If I had a Billion Dollars....

[elfwitch]

One of my favorite Barenaked Ladies Songs is "If I had a Million Dollars". I was listening to the song and thinking about what I would do. After very little thought it occurred to me that a million ain't what she used to be. So, I thought what about a billion?

So here is my question and my answer...

What would you do with a billion dollars? (We are assuming you would pay off your bills, buy an ew car, buy a new house, send your kids to college... yadda yadda. I mean what else would you do? Take a look at my list to get an idea of what I mean and then post away!)

My billion dollars
I would give money to the following organizations:
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
The ACLU
Temple Beth-El in San Antonio
A HUGE contribution to the candidate of my choice (wouldn't you like to know who that is?)

I would create a college scholarship fund for the children of Zoo workers in my mother's name (she worked for the San Antonio zoo for 15 years)

I would give money to organizations the restore paintings that were retouched for "decency" during the middle ages. (People who painted clothes on Ruben's paintings of women to cover their breasts, I would give money to the people who restore them back to naked.)

I would pay for the full production for the pilot episode of The Adventures of Rex Raygun cartoon, so it would be easier to shop it around for airing.

I would buy a bunch of original Jack Kirby art for my husband.

That is just a small list....
What would you do?

[THUNDER HANDS]

1. a huge contribution

would be $2000. You don't need to be a billionaire to donate like one. :D

[elfwitch]

2. when I say huge...

I mean the way George Soros is doing it.
Soft money my friend.

[radwriter0555]

3. I would start a non-profit day care for low income families....

in every place in the USA that needed one.

I'd employ those who need work, as well as provide really well run day cares for those who need them the most.

Then I'd start private schools the same way.

[WillParkinson]

4. I would...

Buy tons of land and turn it into a nature preserve. All available lands in our area (especially those zoned as 'commercial') would be purchased and a caretaker would be appointed.

Ted Turner is doing this now and I respect him for it.

[TEXASYANKEE]

11. What you said.

I would spend most of it for environmental causes -- land preservation, stewardship, etc.

[Champion Jack]

5. I would spend some on

P.I.'s to dig up anything and everything on the the hate radio crowd.
Then I would delight in watching them squirm.

[Lizz612]

6. Hospitals!! Lots and lots of hospitals!

All over the freakin world! Name them after famous doctors. And then set up factories to make the drugs they need; there are diseases out there that are treatable but because no one in the first world gets them the drug companies don't bother making the drugs needed to treat them anymore. :grr:
Donations to Doctors without Boarders and other public heath groups.
Some serious money to the UN, WHO and UNICEF.
A scholarship for students who join the Peace Corps before graduate school.
Big donations to certain canidates... and Wellstone Action.
A HUGE donation to DU!!

[THUNDER HANDS]

7. I would

Buy a billion lotto tickets. :D

[TacticalPeek]

9. LOL!

That would give you plenty to do. If you bought one per second, 24/7, it would take you 31.7 years to buy a billion!

[4_Legs_Good]

8. I would buy HUGE TRACKS OF LAND,

No really, as much as possible adjacent to National/State Parks (particularly La Purisima Mission in Lompoc, CA), and work towards donating them to the NPS, if their rights as undeveloped lands could be secured. I would also buy up as much as I could in various areas currently open to timber companies, mostly in Northern California. I'd buy up whatever I could to enlarge the pristine (and re-pristine it where it's not) the critical California Condor habitats...

Or, at least, that's what I'd do with a billion dollars TODAY.

Oh, and I'd donate it all in Peter Gabriel's name if I could talk him into breaking with the mythical Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tour film.

david

[HereSince1628]

10. Endow "enlightenment" studies in each state...

The broad educational values that culminated in the founding of our nation are being sacrificed left and right. Endowing liberal arts studies at one college in each state would prevent Bennett and Lynne Cheny from destroying the educational/philisophical basis of our cultural heritage.

[BlueJazz]

12. If you had a billion dollars, you could give ALL DU'ers....

...30,000 dollars each and we would really, really be your friend!

[ProudGerman]

13. My billion dollar "honey do" list

Half would get invested, so I could be a billionaire for the rest of my life.

I'd buy out freerepublic and turn it into a gay porn site, or an outlet for the American Communist Party, whichever would piss off the current denizens of that cess pool most.
I'd start a "balanced and fair" cable news channel and broadcast nothing but exposes of how the far right distorts, exaggerates and out right lies in their presentation of the news.
Sponsor a Dem candidate on the condition that Bill Clinton is nominated for Sec. of State. (just realized that counts as corruption, heh)
Buy huge tracts of land in the Australian outback and plant trees in a pattern so that "Bernard" is visible from space.
Start a multimedia campaign with the intent of making sure that Dipshit is remembered as the worst President ever, and a vile representative of the human species.

[elfwitch]

19. love your list!

n/t

[UrbScotty]

14. Give $920 million to the State of Michigan

That's our budget deficit. $920 million. 92% of a billion.

$50 million to charity
$20 million to Democrats

Just $10 million for myself.

[Ilsa]

15. We LOVE the SA Zoo.

Haven't been in a while, but i have a shirt and a fleece jacket from the shop.

[elfwitch]

20. I practiclly grew up there!

My mother started working at the zoo when I was 7. It was a fun place to visit in the summer. I'd follow her around at work all day. One summer I worked as an elephant keeper and helped with the elephant rides. My husband worked there as a security guard after he got out of the Marines.

[Nikia]

16. That could be fun

I'd run my own food bank. I'd give scholarships to needy students. I'd find other worthy people and causes to help. I'd have to formulate my master agenda, but I'd want to do the majority of my own charity work rather than giving it to organizations. I'd invest enough of it so that I'd always have money although some of it in more risky ventures that would help people like medical research. I've also always wanted to make movies so I'd devote some money to that. I'd also live in a nice big house of my own. That's really the only material thing that would be really important to me. Maybe, I'd hire a gourmet chef too.

[onebigbadwulf]

17. Great question

Build a 5 story mansion complete with secret sex dungeon, nude sun bathing roof top, house wide surround sound, built in industrial sized steel bar-b-que grill,

Hot tub / waterfall olympic sized style pool

Get a T1 internet line for my house

Buy an Aston Martin Vanquish

Latest hardcore alienware computer PC and laptop

Adopt 6 children from 3rd world countries and raise them to be genius liberal progressives

Fill library / office with enough books to kill a man

Live happily ever after.

[toddzilla]

18. i'd buy the media..

it all starts there, nothing would ever be the same. no more secrets, no more lies.

[Guaranteed]

21. I think I'd build my own rocket ship

and hire someone to plan some kind of colony on Mars, and then go for it!

Whoohoo, YEAH!!!

[Ediacara]

22. I'd pay off my credit cards so they'd stop fricking calling me!

And then with the remaining $42.11, I'd buy a nice dinner :-)

[alexwcovington]

23. Buses for North Dakota!!!!!!

A Billion Dollars could easily generate enough interest to fund a state transit system.

[Sting]

24. I'd give....

$975,000,000 to various charities and organizations(liberal, of course.) I'd give $5 million to my family members and keep a few million to myself.