Press Democrat - Santa Rosa

If I had a billion dollars, here’s how I’d spend it:

First, I’d invest $600 million with a goal of earning 2% annually — about $1 million a month. Then, I’d buy five houses at $10 million each. Add furnishings at $2 million each, $10 million for cars, boats and planes, $6 million for taxes and $24 million for a contingency fund. That leaves $300 million for donations to fight hunger, homelessness and other needs.

According to Forbes, the United States has 813 billionaires with a combined net worth of $6.72 trillion — averaging about $8 billion each. If the “average” billionaire followed this plan, each would own 40 homes valued at $10 million, have income of $8 million per month and $2.4 billion left for charity. If all 813 did this, we’d see $2 trillion going to urgently needed social programs. (To grasp what a trillion is, consider: a million seconds is 11 days; a trillion seconds is 31,700 years.)

However, these morally bankrupt billionaires demanded tax cuts for themselves, debt and health care cuts for the rest of us — and Republicans gave it to them. Regardless of political persuasion or social standing, we all need to come together, have mercy on these poor misguided souls and save them from eternal damnation by taxing the hell out of them.