Tuesday, July 12, 2016

IS THERE A BILLIONAIRE IN YOUR FUTURE?


I long ago came to a conclusion that the government and corporate sectors of our community just do not have the imagination and resources to fund visionary pathways for Humanity.  Something like the Blue Revolution, for example, needs enlightened billionaires searching for their legacy.  Surely, out there is one with a blue dream.  How do you interest one in supporting your cause?  Read on.

The latest Forbes billionaires list shows eight from the U.S. in the top ten, with Bill Gates #1 at $75 billion, and brothers Charles (on the right) and David Koch at #9 and #10 with a total of $79.2 billion.  The brothers, incidentally, financed the Tea Party takeover of the GOP and are considered to be the most important Republicans in the country.  However, because of their disdain for Donald Trump, the Kochs decided to delete their nearly billion dollar campaign funds from national politics.  Charles, gasp, actually intimated that he could well support Hillary Clinton.

The number of billionaires dropped from 1,826 last year to 1810 in 2016.  They have a total net worth of $6.5 trillion.  Wealth-X earlier this year named the 50 wealthiest people:
  • 9 from the USA
  • only 4 from China
  • 4 females
  • youngest is Mark Zuckerberg at 31 with $43 billion
  • #1 is Bill Gates with $87 billion
  • #5 is David Koch with $47.4 billion
The details differ among the six organizations doing these billionaire surveys,  as one might report a list of 1,810, and another 2,400 (Wealth-X).  Wealth-X alone has a staff of 250 in 10 global centers mostly focusing on wealth intelligence.  In any case, according to Caroline Feund of the Peterson Institute for International Economics: A best estimate is better than no estimate with wealth.

Billionaires are now mostly self-made:


If you have a campaign to tap one of them, start with some universal information:
  • average age of 63
  • 90% married
  • 6% divorced
  • most born in the year of the Snake
  • Harvard is most common university

On the other hand, Forbes has this comparative bar graph:


Elon Musk and Donald Trump went to Penn.  

In any case, you don't just go up to a billionaire and ask for money.  You need that key connection, compelling vision and fundamental link to a special passion.  Most desire to help the downtrodden, prevent diseases and reverse poverty.  Surely, among the 2000 psyches there just has to be a particular enlightened individual dedicated to Planet Earth, wishing for something extraordinary to provide some key commodities in harmony with the natural environment.  For only $1.5 billion--one percent the cost of the International Space Station, a $150 billion space adventure that meant well, but will crash into oblivion in the Year 2020--the Blue Revolution represents the next economic frontier for Humanity to generate a cornucopia of sustainable products while enhancing our environment.

-