That’s a B folks, not an M! So now that we have a self
professed billionaire running for President, I guess campaign finance reform is
dead. Just like the governor’s race in Illinois
last fall, a billionaire self-financed his campaign and bought the election.
Will America
allow Trump the same result?
I certainly hope not. Trump is not a normal billionaire.
He’s gone bankrupt a few times and taken assets belonging to other people with
those failures. He has borrowed his way to ownership of several big real estate
developments, and because those properties are worth a lot of money, he claims
primary ownership and asset value. Trouble is there is a left side to his right
side thinking.
Debt is a leverage The Donald has used many times. Failed at,
too. But yes he has succeeded. But wait!
What is the NET asset value of his holdings? That would be all the
assets minus the liabilities. What’s left over is his equity in his
enterprises. Is that anywhere close to a billion? I kind of doubt it. He
doesn’t, after all, file financial statements to the American public. Time will
tell if he is a true billionaire. Until
he comes totally clean on the details, I will count him as being a person worth
less than one billion dollars. Still not
a bad position to be in.
Still the question remains: Will Trump buy the Presidency
for himself? I hope not. He has very little character or personality to sustain
a presidential demeanor. Besides, the last war hawk in the White House (George
W) and his cohort Dick Cheney, stomped their feet in the face of the foreign
community and waged war twice, at least the ones we know about! Those wars
didn’t accomplish the objective. But we wasted now upwards of $3 trillion
dollars. Truth be told, we could not afford the Bush/Cheney duo. Nor can we
afford what would be the debacles of Trump!
So please voters, do your research and make up your own
mind. But be very wary of a guy named Trump. He might just trump the elections.
Woe is to us if that becomes true.
Now, what is a billionaire and how did most of these folks
become so? Here are a few tips and guide stones if you are keeping track.
First, the Buffet model is a good one. Very progressive in
his ideas, Warren Buffet watches market growth in various sectors of the
economy. The ones that are demonstrating significant growth probabilities are
the ones he pays attention to. He generally avoids fully developed market
sectors and their component major companies. Those sectors are tapped out for profit
growth. They will eventually deflate unless major innovations are on tap to
revitalize the specific industry.
Buffet watches the ebb and flow of markets. Never buy on the
high side; try to buy on the low side before the next surge in the sector’s cycle
is probable. That’s a good method, eh? In the long run Buffet has won more than
he has lost. And he keeps parlaying his winnings into new investments following
his method.
Another side to Buffet’s investing. I’m not sure this has
gone on throughout his career, but one thing evident in recent years is simply
this: Warren Buffet is a well-grounded citizen of his communities and nation;
he has beliefs and values he invests in.
Local newspapers are his latest gambit. And what a lovely value oriented
investment this is! Yes, Mr. Buffet believes in the local press for many
reasons – watchdog on local governance, pulse taking of a community’s health,
social interaction of a localized region, and human caring clearly visible in
the local press. Small town papers are the glue of many communities. They
deserve to be saved and nurtured back to health. Thank you Mr. Buffet!
My second example of a billionaire is Kirk Kerkorian,
recently deceased from California .
His real story, however, centers on Las Vegas
and how he built it to what is today’s Las
Vegas . He was the largest mover and shaker in that
town but he never claimed the spot light. Meanwhile, Kerkorian amassed billions
of dollars being a shrewd and powerful takeover artist. He was not always kind.
He did not always succeed in buying his targets, but he left those industries
jazzed and rethinking their potentials. Today they continue to prosper, well,
with the possible exception of Chrysler!
Who knows what ignominy that company has left in its future?
Some billionaires use their wealth to do good. Others use
their money as power to wrest control for themselves. Others influence outcomes
with their wealth, normally for their own benefit. One can only wonder for a
short time to determine what kind of billionaire Trump is, if he is one at all.
Tsk tsk! Save us from Trump. Please!
June 18, 2015
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