If you inherited a billion dollars (or its equivalent in other
currencies), what would you do with it?
Take a ride on the space shuttle. (Steve Knight #855)
Move. Change my name. Hire an attorney. (chib)
Buy land, lots of it, and preserve it.
Enable my extended family to spend more time together.
Help my friends fullfill their dreams.
Hunt, fish and travel.
Buy political influence. (Joe Zawadowski #249)
Buy a cottage as far away from people as I could get. (Puck #162)
Put $500 million aside for my own personal use, and fund nanotech research with
the rest. This includes lots of nice new equipment for Zyvex, and a substantial
incentive prize for the first team that can build a programmable replicator.
(Xaonon #1821)
I'd build a nice house out of the way first, with every little item I've ever
dreamed of having and I'd travel. Other than selfish wishes, I'd try to help the
causes that are important to me. I'd give some to education, with very strict
guidelines on how it is to be spent. I'd save some local landmarks that are in
danger. I'd help out family members with various things. I'm sure if I suddenly
came in to a billion dollars there would be all kinds of people coming forward with
other things to spend it on. (ClayeSkye #4)
Build a big house, with secret passages, but most importantly, with a big, big,
big, two level library and reading room. Then I would go and buy books like there is
no tomorrow. Then I would probably spend most of my time reading them. (Arturo
Magidin #257)
I'd nest-egg about 30 million in investments to live off of, and spend the rest
in various ways. Several new homes, donate to my favorite charities. Or maybe buy
an island and turn it into atheistville. No fundies allowed. (Elroy Willis)
* pay a huge ammount of tax
* invest enough so that I can live a comfortable but not extravagant life off of the
interest
* arrange for my own cryopreservation
* make hefty donations to CSICOP, The Council for Secular Humanism, the Atheist
Community of Austin, and the Planetary Society
* get the best health insurance available
* start my own busininess (Jeff Dee #1355)
Seriously, I have taken some time to daydream about this subject. I think that
in addition to the many things I'd like to do for myself, I'd take time for some
"good deeds." Like donate several millions to charities that are strictly secular
in nature (like March of Dimes, and many other medical research foundations). I'd
also organize and pay for an anti-*GAWD!* billboard campaign, to counter those
bloody annoying signs all over the place with those sappy messages "from God." I
think it'd be cool to plaster every major city in America with neat little quips
from Ingersoll, Voltaire, Sagan, Barker, Jefferson, Madison, Paine and so on.
(Nemo #1331)
