Secret Millionaire - Making The Rich Look Real

I was semi-forced to watch the TV show `Secret Millionaire' the other night. The premise of the show is that a multi-millionaire gives away money to the needy; specifically to those who are truly making an effort to produce change or positive effects to society. Hey, that's a noble enough, cheap enough to produce TV idea of some worthiness,  perhaps. 


In the show I watched, a father and daughter risk life and liberty interacting with actual homeless street people (of course while being filmed by a video cameraman or crew) and other people on the edge of society or the law. After embedding themselves in literally a new world, the millionaires pony up. The amounts given to the organizations was generally 5 figures although there may have been one of higher amount (but I don't think so, I think the organizations got 25, 50 and 75 grand). AND, one INDIVIDUAL (black teen male, previous seller of drugs on street of course) was given 2,500.00 dollars (we were told the outcome of the donations too, ie: buying equipment, increasing space, etc) which we were told he gave to his family to pay off back bills. Like what most of America would do with extra money most likely.


All good?


But, somehow, my take was different. 


My mind went to the top paid people in America who routinely make over one BILLION dollars a year - the top money fund managers. And, I thought of the incredible inequity of having to beg the `low level rich', - to fund the most basic of human development - while the government spends untold money on weapons and tax breaks for people who make BILLIONS in a given year.


Indeed, a real show, to BS,  would be to get a hold of one of these fund managers and let him distribute ---- oh, say --- 1/10th of his income for a given year to INDIVIDUALS. NOW THAT WOULD BE A SHOW TO WATCH. Just imagine a guy having to give away say 150 million dollars in a year by walking up to people and organizations and hearing out their story. JUST IMAGINE the impact of such an individual! 


Now imagine the impact if all two dozen BILLION dollar a year earners who are hedge fund managers did the same thing! NOW that would make the Rich Look Real. And, they still would have 90% of their income (except for taxes of course).


To me, Secret Millionaire is nothing but - trickle down economics.
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