Donald Trump is reportedly pledging to donate $1 million to the hurricane Harvey relief effort.
That sounds pretty impressive, doesn't it? But only if you can't do arithmetic. This is why:
Trump is reportedly worth $4.5 billion. If you were worth $4.5 million dollars, the equivalent donation as a percentage of net worth would be a thousand bucks. If you were worth $450,000, the equivalent donation would be $100.
That doesn't sound is impressive, does it? And nobody's going to make a fuss about somebody who is worth about $500,000 donating 100 bucks to the hurricane relief effort. Of course he had to publicize it and try and make it sound like a big deal. Because he wants everyone to think that he's a mensch. But he isn't, he's a schnorrer, a goniff, a dreykopf and a schmuck.
Besides that, Trump has a history of pledging large donations and then not coughing up the cash until some pesky reporter starts calling around.
Walmart, as usual, is being a dick. If customers donate the the Red Cross at checkout, Walmart will match their donation up to $10 million. Why they just don't donate their fucking money and not try to skate out of it by pressuring people living paycheck-to-paycheck to cough up is beyond me.
Meanwhile, Best Buy is trying to escape being hammered for gouging by saying an employee made a math error and that's why they were charging $42 for a case of bottled water.
This guy turned his furniture stores into shelters. Here's hoping when Houstonites are buying furniture to replace what was ruined in the flooding, they shop his establishments.
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4 comments:
Sadly, while the furniture store guy is a great humanitarian, people won't likely remember. They will still go for lowest pricing. Doesn't make his sacrifice any less noble though.
People have very short memories.
Been there, done that if not on this scale. You go from hero today to "what have you done for me TODAY?" a week later. Human nature.
I'll buy Best Buy's story here, it makes sense if you take the numbers ($29.98/12=~$2.50 a bottle for "Smartwater" and $42.96/24=$1.79 a bottle for Dasani) and look at what they price a bottle of water at day to day.
The more fun is the hysteria in the DFW area about gas and gas prices. 90% of the stations are dry right now, and some are using $9.99 on the electronic signs to indicate no gas. People are freaking and complaining...but the gas station owners are saying "if we put $0.00 on the sign, you'd sue us for not giving you gas for free", and they're probably right. Especially since almost all those signs have a hard "9 underscore" (representing 9/10's of a cent) next to the electronic digits. They could make a decent case that they were advertising gas for $0.009 per gallon Maybe Heinlein had an idea with "The Day they Killed the Lawyers"...sorry Comrade (but I have a list of a few they could start with).
Con artists one and all! How about Houstonian Joel Osteen? He's built a career and a fortune persuading people who will earn less money money in a lifetime than he grifts in a year (LOTS less in most cases) to give him money.
PS: How can you tell when a spammer has stopped spamming (or a Trump has stopped grifting)? Turkey vultures
I'm sure there is some advantage to companies.
I just donated the same percent amount The Donald did yesterday, but it was because Costco made it easy at checkout. Habit Grill donates meals and gives you a free burger for donating $2 to $5. There may be incentives beyond promoting a good image, but I can't figure them.
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