fleet of private jets?  Or both?               

On the same day that Bill Gates retired from Microsoft to devote himself to rescuing the human race, I happened to catch two separate movies about its demise.  The choice of films -- Wall-E and Planet of the Apes -- was a coincidence.  We were watching lots of movies to allay our anxiety about my oldest going off to sleepaway camp the next morning.  Wall-E had just opened, and Planet of the Apes happened to come up in our Netflix queue.  When you're anxious, a movie can be a great escape.  Unless of course the movie is about the apocalypse and the woeful period afterward when the plucky survivors are forced to cope with mass disaster.  (Check out that final scene in Planet of the Apes, by the way -- a true classic.  Nobody delivers a maudlin, campy, melodramatic line better than Charlton Heston.  "You maniacs! You blew it up!"  And while you're at it, try this one -- "Soylent Green is people!"  My fave post-apocalypse films also include Terminator and Children of Men.  Others?)

You gotta love those movies.  They give vent to our worst fears while managing to hold out a last bright hope for survival of the species.  Older and wiser, mankind will rise from the ashes.  Charlton Heston rides off into the sunset with his Eve to repopulate the planet.  (Add in the fact that she's mute, and plenty of male viewers would likely sign on).  Today, with skyrocketing fuel prices and global warming, we're surely headed for mass disaster.  The point is, we need saving, and Charlton Heston is no longer available.

Enter Bill Gates.  This is the guy who put Windows on a billion computers worldwide.  He changed technology -- and the way we live -- forever.  In the process, he wrote the handbook on ruthless business practices and made $100 billion. For a long time in the 90s, he was the richest man on the planet.  (Microsoft stock has declined, so he's down to a measly $50 billion and got shoved off the list by a bunch of Arab oil billionaires.)  Now he's decided to give his kids a mere $10 million each, and give the rest away through The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, devoted to solving problems of global health, development and education.  This seems to me to be a pretty good way to spend your $50 billion, and I have to ask myself -- would I do the same, if I were in Bill Gates's shoes? 

I enjoy that game where you ask, if I suddenly came into an extra million bucks (say, like by selling a big book!), what would I do with the money?  But because the amounts I dream of are relatively small, I never really think about using the dough to save the planet.  What would I do with a million bucks?  Blow it all on one item.  I just got a circular in the mail yesterday advertising a smallish, not gorgeous lakefront house on a prime piece of property on a lake I love.  If I had an extra million dollars, I'd buy it, and have enough left over to do some renovating and buy furniture.  That's all.  Planet -- fend for yourself.  I don't have enough to save you.  But $50 billion?  That number seems to impose some real responsibility. 

I confess -- if it were me, I'd skim off more than $10 million for each of my kids.  $10 million is enough for them to live on comfortably for the rest of their lives, but not enough for them to experience great wealth.  And having grown up with no money, I would find great wealth too hard to walk away from, for myself or for them.  Why would I deny my kids their own jets?  Or tell them they can have a primary residence, and a nice second home, but not a string of residences around the world?  A housekeeper and a nanny but not a large staff?  Enough to afford college tuition for their kids, but not enough to buy the grandkids' way into the college of their choice by donating a building?  No -- I'd give each kid a billion, and still have $48 billion left over for the planet.  I guess this makes Bill Gates a better man than I.

Okay, so how do I spend the remaining $48 billion?  (Other than on shoes?)  What are our most pressing problems?  Suggestions?  Post it below, or if you like, write to Mr. Gates.

Comments

[Peg H]

How would I spend 50 million bucks?

First thing I'd do is buy a new house. One with either a master suite on the first floor or a ranch style so my hubby would no longer have to climb stairs--he has secondary progressive MS. (Our house has a very steep staircase and the bedrooms are upstairs.) We don't need a big house it's only the two of us, but it would have to have a huge fenced yard for the dogs.

Then I would make sure all the bills were paid and set it up so they'd always be paid without me having to do anything.

Next, I'd make sure his mother, my cousins, and aunties were well taken care of.

Finally, I'd set up a couple of trust funds for some very dear friends so they'd never have to worry whether or not they have enough money in their checking accounts to cover their bills and buy groceries.

Stuff...I have enough stuff. I don't need much.

[Sarah S.]

Don't sell yourself short -- I like to think that if I had that lakefront house, I wouldn't have a mortgage. And think of all the wonderful things you could do for others without a mortgage! Okay, it's not saving the planet, but you may be able to make someone happy!

I can't even IMAGINE $50 billion dollars. I always think that if he would skim one tiny .002% off of that and give ME $1 million, I could make do for quite a while. I would like to think I would do SOME good somewhere with $50 billion.

[Susan]

I would probably do as Bill Gates did - give each of the kids a modest trust fund then give the rest away. Personally, I think $10 million is more than enough for the children and maybe too much.

Otherwise, I'd buy us a beach house at the Jersey Shore, pay off the mortgage on our house in Pittsburgh, set up a foundation for the charitable work, and go back to life as usual. I guess I like my life as it is.

[michele]

Just to re-emphasize the scale here, we're talking fifty BILLION. Not million, BILLION. A billion is a thousand million! So think big!

[michele]

And thank you, SarahS, for understanding that I would be a nicer person with that lakefront house. Bill Gates must be really, really nice.

[Joyce Tremel]

I can't even comprehend how much 50 billion is. Or 50 million, for that matter.

If I came into even a few million, I think it would be fun to just give it to people anonymously. Like, if I'm in a restaurant, just say to the waitress, "Give me the check for that table over there." I'd also start a college scholarship fund for families who make too much to get financial aid, but not enough to afford the tuition without loans.

I'd also finally build that log home in the mountains.

[Karen in Ohio]

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are great friends, and Buffett has said he is also not giving the bulk of his immense fortune (self-made, and with excellent, fair business practices) to his children, as he wants them to have the same kind of self-esteem he has about having worked hard for his money. I think that's wise. Too many rich kids end up being lazy wastrels because they don't have to work. We need fewer of those kind of people, not more.

That said, it would be extremely difficult to spend $50 billion. The daily interest alone would keep all of us who post regularly in style. Once your personal needs and desires are met, it wouldn't be so hard to let loose of a bunch of it, and without even making much of a dent in the principal. I have dear friends who live fairly close to the Gates' home in Seattle, and although they spent a small fortune on it, it's done, and it's furnished. Melinda Gates strikes me as a practical person, and not someone who is going to waste her time (and money) on redecorating every few months.

All the material things I'd like to have wouldn't cost more than a couple hundred grand, and then I'd be ready to share the rest (although I might also like to travel, and take my kids with). It would be lovely to be able to have the money to implement literacy programs, mostly right here in the US, where reading has become not so fundamental. It's always been a cause dear to my heart. I learned to read at age four, as did two of my girls. The youngest was three (thanks to CDB, and audio books), and she's still an avid reader, despite being in a challenging college science major. My vision would be to help parents instill that same love of reading in their own kids, and maybe to foster some of it in the adults, at the same time.

[ArkansasCyndi]

I'd love to have the money to help people. I understand what Gates is doing with giving his kids $10million. He won't be producing a set of "Paris Hilton" kids..money but no marketable skills.

I'd like to use the money for education, much like Murphy Oil has done for El Dorado, AR. If you haven't heard, Murphy Oil is paying for college ($6000 per year) for every (that's EVERY)child who graduates from El Dorado high school (public school). How cool would that be? I personally think our future lies with educating our youth.

[Josh]

Don't know what I'd do with that much. I buy Powerball when it gets to $50 million, so I get to fantasize about those sorts of numbers. It's worth the $2 a week, and I win about $3 a year, which makes it all worth it.

I would very probably try to do something charitable, and I hope I would be able to do it anonymously, since I think of that as being closer to my ideal than if I get something back (notoriety, a mug). Of course, money...changes ev-er-y-thing, so who knows?

Post-apocolypse movie most relevant for these times of high oil prices? The Road Warrior.

[Janis]

I'd probably start a foundation run by local retirees for local retirees in order to help those whose lives have outlasted their money. Several of my friends are struggling right now because they didn't anticipate the dramatic increase in the cost of living. Who did? So, to those who struggle, "financially comfortable" doesn't mean a million dollars in the bank, it means an extra hundred bucks a week so they don't have to choose between putting gas in the car, buying prescription medication, and buying groceries. Some of my friends haven't eaten a meal in a restaurant--even a fast food joint--in years. Others haven't bought new clothing or shoes since they've retired. Vintage or thrift shopping is cool when it's a choice, but it's not so cool when it's a necessity. What seemed to be an adequate amount of money 10 or even 5 years ago has proven to be woefully inadequate today.

So many of these people are working at jobs they hate just to make ends meet. Face it--nobody's dream job is being a Wal Mart greeter. Retirement dreams have turned into nightmares. They can't afford anything. While I might mutter about bloodsucking corporate pigs when the gas or electric bill goes up, I pay the bill and get on with it. These people do without something else in order to pay the bill.

Yes, I know there are programs in place to help. But first they have to be available in your area. And second you have to swallow your pride (and possibly lose face in your community) and ask for help. Small-town America can be vicious, people.

Do what you can when you can. It's not easy to give help. Sometimes you have to be downright sneaky. Pretend you're regifting when you buy your friend a blouse or a pair of shoes. Pretend you found a $20 bill in an old book they've lent you. Pretend you've run out of freezer space for meat or cabinet space for canned goods or started a diet for bakery products. Pretend that you've come into a little windfall and want to celebrate by taking them out for a meal.

So. Think globally but act locally.

The end.

[J.D. Rhoades]

I'll second the nomination of Road Warrior for best post-apocalypse film, although I have to say that last battle/chase sequence in Children of Men is AMAZING.

Okay, after I buy the island and put my writer's colony on it (and yes, you guys are all invited), I'd probably set up something like that old show The Millionaire...have a foundation that secretly looks for deserving folks, then just show up in their life and help them out.

[michele]

Yes, I totally understand the psychology about too much money producing wastrel kids. Yes, yes. I'm sure that's right. But I guess thinking of my own specific kids, they're old enough that their personalities are formed, so I try to justify all those zeroes I would put in their trust funds. One would spend nothing and work hard at something he loves no matter how much money he had. The other would spend a fortune but still work hard at something he loves. I think he'd end up a playboy marine biologist with a bunch of really nice cars!

Anyway, to take this more seriously for a moment, I'm glad to see we have such generous backbloggers. Interesting how many of us would focus right here at home on helping people we know. The Gates Foundation is focusing a lot on hunger and health issues in the third world, it seems. Act locally versus act globally -- is the calculus really the same if we're talking about billions?

Me, I'd spend the money on figuring out clean, renewable energy. That and shoes! (Kidding!)

And thanks for the Road Warrior reference, Josh. Can't imagine how I forgot that one b/c we just Netflixed it a couple of months ago. Yes, it was very timely. And damn, Mel was hot, no matter how reprehensible his beliefs.

[michele]

Dusty -- count me in on the island thing! And I'm so glad somebody else has seen Children of Men. That is my absolute favorite film since Unforgiven, and it's so under-appreciated.

[janetlynn13]

Janis, with all those ideas of yours, looks like you are already trying to make a difference. I applaud your effort!

I fantasize about hitting the lottery for say $10 million. Buying a great house, going on extended vacations, a vacation home to share with friends, helping out family. I love the ideas in that Nicholas Cage movie, like buying subway tokens for everyone one day. That would be fun to dream up as well.

But $65 BILLION? I don't have that expertise. That would need calling together a think tank of really intelligent people to put together a plan to get the most good for each dollar. I've heard about the Gates foundation for years, and I believe if anyone could do great things in this area, then Bill can do it.

[William Simon]

I'd give 40B to an organization such as PROTECT.

The balance would be spread out amongst family and friends to ensure everyone had "F--- You" money.

Whatever's left, I'd probably piss away on computers and DVD's and stuff...:)

[Tina]

50 billion dollars! That's hard to wrap my head around.

I LOVE Joyce's idea of giving it away to random people. Like a million at a time. With no strings attached.

I'd have to keep my family and friends close, so they get a few million a piece. My kids and nieces get 10 million each.

After everyone around me is covered, I start trying to cure sickness, hunger and poverty in my own backyard then around the world.

I better buy a small island somewhere warm and tropical. I'm going to be wore out!

[michele]

People on my street are involved with this organization that houses orphans in Ethiopia. I went to a fundraiser for it, and they have a very good model that I could imagine funding in other places around the world, where state-run orphanages aren't coping. They buy houses and hire competent local women to be house parents. Then they focus on meeting the needs of a finite number of children, including food, shelter, health care and education. Because it's a smaller model, they've had some great results.

[Nancy martin]

I love this fantasy. And I like to think I'd create a local foundation to do something worthwhile in my own community. But buying my own lake house is probably on my list, too.

About giving the kids too much dough: I grew up thinking my family was as broke as everyone else in town, and this was A Very Good Thing. (My parents were kids during the Depression and never forgot the lessons of poverty. Which is why they ended up wealthy in so many ways.) It's better, I think, to enter adulthood with plans for success, not expectations.

[ramona]

I have to wimp out on this one. The concept of $50 billion--no, make that the *responsibility* of it--is simply too much for my wee little brain. Who gets a gift? Who doesn't? How do you handle the guilt? Because there would be guilt. Although, the idea of handing out $1 million endowments to public libraries--I could go for that.

I think I'm better off being poor. But I would like to raise my hand and reserve a spot at the writers' colony.

Semi-hijack: If I did have a million to spare, I'd donate it to the Food Bank of Delaware. Last weekend, two refrigerator trucks holding $500,000 worth of donated chicken were stolen. Trucks were found, but the chicken was spoiled, and now the Food Bank will have to pay for disposal. How much does that suck?

[Michael]

First off, I'd have to get a 1967 Corvette. Convertible. 427, 4 speed. Honduras Maroon. Any potential saving of the planet and mankind will just have to wait until I've had my first drive in it.

VROOOOOOM. Ahhhh, ok, now I can start doing some good.

Michele I think you hit on STEP 1:

Fix the energy problems; With 48B you're no longer at the mercy of Big Oil.

Shale Oil in Montana, solar (how much land in West Texas could one lease for solar and wind farms for say, 1 or 2 billion?) Gather up all the top researchers in their fields and fund them properly. Cold fusion, hydrogen fuel cells, plug in cars, bio fuels (no, E85 doesn't count thank you...) wind, hydro, geothermal, EVERYTHING needs to be developed.

The great thing about the clean energy thing is, at some point it will become profitable and self sustaining. It won't actually take all 48 billion.

And think of all the jobs it'll create. Which leads to STEP 2:

Reversing the outflow of middle class jobs and heavy industry in this country.

The manufacturing base in this country is melting faster than the polar ice sheets. 48 Billion might be enough to do something about that. Buy a few seats on the board of directors of enough companies and start a massive "Don't buy from X Company due to outsourcing" advertising campaign to reverse the trend. Couple it with cheap subsidized renewable energy from STEP 1 to mitigate the cost for the bean counters.

Yeah, yeah, yeah Globalization is the future. Fine, let China and India produce the gourmet coffee shops and product liability lawyers, and we can have the heavy industry and energy production back. (Hey, it's my 48 billion, I can play favorites if I want to.)

STEP 3:

The commercialization of space. Drastically reducing the cost to orbit is vital, currently, it's something like $20,000 per pound. Single stage to orbit and other developing technologies promise to get that down to $2000 or so per pound. At that point, we can start mining the Near Earth Asteroids. Compared to the resources of our 1 planet, the resources of the solar system are pretty much infinite. With an exploding population, our consumption of Earth's resources will only increase. So at some point we either face a decidedly unpleasant future (angry, talking monkeys with guns?) or we look elsewhere to fulfill our requirements.

I'm sure there's a lot more we need to do, but I'm taking the 'Vette out for a ride. Steps 4, 5 and 6 can wait until I get back.

[michele]

Love the plan, Mike, and I want a ride in that car!

[michele]

Ramona -- surely Blond Bond would qualify for a nice gift? He's a poor little rich boy.

[ramona]

Michele, I think that would be more like self-gifting.

Then again, charity begins at home, right?

[Rita Scott]

Last year the cost of living increase in my SS was a big $13 a month LOL! Think that's keeping up with inflation? Hasn't been a COLA increase this year--yet.
I always have to laugh at the people who win money on game shows. You're not getting the amount you've won, the government is going to take 51% in taxes!
Coming into alot of money? The kids would get trust funds that would give them allowances to live comfortably but not go crazy. Set up a foundation to help people that just need to get a break, a reliable vehicle or paying for their medicines or medical bills. Take care of their utility bills, some times little things help a lot!

[Maryann Mercer]

Michele, Mr. Heston's last words might very well have been prophetic. Scary, huh? I loved Children of Men. There's another film, Milennium (Cheryl Ladd, Kris Kristofferson) that addresses the same question in a little more time-travel way--it's derived from a short story by John Varley (Air Raid). I love the whole paradox thing (and Sherman the robot) If you're talking post-apocalypse don't forget the Mad Max series. What happens when the world runs out of gas?????
50 Billion dollars? Heck I could live off the interest! I'd have to travel, buy a summer house on Vancouver Island and a condo not too far from Cath and Kip, set up a good long term care fund for me, and then give a bundle to my favorite causes: animals and Alzheimers research. I'd also check into the other great ideas you all have given.Even if I kept a billion for me, the interest itself would make a great endowment for the local high school. And before I bought a limo, I'd make sure there was alternative affordable fuel (and the affordable cars to put it in). It's actually mind-boggling to consider all the good that could be done with that dollar amount.

[Lorraine Bartlett]

I like Michael's idea about getting all those scientists together to solve the world's energy problems.

I'd also fund medical research to eliminate cancer, Alzheimer's, and toss money at scientists researching esoteric, yet catastrophic illnesses, especially that relate to the eldery and children.

And I'd pay someone to fix the drywall in my front entry hall.

[Mary Eman]

50 billion? No more worrying after Friday's announcement at work that our jobs are going to an "outside vendor" as of 1 Dec. In fact, there would be no worries about anything for a good, long time!

[Storyteller Mary]

Karen, so true about inherited wealth. The estate planner I knew back in Minneapolis (first woman to try a case in the MN supreme court) used to set up trusts until age 30. She said far more people were ruined through too much money too soon than by not enough. Earning one's way has its merits.
That said, while I'd love to solve all the problems of the world, I'd selfishly (or maybe not so selfish) like to promote a cure for allergies/sensitivities, which do seem to be proliferating. (Now I get a rash from the chlorine in the pool -- so how can I do aqua-aerobics?) Perhaps with enough discretionary income, I could even travel -- with enough money, I could probably assure myself of safe environments in which to stay and food prepared without latex gloves. Yeah, that would be nice.
Literacy is major -- in fact, my modest estate is set up to go to the Missouri universities, as scholarships for nieces and nephews for 20 years, and any unused balance to go to general scholarships. . .that's if there is anything left.
(Add in the fact that she's mute, and plenty of male viewers would likely sign on). When I had laryngitis once, friends teased my (now ex-)husband that he must be enjoying it. He was properly indignant at the idea that he would be happy at my expense. . .a good man, probably why we are still friends (and I like his third-time's-the-charm wife, too).

[Kerry]

What a fun game! With that kind of money, I'd take a paltry little bit and take care of some small items: making sure my family's OK, funding the local equikids program in perpetuity, contributing to local programs that help folks who need it (poor, elderly, battered women, etc.).

THEN I'd start thinking about saving the planet. Work with The Nature Conservancy to buy and save land from development. Work with local communities in threatened ecosystems to come up with development/management/restoration plans that allow people to benefit from preserving natural resources (local solutions to local problems - there are some nice models available already). Fund research and programs to deal with the enormous invasive species problem. Stop the overexploitation of threatened species and develop economic alternatives to the black market in plants and animals.

I'd also pick some pilot projects like "greening" schools (K-12 as well as colleges)in innovative ways; building planned communities that combine higher-density housing with lots of open green space and walking- or biking-distance access to needed services (grocery stores, etc.); and making existing cities more environmentally friendly in as many ways as possible (the sum of a lot of little improvements is a big improvement!). Finding effective ways to change the culture of the suburb so that we don't have to travel so far from the places where we live to those where we work.

I'd do something to help with the development of effective mass transit systems in urban areas that lack them.

I'd fund the development of community gardens everywhere possible. I'd fund education programs to teach about the benefits of xeriscaping and lobby hard to pass laws (of both the carrot and stick variety) to end the cult of lawn and promote landscaping with local plants on every scale from yards to golf courses. I'd endow research programs into turning urban green spaces into functioning wildlands that, again, benefit both people and wildlife.

Of course, investing in alternative energy is crucial; I'd put a chunk of change into figuring out how to make wind energy wildlife-friendly (wind turbines kill zillions of birds and bats every year).

If I had any money left, I'd fund arts, arts, and more arts, and lots of education programs.

For myself, I'd have someone build me a small but functional house using as much green technology as possible, add a Prius to our fleet of cars, become a personal trainer, and teach martial arts instead of biology for a living :)

[Kerry]

What a fun game! With that kind of money, I'd take a paltry little bit and take care of some small items: making sure my family's OK, funding the local equikids program in perpetuity, contributing to local programs that help folks who need it (poor, elderly, battered women, etc.).

THEN I'd start thinking about saving the planet. Work with The Nature Conservancy to buy and save land from development. Work with local communities in threatened ecosystems to come up with development/management/restoration plans that allow people to benefit from preserving natural resources (local solutions to local problems - there are some nice models available already). Fund research and programs to deal with the enormous invasive species problem. Stop the overexploitation of threatened species and develop economic alternatives to the black market in plants and animals.

I'd also pick some pilot projects like "greening" schools (K-12 as well as colleges)in innovative ways; building planned communities that combine higher-density housing with lots of open green space and walking- or biking-distance access to needed services (grocery stores, etc.); and making existing cities more environmentally friendly in as many ways as possible (the sum of a lot of little improvements is a big improvement!). Finding effective ways to change the culture of the suburb so that we don't have to travel so far from the places where we live to those where we work.

I'd do something to help with the development of effective mass transit systems in urban areas that lack them.

I'd fund the development of community gardens everywhere possible. I'd fund education programs to teach about the benefits of xeriscaping and lobby hard to pass laws (of both the carrot and stick variety) to end the cult of lawn and promote landscaping with local plants on every scale from yards to golf courses. I'd endow research programs into turning urban green spaces into functioning wildlands that, again, benefit both people and wildlife.

Of course, investing in alternative energy is crucial; I'd put a chunk of change into figuring out how to make wind energy wildlife-friendly (wind turbines kill zillions of birds and bats every year).

If I had any money left, I'd fund arts, arts, and more arts, and lots of education programs.

For myself, I'd have someone build me a small but functional house using as much green technology as possible, add a Prius to our fleet of cars, become a personal trainer, and teach martial arts instead of biology for a living :)

[Tom Barclay]

Mary Eman - I am SOOOO sorry to hear that!!

William - here's to your kidney and urinary tract health.

[Storyteller Mary]

On energy -- geothermal home heating is an amazing option. I wish I could have afforded it for my new house. One of the houses on the tour used solar panels in addition and was "near zero energy" and gorgeous! It looked like a Frank Lloyd Wright creation. In fact, if I were suddenly very wealthy, I might buy that home . . .or just add the features to my little eco-home.
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/heating_types_7.htm
BTW, they put the floor plan for my model, their smallest, on the web site
http://[email protected]/lynden.html

[Storyteller Mary]

Kerry, please define equikids and xeriscaping. I know I could Google it, but I'd rather have your take. I do like the way you think. Thumbs up on the Prius idea. I love mine!

[Storyteller Mary]

on the floor plan, my house is "flipped" with everything on opposite sides (I have no idea how they keep it straight building with reversed plans), and I have a bay window instead of the fireplace. With all my sensitivities, I don't even light candles . . . ;-)

[Storyteller Mary]

Just for fun -- you might be able to visualize the dancer changing directions --
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22535838-5012895,00.html

[michele]

Oh, Mary Eman, our thoughts are with you! What does this mean for your job?

I am in major agreement with everybody's greening plans. Doesn't it feel like we're about reaching the point of draining the earth to the last drop? Somethiing's got to give.

And yet on the other hand, there was the most interesting article this weekend about how population growth in Western Europe is falling off the cliff. In countries like Italy and Germany, they're so far below replacement rate that the population is going to collapse in the next 50-100 years. Here's the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/magazine/29Birth-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine&oref=slogin

[michele]

And yet in so much of the rest of the world, people ddon't have enough to eat. Gotta think old Bill has it right about working on hunger issues. Here's another interesting link, from today's Times, about impending food shortages:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/business/worldbusiness/30trade.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[Kathy Sweeney]

How fast could I spend $50 billion?

Fast, baby. I'll bet I could go through at least a third of it paying off mortgages for so many people who, through no fault of their own, are in danger of losing their houses.

Then, I'd buy new books (real ones) and laptops for kids in school districts where there is no money for those things (?!)

Then, I'd re-establish music and arts programs in all those schools where the programs have been cut.

I'd do it here in the U.S.

Nothing too high minded, but things that need priority.

Of course, the FIRST thing I would do would be to rent an entire cruise ship and take the whole TLC community on a big cruise - maybe the Carribean, or may Italy. Hell, probably both. People could pop on and off at different port. My private jet would be on stand-by, of course.

[Cheryl]

I would do some real inner city work. So many of the organizations that have great ideas do it with next to nothing and are only able to help a small number of the folks that need the services. I would want to cover the whole life cycle and since zero government dollars would be involved we would start with some real sex education and body awareness. Really fund rehab, really address the lack of life skills, broken families and make quality education the right that it should be.

[Pam aka SisterZip]

I really like the writer's colony idea!

I would definately take care of my kids, siblings, siblings-in-law, and a few very close, very dear friends. But I have to agree with a few of you that funding renewable, environmentally safe sources of energy would be the way to go. You can't grow food without clean water and you can't get that food to the areas that need it without the fuel for the trucks, etc. And part of that package would be to retrofit all vehicles to be able to use the new "fuel". Some people barely can afford a clunker, let alone pay for a hybrid.

And just for fun, I would buy a #1 1959 Barbie, mint in box with the stand to add to my collection.

[michele]

I love Barbies. Just last night my son was asking me what toys I liked as a kid and I was reminiscing about Barbies. Since I don't have girls, I haven't gotten to relive that yet.

Great ideas, Cheryl.

And Kathy, I love the cruise, just as I loved Dusty's writer's colony idea. Maybe we need a separate blog entitled, "How I would spend $1 million on the TLC backblog and donate the rest to charity"!

[Pam aka SisterZip]

Michele, you don't need to have girls to enjoy Barbies! I started collecting them in 1988 when they came out with the first Holiday Barbie. My daughter played with them a lot, but she never touched that one. On ebay, it has sold for over $500!

But, I have too many!

[Lynn]

I would donate some to the Make-A-Wish foundation and to Angel Flight. Both are good programs. Green houses are definitely in the to-do list. Then travel in an all-electric car. Then local programs as much as possible.

[Storyteller Mary]

Is there any way to do an eco-friendly cruise? It would be a great place for a writers' retreat . . .

[Michael]

Mary:

http://www.windjammer.com/fleet.html

[Storyteller Mary]

Michael, that looks perfect! Maybe we can get Pam AKA SisterZip to make shirts for us. I wore mine today to show a friend, an art ed. teacher. I figured, what the heck, I wasn't going to the Y or anyplace else kid-oriented . . .but then there were so many cute kids at Bread Co (Paneras), and Dr. Cannon's office, and the library . . .but the shirt must be subtle enough because no concerned parents swooped in to rescue their children . . . (nor did anyone tell me I had lettuce in my teeth, but that's another story).

[Brandy]

With $50 billion I'd pay off my hubs student loans. Thanks to hubs company and redoing their payroll, we're out $250 a month. *sigh* THEN I'd donate to the two local animale humane groups and probably found one of my own. People forget animals, too much. They are the first to go in any economic trouble. Then I'd concentrate on other local (US) groups for Children. It's fine and good to help out other countries, but there are kids and people in the US going hungry here as well.

[Peg H]

Billion...geez, I meant 50 billion. I also meant to add that I'd donate to MS and breast cancer research. (I lost two family members to breast cancer.) See what happens when I get interrupted? (Hubby needed some help so I hit post.)

I meant to come back and add to the post but I forgot to. I forget things all the time, it's not Alzheimers it's having too much on my mind.

[Storyteller Mary]

Peg, take care of yourself as well as the others. If I had billions, I think I'd see that caregivers get some time off and some pampering.
My cousin's husband got one of those machines that carry a seated person up the stairs (like the one the Gremlins shot through the roof). I think his buddies at the Lion's Club got it used and installed it for him.

[Peg H]

Mary, that would be nice but our stairs are too narrow.

[Harley]

Michele, I am sure that buried in these comments somewhere is that million dollars you've earmarked for Clive, so he'd kiss you. (although I know he'd waive his fee in your case.)

Definitely ROAD WARRIOR.

And I'd use my billions to eradicate that sad phenomena in Africa where girls too young to have babies do damage to their bodies during childbirth, become incontinent, and are thrown out of their houses to live as pariahs. It's a cheap fix, so there'd be lots left over.