On Monday morning, Elon Musk announced in a post on his social media platform X that he plans to give American children one share of SpaceX, his rocket, satellite, and AI company.
The point of the closing paragraph is a salient one. Elon treats promises like his children: willingly abandoned when he sees fit. Given the personal benefit Musk stands to reap from this stock gift plan, though, it stands to reason he might actually follow through with it. Then again, who knows?
I rarely bet on anything but I am willing to put up one share of BS Co. stock against him giving a dime to anyone. That one share, btw, is worth a million dollars.
There is a story that the Roman emperor Caligula used to enjoy going to the top of a basilica and throwing coins into the streets, laughing as people stampeded each other to collect them. How is this any different? The insult to the dignity of Americans. We will just toss you some money, then will you shut up about wealth taxes and health insurance and rent? That we have come to live in a society where those who control wealth will decide if and under what conditions we survive is an abomination of everything America has stood for. This should be an outrage. The corporate media cheers.
Social welfare should not be at the whim of private entities. If these companies were really concerned about children, there are much better ways to support them. Invest in public health, education, autonomy and let the children grow up with advantages to succeed. Then they can decide where and how to invest their own money. It’s not redistribution of wealth if the billionaires keep getting richer and the children potentially will get almost nothing.
It’s all a grift or a tax write off to flush the stock through the financial system and give it the appearance of higher value. Just like infusing SpaceX into stock and pension funds etc— they are forcing others to prop up the stock and share in the downturn.
But how? What are the logistics? Distribution? How are individual families supposed to handle single shares of stock? What database contains the identity and location of each of these children? (And citizenship information?). I could go on but I’d rather refill my coffee cup.
I want to see the Democrats national and local or somebody to run ads that make GOP billionaire spending toxic.
Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and tech billionaires are running millions of dollars of negative advertising against Democrats because they are terrified that Democrats will win in this year's election and take away the billions of dollars the Trump administration has given them in tax cuts and no bid government contracts.
Here's a sample that could be adapted nationwide:
"Elon Musk and other billionaires are funding millions of dollars of negative ads against me because Rep/Sen xx in Congress is their ally.
Xx and the Republican Congress gave them billions of dollars in tax breaks while stripping millions of hard-working American families of access to food and healthcare in their "big beautiful bill."
Xx's billionaire allies want him/her to stay in office because they know she/he works for them.
The arrogance of these people is astounding. Trump thinks he can bribe me for only $90. Musk thinks he can buy my love as a grandfather for $146. No: His is my counteroffer. Elon, you have a net worth of $900 billion. In exchange for my support of you, you shall pay a one time net worth surcharge tax of $450 billion to the US government. There are roughly 330 million Americans, so that works out to $1,343 per person. Now we're talking real money, not some measly $146 stock certificate. Oh, one more thing, did I mention an annual 10% wealth tax thereafter? Shouldn't be a problem for you since Tesla's 10 year total return is 39%.
Kind of giving the game away with the quote about "improving the public image of AI." That's all any of this is about. A hastily created handout to deflect attention from the very real damage AI is doing to people's lives. It's the parents and anybody else that is unemployed or underemployed that need the most support right now. Where is their "sorry, we ruined your career" cash?
They will donate all of this stock and reap all the tax benefits protecting themselves from the crash when investors finally realize that Musk is full of shit and his promises are meaningless. Not to mention when SpaceX is nationalized and subsidies end for Tesla. They are both meme stocks with terrible underlying fundamentals kept high because investors think Musk, who has never invented nor innovated a damn thing, is a genius.
SpaceX is down 13.4% since its IPO. According to Morningstar's analysis, the real market value is $62 per share. So by all means let's give our kids a share of massively overvalued stock.
One question: why not give the stocks now? Why wait? I believe we are looking down the field at a little girl holding a football. Run, Charlie Brown, kick it! She's not going to pull it...
Since Steve Jobs convinced educators without any research based evidence 45 years ago that his companies technology was necessary in the classroom, we have let tech billionaires decide the educational, social and emotional education of our children to every one’s detriment. Along with disastrous federal policies like No Child Left Behind, bad learning systems like whole language and chromebooks for every child, we have not given our kids the skills they need. Tech billionaires don’t what educated civilians, they want subservient consumers. These stock gifts are tulip balls as history teaches us and the Dutch learned 400 years ago when the craze collapsed. Our present stock market ‘resets’ itself every 7 to 10 years and there are always losers. In stead of farting around with stock gifts and chromebooks, we could tax Elons capital wealth directly, take that money and invest in more books, pencils and paper in every elementary school. This is how are most important little citizens learn. We’ve lost one generation already. These tech billionaires must be stopped.
The point of the closing paragraph is a salient one. Elon treats promises like his children: willingly abandoned when he sees fit. Given the personal benefit Musk stands to reap from this stock gift plan, though, it stands to reason he might actually follow through with it. Then again, who knows?
I rarely bet on anything but I am willing to put up one share of BS Co. stock against him giving a dime to anyone. That one share, btw, is worth a million dollars.
Through their donations won't Musk and Trump have access to the personal information of every child in the U.S.?
There is a story that the Roman emperor Caligula used to enjoy going to the top of a basilica and throwing coins into the streets, laughing as people stampeded each other to collect them. How is this any different? The insult to the dignity of Americans. We will just toss you some money, then will you shut up about wealth taxes and health insurance and rent? That we have come to live in a society where those who control wealth will decide if and under what conditions we survive is an abomination of everything America has stood for. This should be an outrage. The corporate media cheers.
Social welfare should not be at the whim of private entities. If these companies were really concerned about children, there are much better ways to support them. Invest in public health, education, autonomy and let the children grow up with advantages to succeed. Then they can decide where and how to invest their own money. It’s not redistribution of wealth if the billionaires keep getting richer and the children potentially will get almost nothing.
It’s all a grift or a tax write off to flush the stock through the financial system and give it the appearance of higher value. Just like infusing SpaceX into stock and pension funds etc— they are forcing others to prop up the stock and share in the downturn.
But how? What are the logistics? Distribution? How are individual families supposed to handle single shares of stock? What database contains the identity and location of each of these children? (And citizenship information?). I could go on but I’d rather refill my coffee cup.
If he’s knowingly lying, the details are immaterial.
The self-serving manipulations of the rich are mind-blowing. Absolutely no understanding of or interest in humans other than as pawns.
We are the serfs in their brave new world of digital feudalism. What fun it's going to be!
Musk is no more likely to keep his promise than Trump would. Children beware of this Pied Piper!
I want to see the Democrats national and local or somebody to run ads that make GOP billionaire spending toxic.
Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and tech billionaires are running millions of dollars of negative advertising against Democrats because they are terrified that Democrats will win in this year's election and take away the billions of dollars the Trump administration has given them in tax cuts and no bid government contracts.
Here's a sample that could be adapted nationwide:
"Elon Musk and other billionaires are funding millions of dollars of negative ads against me because Rep/Sen xx in Congress is their ally.
Xx and the Republican Congress gave them billions of dollars in tax breaks while stripping millions of hard-working American families of access to food and healthcare in their "big beautiful bill."
Xx's billionaire allies want him/her to stay in office because they know she/he works for them.
I don't take their money. I will work for you.
I am xx and I approve this message.
The arrogance of these people is astounding. Trump thinks he can bribe me for only $90. Musk thinks he can buy my love as a grandfather for $146. No: His is my counteroffer. Elon, you have a net worth of $900 billion. In exchange for my support of you, you shall pay a one time net worth surcharge tax of $450 billion to the US government. There are roughly 330 million Americans, so that works out to $1,343 per person. Now we're talking real money, not some measly $146 stock certificate. Oh, one more thing, did I mention an annual 10% wealth tax thereafter? Shouldn't be a problem for you since Tesla's 10 year total return is 39%.
Kind of giving the game away with the quote about "improving the public image of AI." That's all any of this is about. A hastily created handout to deflect attention from the very real damage AI is doing to people's lives. It's the parents and anybody else that is unemployed or underemployed that need the most support right now. Where is their "sorry, we ruined your career" cash?
They will donate all of this stock and reap all the tax benefits protecting themselves from the crash when investors finally realize that Musk is full of shit and his promises are meaningless. Not to mention when SpaceX is nationalized and subsidies end for Tesla. They are both meme stocks with terrible underlying fundamentals kept high because investors think Musk, who has never invented nor innovated a damn thing, is a genius.
SpaceX is down 13.4% since its IPO. According to Morningstar's analysis, the real market value is $62 per share. So by all means let's give our kids a share of massively overvalued stock.
If it goes through "trump accounts" then kids will NEVER see a dime.
Judd, well pointed reporting by the best! Loved John Publius note!
America Wake Up!
One question: why not give the stocks now? Why wait? I believe we are looking down the field at a little girl holding a football. Run, Charlie Brown, kick it! She's not going to pull it...
Since Steve Jobs convinced educators without any research based evidence 45 years ago that his companies technology was necessary in the classroom, we have let tech billionaires decide the educational, social and emotional education of our children to every one’s detriment. Along with disastrous federal policies like No Child Left Behind, bad learning systems like whole language and chromebooks for every child, we have not given our kids the skills they need. Tech billionaires don’t what educated civilians, they want subservient consumers. These stock gifts are tulip balls as history teaches us and the Dutch learned 400 years ago when the craze collapsed. Our present stock market ‘resets’ itself every 7 to 10 years and there are always losers. In stead of farting around with stock gifts and chromebooks, we could tax Elons capital wealth directly, take that money and invest in more books, pencils and paper in every elementary school. This is how are most important little citizens learn. We’ve lost one generation already. These tech billionaires must be stopped.