Anyone else disgusted by Richard Branson?

[Toadman]

Pumping up your brand to bolster stock price with an intent to sell in order to avoid bankruptcy?

You would get a better stock price if you promoted it in two different locations. Just my fractional BTC opinion though. I hear Virgin Galactic stock took a hit. Branson needs to hire me for a modest 6 figure consulting salary, plus bonuses and I will set him straight.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/12/virg...-industry.html

[Benny Profane]

You would get a better stock price if you promoted it in two different locations. Just my fractional BTC opinion though. I hear Virgin Galactic stock took a hit. Branson needs to hire me for a modest 6 figure consulting salary, plus bonuses and I will set him straight.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/12/virg...-industry.html

“"We view Branson’s achievement as a massive marketing coup for Virgin Galactic that will be impossible for the public to ignore,” Canaccord Genuity equity analyst Ken Herbert told clients. The firm has a buy rating on the company, but also placed a $35 price target on the stock, which is below its current level."


Didnt people go to jail for this in olden times?

From what I could gather today, 24 hours after the event, the public could give a fuck.

[AdironRider]

Gotcha.
I guess I meant more like the fact that it’s a super wealthy private individual doing it.

If Warren Buffet tested some little nuclear bomb, my point about it wouldn’tbe “hey, that’s nothing…we had bigger bombs in the 50s”…it would be that we’ve crossed some kind of rubicon where the wealthy operate completely outside any normal bounds of regulation, society. morality…whatever. Above a certain net worth it’s a total free for all, which is something we should be eliminating, not celebrating.

Along those lines, I think the mind blowing portion of this story to me is that basically only a handful of countries in the entire world have space programs, whereas we have multiple rich guys doing it for fun on a lark.

[AdironRider]

The return of Hamilton Nolan! That dude posted some inspired rants back when he wrote for Gawker/Valleywag.

Hamilton really does have a way with prose. Every concurrent sentence is like a series of escalating dares for the most sensationalist take possible, while somehow managing to keep an aura of credibility about it grounded to the common man.

[AdironRider]

“"We view Branson’s achievement as a massive marketing coup for Virgin Galactic that will be impossible for the public to ignore,” Canaccord Genuity equity analyst Ken Herbert told clients. The firm has a buy rating on the company, but also placed a $35 price target on the stock, which is below its current level."


Didnt people go to jail for this in olden times?

From what I could gather today, 24 hours after the event, the public could give a fuck.

It's Tesla's entire business model.

[highangle]

Along those lines, I think the mind blowing portion of this story to me is that basically only a handful of countries in the entire world have space programs, whereas we have multiple rich guys doing it for fun on a lark.

Well that's it, isn't it? This is the British Space Programme and Richard is Major Tom and Benny is disgusted.

[XXX-er]

from what I remember reading about Branson over the years he would be the least disgusting of the people with so much money they can afford to thro it away in space

[Benny Profane]

It's Tesla's entire business model.

Well, no, because Tesla survives selling status objects to the sweet spot of upper middle class America. How many people will have half a mil to blow on this shit, risking their lives at the same time?

[Benny Profane]

from what I remember reading about Branson over the years he would be the least disgusting of the people with so much money they can afford to thro it away in space

Oh yeah, agreed, he's always been a fun guy. Started a really good record label, cool record stores, knows how to enjoy life. But he has obviously been up in the ether way too long, and like the others of his Ilk, is totally detached from how society actually works.

[XXX-er]

wow ^^ who does that sound like ?

edit: how can you claim he is disgusting and then make that statement ?

[Benny Profane]

wow ^^ who does that sound like ?

edit: how can you claim he is disgusting and then make that statement ?

Because this phenomenon of really rich, tax evading white men doing stupid shit that harms the rest of us, and then smiling and telling me it's good for me, in the long run, is gross. And disgusting.

[sirbumpsalot]

Ok, whatever, Benny hates rich people. But, still, jfc, did you see the whole spaceship flight and post news conference? Are these people trying to start a revolution? He's all giggly, "I'm doing this now so that your grandchildren can in the future", uh, what the fuck, maybe your rich ass grandkids in between coke sex orgies, Richard, but, not ours. Temperatures breaking records all over the American west, reservoirs empty, condos falling into the sea, and we are watching these grown up boys swing their dicks at each other? Who, btw, probably paid zip in taxes for ten years. We're doomed, doomed, I say.

Hats off to Branson. Had a dream and despite the intermittent failures and setbacks, the money, the naysayers....he made that dream happen and inspired a whole group of others to believe in and work towards that dream.

[sirbumpsalot]

Because this phenomenon of really rich, tax evading white men doing stupid shit that harms the rest of us, and then smiling and telling me it's good for me, in the long run, is gross. And disgusting.

Thats the spirit....tear down the successes of others to justify the nothingness and misery of your own life.

[Benny Profane]

Tesla driver?

[waxman]

Because this phenomenon of really rich, tax evading white men doing stupid shit that harms the rest of us, and then smiling and telling me it's good for me, in the long run, is gross. And disgusting.

You really seem to have a boner for paying taxes, or at least someone paying taxes. Do you really think giving the gov't your money to spend is better than these guys spending their money on whatever they want?

[Benny Profane]

Private school education? Jeep driver (you like dirt roads)? You think airports are built by airlines? Protected by your own private security force?

Need I go on?

[neufox47]

You really seem to have a boner for paying taxes, or at least someone paying taxes. Do you really think giving the gov't your money to spend is better than these guys spending their money on whatever they want?

Yes, yes I do. How is it even debatable? Please go about you life without using roads, public airports, or any other public transit systems and get back to us.

[danmelon]

Yes, yes I do. How is it even debatable? Please go about you life without using roads, public airports, or any other public transit systems and get back to us.

or fire department, police, hospital, turning on the faucet, taking out the garbage, enjoying a nice park

[sirbumpsalot]

Yes, yes I do. How is it even debatable? Please go about you life without using roads, public airports, or any other public transit systems and get back to us.

Total transportation related infrastructure costs are ~$275B a year when you combine state and local spending. Compare that to a total spending of ~$7.5T by Federal and State governments combined.

Thats ~3.5%.

~$440B a year if you include water infrastructure.

[Benny Profane]

Branson's main business is passenger air travel. Taxpayer funded airports and traffic control and highways to and from the airport.
Tesla sells cars. Highways.
Amazon depends on the entire highway and local road systems to deliver product. Also is heavily integrated in our post offices for the same. I assume they do a ton of air freight, too.
Facebook wouldn't exist without a government created and subsidized internet.

All employ individuals educated in our public school systems.

Grow up with this anti tax bullshit, or go live in the woods up in a tree.


Edit: Let's not forget about WalMart and fast food workers being paid so little they need food stamps and emergency room level medical care.

[highangle]

wow ^^ who does that sound like ?

edit: how can you claim he is disgusting and then make that statement ?

Class Warfare? Student debt? He wants his healthcare? Funded by Turks?

[uglymoney]

Ok, whatever, Benny hates rich people. But, still, jfc, did you see the whole spaceship flight and post news conference? Are these people trying to start a revolution? He's all giggly, "I'm doing this now so that your grandchildren can in the future", uh, what the fuck, maybe your rich ass grandkids in between coke sex orgies, Richard, but, not ours. Temperatures breaking records all over the American west, reservoirs empty, condos falling into the sea, and we are watching these grown up boys swing their dicks at each other? Who, btw, probably paid zip in taxes for ten years. We're doomed, doomed, I say.

Tone deaf as all hell. Right on. Haven't read the whole thread and need to go to bed. Dude creates a useless wasteful polluting spacetoy to share with other quazillionaires. Literally landing between burning mountains while blowing himself.

Remember when Caroline Gleich flew a helicopter to some peak in the Wasatch for wedding shots and everyone went nuts on her. That was a canoe ride in comparison.

Sent from my SM-G991U1 using Tapatalk

[highangle]

[Toadman]

from what I remember reading about Branson over the years he would be the least disgusting of the people with so much money they can afford to thro it away in space

I bet Sir Branson would be fun to hang with in zero G and drink boxed beer with a straw. I bet he's got some pretty good stories to tell. Most likely all about how great he is. But after a few cold boxed beers in zero G, I wouldn't really care.

[XXX-er]

I seen him on TV being Sir Branson i forget in what context but he wasn't all trump like