Good 1%'ers vs. Trump.

[qwlauren35]

Last edited Mon Mar 23, 2020, 01:15 PM - Edit history (1)

I'm not proud to say it, but I have a weakness for following dumb celebrity sh*t. I read the front pages of tabloids, sometimes the inside. So, when I started reading about the 1% pitching in, I googled it. There are a LOT of 1%'ers pitching in. A little here, a little there. It's better than nothing.

At any rate, here's the article.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/hayleycuccinello/2020/03/17/billionaire-tracker-covid-19/#16a68b547e69


What they say about Trump is factual and telling. What they say about Elon Musk tells you that the article is old by a few days. (March 17th.) But it's interesting how he's done a 180. Gates and Bloomberg get props. And a lot of the sports team owners have also done some good things.

Sheldon Adelson: The casino magnate is closing Las Vegas Sands Corp.’s properties on the Strip — the Venetian and the Palazzo — until at least April 1. The company said in a statement that there will be no layoffs or furloughs and all employees will be paid during the temporary closure.

Mark Cuban: Cuban owns the Dallas Mavericks, which is providing full reimbursement to employees for breakfast or lunch purchases made from independent, local establishments in the Dallas region. Cuban has confirmed to Forbes that American Airlines Center arena employees will be paid as if the season had not been halted. He has also teamed up with Maverick players Luka Doncic and Dwight Powell to donate $500,000 to support healthcare workers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas.

Bill Gates: The Microsoft cofounder announced on February 5 that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation would commit $100 million to aid global detection, isolation and treatment of COVID-19. More than half of it will go toward developing vaccines, treatment and diagnostics. He also called for a national tracking system for coronavirus in the U.S. during a Reddit AMA.

Dan Gilbert: The Quicken Loans Community Fund and Gilbert’s family foundation are donating $1.2 million combined to help coronavirus efforts in Detroit. Gilbert is the majority owner of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, which announced it is “developing a compensation plan to continue paying our event staff and hourly workforce.”

Elon Musk: On Wednesday, March 18, Musk defied a sheriff’s order to “shelter-in-place” by keeping Tesla’s Fremont, California factory open, with employees being told the factory was “critical infrastructure.” After Tesla was confronted by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department that same day, the factory cut its onsite staff from 10,000 to 2,500. On Wednesday evening, Musk, who has previously dismissed the coronavirus panic as “dumb,” tweeted that Tesla would “make ventilators if there is a shortage.” He added on Friday, March 20, that he thinks the ventilators “probably won’t be needed.” Musk has since talked to ventilator manufacturer Medtronic.

Sy Siblings: The siblings’ SM Prime, Philippines largest property developer, has waived rent charges for all tenants in its SM Supermalls from March 16 to April 14. SM has also allocated 100 million php ($1.9 million) to supply medical front liners with protective equipment such as masks, gowns, visors, gloves and shoe covers.

Donald Trump: America’s first billionaire president declared coronavirus a national emergency on March 13. The Trump administration has repeatedly downplayed the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak and has been slow to implement testing for the virus. When asked at a press conference, President Trump refused to take any responsibility for the botched rollout of tests. Trump has reportedly laid off staff at his hotels in New York, Las Vegas and Washington, D.C.

[qwlauren35]

1. Re-titled

to clarify content.