How To Be a Considerate Billionaire
There are 770 billionaires in America…here’s what I would do if I were in the club
I am not going to sugarcoat it. I would love to be rich.
I mean pay-off-my-mortgage-and -kiss-my-student-loans-goodbye kind of rich. I’d want to be rich enough so that I wouldn’t fear the dreaded car engine light because I’d be able to handle any costs the mechanic threw my way. I would fill up the tank without a single glance at the price above the pump just because I could.
Juggling bills and due dates, paying half on this bill and half on that one would be distant memories. And credit card debt? Nope. Who needs one when you can afford everything you want and need? Being debt free with money to spare and assets accrued at the end of the month? It’s the stuff that dreams are made of.
Yet, the stark reality is that some of us will work our entire lives and never be out of debt. Others will work-and I mean work hard- and still won’t be able to afford even the basic necessities — shelter, clothing, food, healthcare.
It’s a sad situation. But it’s the world we live in today. Why do so many people have when so many others have not? It’s the billion dollar question with no easy answers.
Right now there are over 2,000 billionaires on the planet. And 770 of them are in the United States. Those dollars could do a lot of good for sure.
But here’s the thing. The mega-rich are not obligated to find and fund the solutions to societal issues just because they have the scratch to do so. It’s their money. So, they can do whatever they want to do with it.
However, there are some high profile billionaires who do give. And there are those who give anonymously as well. Shout out to them, too.
But what if all the billionaires in the country gave
to homeless shelters just for women and their kids?
to disabled veterans programs?
to after school programs?
Would that focused assist from the big dollar players even put a dent in some of the problems we have in this country right now?
I don’t know.
Money can’t solve all problems. But it sure would be worth it to give it a try.
Being a Considerate Billionaire and Dying Broke
It’s impossible for me to even imagine having access to that much material wealth. But if I did have a nine-digit dollar fortune stored up, I’d like to think that I would be a considerate billionaire.
All of my energy would be heat-vision focused on funding both national and local community-level causes. And, then I’d steamroll through my fortune to support the people who make those programs work and know how to get the resources to the people who need them the most.
That means I would die broke.
My Billionaire To Do Task List
With a billion or more in hand, I would first make sure that my family was taken care of (inheritances and will and all that kind of stuff). Then, here’s what I would do:
- Fund rural hospitals around the country. They are closing at a rapid pace and leaving whole populations in health care diaster zones.
- Shore up food banks around the country.
- Establish local grocery stores in food deserts so folks have access to fresh meats, fruits and vegetables.
- Provide animal shelters with the resources to neuter and spay; provide monthly bags of dog/puppy food and cat/kitten food for the kennel populations; match pets with elderly people or the formerly incarcerated who need companionship.
- Make sure all kids attending public schools have free breakfast and lunches. No more hungry kids in school. Ever. And no more shaming kids because their parents can’t afford to buy them lunch.
- In my local community I would install, maintain, and repair air conditioners for the elderly and pay their utility bills.
- Start after school art, dance, robotics, martial arts, farming, tennis, journalism, or coding programs (the sky is the limit!) for kids in public schools and especially in rural areas around the country.
- Make sure kids in public schools receive tablets and hot spots (in case there’s no internet service at home).
- Establish funding for elderly parents who still take care of their disabled adult children.
- Establish funding for adult children who are taking care of their elderly or disabled parents.
- Fund community colleges and vocational school programs that focus on training students for immediate entrance into the workforce upon graduation (like cosmetology, welding, HVAC- heating, ventilation, and air conditioning specialists, diesel repair technicians, dental hygienists, nurse aides, or the culinary arts);
- Establish more short term stay mental health facilities; and fund an educational pipeline for more mental health professionals to matriculate from college to graduate programs.
- Fund educational and vocational prison programs to help decrease recidivism rates.
- Assist people in tornado prone areas with buying and installing tornado shelters and safe rooms.
- Establish housing for homeless veterans and provide training and educational programs to help vets obtain and retain employment.
- Provide grants for educators to buy classroom supplies.
- Fund physical education classes in public schools.
- Fund U.S. Civics and U.S. Government classes in public schools.
- Establish scholarships and grants for people over 65 who want to return to the workforce or to learn a new skill.
And that’s the short list.
So, What Can I Do?
My chances of becoming a billionaire are exactly a billion to one. So, I have to make do with what I have. For now, I can volunteer my time and donate money to causes when I have extra.
I will also continue to pray that people with more will do more; because, I sincerely believe that one day, we will all have to give an account for how we lived our lives — and also for how we used the resources we were given.
If you liked this article, try ‘Six Women Who Committed Murder in the Bible’ and this article about men in the Bible who were track-star fast runners. Or, try this one ‘God or Satan: Who Are You Going to Serve?’.
Thanks for your time. Thanks for reading.
