n/t

Learned that decades ago. Still true today.

A little off topic but whenever I hear "class" used to indicate "elegance of style, taste, and manner," I think of this scene from "Back to School"--

The intonation and cadence were great.

I'm forever "forgetting my hat" to go back into the restaurant to give a good tip to the server when I go out with my rich friends.

invitations to places I can no longer afford would decrease.

I should probably also point out that when I use the word friend, preceded by word rich, I'm stretching the definition. I've known so many of these people my whole life and have never understood the motivation behind the meanness.

one would put down a nice tip, and another would scoop it up and pocket it when his back was turned. They are robbers through and through.

My grandmother, especially, was incredibly generous. After her, the money pretty much disappeared due to my grandfather's 'issues'. I still remember seeing people's mouths drop open when she tipped them (and watching my dad break out in a sweat ). Granted, she had no real concept of money. Never worked a day in her life, never paid a bill, raised by nannies and servants, but she always treated them like family and 'God' help anyone that treated them differently. And that was in Louisiana, her nannies/servants were always black where treating them 'like family' was frowned upon in LA. She would fight to the death for any one of them. Went to court for one and was almost arrested for swearing at the judge.


There are a lot of generous rich people. We just don't hear about them.

of a percent. It sounds like we may have vaguely similar backgrounds, old money, raised in that world and taught the lessons needed to navigate it. But, I know very famous rich people, media celebrities, business goons, successful criminals, new money and old, and while those I maintain contact with are very nice on a personal level, when the topic turns to money you can hear the sphincters slam shut.

Remember the last scene of Michael Moore's first film, Roger & Me? His interview with billionaire Phil Knight.

Let him be the scrooge that doesn't get a Christmas visit. Maybe the devil will write him a check for his soul.

Many good business folks out there (often small businesses) who help the local economy, community, charities, and their people. But not the Kochs and their ilk. Horrible, nasty people with black hearts.

he's one of the worlds biggest philanthropists but isn't nice to people he's in direct contact with... weird.

philanthropy is tax deductible, tipping is not...

I mean Koch has given $400,000,0000 to medical research charities in just the last 15 years. He gave $80,000,000 to PBS and Smithsonian....

But not even a gift card to Applebee's for a Christmas present? Weird.

But I'll throw out a couple "maybes"

Donating large amounts of money to things that immortalize yourself can be considered 50% charity and 50% self aggrandizement.

Maybe that's it?

Or maybe he has two views of "humanity" the macro view being the human species and a desire to help and advance them...

but in person he sees an ickey brown man holding a door open for him and can't see to help this man?

Or possibly he's a bean counter? Seeing that 740 Park has 31 residences if every resident gifts $50 then the doorman collects s $1500 bonus check from the residents, not bad...

I mean if 31 residents all gave $1000 to the doorman (and there are several) he'd rake in a $30,000 bonus for Christmas.??


Personally I'm inclined to think he's generally compassionate to the human race but repulsed by humans. Make any sense?

No offense, but Davey Jones Koch really is a scumbag. So are all his bros.

Welcome to DU, by the way.

he's after eternal life, the sidelining of Bill Moyers, and revisionist history. In other words, he's all about himself.

philanthropists since 2000. #23 in 2011, I couldn't find the 2012 list.

He's given 750 million $ to medical research, the arts and education. However the motive for that generosity is questionable.

I do not refer to vermin as "Mr. Cockroach" or "Mr. Rat"...a Koch by any other name would smell thusly rank!

It is really the key to his overall business acumen. By hoarding you eliminate your customer base. It's not smart. And is actually very destructive.

slaves.

It sounds terrible, but I've never heard of that connection, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

As to your other post regarding the Iranian oil, I'm with you in that I don't really know how those things work,

either, but I too heard, more than once, about the whole conflict stemming from a euros vs. dollars

competition.

So maybe you want to elaborate again???

that workers who did not want to build or work in those refineries had any choice in the matter, not to mention the 10-15 million actual prisoners who were a part of the workforce, some of them imprisoned just for not demonstrating the proper respect for the Communist party.

that if the author had any evidence of slave labor that he would have mentioned it? It certainly would not have hurt the article to mention that, now would it?

Their family founded the John Birch Society, which helped Joe mcarthy ruin hundreds of lives, all for having a hint of red, while these people HELPED STALIN KEEP POWER!

the trouble between Iran and Iraq:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-02/koch-brothers-flout-law-getting-richer-with-secret-iran-sales.html

I don't know how these things work, but I do recall part of our trouble with Saddam Hussein was his apparent political inclination to re-denominate Iraqi oil sales in Euros instead of Dollars, since the Sunni and Shia tribes cross three national borders in that region, there may have been some pretty complex stuff going on about who would have supported that move and who would not.

Who the hell would want a smile from this mtfrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

but no such PUBLIC accolades for giving tips.

They aren't in it for the humanitarian gesture -- they want the PUBLIC to note what they are doing. It's all about self-gratification.

And they can deduct it from their income tax.

Greedy people like the Kochs are usually lousy tippers.

Seriously, fuck ALL of 'em. Worthless scumbags.

and it buys them nothing in the way of grace, class or mental security. Even when they buy a museum or artwork, it does them no good, and for that matter, none of us good either. They are undead, going through the motions of life, but without soul.