Help me spend $105 million on liberal causes

I don't often buy lottery tickets, but when a jackpot starts to creep up into the quarter of a billion range, I feel the time is right to splurge. So, I bought a few random numbers for the Mega Millions drawing last night. The jackpot being advertised was $330 million which means a sole winner who took half and paid taxes would get around $105 million.

I know I have better odds of being killed by a meteor, but it is fun to dream about what I would do with the money. I would take 100 million and use it to create a non-profit charity, which would provide grants to community service programs around the state. (That would trigger a rather generous tax refund, leaving me around $12 million which should last me my remaining 30 to 40 years very nicely.) With $100 invested safely, I should be able to hand out $1.5 to $2 million dollars every year indefinitely, with grants going to vaccination programs, public health clinics, youth sports programs, job training centers, food and clothing banks. Some of the money would go into funding non-partisan reports on how to get the government to do its job properly (a 2002 report by the Washington Department of Revenue showed the state looses some $64 BILLION every year in potential revenue; today, we have several school districts on strike because the state says it cannot afford to pay teachers a livable wage.)

What would you do? Fantasize with me, for just a minute or two, about winning $330 million. Would you take it in payments ($13.2 million before taxes every year for 25 years) or would you take a single lump sum? Assuming you are not as selfish and materialistic as so many other Americans, how much of your money would you give away, how and to whom? Would you support social causes? Give it to political candidates? Run for office yourself? Would you give it to conservation groups, support the arts, start producing programs for PBS and Air America? Would you create permanent need based scholarships at your alma mater or maybe endow a fellowship to bring in a world-class expert on a teaching sabbatical? There are endless possibilities!

Maybe I'll wait until tomorrow to check my tickets, this is fun. :toast:

That 100 mill on deposit with the fed = 1 billion...lots more to do...

Housing for the poor...financed by my bank and loaned to shell corporations would exponentially increase the wealth of the bank so that more low cost housing loans could be made. Soon, all people would have decent housing and the philanthropy could extend to other countries...

Of course, I am dreaming here and it is a lot more complicated than that...but that is the fun...

Peace.

so I think you would be left with a bit more than 105 mil. Anyway, I would take it as a lump sum, pay off my debts and those of friends and family, then invest the rest and split the dividends between environmental and educational causes. I'd put solving the climate crisis first, because without a planet to live on no other issue matters in the least. Education would be my second priority, because without a well educated population, we as a species will continue to make foolish choices. After all, the GOP depends on a failed school system and unaffordable college tuition to grow their ranks.

That means you get to keep 60.5%... move the decimal... carry the four....


$118.58 million after taxes and before your refund from giving so much to charity. I think $115, then. Not shabby for a $1 investment. :toast:

would end my proposal writing forever. If I am able to start up with $5million, I will feel fortunate, but $105? Wow. Can't even begin to say what I would do with it all.

Just think, Exxon puts that much into their pocket after all expenses are paid every single day and gas prices still continue to rise..Every single day Exxon has a Net Profit of over one hundred million dollars. Most companies would be delighted to have a Net Profit of a million dollars a year, but not Exxon....

Spoilsport.

There is not much I can do about the oil companies. I would rather focus my energy on changing the things I can change.

ROFL!:rofl: :spray:

It's working wonders overseas.

http://www.kiva.org/

I have heard of similar programs starting here in the US already.

friends were taken care of, I would use the rest (probably 10 mil) to buy the best medical insurance for as many impoverished children and elderly as I could.

Good luck Tech!

New Orleans

contributions.

You would be free to give up your job and find one more to your liking. There would probably be an opening for Philanthropist-in-Residence about that time. :toast:

But seeing someone put their money where their mouth is if the situation ever became real is a completely different story in my opinion.

For example, no matter how strongly you will lay claim to otherwise, I don't believe even for a nanosecond that if you received 105 million dollars that you'd give 100 million of it away. Not for a nanosecond. It's easy to say, of course, and I don't doubt your honorable intentions in claiming such. I just don't think for a second that you'd actually do it if you had the 105 million in your hands.

In exercises such as this, it's always so easy to just claim anything.

...to write legislation outlawing lobbyists.

And knowing what i know about you and you knowing what you know about me.......

OK, what the hell....here's my idea;

Part of the foundation should to go to clean water projects for rural African communities. Thats a dream of mine, were i to find myself in a similar hypothetical situation.

More good can be done by the providing of a fresh water supply and sanitation system than is readily obvious. Many millions of children die needlessly for the lack of something as simple as a clean glass of water and a safe way to dispose of poop.

If you win, i don't expect to be one of the first you call.

BUT I DO EXPECT A CALL!!

Best of luck, Techie

And divide the income 4 ways:

1. Set aside 15% of the income to cover income taxes;

2. Live frugally but reasonably on a very small part of the income, say, $50K-$100K/year;

3. Divide the remaining income by 2; reinvest half of this amount, and

4. Donate the other half of this amount to charity.

The principal will continue to grow, as will the income, and therefore the amount of charitable donations.

Actually, I would donate most of it to charity, and use much of the rest to support the arts.