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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRich Guy Is Pretty Sure His Megayacht Counts As Philanthropy
Pharmaceutical gazillionaire Dennis M. Jones "was struck by an intriguing coincidence" upon upgrading his 151-foot yacht to a 164-foot, custom-built yacht named the DNatalin IV, the Times reports. That coincidence? That the DNatalin IV's $34 million price tag was roughly equivalent to the $34 million he'd given to charity since 2000.
Which got him thinking: $34 million on curing disease and helping the homeless, $34 million on "high gloss raised panel walnut cabinetry and inlay stone floors" for a floating mansion. What's the difference, really?
No, really, that's the thought process that went through Jones's mind, according to the Times.
Could the purchase of a superyacht be more than an act of self-indulgence? Could it provide something as significant, Mr. Jones wondered, as the financial aid he has given to children, homeless people, drug addicts and groups that promote education and entrepreneurship?
The answer to all of those questions, of course, is "hell no, are you crazy?" (In fact, studies have shown the exact opposite that high-end luxuries like yachts and sports cars actually perpetuate inequality.) But that didn't stop Jones from rationalizing his Scrooge McDuck lifestyle as an act of charity. He even called in the CEO of Christensen Yachts, which built the boat, to testify about how truly meaningful his order had been to the once-struggling company.
more
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/07/rich-guy-pretty-sure-his-yacht-is-philanthropy.html
"Mr. Jones said he wanted to encourage other wealthy people to think about how their opulent lifestyles could provide jobs just as their charity helps people in need," the Times said.
vt_native
(484 posts)randys1
(16,286 posts)W and cheney and friends made this guy richer than he needed to be by stealing from medicare and from all of us
Response to n2doc (Original post)
JVS This message was self-deleted by its author.
HooptieWagon
(17,064 posts)So the guy thinks people should work for free, and he only pays them from the kindness of his heart? Holy cow, what an asshole.
L0oniX
(31,493 posts)NaturalHigh
(12,778 posts)jmowreader
(50,451 posts)muriel_volestrangler
(101,150 posts)and a damn fine job they did of it. And yet, they were just working with reality.
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)I was just looking around for something like that to put on my birthday wish list, and now I discover it would be a tax deduction for my wife when she gives it to me too. Wow, talk about a gift that keeps on giving.
d_r
(6,907 posts)trickle down economics. Look, this is why rich people keep pushing that idea that everyone should know doesn't work. The sad thing is some working people believe it.
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)muriel_volestrangler
(101,150 posts)Not that this would have anything to do with dodging taxes. Oh no. How could you possibly think that? Because the owners are patriots, dammit:
...
From the outset this was to be a family yacht, so it was only fitting that the owner and his entire family were involved in every important design decision. Because they are such gracious and appreciative people, there was this very real sense among the entire build team that everyone just wanted to work that much harder for them. Seeing the broad smiles on the faces of the whole family as we walked through the finished product together for the first time was a very gratifiying experience for me.
http://www.charterworld.com/news/christensen-shipyards-announces-delivery-50m-dnatalin-iv-yacht
It's a "family yacht", god damn you! You're not allowed to criticise something called 'family'. The owners are gracious! They've patriotically registered the boat in the Cayman Islands, because that's what patriotic American families do.
Blue Owl
(49,913 posts)n/t
Doctor_J
(36,392 posts)BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)Give the proceeds to charity. Then he can really feel like he "gave" something to help the poors.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)Unbeliveable.
lumberjack_jeff
(33,224 posts)The cachet he hopes to acquire from owning a $164 million boat is similar to the cred he hopes to buy with a comparable expenditure of "charity".
I will concede that it's more useful to the economy than simply buying stock in the latest Facebook.
Bombero1956
(3,539 posts)That thing would be of more use as an artificial reef..