I Don't Use My Money To Gain

Giving Government Aid To A Bank Basically Transforms It Into A Utility. The Huge Salaries In This Sector Are Only A Symptom Of A More Profound Misalignment. The Profitability Of The Finance Industry Has Been Excessive. [...] That Was Absurd.

The Securitisation Of Mortgages Added A New Dimension Of Systemic Risk. Financial Engineers Claimed They Were Reducing Risks Through Geographic Diversification: In Fact They Were Increasing Them By Creating An Agency Problem. The Agents Were More Interested In Maximising Fee Income Than In Protecting The Interests Of Bondholders. That Is The Verity That Was Ignored By Regulators And Market Participants Alike.

I'll Tell You What I'd Do If It Were Up To Me: I Would Establish A Strictly Controlled Distribution Network Through Which I Would Make Most Drugs, Excluding The Most Dangerous Ones Like Crack, Legally Available. Initially I Would Keep The Prices Low Enough To Destroy The Drug Trade. Once That Objective Was Attained I Would Keep Raising The Prices, Very Much Like The Excise Duty On Cigarettes, But I Would Make An Exception For Registered Addicts In Order To Discourage Crime. I Would Use A Portion Of The Income For Prevention And Treatment. And I Would Foster Social Opprobrium Of Drug Use.

I Think That My Foundation Uses The Money Better Than The Government Does. In Any Event, I Do Pay Taxes.

If Every Rich Person Gave 50 Percent Of Their Wealth To Charity, I Would Not Say They Should Pay More Taxes.