To the extent that they received the money in voluntary payment for goods or services rendered, that makes it their money, not "ours": I don't feel personally cheated.
I am appalled at the amoral waste, though. How many lives could $50 million for bombed-out civilians in Ukraine and $50 million for bombed-out kids in Gaza save right now? Those nine DeSantis delegates are going to be trailing blood at the convention, and it won't be from lab-grown meat.
I agree in the sense that what a person does with money earned is their business. Where I have a problem is that much of this money is dark, so the average consumer has no idea that in purchasing the goods or services, they're helping to fund this creeping authoritarianism. For example, many engaged people are aware that Wisconsin billionaires Dick & Elizabeth Uihlein are Trumpist GOP mega-donors. How many are aware that if they purchase shipping supplies from a U-Line catalog, they're helping to fund the end of democracy.
I admit, I'm far enough center-left to have donated to Bernie in 2016 and agree with the statement that every billionaire is an example of a policy failure, although I appreciate those who have taken The Giving Pledge. I live next to the Tijuana River and think about how much more good Elon Musk could have done with his $44 billion helping Tijuana build a functional sewage system instead of throwing it away on a social media network.
To the extent that they received the money in voluntary payment for goods or services rendered, that makes it their money, not "ours": I don't feel personally cheated.
I am appalled at the amoral waste, though. How many lives could $50 million for bombed-out civilians in Ukraine and $50 million for bombed-out kids in Gaza save right now? Those nine DeSantis delegates are going to be trailing blood at the convention, and it won't be from lab-grown meat.
The donors who gave that 100 million to DeSantis don't care about the bombed-out civilians in Ukraine and the bombed-out kids in Gaza.
They just want to make sure their tax cuts don't get rescinded.
I agree in the sense that what a person does with money earned is their business. Where I have a problem is that much of this money is dark, so the average consumer has no idea that in purchasing the goods or services, they're helping to fund this creeping authoritarianism. For example, many engaged people are aware that Wisconsin billionaires Dick & Elizabeth Uihlein are Trumpist GOP mega-donors. How many are aware that if they purchase shipping supplies from a U-Line catalog, they're helping to fund the end of democracy.
I admit, I'm far enough center-left to have donated to Bernie in 2016 and agree with the statement that every billionaire is an example of a policy failure, although I appreciate those who have taken The Giving Pledge. I live next to the Tijuana River and think about how much more good Elon Musk could have done with his $44 billion helping Tijuana build a functional sewage system instead of throwing it away on a social media network.