I would hold the world ransom for 100 trillion dollars! HaHa, Mwahaha, Bwahaha.

I have always thought I would do something truly altruistic. But looking at how fucked up things are getting I would have to do some inherently evil shit to pull us out of the tailspin we are in. Ends justifying the means don’t cha know.

I thought about what I would do, altruistically speaking, and here’s what I would do:

Being a net junkie, I would likely always be involved with various communities and sites and forums and the like.  I would get to know people, and once every couple of years or so I would pick someone that I thought was going to be a great ___.  Engineer, programmer, architect, inventor, whatever.  Someone with no family to support them, who is struggling to pay the bills.  I would send that person to school for some form of geekery, whatever they wanted.  As long as it involved some form of tech.  Geekery keeps me sane, and so ultimately I’m being selfish; more brilliant people making geeky things means more stuff for me. :)

I’d probably also try to start a political party that catered to the whole “South park conservative” idea.  A mish-mash of the best of classically liberal, conservative and libertarian ideals.  I’d need to be really, really wealthy to take that on, though.  Like, Buffet/Gates/Soros wealthy.

Or just say “fuck it” and fund a second American revolution.  One or the other.

I don’t know if I’ve ever really thought about being independently wealthy.  Sure, what if I had a million or 10 million or similar--but being independently wealthy is so far out of my paradigm I don’t have a clue.

With these “lesser” amounts I’d do pretty much the same as everyone else--pay off my house, truck, windows I got for the front half of the house (because I could only afford a loan to do half of it), buy windows for the back half, and help out some friends that are much less financially secure than I.

And, of course, buy an airplane to travel.  I’m a pilot by trade (not airlines) so owning an airplane almost has to be part of the equation for me.  One million wouldn’t go far at all---10 million would support it for a while....

Independently wealthy---that’s a whole other ball game.  I’d want to be a philanthropist, too. I, like Jim, would like to help someone with great promise--of course in some direction that I deemed worthy, so to speak, i.e., not to some liberal asshat--so I’d have to get to know them first.

I’d take classes on everything that interests me, which, I know, would lead to even more interests.  Part of my problem now is that I have so many hobbies/interests that I don’t have the time to indulge as much as I’d like.

I’d also buy some land in the middle of nowhere and build my “dream house.” In high school I designed a huge self reliant home based on the house in Heinlein’s “Friday” that the main character used as a hideaway in one section of the book---complete with escape route through the hot tub.  Of course, being a “stoner” at the time, it had a big hydroponics room several levels down---I think I’ve outgrown that idea though---you know, responsibilities, ethics and all that.... :) Now it would have to have a gym/exercise room though, because all of the cooking I’d be doing would be a detriment to my potentially more generous physique.

There’s more--but I have to go down to the courthouse now and write a $1200 check for my property taxes before it closes.  Did I mention liberal asshats?....

Move to AZ, move to AZ!! I know a few FABULOUS people who live there HA HA HA

Plus I remember the trip you took here and how good it Donna.

Yes it gets hot but air conditioning and a swimming pool are godsends at that time.

If you want snow in winter, you can drive a few hours north. There is camping, spring training baseball, hardly any rain, I love it here.

Come live by me!!!

And Jim, you would then be that much closer to help corrupt my sons :-)

Now as to my answer to that question...I have a few charities that I would love to start. I would first take care of my family...my parents could retire, my sister and her family would have all the house they need. My sister just had her 9th child on the 1st...yes 9th!!
All my brothers would have homes paid for.

Of course I would get a nice home for me and the boys as well.

But I would start a few charities that would provide services that I truely think are needed her in AZ and perhaps be able to take them nation wide where they could do some good things.

That is what I would do if I was indepentantly wealthy

My usual farcical response to a question like this:

Your mom.

San Diego, California. More specifically, the Scripps Ranch area.

What could be better though? The temperature is always above 70, and only rarely gets above 90, and only has a bit of humidity (not oppressive like the southeast).

Arizona isn’t bad though. Even those murderous months are not too unbearable. I’d rather deal with 110 and dry as hell then 90 and like a sauna, like we get up here in New England.

I’d say Phoenix is populated for a reason. It stays warm year round, but it’s doesn’t get over the top heat as often as Tuscon. Definitely don’t live near any rivers, as the humidity does pick up near them, and there can be nasty floods. Don’t live in Yuma, it smells like cow shit. The whole city.