Very good report--those that applaude the Henry Kravis's of the world
would have us believe --one gets this walthy by hard work & good
business sense.. That no one gets hurt unfairly in this type of swindle !

Another of these "venture capitalists" is Mitt Romney.--they don't design, invent,
manufacture, advertise or sell products---they just whiz-bang people & companiess
out of business with the all-powerful, "heavy money"= brute force--beware you
peasants--when the sword cometh, none will survive .

Bravo Brave New Films.

I could be convinced to take up arms to fight the inequities and injustices and greed. But then I think it's not the system that's broken. We're the problem. We the people have allowed this. It's a perfectly good syetem we just need to hold our representatives accountable and support them so they don't have to count on big business and be shameless dirty whores. Don't email or write your congressman. Show up at his office to request a chat.

Fail.

Kravis is self made. Life is full of decisions. We all choose our own paths.

The firemen's pension fund (and many others) made money off of KKR deals by investing with KKR. Be careful what you wish for . The attempt to pillary Kravis is weak. The end of your movie asks me to do something...what would you reccommend...I reccommend a war on ENVY.

green is the color of both money and jealousy. Change the tax codes if you like...you won't get a fight out of me...but Kravis alone pays more in taxes in a week than the individuals interviewed in your piece pay all year.

total. fail.

Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Andropov, and now Obama. Hurray for the equality of the masses! Oh, I forgot to mention that the rulers are above all the rules - they still live in posh environs. Pish Posh! So much for my utopian dream. Too bad Obama - aka The Kenyan Usurper - doesn't know the history of despotism in communist Russia. This road has already been traveled. Do we really need to tread in these footsteps again?

Greed is not a Republican vs. Democratic idealogue. Both parties currently are showing their true colors at the expense of the law abiding and hard working American taxpayer. When the Swiss UBS bank hands over their list of Americans sheltering money and avoiding US taxes, hopefully, the list will be made public so Americans can see ALL the elected officials that feel they are above the law when it comes to tax evasion and hiding money offshore. Let the chips fall.

And this man is allowed to live because?

I am not American but I understand what you're going through, because the financial monster you created is also wreaking havoc in my small corner of the world. However, in a country that completely demonizes socialists values I’m rather surprised at what I can find on this US site! Is it just me, or is all this talk about “how much money does a man need to find happiness” and the “just distribution of wealth” having the distinctive, sulphurous smell of communism? I though that your whole system was all about letting the unimpeded market decide who’s boss, let the fittest survive and all that? Then, isn’t what’s happening simply an indication that the smartest learned the game to such an extent that they’re now calling the shots? Shouldn’t this normally be taken as an indication by those still racing head down in the maze that “making it” is possible? Like when someone wins a big lottery prize? From the testimonies I read in here, those who got a "thumb down" in the arena now seem to wish the rules were different. The irony is, those people are probably the same who, during past decades, condoned economic sanctions against weak socialist countries and happily sent their army to subdue distant populations in order to keep the famous American Dream afloat—which must be a powerful ideal indeed, because those who are living it just convinced those who will never live it to spend thousands of billions to fuel it.

I fear for us all.

Thanks for your good work!

If our State Government says we are created equal then shouldn’t the wealth distribution at the very least be reasonable. What kind of human being can ignore killing human beings as he owns homes he will not even enjoy no more than a few days a year. “It’s not my fault it’s his”, That is what Nazi’s would say as they carried out the Holocaust and so do these ridiculous business men that think by giving to charity would shy away from the social stigma that their wealth brings up. I ask you what the difference is? Henry Kravis worked hard to get what he has I believe that 100%, but the fact is so do other people in or society like Doctors, college students, laborers, factory workers, teachers, firemen, you and so on. SO, what is the difference between his hard work and my hard work. When is money enough. Shouldn’t we as a society take the responsibility to help those in need and make a difference. You arrest and prosecute a common thief that robes your wallet or purse if caught, whats the difference people your getting robbed the same way just in a different format.

This biblical quote pretty much says it all,
"...it is easier to fit a camel through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven..."
And this applys to whatever one's definition of "heaven" is...

I suggest we show this to the republican side of the congress who insist that their tax breaks help the taxpayer. I will send it to Georgr Radanovich my representative.

65 years ago he would have been shot for this greedy action, how this happens is a very bad loophole, nobody should be able to use borrowed money to use in a get rich scheme , i say take him away and let him share a room with a angry person in prison

Sad(istic)/all to often we, like billionaire, Henry Kravis + his trophy wife,Marie focus on acquiring more!! More power, more$$$, /hopefully more status. When Henry+Marie, just as you /I will one day breathe our final breath ,we will give an account as to how we invested our time and talents...not just $$$ !! ....'he who closes his eyes to the poor will receive many curses' -King Solomon
As to how I would use one of Henry's mansions: I've a detailed plan for each mansion, complete w/golf-outings/dinner parties/'balls' inviting the poor/ their children! But, first we must go shopping...Marie will take them shopping in Canada!! (since she's from Canada ,she'll know the best boutiques) Every woman/little girl deserves to be a 'Princess' at least once in her lifetime!!! ;D I've more dreams...but, I'm out of space!! Call me!

Whether the job loss is in sectors, states, regions, or the nation, unemployment will increasingly become the subject of much discussion. In fact, news of the rising unemployment rate and company layoffs abound as the days go by we face the biggest economic downturn of a generation. The recession has already driven up the rate of unemployment and the number of layoffs, but it hasn't negatively affected payday loans. Even though the number of people that lose their jobs due to massive job cuts, the demand for payday loans and advance lending has actually remained the same – in fact, it has gone up. It isn't really a consolation; the unemployment rate is climbing worldwide, and climbing to levels that are the highest they’ve been since before World War 2. That isn't a problem any amount of payday loans are going to fix.

Very nice blog you have here. Bookmarked! :)

I would invite every schoolkid in the area to tour the house, so they would get to see the decadent lifestyle Mr. Kravis and others of his ilk lead. After all, that's what 99.9% of them will be supporting for the rest of their lives.

Mr. Kravis is not "creating wealth", he is riding on the backs of people who, no matter how hard they work, will never even approach the bottom rungs of his economic level. That includes all the people in the world whose hourly wage is measured in CENTS.

People are motivated by many different things, and the desire to make money without having to produce goods or provide useful services will always be one of them.

This motivation is called "getting a free ride", and capitalism, especially in its degraded American form, celebrates it above all others.

Somehow, we have allowed ourselves to be convinced that the ultimate achievement involves finessing money simply by positioning oneself between producers and consumers.

No one asks, "Will this be good for other living beings, now or in the future?" Instead, the only question is, "Will it be profitable?"

As a result, we all end up living in a world crafted to support the few people among us who are willing to acquire wealth at any cost, even if it means sacrificing the welfare of all other beings on the planet for their own safety and comfort.

Our country was founded on the concept that everyone could succeed or fail by his/her own merits, based on the abilities you were born with, the skills you acquired, and the time and energy you put into your work. No one was to have unfair advantage over anyone else.

Massive wealth - whether inherited or acquired - gives people an unfair advantage. It also deprives its holders of the challenges the rest of us face, challenges that - when met successfully - make us better human beings.

The idea that GREED is the only authentic motivation, the underlying reason for any productive activity that goes on in the world ... that is a very pessimistic view, a holdover from pre-Enlightenment days when everything base - rape, pillage, murder, enslavement, brutality, and bigotry - was assumed to be inevitable, all part of our "sinful" human nature.

Sure, we are all driven, first and foremost, to make sure our physiological needs are met (food, shelter, safety), but beyond that we have a variety of motivations. Imagine what kind of world we could make if, after our basic survival needs were met, each individual could pursue his/her heart's desire.

its about time someone told it like it is.
that hit it right on the head.
and could not be more planner
in the face of people.
of are modern age. of kill or be killed
world.
where the goverment has sold the u.s.a.
to other people.
not only that guns and so on.
even though they did not work at that time. they sold them.
that does not matter.
people are smarter now days.
so all they did was to take them apart and modafi them. and guess what. they have all the guns and so on they want. for cheap to take over the u.s.a.
any time they want.
so what they where thinking i have no idie

i well help one kid this Christmas but my money is funny at this time but i have enoufe to help one kid maggie

Henry Kravis is a perfect example of the American Dream. You all may not realize it, but the sky is the limit for Americans, and after a long career he has every right to do whatever he pleases. There is a difference between saying and doing, and I think that most Americans would do exactly as Henry if placed in his shoes. Spend less time criticizing people like Kravis and work towards your own goals.

I'd throw a rent party, charge admission, live band, and raffle off everything that anyone wants. Whatever is left, charity hammer smash: charge 5 bucks per go to let people smash something.

Then give the remaining smashed stuff to found object artists for art materiaks.

Meanwhile out in the yard, the "give a dirty bastard a bath" dunk tank and the "corporate creeps can kiss my ass" kissing booth.

I am always surprised and the tolerance, passivity, nay, bovine idiocy expressed by so many on this comment thread IN DEFENSE of Kravis and what he represents. Nothing but profound and obdurate ignorance, or a complete individualistic callousness to the fate of other people at the mercy of a crooked "market system" can explain that kind of posture --not surprising in a nation where pro-capitalism propaganda is endemic, and the media and political systems are rotten and prostituted to the core. The following pathetic comment by one these characters, "Tony", sums it up well. As long as such individuals exist, no social change will be a reality in this benighted nation. In fact, there's even a guy who's pushing Fascism a la Benito Mussolini as a solution--get that folks--to economic inequality!! Where do we get such morons in this country?

"Wow, thank God creative people like Kravis exist, that stimulate the economy and give us mortals jobs with which we can feed our families. It's very cute and childish how the costs that Kravis incurs (yes, he's spending his own money) on renovating his homes are considered to be somehow sinful. Who do you think gets to do the work on his houses that he pays for?? Some local guy who is getting a salary out of that work. Surely that is beneficial to him/her! Dear me, you seem to be forgetting what basic economics is about..."

Ofelia, your comments have helped me become much more knowledgeable of the private-equity business. Though I do agree that this is a loophole that should be fixed, I believe private-equity is good for the economy as a whole. It makes companies operate much more efficiently, which may come at the cost of a few jobs, but the overall economy benefits.

Henry Kravis and other members of the private-equity business should not have all of their income taxed as capital gains. One of the articles said that they normally invest 1% of their own money in the takeovers, yet all of the return on that 1%, plus the 20% charge in their investors gains, plus the management fees are taxed at 15%. This is not fair. The return that they make on their original 1% investment should be the only portion of their income taxed as a capital gain. The management fees and 20% they charge their investors should be taxed as income, at 35%. This seems like the best solution to me. I haven't spent much time developing it, so I don't know how it will affect other industries, such as real estate, but it looks like a reasonable compromise.

Thanks for your time,

David

Hello David,

Thank you for following up on this very important issue with us. Please feel free to go to our facts page under the War On Greed site, which includes articles and links to information about the loophole. Also, I found a specific article which might be of some help in further explaining this tax loophole. In it I found the following sentence which sums up a lot, stating:

'What this means in practice is that private-equity billionaires...essentially have a 15% tax rate, because all their income is treated as capital gains.'

Below is the link to the article which you can view in its entirety, as well as a link to our facts page. I hope that they will hopefully serve as additional information for you.

http://www.felixsalmon.com/000780.html

http://warongreed.org/facts.php

Thanks!
Ofelia Yanez
Brave New Films

These responses have been quite helpful, and I would like to learn more about the exact loophole that Mr. Kravis is exploiting. All I've heard so far is that his income is taxed at a 15% tax rate because of the loophole, but I don't know if that is all of his income or part of it. Is there anyone who can provide me with a link that explains the law and loophole within the law, so I can get a better idea of this whole situation?

Thanks for your time,

David

David,

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit our website and view our work. We truly appreciate you providing us with your feedback and opinion on this matter.

We certainly do not deny that Henry Kravis has worked hard in his life. We also believe that others such as the foundrymen who pour iron at the Gunite plant in Rockford, Illinois (which is owned by KKR) work hard. And the maintenance worker at an Atria assisted living facility in New York City (which is owned by another private equity firm) who holds down a second full-time job to support his family works hard. Yet, unlike Kravis, these people do not receive a living wage.

Private equity partners, such as Henry Kravis, are handsomely rewarded for their work. As such, we expect them to contribute to the public good accordingly. As we highlight in our video, Kravis and others use complicated financial structures to game the tax code in order to pay a 15% tax rate on income that would otherwise be taxed at 35%. The average American worker makes under $50,000 per year and pays a 25% income tax rate. We expect Mr. Kravis, a man of great wealth and means, to contribute an equal if not greater percentage as those who have less to give.

We also do not deny that Henry Kravis has donated some of his money to good causes. He has donated to the Columbia Business School, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Metropolitan Opera, to name a few. Donations on Mr. Kravis’ behalf are generous, but overall represent a mere fraction of the amount of tax he avoids paying.

We hope that we can continue to be a source of information for you.

Sincerely,
Ofelia Yanez
Brave New Films

I would like to commend Robert Greewald and Brave New Films for attempting to focus everyone's attention to the growing problem of leveraged buyouts that is facing corporate America. However, those of you whom defend Henry Kravis cannot seem to understand the overall picture of what is happening here.

I was a dedicated employee of FDC. I worked there for over 12 years and worked hard to earn a meager living. I took pride in my work and put in many hours of unpaid overtime in order to enhance my skills to better serve the company.

Throughout all those years, my accomplishments and efforts had gone unnoticed and unrewarded. I never asked for anything more than acknowledgment and appreciation for my dedication, and desire to produce an end product that was above and beyond that of what was expected. I took my work seriously and devoted myself to being a hard-working professional that was a part of a team who ultimately supported the company.

In reward, I was laid-off without any warning. This was within 4 months of KKR's buyout of FDC. Moreover, the severance package that was promised me initially was cut in half! (Although, I am the first to admit that I was lucky to even get a severance package in the first place...)

Yes, we live in a country where everyone has the potential to reap the proverbial "American dream," however, no single person deserves to amass the amount of money that Mr. Kravis (or, Michael Capellas) does, nor do they deserve a helping-hand from the government via tax breaks, etc., at the cost of American taxpayers.

What makes this country great are the working and middle-class who contribute the most to build the wealth and economy of this nation. Instead, some of you reward Henry Kravis by ignorantly defending his selfish and greedy actions that profit at the expense of everyone else. Meanwhile, companies like KKR throw this country into economic turmoil through job loss, foreclosures, and a sagging economy. While it is important for corporations to profit, it is equally important to respect the honest hard-working Americans whose only desire is to be independent, earn a reasonable living, have a secure job, and not be forced into a financial catastrophe by becoming unemployed, uninsured, and pushed into welfare.

KKR, on the other hand, makes their money by buying out flagging corporations like FDC then turning a profit through cost reductions via any means possible—including cutting off its workforce through layoffs. How does that help this country?

We have a decidedly inequitable playing field where the rich get wealthier while everyone else foots the bill through excessive taxes. To maintain this country's strength, we need to respect and understand the necessity of keeping everyone employed, self-sufficient, and not being thrust into poverty. Our economy depends on it. The more people who lose their jobs are forced to bear the burden of trying to keep their own lives together, and this results in a huge ripple effect on a global scale.

First of all, I would truly love to see these overly compensated business moguls and CEOs take a cut in their own personal salaries instead cutting the jobs of those who do the real work. If they were so charitable, that would be the ultimate act of charity.

Second, invest in the future by taking care of these hard-working individuals by helping them secure their jobs instead of ruthlessly forcing them into unemployment.

Third, Henry Kravis should also take a good portion of his ridiculously excessive salary and invest it to those hard-working individuals who have lost their jobs, homes, and dignity after being laid off. He should compensate them appropriately until they are gainfully re-employed elsewhere. By that I mean, do not pilfer from these people by cutting their meager severance packages in half, or removing them altogether to add to his own personal wealth.

The philanthropic generosities of Henry Kravis, Michael Capellas, et al. are purely self-serving. They only donate their money to benefit themselves through tax breaks, procured admiration, and political support for their personal gains. If none of these were available, then their philanthropic endeavors would rapidly cease to exist.

What I cannot fathom is the greed that these people have! How much money does a single person deserve—or need—to have? More importantly, how can they consciously feel good about themselves when they hurt so many in the process—and, at what cost?

Please do not insult me and everyone else by openly defending their actions and espousing the virtues of capitalism! When you consider how many hard-working people end up losing their jobs at any given time—due to the likes of KKR, et al.—one begins to realize how these greedy corporations end up undermining our nation on whole.

With more people unemployed, there are more people seeking employment elsewhere—thus making it virtually impossible for many to return to work in less than a six-month timeframe.

The upshot of this is a sluggish economy owing to fewer available jobs that result from the huge demand. Consequently, those few available jobs start offering smaller salaries with fewer benefits. A chain reaction results, causing a glut in the housing market, more foreclosures, and decreased consumer spending (which I find ironic, because it is consumer spending that enables FDC and KKR to profit).

Meanwhile, companies such as KKR (with our government's encouragement and support) end up getting wealthier beyond reason at the expense of everyone else.

Dear David, It's Brave New Films, with an "a" not and "e." Hitmen get to where they are by hard work. They kill anybody. They can donate money to charities or you personally. Yet this does not make them nice people. They are still murderers, and the Henry Kravises of the world are still thieves. I am a big guy. I'm capable of doing the kind of damage you might only see in a R rated horror film, and I'll still sleep soundly at night. I can attack people, break limbs backward, slice open sensitive tissues that will never heal, steal their money, torch their property and do such acts discretely. I don't. Sometimes it would make me feel good. I would profit from it. I would even donate some of those ill-gotten gains to charity. I don't do it, because those actions and this mindset hurts people and their friends and their families and their communities. Henry Kravis hurts people and their friends and their families and their communities. He is ignorant. You are ignorant as well, David.

The saddest thing in this sad but true story is: We have a lot of “Kravies” in this world. A world of hunger and misery.

Dear Breve New Films,

I am perplexed by your recent campaign concerning Henry Kravis and the tax loophole.

Did you also know that Henry Kravis has donated millions of dollars to my school and all of the other schools he has attended? Did you know he donated 15 million dollars to the Center for Cardiovascular Health? He has also worked hard to create jobs and new businesses in New York. Did you know that he worked hard his whole life to get to where he is? He worked hard in elementary school and highschool and that allowed him to get into a good college, and he is rewarded by his hard work in school by his success. What is wrong with you people? How can you possibly call him greedy when he gives so much of his money away to other people in need? Just because he is very good at what he does, you think you can criticize him and all other people like him? Sounds like you guys are bitter, if you ask me. He has done way more for America than your entire organization ever will. I would much rather trust his $96 million in his hands where he can see that it is used adequately instead of in the hands of the government. Even the people you interview in your movies have horrible ideas for what they would do with his money. They would throw parties, barbecues, sell everything in the house, amongst other ridiculous plans. No one suggested a plan that would actually make a difference in society by helping a large amount of people have a better life. Whereas he gives a lot of his money to education so other people can have the same opportunity as him.

Don't take me for a stubborn fool, I am just presenting an argument that makes the most sense to me. I honestly want to hear how you justify yourselves. I don't understand what you are thinking, so please help me understand you.

Thanks for your time,

David

I've seen a couple of your videos that have been directed at Henry Kravis. I don't know how to politely tell you this but, you're paying attention to all the wrong things.

The fact is that no matter how many videos you make about him, nobody is going to care. His business partners and companies will remain unchanged. The politicians will not be intimidated because your videos and rage isn't directed at the legislature. Your videos will change nothing. Period.

However, if you start paying more attention to the following, you'll have a story that will get A LOT more attention:

Henry Kravis is one of the key members of The Bilderberg Group. They are 120 of the richest, most powerful politicians, business people, members of the media, and even deans and professors of prestigious universities. Once per year, they find a five star hotel, kick everybody out for a few days, and meet to decide the fate of the world. Their security guards are CIA, MI-6, and The Mossad, paid for by your tax payer dollars. No pictures or video is allowed. None of the members are allowed to talk about anything that is ever said in the meetings.

"Good deads are done in the sunshine. Evil is done under the cover of darkness" -Jim Tucker

If you really want to start learning and then teaching your audience something of value, go here:

Youtube.com and search for "Bilderberg Group"

Read the book "The True Story of the Bilderberg Group"

Watch "Endgame" documentary for free on Google.com

You're welcome.

-Vince

Eat the rich!!!

It's just like George Carlin said; the reason they call it "The American Dream" is because you have to be asleep to believe it. "These guys don't care about you. It's a big club and, guess what, YOU'RE NOT IN IT!"

capitalism is the answer commented 2 months ago:
I'm far from being wealthy. I work a boring job for an hourly wage and I don't even have a car. I make less than 20K a year. But guess what; IT'S MY CHOICE.
"Capitalism", you are buying into the myth. Noone chooses to be poor. We workers create the wealth of this Nation. We must fight for our share. We all deserve a living wage, health care, and decent housing.

The United States government has been HIGHJACKED.

Nothing is going to happen to these guys with this useless, USELESS Congress. The new suggestions for "economic bailout" put together are nothing but thinly disguised FURTHER Tax cuts. There is no SEC oversight, no enforcment of law. It's all a system to keep the war mongers able to keep on with "business as usual".

Global People for the Impeachment of Richard Cheney
www.thepetitionsite/petition/527250776
impeach.to.end.war.crimes@gmail.com

The world is being run to keep jerks like Kravis safe . those shortlisted by Dick Cheney.
If you wish to do something, support the impeachment movement - get involved; it's not "just" a fringe movement, it's for everyone. We must put together a movement for social justice and not rely on "experts".

www.wexlerwantshearings.com

The book What's the Matter with Kansas, by Thomas Frank should be required reading for every high school senior.

If I had the money I would implement the following WEsolution THE WE SOLUTION

WE, the people of the Whole Earth, West, East, realize WE have Wone Eternal source. Earth is our common mother and WE all share Wone H.OM.E., Here On Mother Earth. WE all need to be WEminded of this Woneness by WEvising and WEnaming the way WEthink, the way WEspeak, the way WEwrite and the way WEact. By sharing a common WEvision and working together through a peaceful WEvolution and WEformation , WE all will WEunite the planet and provide one WEsolution to the concerns of all the WEmembers of our earthly familWE.

There is but one world ecology, the WEcology. Earth is a living organism and is affected by the actions of all inhabitants. WE all are WEsponsible for preserving and WEstoring our natural WEsources. WE all must WEduce the amount, WEuse same products and WEcycle whenever possible. We have to WEforest and WEgenerate this beautiful planet. WE should “think globalWE and act localWE,” to WEplenish and WEvitalize our natural environment.

WE all share a world economy, the WEconomy. WE need to eliminate all economic barriers and allow the WEmarket system to work. The world will become one huge WEtrading zone with one universal monetarWE system called monWE. A world treasurWE will establish a WEfund to provide WElief to the money challenged and homeless. “There is enough for the world’s needs but not the world’s greed.” All people will be provided with adequate food, clothing, shelter and medical services. The WEalignment of the world’s WEalth will stimulate the WEconomy and create a worldwide WEcovery. A positive WEsession of full employment, increase production and stable economic conditions will WEsult.

The only true way for lasting peace on the planet is to WEunite all the countries of Earth through a peaceful WEvolution. This new combiNation will be called the WEpublic of earth and these WEunited Nations will be governed by a democratic system. All people are WEmembers and will have WEpresentation in the government. Nationalistic pride will be WEplaced with the universal pride on Wone World WEpublic. The only enemies will be hunger, violence, scarcity, pollution and disease. All the people on Earth can concentrate on creating a H.E.A.V.E.N.( Having Each Attain Various Eternal Nows) on Earth and eliminating the need for competition or useless defense expenditures. WE all will be busy WEnewing, WEconstructing and WEjuvenating the planet. Without the need for military expenditures, there will be plenty of monWE for social needs such as food, clothing, housing and medical needs. The only sure way to eliminate war and strive is to establish the Wone World WEgime.

There can be only Wone True WElegion of Love with all huebeings as WEmembers. This WEalization of universal awareness of our Woneness will cause a WEbirth, WEsurrection and WEvival of our spiritual unity. The Wone WEall WElegion of love will WEsurrect and WEform a WEincarnation of the universal WEssiah that includes the totality of all the earthly souls called WEisus. The Wone pure light of love is WEflected into the full spectrum of the “hue”being rainbow. Therefore, WE all will see the light, because WE are all WEflections of the Wone Light. WE have no choice, so WEjoice, life will truly be wonderful for AllWEs, All ways, Always.

Working together, WE all will WEplace nuclear reaction and nuclear fission with new clear WEaction and new clear WEvision. Huge solar space panels can provide an abundance of inexpensive energy. WEcycling and conservation can decrease excessive energy demands.The application of modern agricultural techniques, the WEdistribution of necessary WEsources and the WEcreation of millions of small gardens all over the planet will provide peace and plenty for posterity. WE can cut down on the excesses of life and concentrate on the basic human needs. WE will use computers and modern communications to interconnect the “global village.” Earth is our “spaceship” and only through combining and WEminding ourselves of our common WElationship can WEsolve all of our concerns. WE are Wone and through peace and unity and sharing a common WEvision WE can create the beautiful paradise WE all know is possible on Earth. WEmember, if WE don’t do it, it won’t get done. "Where there is no WEvision the people perish" WE love and WEspect all WEs.

Share the WEvision. Join the WEvolution. Become a WEmember.

Everything today revolves around greed. I was born in the 50's and I've watch it grow and grow the last 30 years. We need to get back to being our brothers keeper. The republican party has been doing this starting with Reagan, and all under the table. I think that they put the public asleep for a long time as to what thy were doing, I know that the people I know who are educated and not stupid never saw it coming until Bush got in there and made it so blantant. You cauld see some of it in the 90's when the first Bush was in the whitehouse my husband and I were making maybe 20,000 with both of us working and we paid the same percent in taxes as Bush, he made 3 million that year. The people are the only people that can stop this evil unfair greed. Contact your lawmakers, get your friends to contact them, get everybody you know, go online, get people to start telling senators and rep. that we are not going to take it anymore. At present congress is playing along with these creeps, let them know that if they want to keep that nice, well paid, and health insurance and that pretty home may not be there after voting. The last time this country voted we told congress that we wanted out of this war and they turned their backes on us, well let them know on voting day no more, your out of there. This war is nothing but to make money. When Bush stood on that ship and said mission accomplished it was the truth, all of these corporations are making billions, while the rest of us citizens are trying to make ends meet, pay a fortune at the Dr.s etc. The human cost is even worst besides all of the americans that have died and the cost to their families the Iraqes have had over 1 million people die, 2 million refugees and all of this pain and suffering for a buck. I'm a lefty and a free thinker and don't believe in the devil but these people are evil beyond all. They are destroying the planet for greed also, well I hope that they will be happy when they have all that money and no place to spend it, like food and water because the planet has been destroyed. If I had One of his houses for a day I would sell it and everything in it, go to the bank and get one of those loans, start buying the companies they buy and start putting people to work doing jobs that are good for people and the planet and find a way to stop war for profit and put these greedy buggers in jail.

From Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (the ending comment by Basil Rathbone)

There’s a new spirit in the land. The old days of grab and greed are on there way out. We’re beginning to think of what we owe the other fellow, not just what we’re compelled to give him. The time is coming, Watson, were we shan’t be able to fill our bellies in comfort while other folk go hungry or sleep in warm beds while others shiver in the cold and we shan’t be able to kneel and thank god for blessings before our shining alters while men anywhere are kneeling in either physical or spiritual subjection. And, god willing, we’ll live to see that day, Watson.

There are a lot of interesting comments on Greed and Henry Kravis's link thereto. I grew up in Aspen, Colorado starting in the early sixties back when the first wealthy people living there were the remnants of greedy silver miners. Our landlord from whom my parents rented from was the local judge and his wife who owned hundreds of acres of land in town which had a lot of buildings on said land. Their names were Shaw. I remember when Judge Shaw died and my mom had approached Dorthy Shaw, the Judges wife and asked if she would be willing to sell the house that my mother was renting from her. Unfortunately, Mrs. Shaw had announced that she and her husband had willed all their property to their grandson who quickly, after Mrs. Shaw's death, sold the majority of properties in Aspen that he had inherited, forcing my mom to move us out of the Aspen area completely. You see, my father had died in 1970 in an accident in Yellowstone National Park and left my mother with five kids (Catholic at the time) to raise on her own. Well, she couldn't maintain the income necessary to keep us in Aspen as more and more millionaires were causing the property values to skyrocket. I watched over the years the millionaires being replaced by billionaires. When I was a kid living there in Aspen, I remember on average only about three or four private Lear jets parked at the Aspen airport. But last thanksgiving I took my wife and kids up to visit my mother who is in a care facility for Alzheimer's patients and to visit my older brother and youngest sister who ended up moving back to the Aspen area over fifteen years ago. I decided to drive up the old Owl Creek road (the back way to Snowmass Village) where my brother resides in what they call Employee Housing. Anyway, the road climbs up the mountinside behind the airport. As I drove with my family up this road, I decided to stop and count all the private jets parked on the tarmac. I counted 48 in total! My brother later mentioned that the millionaires were complaining that the billionires were outpricing them for the limited parking spaces for their jets. My youngest sister works as a landscaper in the summer in Aspen and she used to landscape FOUR of the twelve homes that Kenneth L. Lay used to own there, you remmeber... of ENRON fame?. Why would any human being own twelve homes in one town? Certainly, you have to chock that up to greed. And there was a comment above that greed is not the problem, that hoarding is the problem and they related that to obese people which is not comparable in any way whatsoever because most obese people arent't overweight because of greed, and they are not overweight because of hoarding. They have completely different problems than a young soul who has not learned the lessons of greed. We are a society that mirrors that of the Caesarian Era of the Roman Empire. And look at what happened to the Romans. Our dollar has no gold backing it. Or to be fair, our dollar is worth about 3 cents right now. You also have to remember that the so-called Federal Reserve is not Federal in any way whatsoever. It is a privately owned bank which back in 1913 struck an illegal agreement with a handfull of powerful politicians from Washington in a secret meeting on Jeckyl Island that allowed these greedy bankers to print and loan money to the Congress of the United States of Central North America. You see, the American people really do not even own their own money. The Congress is supposed to be in control of the money that is printed and how much is printed, but unfortunately, the Congress sold out a very long time ago to the greedy and highly corrupt and powerful bankers. If you want to understand what's going on in this country and around the world when it ocmes to the banking system, then read David Icke's book: "and the truth shall set you free". I highly recommend this book. It clearly outlines the power structure of the elite in a fantastic historical perspective that is clear and precise and backed up with all the references of where he derived all of his information so that there is no question about how the human race truly is enslaved by our own perceptions and thought patterns. We allow greed to control us. And as one of the other comments mentioned above, if a million dollars came into my life, I would take it in an instant. But I am also willing to share my money and my knowledge with others. You do not see too much of that when it comes to the super wealthy. They are so far removed from the reality of what the working classes go through that they couldn't possibly understand themselves unless they were people who climbed the ladder to wealth with hard work and an open mind and heart. Many wealthy people are philanthropic. But generally, not the majority. And that is just where our society as a race of human beings is right now on a social and spiritual level of evolution. We are a planet of mostly young and baby souls who have not learned all of our lessons concerning greed and power. Will we survive our selves? Meaning: will we survive our stupidity? Our greed? Our corruption? It is hard to say. There is much strife in the world and much of it stems from the elite hoarding the majority of wealth on the planet because as another commentator above suggested: We can't help ourselves. But I personally think that people all over the planet are waking up and deciding that it is now or never. Our foreign policy is one based on greed and power over other less powerful or completely non-powerful nations. Our foreign policy is designed to literally steal whatever resources our corporate interests deem necessary to fatten the pockets of the handful of elite who are also refered to as the Illuminati. How much is enough? Why does Bill Gates need a 100,000 square foot mansion? He doesn't, but he wanted one, so what? He is also learning to be philanthropic with his money. Money is just a form on energy. Energy exchange. If you want to keep more of your money, then sotp paying the illegal and unconstitutional tax on labor. There is no mention in the 16th Amendment anywhere that states that a citizen must pay an unapportioned tax on their labor. And the IRS Code #26 also states nowhere that a citizen must pay an unapportioned tax on their labor as well on top of the FACT that the so-called Income Tax is a VOLUNTARY TAX! And yet, the IRS will throw you in prison if you volunteer to not opt out of this highly illegal form of terrorism and intimidation. The 16th Amendment was never legally ratified into law. You need 36 states to ratify an Amendment and only TWO states voted to pass the 16th Amendment at the time it was illegally and very quietly...uh...(ratified?) into the Constitution of the United States of Central North America. Look it up. Over 67,000,000 Americans do not file a tax return every year and it's growing. Over 40,000,000 Americans never even PAY a labor tax every year and that number is growing. And don't be fooled by the IRS's 56 page fear/intimidation/terrorist report on how many cases they are allegedly winning in federal court. Because that's all that report is; a stack of papers designed to terrorize the citizens of this country to continue to submit to the tyranny of our imperialist and capitalist system. We are occupying 130 other countries in the world with our military. If that is not considered occupation, then I do not know what is. We train death squads from South and Central America at the School of the America's in Georgia to keep the peasants under control with our own form of terrorism as that is the wish of the mega-corporations who are really owned by extremely wealthy families who own massive fruit farms and... I know, I know... believe it or not, flower farms. But this is how our foriegn policy works. The wealthy COULD share their massive wealth by making the lives of their slaves in these countries live healthier more educated lives but they cannot see the benefit in everyone being happy, being healthy, both on a physical level and on a mental and spiritual level. So the situation in the Middle East where the desperity of the rich and the poor is extremely evident as let'
s use the Saudi Family as the most obvious example (deeply tied with the Bush Family), is for all intents and purposes a dictatorship. The alledged attackers of 9/11 were upper middle class young (some of them anyway) men. And if more American citizens would just take the time to open their minds and eyes to the events of 9/11 and the actual truth as to what really happened, then you might start to understand the dynamics of why this country and other countries such as England create so-called terrorists. You see, you cannot create a terrorist without BEING a terrorist yourself. Everything is mirrored back upon itself. Yin and Yang. Action creates re-action. When an idiot such as George W. Bush says something as rediculous as "the terrorishts attacked ush becaushze they hate the fackt that we are a nashion of democrashy and freedom" then you know that there is something very wrong going on. People who would go so far as to sarifice themselves body and soul to kill other people is a sign that there is a massively deep rift in our society as a whole. I do not want to get into the massively corrupt elections of 2000 and 2004 because once you read David Icke's book "and the truth", you will see quite clearly that there is no such thing as democracy in this country. Nor most likely anywhere else in the world as well. Greed is just a part of who and what our society is right now on this planet. Maybe we are going to start to grow up as a species, or maybe we will destroy ourselves because we just can't bring the younger souls on this planet under our wing through love and understanding. And please do not tell me that the Bush and even the Clinton families are not greedy, because then I will have to laugh a very hardy laugh indeed.

Kravis should get a little of his own medicine. He should be cut off. He will never understand the effect of his actions because he is consumed with himself and never ever asks himself if he is causing more harm than good- he's making corrupt money to keep for himself and posssibly for a few select yes men. Sounds like Halliburton and Trump and Bush etc...
The American people are no longer free and there is much less oppotunity due to these bullies.

I recall writing a paper in HS regarding the leader of communist Russia, Nikita Krushchev banging on a podium and screaming that greed would destroy America.
I'm afraid we are about there...

I don't think that this man is greedy. We have a problem in society: that is, the more money you have, the awesomer people view you as. Because of this, our society has been unable to diagnose Kravis' and many other people's *disease*. He is addicted to hoarding money. Doesn't this make more sense than mere greed? I have difficulty thinking that he is actually *evil*. A lot of people think that obese people are greedy, but obesity seems also due to a lack of ability to control oneself. Kravis is, in other words, financially obese. He is a pack rat, and unable to stop collecting homes and money, but in our society where living extravagantly is lauded, where's the motivation to stop?
The first step is for our society to stop idolizing people who are ultra-rich. The second step is to create support groups. The third step is to find useful ways for people to use their skills or money.

MIP has typed quite a bit today, and made only one error (their not THEY'RE, you hopeless mongoloid). Before you rush off to your republican gathering to masturbate to photos of the thankfully dead Reagan, keep in mind the 'trickle down economic' theory you so love has produced nothing but debt and wealth for the top 1% (which you are doubtlessly not a part of, regardless of your delusions). Get your head out of your ass, and invest in spellcheck.

I think this campaign is a mistake for many reasons. First, you should not be attacking an individual. That's not only wrong and a waste of time and energy, it's dangerous. Our focus should be on changing the system, and our energy should be channeled into actively transforming the society, rather than being wasted on carping about this individual's wealth. By making this guy out to be evil, you distract us from addressing those bigger issues and you direct people's ire and frustration at this person in a potentially harmful way.

Another thing that bothers me about this is the sense that it's driven by our own greed. The very question "What would you do if you had one of his houses for a day?" takes for granted that if we could, we'd change places with Kravis. I'm happy with my life, but I'd take a million dollar pay raise in a heartbeat. Wouldn't you? So, I think a campaign against greed is doomed because most of us are motivated to some extent by the desire for more--more money, more possessions, more vacation time, a bigger house, a nicer car, a bigger TV, etc., etc. It's all the same.

I'm a strong supporter of social and economic justice, but I don't think this requires that there be no wealthy people. Kravis' homes have to be built, wired, plumbed, painted, landscaped, and maintained, just like mine (well, actually much more than mine!). If you add up the dollar values of those homes as quoted in the film, plus what it costs to keep them up, what you will get is the total amount of money Kravis is paying into the economy. Kravis' wealth may not go to the same people whose jobs were lost in the process of his gaining his wealth, but it eventually winds up in the hands of average working men and women. If his taxes are too low, that's an issue of economic policy, and we need to engage our representatives on those things.

Because of all the above, this campaign is too easily rebutted and the whole point is too easily lost because it wasn't clear to begin with.

friends out there wherever thou be found at any ole way too, but just know above all else what it is that I regularly do or do on a daily basis out here too mostly, since in my way of thought, whatever else one ever does in life, that alone is how is the sole means of being effectively doing whatever it is that one does or seeks to, since that is in my way of thinking what reaches the largest or widest or broadest amjority of all those "out there" of whom we seek mostly to but reach in actual truth! And sharing and our caring ways in how we daily routinely handle what our lifestyles really are actually like out here on a very real daily basis too here, is that which is more than likelier than anything else could ever be here, to reach that population that ought be the largest one sought out in one's own life no matter wherever one lives at, since to me that's the only way that anyone really can do whatever they wish to do in a very real and genuine way either here too that is, but then each of us has our own view of what the world needs, do we not, but we keep trying to keep our message and vision more than anything else alive and striving to reach the far wider majority of what's to be found out here somewhere too beyond even the scope of where it be that even we be found at either here!

Keep up the fights, the struggles and mostly abovec all else here, the sharing of our peaceful love and caring ways over fighting things that ought not be done in ways contrary to the message we carry out amongst the masses is

thanks for listening, that is in case you have,
marc

While I agree that hard work in the U.S. can help a person stay out of poverty, there is evidence that that may be the BEST it can do. Of all developed countries, the U.S. has the lowest economic mobility - the poor will very likely stay poor and get relatively poorer, and the rich will very likely stay rich, and get richer.

A person's chances of escaping the mire that is poverty is much lower than in many other nations.

Is it our educational system? Is it a lack of ethics among the very rich and the politicians of all shades that may be in their pockets? Other factors? Some combination?

Let's address the underlying cause of low economic mobility, and then we can figure out who is to blame and fix whatever mess is revealed.

"Don't you socialists have anything more productive to do with your time? KKR has created over 51 billion dollars in wealth for investors since they're founding. The bulk of that wealth has gone into creating more new businesses that create more jobs, which I'm sure those moron losers who made this video ARE NOT qualified for...you're too busy wasting time pissing away on people that have created value to do business in the real world.

If you can find anyone to hire you, take it...and while your at it, GROW UP AND GET A LIFE!

MIP"

Well put Mip! I'm sick of these people whining how "the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer..". For those complaining that they can't make it in the world's strongest and healthiest economy, that's nobody's fault but your own. Our K-12 schools, at least in theory, provide one with the knowledge and skills one needs to find and succeed at an entry level job anywhere in the US. Of course that's assuming that one graduates and actually learns something- other than how to roll a joint or put on a condom or who the latest rapper is. Poverty sucks, but with hard work and determination, it doesn't have to be permanent.

The people who made this film are obviously pathetic, bitter losers, utter morons, and basic idiots who aren't really good at anything and who lack the minimum educational or IQ requirements needed for a job at McDonald's or WalMart. I certainly wouldn't hire them to mow my lawn or take out my trash- they might hurt themselves. I would suggest to everyone here that they get real, hands-on education, NOT a useless liberal arts education, and learn a profitable, in-demand skill or trade, then start their own business. Of course I'm betting that the makers of this film barely passed, if not altogether flunked, their GED's to get out of high school. Time for these clowns to take their rightful place in the real world- yup, straight at the bottom of the no-talent heap.

Nick Ogden is right about one thing. The video piece is overdone and probably inaccurate in several places. But one look at the way Kravis makes his money, and the other hedge fund and wheeler-dealers, tells me there is only one way I could spend the holiday. Simply amusing myself to prevent the obvious guilt feelings I must have about my business dealings and what it does to the employes of companies I have taken over. One of the things I would have to do is compose a song "Long Live Greed."
In the end it will be found that many of the current business practises are immoral in essence and illegal in the eyes of most of us who do or have done real work. The New Yorker had a great article on hedge funders. Wow, a crap game if you can understand it. And if you win, five big homes.

First of all, what is greed? Greed is the emotion of desire for wealth or possessions. We experience emotions based largely on our values. Value is what motivates us to perform every single task we carry out in our lives. We are always either trying to gain value, or keep from losing it. To tell someone to stop experiencing greed is to tell them to value what you value. This is unethical in two major ways. First, it is a violation of their personal freedom. Greed is widely considered to be a negative emotion, but it is an individual's God given right to experience it if they so choose. Freedom encompasses both the freedom to succeed as well as the freedom to fail. It isn't freedom if both halves are not present. Second, when you compel an individual to adopt values which are not their own, as opposed to persuading them logically, you are forcing them to abandon their rational faculty, which is, essentially, their capacity to value at all. Values are established contextually and the new values have no context in the individual's life, and thus have no utility to the individual. Ayn Rand gives the analogy of providing someone with a picture gallery at the expense of their ability to see. Forcing values removes the ability to value. And it does not do anyone any injustice for another person to merely experience the emotion of greed. It is when a person begins to act on that emotion that it begins to effect others. Even then, acting out of greed does not not guarantee a violation of another individual's rights. Greed is not a magical dollar amount that suddenly makes you an immoral person once you've obtained it, which is what this clip spends the overwhelming majority of its time trying to say.

This isn't even war on greed, it's a war on Henry Kravis' greed. Why Henry Kravis? Believe it or not but there are people who make even more money than he does. Is it because KKR engages in unethical business practices? If so then why not a website and a clip called "War On Unethical Business Practices"?

So let's consider what kind of people wage a war on greed instead of addressing the real issue. The clip doesn't showcase any supporters of this "war" that have achieved Henry Kravis' level of wealth, or even close to it for that matter. No such person in their right mind would agree to be in the clip because the clip condemns wealth, not greed. The people who are fighting this war on greed are people that make less money than Henry Kravis. The filmmaker is setting this up as a class struggle. The haves vs. the have-nots. Can you guess who viewed class struggle as "the history of all hitherto existing society"? The answer is the father of communism, Karl Marx. This clip contrasts the abundance that Henry Kravis enjoys with the modest lives of several random middle class Americans as if Henry Kravis is a bad person simply for having what he has. There are probably many other ways that Henry Kravis could choose to spend his money that would be more productive to himself and society, but that is his choice and the people behind this clip want to deny him the choice.

The clip states that "all" private equity giants take over other companies using primarily borrowed money and to pay the debt they sell company assets, fire thousands of employees, and radically cut the benefits of remaining employees. All this and it's still the same product, same building, and the same customers. So if the same product is made in the same buildings and purchased by the same customers then KKR has only made the company more efficient. Nobody is entitled to a job or benefits. Those aren't part of our inalienable rights that we are endowed with by our creator. They seem to think that it's wrong to borrow money and make a profit doing it. One woman in the clip explains that she looses money when she borrows with a credit card while KKR borrows money and makes a profit. She says that it isn't fair that she has been too stupid or lazy to figure out how her credit cards work and KKR figured out a way to make more money than her. The same woman says that it's unreasonable for Henry Kravis to have the houses that he does and pay a lower tax percentage. Who get's to decide what's reasonable? These filmmakers? The government? Sure, it can be rationally demonstrated that Henry Kravis has significantly more than his basic survival needs require, but who wants to live on the bare minimum that they need to survive? Is this film trying to argue each person should produce according to his ability and receive according to his need? Because that is, you guessed it, communism.

Henry Kravis pays a Capital Gains Tax of 15% instead of a 35% Federal Income Tax like firemen, teachers, and police officers do. Henry Kravis makes his money investing capital and receiving gains on those investments, not working for an hourly wage. Capital Gains Tax is what he should be paying. How about we work on reducing the unconstitutional Federal Income Tax instead of trying to increase other taxes. Unjust taxation was one of the reasons we declared our independence from England. The clip is essentially arguing that everyones taxes should be raised to the same percentage, regardless of how you make your money, so that we're all equally miserable. That's essentially what socialistic-communism is, everybody can't be equally happy so everybody should be equally miserable. The filmmakers also seems to want us to believe that there is something inherently good about being a fireman, teacher, or police officer, and there is something inherently bad about managing a private equity fund. I almost expected the clip to end with a rousing "Workers of the world, unite!" (google that phrase if you need to)

The last portion of the clip was beyond absurd. The filmmakers are encouraging people to speculate on what they would do with a Kravis mansion, or in other words how they would redistribute his wealth. The redistribution of wealth is one of the basic components of communism. Are you starting to catch on? Most of the answers weren't any more productive than what Henry Kravis uses his mansions for. Those people didn't earn and don't deserve those mansions. Each "average joe" in that clip chose his or her own life. Nobody forced them to be school teachers or nurses instead of founding a private equity firm. This clip promotes a scarcity paradigm. It's telling you that Henry Kravis and KKR are winning and that is the real reason why you are loosing. They end with that cute little "psst... do something", but what do they suggest anybody do? Certainly not learn how to become wealthy so that you can actually have a realistic chance at effecting some positive change in the business world. They probably just want you to waste your time protesting outside one of Henry Kravis' mansions like they did to premiere this clip.

This clip doesn't demonstrate anything conclusively except that Henry Kravis is rich while most of America isn't. If change is needed in the world of the private equity giants then by all means, let's figure out how to do some good. Unfortunately that isn't what the "War On Greed" is about. This clip is more than just a waste of time, it is subversive and intellectually dangerous to anyone that doesn't have their brain on.

I would auction off everything on the premises and give monst of the money to the 9/11 WTC policemen, firemen and cleanup crewmen who are sick and dying from their exposure to toxic dust in the name of my friend, Sister Cindy Mahoney, who died last November from lung disease she got working as a Chaplain for 6 months at WTC morgue. I would use some of it to lobby Congress to make our tax laws more equitable.

I would sell all of them and give the proceeds to houses for the homeless, to veterans that have been disabled in the Iraq war, to people in the Middle East who have been displaced because of our misguided and arrogant actions (war and occupation).

I'd do the same thing I'd do with the "School of the Americas" - the torture academy in Georgia. I'd open it to the public, with public use of health facilities, athletic facilities, housing, all the things that the military and the rich deprive the rest of us from having.

Don't you socialists have anything more productive to do with your time? KKR has created over 51 billion dollars in wealth for investors since they're founding. The bulk of that wealth has gone into creating more new businesses that create more jobs, which I'm sure those moron losers who made this video ARE NOT qualified for...you're too busy wasting time pissing away on people that have created value to do business in the real world.

If you can find anyone to hire you, take it...and while your at it, GROW UP AND GET A LIFE!

MIP

Turn it into a sterilization clinic to reduce human fertility to reduce population to make way for other species

First: I'd take all his stuff and sell it.

Second: I'll rummage through his file cabinets looking for any proprietary information.

Third: With cash and inside information in hand I'd proceed to found my own buy out firm, force him out of the market and be ten times as cruel, heartless and evil.

You socialist swine make me sick.

I know this will get deleted, but I urge anyone here to think about this and know that my comment seems just as inflammatory to you, as yours do to me. This is your website and you have a right to do what you want, but also remember that my freedom of speech is only as free as yours. So go ahead and censor me if you want... I dare you...

I'd hire however many moving vans it took to remove every item in the mansion and move it to a giant storage room. Since I'd only have the mansion for a day, I doubt I would be able to sell the mansion itself that same day. I would if I could. I'd auction off every item from his house and give the proceeds to people who'd been hit the hardest by Mr. Kravis's wage cuts and lay offs. This might take months of research of acquire this information, but it would be the best payoff in the end. Bittersweet.

I would open one up for a 100 nonprofit organizations to set up shop. I would clean out landfills in low income neighborhoods and fill up one of his estates with the refuse. I would turn another into a way station for immigrants while they await citizenship.

I would gut the interior and convert it into a new type of skilled care for the elderly poor--one that allows each resident their own private room with a private bath, that serves fresh, healthy food, and that includes telephone and television service for each person. Everyone should have at least that in their final years on this earth, instead of living in the depressing and dehumanizing conditions so many must live in.

I would gut the interior and convert it into a new type of skilled care for the elderly poor--one that allows each resident their own private room with a private bath, that serves fresh, healthy food, and that includes telephone and television service for each person. Everyone should have at least that in their final years on this earth, instead of living in the depressing and dehumanizing conditions so many must live in.

I would disguise my self as one of his relatives and overtime I would financially take all his assets and establish a new company, create new jobs, pass legislation where anyone whom exceeds over 1 million in profit must pay 50 percent in taxes. Eventually this would cut into our tax debt. The wealthy have always run this country, it's time the intelligent begin to do this. Eventually Kravis's would work for me. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette didn't survive because of greed and many others will also fall. What you do in life will echo in eternity. It's not about right or wrong decisions it's about moral decisions.

We never learn. We've all been bought and sold. I would take a video camera and search the house for his torture chamber.

Sounds like Kravis's heart is two sizes too small...

I'd fill his house with little kids dressed up like the Who's and have sing alongs and hot chocolate and hold banners that say: "Silly Kravis! Don't you know that good things don't come in a mansion-sized, tax sheltered box?"

Then I'd send Kravis a holiday card signed by all the kids with a copy of the Grinch Who Stole Christmas.

Then I'd ask all those kids and their history teachers to pen op-eds on how taxation with representation is based on the founding of our country and ask whoever owns that billboard on Times Square to tally up Kravis's taxes if his income bracket was the same as an average American's and keep a running tally. Then I'd take out full page ads and invite all the presidential candidates to talk about what good they think they could do with all that money and somehow rig the next presidential debate to put that question on the docket.

And probably after all that was finished, I'd say a little prayer of redemption for ol' Kravis cause it's never too late to have a change of heart. Just ask the Grinch.

“If you could walk in my shoes, you would know me better”!
As a 62 year old veteran I would get half a group of poor kids from say Oakland and equal number of christian kids of upper middle class families and set-up some movies about torture and war and rich people not paying their fair share of the taxes. Simply to draw attention to the history say of this kind of guy who lives in this house, mixed in with religious quotes about the Camel more likely to get through the eye of a needle then a rich man could get into heaven, that perhaps rich people have always not paid their share.
I would make absolutely sure there was plenty of good food for the three major real meals with plenty of snacks and drinks available during the entire time they were near this house.
I would start out by picking them up before sunup, transport them there, and not bring them back until late at night. Get them together for at least once in their lives with a group living totally different lives, lives they had only heard about. Listen to what questions they would have for each other about their experiences.
Akk sides could get a real glimpse of life in the "W" era, what would we and they learn. This done with plenty of adults around to explain or just socialize or even ask questions and make them all feel safe.
I would make a point of having introduced the adult educators, trades people, as well as technicians and something about their positions to create maybe an interest. The adult need only focus on keeping things moving along. Mingling with the kids from movies to dinners and talking with them in between, sort of a talk-a-thon-walk-around. Eventually, hopefully I think a new way to see others might become available to the kids, and work interest and social skills would get exercised. A possiblity that would not be available otherwise.

I would call and cancel the insurance, then burn it to the ground. Then, I'd put Kravis to work scrubbing toliets in poor neighborhoods.

THE ONLINE PUBLIC SQUARE & THE IMPORTANCE OF ‘MONEY SPEECH’

Hugo & Nebula Award Winner William Gibson (creator of the term cyberspace) has compared the internet’s importance for human development to the creation of the city.
He’s RIGHT! Systems established in the near future may well set patterns for a very long time to come…

IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THERE BE A NEUTRAL, NON-PARTIAL & TRANSPARENT PUBLIC SQUARE IN THIS COMING “ELECTRIC CITY”

Addressing the systems and mechanisms by which responsibilities and opinions are translated from the individual citizen to those charged with governance.

THESE SYSTEMS NEED IMMEDIATE ATTENTION!

Here I address one... a key LEVER.

• Citizens will know their own power when they can speak as loudly and as often with a bit of money as they once could by standing up and shouting at an old Townhall meeting.
• When political contribution is so convenient that it is no longer thought of as contribution at all... but quite literally 'putting in my two cents'...

THEN WE'LL SEE A RENEWAL OF THE VITALITY OF SELF-GOVERNMENT!

Tom Crowl
CIVILIZATION SYSTEMS LLC

First I would mortgage it to the hilt with a negatively amortized adjustable rate loan. Then I would gather up all the homeless veterans and wounded soldiers who are waiting sometimes years for care. I would put out the call and bring together health care (especially mental health) and housing professionals and solve as many problems as possible in the given time. All vets would be handed a fat check on the way out.

I would turn the house into affordable public housing for the nearby communities complete with low cost activities such as fishing, horseback riding, sailing lessons, etc.

I would also turn the grounds into a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) to provide high-quality organic produce for the surrounding communities.

This is reprehensible. This sob belongs behind bars. He is a thief. How can this be allowed?

One of the big problems in this country that these current Canidates are not even addressing is the mass invasion of this country from the south. The President of Mexico just last week welcomed with open arms the President of Iran. Who is bent on destroying the United States. People are loosing their jobs because the Democrating Congress will not put a stop to companies hiring people who are not citizens of this country, and also not stopping Companies from closing factory's here and sending the work to other countries. Why are these canidates who are also not doing anythng to stop our troops from being sent to Iraq, and will still not do any thing if they get in the White House?

What a sham! If I had any one of those mainsions, I would sell it at top dollar. Set a a non-profit organization to manage the use of that money in setting up a organization to establish companies that produced altenative fuels, build vehicles that ran on those fuel, build homes for those who worked for these companies. And provide health insurance for them. The profits after expenses, would go back in to helping this country grow and prosper not into some greedy and self serving person like Kravis!

If I could have it for only one day, I would like to bring in ALL members of both houses of Congress, with major media, and ask them who they think they're representing with their tax policies. It's not just unfair - it's stupidly tearing down a healthy economy.

I would use the estates to host a large anti-materialism buddhist meditation party. I would invite anyone more concerned with the economy than with the health and welfare of our citizens to join us. Perhaps one or two of these fools could become enlightened enough to realize that there is more to life and wealth than money or economic assets. That's right wealth doesn't have to come from money, and many of the wealthiest I know are middle-class people focused on more substantive pursuits such as family and community. Despite our economic power, Americans are no more healthy or happy than most of the other nations in the world. Where is all this materialism and "wealth" accumulation taking any of us? Not really anywhere I wish to be.

I'd use the place as seed money to fund The William Wilberforce Award for Community Spirit & Service (see www.claamfest.org).....
cheers Mr. VP Cheney and all your puppets

CATS AND CATS' CARETAKERS COHOUSING COMMUNITY (CCCCC):
A PROPOSAL FOR A GOOD USE OF ONE OF KRAVITZ'S MANSIONS

There is a great need for a cohousing development along the lines of a secure and comfortable community organized around the provision of shelter and care for a significant number of homeless cats (and perhaps dogs and other domestic animals) and the mutual care of the people who operate and reside in this Cats and Cats' Caretakers Cohousing Community.

As one who has devoted some considerable time to feeding, spaying and neutering, vaccinating and adopting out numerous homeless cats, I've noticed that most of the self-appointed 'angels' who care for the otherwise unloved and discarded felines in our urban midst are women, many of them single, and many of them in middle age and beyond -- among others, such as the middle-aged man writing this. A system of mutual care among a cohousing community or similar intentional community could simultaneously provide security and friendship for a group of 'cat caretakers' who want to live together and enjoy the economies of scale and benefits of shared effort, expense, and space applied to the collective care of a group of critters.

"Cats Cohousing" would make a wonderful themed co-housing community with a 'high-concept' unifying purpose -- a new cohousing community or an existing 're-purposed' cohousing community.

The Cats and Cats' Caretakers Cohousing Community might be established, if not in Kravitz's oversized house, as a 'super-block' -- a one-city-block miniature community that is established as a group of homeowners acquire control of all or most of the houses on a city block and organize to create fencing and other barriers, and perhaps even additional residential structures and apartments, between the detached houses. They may remove fences and barriers in the houses' backyards to create one secure multi-use people-and-cats commons in the center -- surrounded by a secure continuous structure around the perimeter of the block and the community.

One of the projects of the community would be to install an effective barrier over the 'Cat Commons' to prevent the entry of birds (another class of creatures increasingly in need of our protection) into an area literally crawling with cats!

The concept is available in a short description on the Global Ideas Bank (www.GlobalIdeasBank.org), at www.globalideasbank.org/site/bank/idea.php?idea....

Submitted Dec. 14, 2007 by
Gregory Wright: greg[at]newciv.org

This short film is so painfully one sided and misleading that it seriously discredits it's creators and the fools walking around Park Ave advertising it. What a stupid question: What would I do if I had one of HK's homes for a day? I'd load up on eggs, go to the roof and lob them on the poor fools protesting outside my gates.

I would invite all the public housing residents of New Orleans, whose homes are being demolished as I write this, all the homeless from the encampment at City Hall's Duncan Plaza, who are being evicted from their tents as I write this (for the demolition of the former state supreme court building) all the still displaced residents of public housing and all those still living in FEMA trailers to live in Kravis' place. I'd also bring the New Orleans' Mardi Gras Indians, social aid & pleasure club members and brass bands so we could all secondline around Manhattan and bring attention to what the Disaster Capitalists like Kravis are doing in New Orleans and throughout the world and to show that they're not smarter, not more creative - they just have money - and at the end of the day we'd call in the bulldozers to demolish his house too! Though he probably wouldn't miss it, since he has second, third and fourth houses (estates) all over the place.........but it sure would make a point.

i'd plant an amazing food and flower organic garden

with the most amazing heirloom varities of fruits, nuts and vegies

"Whosoever controls the volume of money in any country is absolute master of all industry and commerce.... And when you realize the entire system is very easily controlled, one way or another, by a few powerful men at the top, you will not have to be told how periods of inflation and depression originate." President James A. Garfield.

It was true one hundred years ago and more so today. Most don't understand because the few who do don't tell.

This explains why all the trolls fall for the con men's misdirection (lower taxes, trickle down, social security is going broke, inflation is low, growth is high, compassion and interdependence are socialistic or communistic notions, etc. etc.)

Most of the time, most of the people are mostly guessing. Too bad they're guessing wrong.

Kucinich and Gravel are the only candidates who are telling the truth and aren't cowards. All the other candidates are just blowing typical political smoke up people's rear ends.

Kucinich is the most honest and open candidate the democrats are running. I wish all of the leading democratic candidates would savagely attack the ultra corrupt Bush Regime and all of the republican candidates who are just going to continue Bush's evil and corrupt war. The only republican who opposes the war is Ron Paul. He is also the only republican who is speaking out against the war and for the American people.

I am sick of the democrats FAILING to address the illegal immigration fiasco. If a democrat or a republican would say he would immediately pull out every soldier from Iraq and place them on the Mexican border I would support and vote for him. Why doesn't any democrat have the guts to utter such a statement?

Almost every American would vote for a candidate who would savagely condemn the Bush Regime and the evil republican party. Why doesn't one democratic candidate make the following statement: "If I were president I would immediately end Bush's Iraq War and use our troops to defend the United States of America by ordering our entire military to our borders to defend them." And how about a democratic candidate saying this: "Since only 19 terrorists caused all of the carnage and havoc on 9/11/01 then at least that many terrorists have been allowed to invade our country through its southern border. Our military MUST ALWAYS be used ONLY to defend the safety of Americans and the United States and NOT BE LOW-PAID MERCENARIES IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES SOLELY TO DEFEND THE FINANCIAL INTERESTS OF CORRUPT AMERICAN CORPORATIONS!!!!!!" Will any democrat wake up and get some balls and tell the damned truth!!!!!!! I am sick of the status quo and the weak and gutless candidates in both political parties.

One other point: Since the summer of 2002 when Cheney unilaterally declared war against Iraq the price of stock in oil and oil services companies have skyrocketed. Tesoro Oil went from $2 a share in August 2002 to $160 a share today. Halliburton stock went from $8 a share in August 2002 to $145 a share today. Exxon-Mobil, and all the rest of the oil companies have made hundreds of billions of dollars and they have not done one thing to deserve the increase of their stock. Why hasn't ONE democrat even mentioned these companies making MASSIVE PROFITS OFF OF OUR DEAD SOLDIERS? Why hasn't ONE democrat mentioned the massive profits made off of the hundreds of thousands of innocent dead Iraqis? And why aren't the democrats savagely attacking the companies who are making hundreds of billions of dollars off of the war. If EVEN ONE democrat announced that during any time of war NO ONE could make a profit from it then that democrat would be elected. He would be admired. He would be reelected. But all of the high paid democratic strategists are nothing but flunkies who stick with the status quo and do nothing. Are they all brain dead zombies who have no imagination or guts? Apparently so. I am tired the my country being taken for a ride by people with absolutely no intelligence or creativity.

I would vote for Ron Paul if he ran because he is the only republican speaking the truth. Why are most democrats such cowards? The only democratic presidential candidates who are being honest and direct are Kucinich and Gravel.

BTW, I am an independent and my opinions represent 75 percent of Americans so why doesn't one democratic candidate start to represent the 75 percent of the people instead of the traditional party faithful?

I am sick of candidates who are ultimately selected in either the republican or democratic parties because of the amount of money they have or because they are too cowardly to tell the truth because they are afraid of offending anyone. We need to CLOSE OUR BORDERS NOW OUR OUR COUNTRY IS LOST. We need someone who has the guts to announce that the ENGLISH LANGUAGE is the official language of the United States. We need to eliminate Spanish from our ballots, road signs and telephone systems.

Does anyone, including the person reading this letter from me, really give a damn about the country or are you just interested in getting your party's candidate elected, regardless of whether they would be good for the country?

BTW, I could have debated GW Bush in 2000 and 2004 and slaughtered him. I would have made him look like the corrupt dunce that he is. Why don't democrats have any backbone or brains? The 2000 selection and the 2004 race could have easily been won by the democratic party but it seemed as if the fix was in and the democratic party was in collusion with the republican party. Perhaps it is because both major political parties are corrupt political prostitutes to corrupt corporations. Only Gravel and Kucinich have the balls to tell the truth, unfortunately they won't win the nomination of the party because they are too honest and because they both refuse to be whores to big money pimps. If you can tell that I am sick of the the political climate in this country you are right. If I was the head of the DNC the democratic party would win in a landslide in 2008 but you will continue to hire the same political hacks and end up with the same results: Defeat. Wake up and start to think like Americans and NOT A DAMNED POLITICAL PARTY PROSTITUTE!

I am a sponsor to 12 soldiers in Iraq. I get a lot of letters from them. And in every one of them they describe their Iraq duty as being in a prison. They say that there is NO LEADERSHIP, and that includes Bush, Cheney and the rest of those evil crooks. And they tell me that they are there for nothing. They have no hope and they realize they are NOT FIGHTING for our freedom or democracy. Why isn't the democratic party telling the truth about what is really going on in Iraq? Our soldiers believe that they are mere low-paid mercenaries only in Iraq to defend the financial interests of corrupt corporations. They see corporate crooks making ten to fifty times what they make and yet they are the ones who are putting their lives in danger. Is there even ONE honest, intelligent, and creative person with guts in the democratic party? Just one???????

Chuck, making a large amount of money is one thing, but to make it by pulling the livlihoods out from under thousands of people by buying companies and laying off thousands and devastating whole communities in the process is another.

I don't think many people here are actually advicating communism, but when the top 300,000 Americans have the same wealth as the bottom 150 million, that is not good for social cohesion or stability. Even Adam Smith, hardly a socialist, said that CEO's should make no more than about 30-50 times the income of their entry level workers; we now have CEO's making 500+ times the income of their entry level employees. The Waltons are wealthier than Mr. Kravis, raking in billions each year, while thousands of their full time employees have to rely on food stamps, Medicaid, and other public assistance to make ends meet. Furthermore, WalMart actually shows all new hires how to apply for public assistance. For the country's largest employer to show their new hires how to apply for public aid- I'm sorry, but there is something very, very wrong there. Such a widening wealth gap as we now have has proven to be destructive to many nations and civilizations throughout history- and no, America is not immune, much as many may think or wish so. The last time we had this concentration of wealth into the hands of the richest Americans, the Great Depression happened. Do we really need to go thru that again? We were lucky to have a leader then in FDR, who rightly told the rich that either they loosen their purse strings and share some of their wealth, or the poor would drag them out of their homes and kill them in the streets. I guarantee that another Depression is something that we don't want, because we may not be nearly so fortunate next time around. Another Depression could easily put another Hitler or Stalin in the White House. I certainly don't want that. Do you?

My first question is: How much did the producer of this video make off of it? Second question: Why is it wrong to make a large amount of money? Third question: Mr. Kravis employs over 5000 people (your words from the video) which helps the overall economy. How much do the producers of this video contribute to the overall economy? Last question: How much do any of the people in the video contribute to the overall economy?

In a free society, everyone is free to earn as much as their ability and drive will allow. To advocate "Wealth Sharing", is to doom our economy, because it will lead those who produce wealth, to withhold their abilities, or move to a country that appreciates their abilities. A good book to read on this point, is the classic: "Atlas Shrugged", by Ayn Rand. I would suggest that the producers of this video should read it, and heed it's warnings. The producer's ideas on redistributing wealth have already been tried and failed, in places like the U.S.S.R. and it's satalite nations, among others.

I would sell a few of Kravis homes and hold a beauty pagent for women with HIV.Because women bare our children,and they are more important to all people.

Has anyone here ever met Mr. Henry Kravis?

How would I use Kravis' mansions? Sell them and use the money to fund affordable housing projects around the US, start or support existing educational programs for children and adults in at-risk communities (including Tribal lands) so that they can be successful in life, and ensure that good, healthy, whole foods are made available at a reasonable price in grocery stores set up in at-risk communities around the country.

Money is a tool; how you use it is one of the keys to creating a harmonious society. Teaching proper values is another. The values of non-harming (oneself or others), Truth, non-greed and non-attachment must be taught and practiced in order to achieve true self-respect. Then, others will respect you.

I see nothing wrong with having a lot of money. What I do see as wrong with this guy, is the way he gets it. When you destroy others for your own gain, God help you. Be assured that one day this man will have to answer for what he has done. Giving a portion of your earnings to charity does not negate the wrongdoing. I consider the money he has given to charity to be merely a way for him to ease his guilt for the manner in which he got that money. I also believe it is wrong to waste money. Who on earth needs twenty or thirty bedrooms in a house? I know of families of 12 or more children that don't have that many bedrooms. It's not needed, it's only a way of showing off. This guy must have severe feelings of inferiority to have to buy so many huge houses and show off so much. I would feel inferior too if I had done as much harm to as many people as he has. Want to impress me? Give all the money you earn from now on to charity, quit ruining people's lives, pay your rightful and fair share of taxes-quit making others pay your way and carry your own weight by the sweat of your own brow. What a loser...

Rez- like I said earlier, have a couple mosh pits and of course leave the place unlocked when you head out.

Paul- I like your idea about a National Sales Tax.

Carol- I like your idea too.

Ark- not everyone who's homeless or poor is "brainless and lazy". Many had their jobs eliminated, shipped overseas, or given to foreign guest workers willing to do the same work for a fraction of what Americans can afford to live on by people like Kravis and ended up either unemployed or having to settle for poverty wage jobs at McDonald's or WalMart because those were all that were available- and that's when those people didn't have to compete with illegals for those jobs and weren't rejected as "overqualified" or "overeducated". Others lost their life savings and homes due to illness, injury, and/or other medical emergencies that their insurance companies wouldn't cover because of some fine print. Others are disabled with nobody to care for them, and their disability payments won't cover rent on even a 1 room apartment in a crack neighborhood.

Tony- I'm not against wealth, but Kravis is basically a vulture. No wait, a vulture probably has more morals. Most of the companies he buys usually end up going bankrupt within 3-5 years after he gets his claws on them. As for all the people who work on his homes, well I'm betting that if all those people were put together in one room, there MIGHT BE, MAYBE about a dozen or so green cards betwen them- IF THAT.

I think if i had one of his houses for a day, I would have to throw the biggest party ever. I would invite all the people whom he fired and invite them over to sell his stuff on e-bay. The party of course would be open to the public. I would tell people not to worry if anything was broken and to just have a good time. Making sure stuff got trashed would be a plus, and after the party just leave everything the way it is and walk out the door at the end of the day.

The answer to this sort of absurdity is not a simple one and certainly would not be popular with those in power and those who have "benefited" by the current tax code. The answer lies in eliminating the income tax with all its loopholes, its enormous bureacracy, wastefulness, and evasion and replace it with a national sales tax which then properly taxes consumption and those most able to consume. It would boost savings immediately, correct our trade imbalance over night, would lower the national debt and be equitable to all. It could include provisions for excluding necessities for the poor. The nation would become economically a powerhouse, all tax evasion would cease and those at the lower end of the economic scale would actually have a chance at gaining ground instead of being buried by taxes since they are the least likely to have the tax deductions that help protect the rich from paying their fair share.
Let's not leap all over Kravis. He is just doing what the current system condones and encourages, and maybe doing it more completely or extremely than most others but its the system that encourages this behavior. So let's work to change the entire corrupting system which we call the income tax. That is the only way to turn this country around.

Mr. Grimes, United Fascist Union Presidential candidate in 2008, has told us ECONOMIC EQUALITY is the only kind of equality that really matters. You can talk about racial equality, sexual equality, gender preference equality, religious equality, none of it matters a tinkers-damn unless you can first create a nation-state based upon ECONOMIC EQUALITY.

That's what BENITO MUSSOLINI hoped Fascism would bring to Italy. FASCISM is a radical form of socialism conceived to be an ECONOMIC EQUALIZER. It worked well in Italy under Il Duce even to Iraq under the late President Saddam Hussein and all of the other countries blessed with a CORPORATE STATE economy. Our candidate, Mr Grimes, hopes to import Fascism to America so it will bring PEACE, PLENTY & PROSPERITY to our homeland like it did Italy and Iraq.

With Fascism we have hope for the future. If we stay the course with these capitalist vampires we're doomed to lives with inflated petrol prices, ever increasing utility costs, hikes in rent and rising infation until the dollar is absolutely worthless. So, if you care about the future....

VOTE FASCIST 2008!
Elect Jackson Grimes US PRESIDENT!

I would turn it into a huge hospital and rehab center for physically,psychologicaly, and monatarily challenged people, including the homeless, jobless,chronically ill people, and those who have lost hope. I would get their names off the free clinic lists and the homeless shelter lists. I would then hire a cadre of nurses,doctors,school counselors, psychologists,personal coaches,rehab personnel,media experts,parents,spiritual people from all cultures represented (who could agree and cooperate) and other people of that type. The compound would be developed into a huge group home to teach/assist people to grow and develop into physically, mentally, psychologically,and spiritually developed people.They would learn to develop personal peace and joy as well, and would then go into their communities and continue the process, making referrals of helpers and people who need help. The movement would grow,and we would eventually use all of this gentleman's homes for this purpose. Eventually, this gentleman may be admitted to one of our group homes and be rehabilitated so that he can use his intelligence for something great in the world.

I am 67 yrs old female and never think to be greedy to any one. I have have to work all my life hard and raising 3 children husband worked in a dirty nasty grain elevator for 26 yrs. Dust in lungs damaging body and nose bleeds loss of hearing, other problems. We really struggled and bought home for aour 3 children.
If I had this much wealth and money I help poor with health coverage. I know how hard it is doing without. I still do without many things on S.S. INCOME. I was on disability till I turned 65. My husban died 7 yrs ago.
I live by my self and still stuggling every month getting by isn't good enough any more. To much month at the end of the money. 2 weeks befor month is out money gone.
There should be a no more greed and help others in need. I don't mean loafers, but fixed in come like me.
Education is golden but If there isn't any schools teaching real life servial and skills that is a waste of tax payers money down the drain.
Schools are so out of date with todays world no wonder there is so many drop outs.
When greed is there always jobs loss,unemployment goes up. Sure this makes the greed person feel good. They keep doing it. They don't even pay taxes enough to pay to fill out the tax form.
The world has went to HELL IN A HAND BASKET. They alwasy did say greed will distroy the earth well we can see this every day.

If I had all that for just one day, I'd probably throw-up. Too much for my system and brain to sort out. Good for him, I guess, so sad for so many without. I also suspect that the employees that care for his mansions should be checked for green cards.

Wow, thank God creative people like Kravis exist, that stimulate the economy and give us mortals jobs with which we can feed our families. It's very cute and childish how the costs that Kravis incurs (yes, he's spending his own money) on renovating his homes are considered to be somehow sinful. Who do you think gets to do the work on his houses that he pays for?? Some local guy who is getting a salary out of that work. Surely that is beneficial to him/her! Dear me, you seem to be forgetting what basic economics is about. All Kravis is doing is ironing out inefficiencies in companies that would otherwise be doomed to extinction sooner or later. I guess someone has to do the dirty work if American wants to continue being competitive on a global scale.

Love, Tony

Here's what I'd do:

CALL IT: The American Dream/Greed Equals Tour"

SET UP: outside the gates of Henry Kravis' mansions (Assuming we won't be let in; if so great, we'll film in there)

FOCUS on particular negative consequences of greed (examples: Greed = Poverty, Greed = Environmental Destruction, Greed = War, etc.)

INVITE the rabblerousers - the social activist musicians, entertainers, scholars, poets, socially responsible business leaders, and alternative media mavericks of our time. Potential list could include: Bright Eyes, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Franti, Ben Cohen, Barbara Ehrenreich, Robert McChesney, and so many more. I'd love to see Pete Seeger sing "This Land Is Your Land" at one of the events.

ALSO INVITE: the local activist leaders who are battling the socio-economic issues in their region most effectively.

DONATE: Any and all proceeds to local grassroots organizations in each location. The event should be free, but there should still be some money generated, and it should go to those people most in need.

DEMAND: That business leaders begin measuring social profits in addition to fiscal profits and take steps to become more socially responsible.
________

If this is an event centered around the holidays it will be tough to pull enough reputable voices together in the limited time frame. Still, there are enough people out there who want to help level the economic disparity that is growing in our country that it might not be that hard to rally support.

And you're the folks who can do it.

Taylor D.

While I agree with you to a point. Whining does little good.
I think a point that one ought to consider, for example is that current federal and state and possibly local tax laws help to create are a tax burden (local,state, federal) that is often not fair for the majority. The tax burden as a percentage of income is often far greater for those earning less than $500,000 annually than those earning ten or even 100 times this amount.

Also consider:
The "death tax", (estate tax) as some like to refer to it, is for example, a way to keep our economy strong for all of us. Most of us do not benefit from the creation of aristocracies. Large accumulations of wealth ( 2 million dollars or more) transferred tax free to one's children is not bringing innovation to the marketplace. This sort of tax structure (estate tax) has generated revenue for technological research and development, basic infrastructure and more and continues to benefit the economy as a whole.
Personally speaking
since, I work in the construction industry, I can appreciate that should I have the opportunity to work within one of the palacial estates profiled in Brave New Films production then I would be, could be a beneficiary. Yes, I could be and yet this only makes my point, the creation of wealth happens under conditions certain conditions.
Consider a nation such as Albania, nearly tax free livin'. What do you get. Check it out.

In the U.S. however we have helped to bring about innovations by creating necessary infrastructure, in the form of reliable rural electricity, roads and schools, etc... as well as other major technological campaigns that helped bring new products to market.
Taxes are not punishment, they are a means to supporting civilization, hopefully positive civilization most ways you want to define it.

This video should be more of a motivational piece than anything. If the makers of the video really cared about homeless and impoverished people so much, why are they spending time and money making videos rather then volunteering at a homeless shelter, or working with a charity. I'm sorry the people featured in the video have not been as successful as Mr.Kravis, but instead of telling a sob story on a video maybe they should try to better their situation. Perhaps take more classes at a university or community college, try to find a better job, ect. What Henry Kravis has wasn't given to him, nor will it be given to any of the people in this video, he had to go out and work for it. He only got to where he is by being smarter, better, or working harder then the guy next to him. I'm sorry many of you are so jealous of him. I personally respect his accomplishments and only hope i can achieve half of what he has. plus, as far as the school teacher goes, she should have known when she went to college for education, that she would not be paid very much. Also, she knew when she had 4 kids that she would not be making anymore money for each kid she had, so it was her own choice to put herself in her situation. she could have majored in finance, and ended up exactly how Henry Kravis did, her choice was to go with education. (Education is a very noble and necessary career, my point is she should have known she wasn't going to be a millionaire.)

I would bring homeless people to Mr. Kravis'and throw a party for them, pointing out to them they could accumulate such wealth too if they weren't brainless and lazy. If instead of dreaming how to divide his property and assets they would think what can they do to improve their life for better.
I'm rank and file person but have no envy for what Mr. Kravis was able to achieve. I absolutely denounce a proletatian approach I can see in the comments posted.

Now that I've figured out where to post this...(sorry for the repeated comment)

This is something I've been thinking about for a few years now. There are certainly a lot of Mr. Kravis' out there, folks who own more than one home. I can be ok with this concept (in and of itself), in so long as these homes aren't sitting empty. Afterall, an unused home is a wasted resource.

My idea for the Kravis' of our world? Use your otherwise empty/unoccupired home(s) to house local homeless men, women and children. Bring in health care professionals (on a volunteer basis) to provide free health care for these people while they stay at your residence. Hire staff or volunteers, or a mix of both, to oversee the operations of such a facility. Enact some sort of a policy that says residents may stay in so long as there is available space. Create a set of guidelines for residents that state the need to respect their fellow tenants, themselves and their surrounding environment. Require that they clean up after themselves and help ensure the home, inside and out, is kept clean and organized. Failure to follow such basic concepts can find themselves being removed from the premises to make way for the next person(s) in need.

Bring in counselors and job coaches to help residents with their healing and work/income needs. Such persons can be asked to volunteer a couple of hours each week.

The residents can contribute by shopping for food and cooking it and by keeping the premises both inside and outside clean. Ideas to provide for food include having some of the larger grocery stores donate food items, donations from local community members (monetary and food) as well as from the homeowner him/herself. Residents who are working or find work can contribute a bit monetarily as well.

Basically, this is a situation whereby everyone wins. The homeowner wins in that his/her home isn't sitting empty. It is being occupied and kept up. The resident wins in that he/she is off the streets, receiving a place to sleep, food to eat, medical care and assistance with any counseling and job/income needs.

With all of the homes that sit empty much of the time throughout each year, there is no reason such an act of generosity cannot be accomplished. We as a society would all win.

Does any one person seriously need that much money? 5 houses? Greed and vanity are two of the deadly sins as I recall. I'm not religious, but Mr. Kravis certainly can't take it with him.

If I lived in one of his places for a day, I would throw a huge party with live bands and lots of booze and basically invite everyone for miles around. I'm sure Henry wouldn't mind a few of his rooms being turned into giant moshpits.

Although this is admittedly difficult, I would like to work to replace the funds stolen by Henry Kravis. I imagine that the company takeover records would illustrate displaced workers, lost retirements, and other atrocities -- committed in the name of greed -- on the middle class. As such, I would hope to be able to distribute the wealth back into the hands of the little people, or those who work 40+ hours a week, every week, to earn what Kravis makes in one hour, every day.

Who is John Galt?

I would invite all the displaced Katrina victims and ask for donations to pay for their airfare. At least they could have ONE night of luxury for all the pain and suffering they have endured.

Sell it and them for parts.... since critical pieces and wholes are expendable.

I think that I am going to start a company that manufactures guillotines, because when the new American Revolution begins we will need lots of them. I may make so much money that I will have to stand in line behind people like this Kravits dude waiting for my turn to get my head lopped off.

It is a disgrace that in the US the 300.000 top richest people collectively have the same income as the bottom 150.000.000 ( yes 150 million ) USA citizens ! nearly 50 % of the population.
It is not Kravis's, or his collegues' fault trying to become rich. If they want to spend their lives using their energy, intelligence and abilities to accumulate Dollars thats up to them ! However the USA should start redistributing incomes first, more humanly and with more justice by starting a totally different and more equitable tax system !!| It is not very difficult but needs the awakening of the American public from its current 'drugged' state. Otherwise America will continue to loose its world influence and power and will become a second rate country full of injustice and having a dated and irrelevant (19th century style ) domestic and foreign policies.
American Citizens WAKE UP AND CHANGE THE CURRENT TAX SYSTEM !!!

Easy--I'd take it over. I'd remove his benefits and his pension (bank account), sell all his assets, and open a series of not-for-profit health clinics across the country. I'd also hire a ton of lobbyists to counter the HMO/pharmaceutical/republic party lobbyists that want to maintain the status quo for health care.

I would sell everything vis Ebay or on the streets of new york to any and everybody and then I would set all of the property on fire, (since there is no way to profit from that(those)houses on that land; and plus it would be revenge for all the money and work kravis and others steal from the community and hard working people. Poetic justice I think)I can't believe these people live like bourgeois people, did the 16,17,18th centuries finish??? Sickening. That's capitalism and elitism for you people.

I would make Mr Kravis pay every person that he caused to loose their job a yearly salary of at least 40K and make him pay the taxes.
Iwould also make him sell all of his realestate and donate the proceeds to charaties selected by someone other than Mr Kravis.
I would also make him live in a community of poor people so that he could have the experience of living like a poor person does.
I would also make him go to greed counciling so that he could realize what he has done to so many of those who he has reaked financial havoc on.
I don't mind someone being rich who has worked their way up the ladder but, someone like Mr Kravis is excessively rich and just keeps on walking over less fortunate to maintain his excessive lifestyle has got to go!

I would sell off everything of value in the mansion and set up something so that the money could be used throughout the year instead of concentrating on just one day. This could possibly help several families for a longer period of time and make me feel good for a longer period of time. We have to stop electing rich people because they gravitate towards each other and neglect those of us who have little in the way of "material things". The majority of people in this country are NOT RICH so how do our elected officials even relate to us?

I wish I had money, just enough so I could buy my daughter Christmas presents. Her father's child support check bounced and he doesn't answer my calls. Right before she fell asleep last night, she said she wanted to see lots to things under the Christmas tree for her. I haven't been able to get one toy. She believes in Santa Claus. What do you do? If I had money, a mansion, I would love to open the doors to that mansion and have children come and play and enjoy and get Christmas presents and have thier parents there also. They would have a fantasy day full of wonder, catering to their needs. Just one day to rest, forget their struggles, one day to feel carefree, and to enjoy their family. There would be snow, songs, meals, lots of laughter and fun and games. Just one day, one day to forget, one day to enjoy, one day to see their children laughing, one day without worry. That is what I would do. Merry Christmas everyone.

The kind of obscenely excessive wealth mr. kravis indulges in is offensive and perverse by itself, but it is the criminal way he has accumulated this wealth that is truly disgusting. We constantly hear the systematically repeated propaganda of the corporate conservative machine saying how the wealthy carry the tax burden in this country. Well yes you are in a higher tax bracket, and despite their petulant whining, it is not high enough. They should and do pay more because they make more, it is that simple. There is truly a mental illness afflicting the conservative elite, a pathological need for the maximization of profit, through any and all means and at any cost to this country and its citizens. Mr. kravis's lifestyle, no matter my personal disgust, would really be his business and his freedom to spend his money how he pleased had he earned it through non-criminal means while paying the government its rightful dues. The fact that this man is in the same tax bracket as low-wage workers is a terrible injustice. As the country plunges further into astronomical debts, this man is allowed to pillage our tax system in order to satisfy his insatiable appetite for greed. As for what I would do with his homes, i would simply sell them and distribute the money evenly amongst the countless workers whose lives he has so heartlessly broken in order to get just a little bit more, just a little bit more. When is it enough? How many lavish estates could a person want? At a certain point what becomes left to purchase? It is the sickness of the elite, the limitless pathological self-indulgence of the few that debilitates countless everyday decent citizens. Until we disconnect the influence of business in government through the complete and total abolition of lobbying it is sure to continue. Capitalism can be a good thing, but if left unregulated as it is now it is a dangerous scenario.

Ms. Gloria Hyde has an excellent point. Henry Kravis appears to be the Louis XVI of the United States. The French revolution of over two hundred years ago should have taught us that a large middle class and fairly small class gaps create a far more stable society than a foundering middle class and large class gaps.

However, not everyone shares the beliefs held by the middle class citizens interviewed herein. The subject of this film does not seem to believe that supporting the system is necessary, that caring for all creatures is particularly important, or that with power comes responsibility. As a citizen of the United States, it is not his duty to serve others- after all, the very constitution protects the life, liberty, and property of the individual, not the well-being of the masses. He seems to have skipped over the unit on Andrew Carnegie's 'Gospel of Wealth.' Why should he be concerned about the many, when our system has such high regard for the few?

Mr. Roger Smith makes a valid point- the system, when controlled by the few, makes minds more malleable and receptive to the messages of those few. Education may help a little, but in a single day it will not do much. Even the deviance we already see in our society is rooted in the rejection of traditional means but the wishes for traditional gains. When we stop depending upon public companies and corporations, which are vulnerable to buy-outs and hostile take-overs, only then will we be able to take power from private equity companies. But when we have done that, what next should we do? There are a thousand ways (at least) to abuse the United States economy and tax system.

A single day in one of these homes would be insufficient. Indeed, it is not even the homes or the property which is important. Giving to charities is a temporary fix to the problems they fight; feeding a neighborhood for a day will not teach them to feed themselves. If, instead of dealing hate and judgement on Mr. Kravis, one might convince him of the good that he could do with his material gains, then it would make more of a difference than auctioning mere property or throwing simple parties. With Mr. Kravis, one may hope that his partners would follow, then perhaps his competitors, and the problem may become a benefact.

I would rather spend an uninterrupted day speaking and debating with Mr. Kravis than spend a day on one of his properties.

That said, I see a rather disturbing sense of anger in some of the replies. All of the replies in favor of Mr. Kravis and his methods seem to be wrathful and argumentative, and imply that anyone who dare disapprove is envious and stupid- not so. All of the comments against Mr. Kravis and his methods seem hasty and hateful- not a very useful approach. Peasants are won by gold, and emperors by wisdom.

To whom it may be concerned!

Fighting is BAD.
WAR is BAD. And sinful. And criminal!!!.
Thus: the nomen:
"warongreed"
implies yet another stupid WAR.
Do you not SEE it???!!!
I will not "fight" your "war-on-greed".

It would have been much better if you had called your website:
nomoregreed.org
and had asked people to PARTICIPATE in
NO MORE GREED.

Everything is (already) called a WAR.
"War on drugs".
"War on cancer".
"War on "the-heavens-know-what-else".
There are also "real" WARS, as in people letting themselves being sent out to yet another country in the world, where they can "fight" the citizens of that country; this because the "government" has, or the "government" 's puppetmasters have, decided that yet another "enemy" needs to be destroyed.

Therefore, again:
you nomen is totally absurd.
MAKE LOVE.
NOT WAR.

In other words:
LOVE mr Henry Kravis.
Yes, maybe his greed is not nice, and perhaps even despiccable; however: he has done nothing against us (us being: "we, the people".

And get this: in the (not to be hoped) event that anyone is going to burglarize, or raid, mr Kravis' properties, then these persons are throwing themselves to the lowest levels of humankind.
And are then, in essence, worse in mind and deed than mr Kravis is, or can be.

Yes: greed is not good.
But WAR, of whichever kind, is BAD.

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES,
and they will become your friends.
Let mr Kravis be.
Let everybody else be.

Live your own life.
Shine your own light.
Live without words like "war" and "fight".

PEACE. LOVE. LIGHT.
Ruth Benderall
whitepatches@verizon.net

I'd blow it up.

tear it down and develop a large scale low-mid income rental housing development scaled and designed with families, seniors and working class citizens in mind, and build it in 24 hours charging all taxes and costs to his credit card.........

Have the public tour it on live TV. Give it some zest with a variety show using proceeds to give to charities that help people get through school to fight the establishment. Or give to organizations like this one. Rock on Brave New Films!!

Harry Kravis and his ilk remind me of the French kings and we know what happened to them! These men are traitors in the fact they don't care about the U.S.A.--the place that gave them an opportunity for a good life that they don't want to share with anyone else--they just don't care!!

It seems that some people are missing the point. Kravis is ultimately, just a upper cog in the system. Throwing parties at his place, feeding Katrina victims or creating Camp Kravis for the Bush Administration does nothing to change the situation (system) in THE LONG RUN!
Ironically, if most people were as clever as Kravis in terms of his financial 'know-how' and education, wealth accumulation of this scale would be more difficult simply because of the amount of competition.
The reality is that the Elite have no competition, because they keep us cleverly distracted (and satisfied) through the education system they control, the publishing/media empires they own
and the governments they influence.
So....how to change all that?

EDUCATE!!!

I would create a " Minds in Residence " conference with the greatest speakers, educators, and thinkers of our time.
Noam Chomsky, Al Gore OR who-ever else YOU think is talking sense.

I would create a beacon for the disenfranchised by setting up a base(free lodging and meals for all) for people of all walks of life to come and listen to what needs to be said and think about what needs to be done.

The fact is that most of us are too busy, trapped in the work/debt cycle to take that kind of time off.

You're only an activist if you care enough to actually DO SOMETHING!

I would sell enough of the property to buy enough congresspeople to get real campaign finance reform, universal, single-payer health care, and turn the military industrial complex into a sustainable economy. And, with the money we save on war, support the arts, make the schools great, and make agriculture 100 percent organic. YES!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting back to the question at hand, I would fill one of Kravis' mansions with the pres, vp, white house staff and their respective families, all of congress, the senate, the supreme court, every single lobyist, etc.. Then burn it down. That's what I would do with a Kravis mansion.

Quit being jealous of his wealth and work to make your money. If you had half the financial brains Kravis had, you would be making money like him too. So stop feeling sorry for your pathetic selves and get on with your life.

I would invite all the people who lost their homes in New Orleans and the other Gulf towns to come and stay until their homes are rebuilt. Hooray for Brad Pitt and all the great people who are rebuilding in New Orleans, beginning with The 9th Ward!

The Bush/Cheney has made all the political friends of theirs millionairs and they could care less about the poor people who cannot take their children or go themselves to a doctor. John Edwards is correct, there are two Americas, the rich and the very poor and even the so called, middle-class are no more. This Kravis guy is just one of them.

When are we going to stand up to such a bunch of liars and cheaters, It is way past time for a change in America. Our Nation has never been in such a downtrodden position. I would like to just go through the houses of Henry Kravis and like a whirl wind just change it all for him. We all know where the love of money can get you. It is such a disgrace what the Bush/Cheney has done to our Country.

I would like to take two of the Kravis Mansions, one would be for "HOUSE ARREST" for Bush, and one for Cheney, to start out their sentences for war crimes, and breaking the laws of our country, the Geneva Conventions, treaties and not defending the constitution as they took oathes to do. We would sell all the contents at an auction on site, to be handled by Sothby's of New York to command the best price, with proceeds to go to the wounded war veterans. For one year each we would hold them two under house arrest with nothing but a cot to sleep on, no reading materials except that we would line the walls with the constitution, lists and pictures of the dead American young men and wemon, pictures and details of the horrors of this war to the people of IRAQ, we would solicit letters from all wounded americans, and all Iraqies who would like to send them a letter of protest for what they caused by their lies to start this war. We would totally plaster the walls with all the factual exposed lies, and these letters of families asking why these two started this war that took their loved one, their homes, or caused them to be maimed. We would not permit them to hear any radio, no TV's, no contact with the outside world, only what they caused would be within their view. After this first year, we would sell these mansions, to further support the wounded soldiers. We would then take a small portion of my 3 acre island in a river here in virginia, and make them their own special personalized "GUANTANAMO" camp !!! We would build 8 feet tall boarded walls, and only permit visits from those wanting to ask them why they killed their loved ones. They would be held their indefinately as enemy combatants against the US Constitution, and the citizens they caused to die, and those whom they maimed for life by their evil war. We would creat for them a weekly tribunal opporated by victims of their war, only in these tribunals they would be able to see and hear from the witnesses against them, they should at least be "waterboarded" once a month to get out of them the truth behind why they lied to get us into the war, and to tell who their accomplices were, and what side agreements they made with big business, big media, oil companies, and so on. Of course they would be found guilty of war crimes against the USA, and against the Iraqi people. This place too would be lined with pictures and names of those whose lives they destroyed or damaged forever. They would be held indefinately without recourse to any lawyers or courts of the USA to clear themselves of the charges, only the people whose lives they affected negatively would be in contact with them to remind them of what they have done by their terrible war.

If I had full access to one of Mr. Kravis's mansions I would invite every relative, friend, aquaintance, and anyone else who would care to come to a party unlike any other ever seen. A day before the party a public auction will be held wherein all items contained within the mansion, such as art, furniture, jewelry, decorations, etc, will be sold to the highest bidder. All procedes from the auction will benefit various charitable organization dedicated to helping the homeless and poor throughout the country. Mr. Kravis would also be invited, under the stipulation that he contribute 10% of his total yearly income to charity, indefinitely, or until he dies, whichever comes first.

With only 24 hours, the logical thing to do would be to electronically bug every room with an an up-link and backup decoy finder system in order to gain the perfect inside information that would take this guy down for some sort of major crime that has not been openly discovered yet... then use this info to have all of his assets frozen, him incarcerated and everything he owns auctioned at bottom dollar in police auctions while simultaneously watching the unemployment rate in the us start to go back down...

Unfortunately, I am Ex-military Intelligence as a tactical telecommunications com-center operator and not too many people outside of that profession would know how to do that correctly.

Just in case you defenders of capitalism haven't
noticed: ROME IS BURNING The goal of wealth
and power as end in itself is according to
none other than Andrew Carnegie is the worst form
of idolitry there is. What we have in this generation is a form of capitalism that THRIVES BY DIMINISHING THE LIVES OF OTHERS. Ask
yourself what kind of society does this render?
Just read the papers. I know your argument and used to believe it until I saw real greed first hand in corporate America first and, so save our platitudes for some poor soul who doesn't know any better. You're blind.

your right...just pay your fair share of taxs

I would line up trucks near the Manhatten home, load each w books, art and furniture and clothing and then as each truck filled, send it to the next nearest Good Will store (that I had not already sent a truck to but if time would not allow enough unique GW sites, I might not be able to avoid GW sites having two truckloads). Drivers would be instructed NOT to get receipts at the GW stores.

Well, first there would be the pre requisite mild form of mental torture. I would require Kravis to hear my stories while bouncing him on my knee. I would then explain to him in the most pedantic fashion what a terrible boy he's been as he watches most of his assets be turned over to the motley fool's investment club.

As far as his mansion is concerned, he would be relegated to one room only with a bodyguard to transport him to the kitchen and bathroom, twice a day. The rest of the mansion would become a tourist attraction called "Gollum's Grotto of Greed" for one month. Afterwards, all accroutements besides one desk and some kitchen utensils would be doled out to his every member of every company he's ever owned. If there's anything left of value, it would be donated to the ONE foundation to offset severe poverty.

A preposterously simplistic view born of some misguided combination of ignorance and jealousy.

I would do what they did during the spanish civil war (1936), get rid of all his crap, communalize the property and the land, start growing our own food there. Acquire arms, and fight the fascists!

I would become an LP in private equity firms; they seem to be able to most effectively use investment dollars to grow businesses.

This video is even more biased than Michael Moore's movies. As if an 8 year old knows who Henry Kravis is. And I am sure that these folks immediately distinguished the idea of paying less in taxes from a lower percentage of taxes on their own.

Finally, where is all the color on the amount of charitable giving Kravis et al have done? The jobs they have created (besides the folks working at the houses)? The lower prices of product because of business efficiencies?

I love when movies like this try to rally the people who don't know better and provide a scapegoat. Didn't that happen in Venezuela? Iran? Germany?

Silly comment.

1. We understand the subject matter quite well thank you.

2. It's got nothing to do with jealousy; it's got everything to do with fairness and equality and seeking to have a country where the working class are not abused by greedy businesspersons.

Petition to sign at the end:

Can We Legislate Against Greed?

Congressman Martin Sabo's Income Equity Act and America’s Economic Future

Washington, D.C.
July 12, 2005

This statement, by United for a Fair Economy board member Sam Pizzigati, was prepared for the July 12 Capitol Hill news conference that announced the re-introduction of Rep. Martin Sabo's Income Equity Act.

Last November, pollsters asked a broad cross-section of Americans to name our nation’s most urgent moral problem. The resulting first choice? More Americans chose “greed and materialism” than any other cause for moral concern.

None of us, of course, know exactly what Americans have in mind when they say they worry about greed. But we at United for a Fair Economy believe we can make an educated guess.

Over the past decade, we have conducted workshops on our nation’s economy for tens of thousands of Americans from every station in life. We have discussed economic issues with the affluent, the poor, and people at every level in between.

Greed’s poster child, in the eyes of almost all these Americans, has become the contemporary corporate CEO — and for good reason.

Huge numbers of our top executives today are devoting more energy to manufacturing fortunes — for themselves — than to manufacturing quality products. These executives are regularly making decisions that sacrifice long-term enterprise health for short-term gains that benefit, first and foremost, their personal bottom lines.

Top executives are rushing into mergers that leave veteran employees without jobs and consumers with higher prices. They are investing less in research. They are raiding pension funds. And, if all else fails, they are cooking their corporate books.

But here’s the worst part. Our current tax code is actually encouraging this greed and grasping. The more in “incentives” that corporations lavish upon their executives, the more they can deduct off their taxes, one important reason why the corporate share of our nation’s tax burden has dropped by two-thirds over recent decades.

Congressman Martin Sabo’s Income Equity Act would end this subsidy for greed. If enacted, no corporation would be able to claim a tax deduction on any executive compensation that runs over 25 times the pay of a company’s lowest-paid worker.

A generation ago, we had no need for an Income Equity Act.

In 1965, according to an Economic Policy Institute analysis of Wall Street Journal data, CEOs took home 24 times more in pay than average workers. As late as the early 1980s, top executives seldom walked off with over 50 times what average workers earned.

CEOs these days routinely make 300 to 500 times more than their average employees — and sometimes much more.

Let’s give these ratios a human face. In 1975, Reginald Jones, then the CEO at General Electric and widely regarded as the nation’s most talented chief executive, took home $500,000, a sum that equaled 36 times the income of that year’s typical American family.

In 2000, the most widely acclaimed executive in the United States would be Jack Welch, who also happened to be the CEO at General Electric. Jack Welsh took home $144.5 million in 2000, a sum that equaled 3,500 times the income of that year’s typical American family.

Corporate boards and their flacks have engaged in all sorts of verbal gymnastics to justify today’s enormous concentration of wealth at the top of our corporate ladder. Executive windfalls, they assure us whenever share prices rise, represent a fitting reward for outstanding performance. And if share prices fall? We must reward executives handsomely anyway, we are told, or risk losing their talents to some other company.

In other words, “heads” executives win, but “tails” executives win, too.

The rest of us lose. We lose because excessively wide pay gaps within our corporations nurture defective, not effective, enterprises.

Our nation’s most astute management analysts have long understood this reality.

Today’s Information Age, these experts explain, places a premium on customizing products to individual consumer needs — and figuring out how to produce these customized products faster, smarter, and ever more efficiently.

Effective corporations succeed at these tasks by actively involving their employees. Who, after all, better understands what customers want than employees at the front lines, in direct customer contact? And who better to help figure out how to produce more efficiently that workers directly involved in a company’s producing?

Effective enterprises, consequently, value the information — and wisdom — that employees have to offer. They tap this knowledge by actively involving employees in decision making, by working to flatten the corporate hierarchies that inhibit communication and frustrate creativity.

American business faces, in short, an Information Age imperative to create — and nurture — enterprises that involve employees and respect the work they do.

But Corporate America’s reigning compensation practices — by concentrating income and wealth at the corporate summit — have exactly the opposite effect. Why should workers practice cooperation and share their wisdom when the fruits from that cooperation will go, in wildly disproportionate proportions, to those at the top?

What message do workers receive when top executives make more in a morning than workers make in an entire year? If my CEO’s work is worth 300 times — or 500 times — more than my work as an employee, then how much value can there be to my work?

Modern corporations, advises Peter Drucker, the eminent 95-year-old founder of modern management science, ought to compensate top executives at no more than 20 times their worker pay.

Corporate America has ignored this counsel. Our boards of directors, instead, assume that top executives, if offered rewards grand enough, will surely lead their companies to the corporate promised land. They often lead them, in reality, to disaster.

Within Corporate America today, we are witnessing a managerial meltdown of epic proportions. Ten of the largest 15 bankruptcies in U.S. business history, the McKinsey & Company consulting group reports, have taken place since 2001.

Over recent years, at United for a Fair Economy, we have chronicled the ongoing relationship between reckless executive behavior and outsized executive rewards.

In 2002, our annual Executive Excess study, co-published with the Institute for Policy Studies, found that the CEOs of companies under investigation for shady accounting practices had the previous year earned 70 percent more than average CEOs.

In 2003, we documented that the biggest paychecks in Corporate America are going to CEOs at the companies that have downsized the most workers, shorted pension funds the most dollars, and exploited loopholes to avoid the most taxes.

In 2004, our research revealed that executives at the companies that did the most outsourcing of jobs the year before saw their personal compensation increase by over five times as much as the year’s overall executive pay average increase.

All of this should have been predictable. If we lay before our executives grotesquely huge incentives as rewards, we should not be surprised when executives, to win these rewards, behave grotesquely.

As corporate sage Warren Buffett has famously suggested, our willingness as a nation to curb excessive CEO pay may just be “the acid test of corporate reform.”

We are flunking this test.

In 2004, according to CEO pay scorecards released this spring, top executive pay rose at least five times faster than average worker pay.

And this latest increase came on top of an enormous executive pay grab over the previous decade. From 1993 through 2003, Harvard Law’s Lucian Bebchuk and the Cornell business school’s Yaniv Grinstein recently reported, the top five executives at publicly traded companies in the United States more than doubled their share of corporate earnings.

This continuing executive pay grab has helped fuel in the United States, over the last quarter-century, the most colossal redistribution of income and wealth in modern world history, a redistribution from average-income families to our nation’s economic elite.

Congressman Martin Sabo’s Income Equity Act won’t undo this redistribution. But this legislation would, if enacted, set us solidly in the right direction.

Sam Pizzigati serves on the United for a Fair Economy board of directors. His op eds articles on inequality have appeared in the New York Times, the Baltimore Sun, and a host of other publications. Pizzigati currently edits Too Much, an online weekly on income and wealth distribution. His latest book is Greed and Good: Understanding and Overcoming the Inequality That Limits Our Lives (Apex Press, 2004).

Petetion
Gas prices are off the charts and this could be the most expensive winter for home heating to date. While we're feeling the pinch of a full blown energy crisis, ExxonMobil is reporting the largest quarterly profits —$9.9 billion—of any American corporation in history. The only answer to the current crisis is investing in a clean energy future and ExxonMobil is the biggest and most powerful obstacle in our way. They spend their record profits fighting virtually all meaningful efforts towards ending our dependence on oil and bankrolling top Republicans to ensure that meaningful progress towards energy independence will always be killed in Congress.

Will you help me expose their dirty deeds by signing this petition?

http://political.moveon.org/exxon

Thanks!

You're right. DO SOMETHING. You fuckers complain about greed? These people earned there money. Leave them be. Don't try and compare an audio technician to someone who worked hard to create a mega-company. Who's worth more? The person who did something big. Not the fuckin' audio technician. Sorry. Stop complaining.

Two words: "Animal House!"

I would invite the Bush family to the mansion, along with its owner. I'd use the mansion with the most space for disabled and traumatized veterans coming back from Iraq, as well as for the people who lost their jobs and/or benefits do to corporate buy-outs. I'd let all the veterans talk to the two greed monsters about the Veteran's Administration denying them the benefits they deserve and/or paying them inadequately as well as how the feel in their daily lives after watching their buddies and innocent Iraqi civilians die for oil and war profiteers (how it affects their families each day). I'd also ask the people who lost their jobs to state their case.
I'd have it televised around the world via hidden cameras to catch the true nature of a couple of greed monsters, strange how people act when they think the world isn’t watching.
Then, with the cameras on me, I'd announce that I am running for the US Presidency and spend the rest of my time on Earth writing and supporting legislation; working to protect hard working Americans, and the rest of the world from the government/corporate coalition greed machine that our current President and Vice President have created.
Once elected, I would have ex-President Bush and ex-Vice President Chenney tried for war crimes. My next step would be to reduce the gap between wage earnings and cost of living by raising the Federal minimum wage to $25/hr and set laws that a 4 bedroom 2 bath house could be sold for no more than 75,000, and cars could sell for a maximum of 10,000 only marketable in the US via fair loan interest rates (& only if they emit water vapor rather than toxic chemicals). Then, the ever expanding gap between rich and poor would narrow because people could again afford their homes and cars, thus eliminating the need for credit cards just to get by/feed the kids (in other words I’d stop corporate enslavement of the working class by bnks offering credit cards). Politicians and corporate executives would be forced to stop padding one another’s pockets because I'd make that illegal; as well as making fossil fuel emissions illegal. All Americans in environmentally destructive industries who lost their jobs due to the new laws would adequtely be compensated until they were trained for new jobs. It would be funded by the private investment money Bush and Chenney had to cough up due to their oil and war profiteering greed brought to light in their war crimes trials. Things would at least start to become a little more equal between the rich and the poor. Senators, Congressmen, and members of the House of Representatives would no longer be able to fund their 100% high 3 year pensions from the Social Security Fund; to which they never contribute a dime – thus stealing from the American working class and ruining their chance for 40% fo their high 3 wage earning years of Social Security.
Then, the Veterans would all come home from Iraq, I'd stop trying to make something out of nothing in Iran and start focusing on how to rebuild trust and fairness based on my healthy fear of the Lord God Almighty - after all this place started out as one nation under God and I believe through massive prayer, repentance and baptism by immersion (thus receiving God's Holy Spirit) - it would be one nation under God again. God's mercy would flow and it would show the power of the one and only true living God, His living son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. Finally, I’d implement my plan for government funded insurance for home, car, boat, disability, health – everything working class men and women need to insure. Greedy private insurance companies who love to collect, but hate to pay out would be a thing of the past. I’d implement sufficient care for the elderly and the orphans, as well as the single Mom’s and Dad’s and all the disabled. I’d make pharmaceutical companies turn to natural; rather than synthetic drugs and I’d make those drugs available to all citizens. I’d make freeze banking of stem cell rich cord blood a free – government funded service so when the kids of tomorrow get sick, their own stem cells will heal them rather than some pharmaceutical company just getting rich for masking symptoms of disease while actually curing nothing and causing additional disease. Then, God would be glorified, and the US would regain its position of world power because it’s once again a fair nation – fair to its citizens as well as the rest of the world. Love God and Love others – pray – repent – be baptized by immersion– turn from sin to God’s Holy Word. God will fix everything and someone with my values will be elected by the people as President via paper ballots that can be counted, not digital votes that can be manipulated so easily by government intelligence. The Electoral College would be a thing of the past because now we actually have the technology (web – internet – whatever you choose to call it) to count each and every vote. We don’t need some politician in the Electoral College deciding the vote when the people can decide it for themselves thereby averting established political delinquency. The Electoral College was established back in the day, before mass communication, it is now therefore mute and I would abolish it. Then, and only then, American would know the President with the most votes is actually the President in office. Most of all, I would want God to be glorified by His people all returning to Him broken and admitting they need the redeeming blood of His son, Jesus Christ – us all believing Jesus is the son of God, and all of us receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit through God’s gracious gift of baptism by immersion – death to the old selfish life – start of the new life of loving God and loving others - the gift of eteranl life with the Lord. Then we would see the true freedom of religion – when God sets our nation free from the debt of sin. He has already done it through the sacrificial blood of his only son, Jesus. This grace offering is available to everyone and it is God’s will that all would be saved. Let God in to change you, and then tell your family, friends, and neighbors. Before we know it the word would see God's blessings on us for that change, and want to make God their first priority as well thereby putting into massive action God’s plan for His creation.

I would drink all his booze, and then wee in all of his soft drink containers. Then I would hide poo all around his house, sew fish remains into the curtains, deface any portraits of the man himself, and stick all the toothbrushes in the house up my arse! Purile.....I know, but satisfying nonetheless!

This was the dumbest short film I have ever seen. Get a life you bitter, malcontented failures.

I'd open the safes, find all the negotiable securities, sell them & all the house & use the money (should be billions) to:

1. Buy a factory in a town ruined by KKR takeover; turn it into a co-op making a couple of basic but widely used products using regionally sourced materials. Pay living wages & benefits & include education benefits & political discussion & investigation on how power works in america as part of the company program.

2. Use the revenues to spin off related ventures in a regional network emphasizing self-sufficiency, ecological soundness, self-help, democratic self-management & solidarity, possibly using local currency, barter or other methods to avoid entanglement in the dominant economy as much as possible.

3. Use the regional network as a power base to spread the same model & wean folks off their economic dependence on the dominant model, & as a springboard for political challenges: candidates, issues, etc.

4. Network with & support like-minded folk.

I'd open the safes, find all the negotiable securities, sell them & all the house & use the money (should be billions) to:

1. Buy a factory in a town ruined by KKR takeover; turn it into a co-op making a couple of basic but widely used products using regionally sourced materials. Pay living wages & benefits & include education benefits & political discussion & investigation on how power works in america as part of the company program.

2. Use the revenues to spin off related ventures in a regional network emphasizing self-sufficiency, ecological soundness, self-help, democratic self-management & solidarity, possibly using local currency, barter or other methods to avoid entanglement in the dominant economy as much as possible.

3. Use the regional network as a power base to spread the same model & wean folks off their economic dependence on the dominant model, & as a springboard for political challenges: candidates, issues, etc.

4. Network with & support like-minded folk.

HEY HENRY-- I'M BROKE, WOULD YOU PAY OFF MY HOUSE FOR ME, I ONLY OWE LIKE 70,000 ON IT, LEFT,, JUST THOUGHT I'D ASK ??? THANKS !!!!

I think it would be nice if Kravis could invite all of the Katrina victims to stay at his place.

I live in Naples, Florida...a rather wealthy city, chockfull of Rolls Royce, ostentatious mansions and breast jobs. The facade is a rather rose-colored, warm and cozy view for most, tourist and snowbirds alike. Naples, however, happens to be a city that at its heart, is kept alive by those on the polar opposite end of the padded-pocket spectrum. Many people work two jobs, most of which are in the service industry, (lawn service, construction workers, servers or cooks) trying to make rent or pay medical bills for their families. The bloodline of our city helps to ease the lives of the rich while most of these workers live pay check to pay check in below poverty conditions. I'm am ever so familiar with this scalding truth, as I worked at Habitat for Humanity building houses for so many of these people; the less fortunate of this, Paradise City. Children in these families don't get to fill their holiday season with decorating a tree, hanging lights on thier house or baking holiday cookies. And a plethora of lavish gifts is certainly not in the budget. I suppose if 'ole Henry wouldn't mind too much, some of these bright-eyed and truly needy children might like to spend some time in ONE of his mansions just doing what kids do; baking cookies, arts and crafts, maybe some hide-and-seek. Hey, I'm sure they wouldn't even mind showing him a little Holiday spirit by decorating his house for him. Henry, show these children what it's like to live in safe and healthy conditions that afford each member of the family a bed, not a floor, to sleep on and a room of their own to boot! Give back to them for the holidays and let them have a sleep over in your cozy spread so they can warm their toes by the fire from one of your MANY fireplaces. I'm sure they will all pick up after themselves before leaving.

I live in Naples, Florida...a rather wealthy city, chockfull of Rolls Royce, ostentatious mansions and breast jobs. The facade is a rather rose-colored, warm and cozy view for most, tourist and snowbirds alike. Naples, however, happens to be a city that at its heart, is kept alive by those on the polar opposite end of the padded-pocket spectrum. Many people work two jobs, most of which are in the service industry, (lawn service, construction workers, servers or cooks) trying to make rent or pay medical bills for their families. The bloodline of our city helps to ease the lives of the rich while most of these workers live pay check to pay check in below poverty conditions. I'm am ever so familiar with this scalding truth, as I worked at Habitat for Humanity building houses for so many of these people; the less fortunate of this, Paradise City. Children in these families don't get to fill their holiday season with decorating a tree, hanging lights on thier house or baking holiday cookies. And a plethora of lavish gifts is certainly not in the budget. I suppose if 'ole Henry wouldn't mind too much, some of these bright-eyed and truly needy children might like to spend some time in ONE of his mansions just doing what kids do; baking cookies, arts and crafts, maybe some hide-and-seek. Hey, I'm sure they wouldn't even mind showing him a little Holiday spirit by decorating his house for him. Henry, show these children what it's like to live in safe and healthy conditions that afford each member of the family a bed, not a floor, to sleep on and a room of their own to boot! Give back to them for the holidays and let them have a sleep over in your cozy spread so they can warm their toes by the fire from one of your MANY fireplaces. I'm sure they will all pick up after themselves before leaving.

I'd sell everything worth value, then donate charity
then convert the large buildings into homeless shelters.

I would host a house party and invite the entire city to watch this film.

I would open his house to retired individuals or elderly and use him as their housekeeper and buttler. With the retired people in the house, turn the back yard into a pet santuary or humane society and make him pay for vet services and food for them. This way the elderly have pets to keep and the animals have someone to look after them. I'd make him throw parties and invite all the people who he has hurt and payout what he took to them.

I would challenge Henry to use some of his economic skills and a percentage of his wealth to assist the displaced ex-employees in starting new businesses. He could provide low interest loans and some counsel from his business savvy associates... he'd probably figure a way to write it off his taxes, but at least his actions would provide some benefit to those he has displaced...

I would contact every individual who has been hurt by Kravis and ask them to rally in front of one of his buildings. I don't think it would change anything but it might make the people feel better that they have done something. I don't think business really cares about anything but business. Unfortunately most people who have accumulated vast amounts of fortune, have done so on the backs of those less fortunate. Notice that fortunes and les fortunate have the same root.

What about simply denied services and refuse to work for them, no matter how much they will be willing to pay for, remember the story of MIDAS. About his/their disgusting homes... what about hosting the thousands of displaced people that live in this country victims of disasters like Katrina and greed from Insurance companies???

I actually saw on the news the other night that one of these people who have billions is trying to change the tax laws. He contacted the media and said he did not think it was fair that he paid less in taxes then one of his secretaries.
Most people have the American dream. I don't think most of them wish to have millions but to live comfortable. So, I would sell everything in the house as well as the house. To those people who got fired because one of his take overs I would give them money especially if they went to a lower paying job. I would donate to specific organizations but not to the ones that again, then high ranking officials are living in millions dollar homes. I would pay off my bills and save some money for my daughters schooling. I would help the poor, meaning not those who sit back and expect society to carry them by living on welfare instead of getting a job. I would donate to no kill animal sanctions for lost or unwanted animals. I would help military spouces after the word gets back to them that their loved one was killed in action. The military does not help the families very much afterwards.
I would set up a fund to help specific kids who wanted to continue their education but were not financially able.

First people like this need to be tarred and feathered for their inhumane attitude towards their fellow Americans as well as their complete lack of ethics.

As for living in one of his mansions? Pretty simple really, first I would sell everything I could for as much as I could. Then the money earned I would keep just enough to pay off my vehicle, that's it because that is the only debt I have now.

The remainder of the money would be funneled (depending on how much it was) into local public schools, a program to assist single parent families that are struggling and to also feed and provide medical care for hungry and ill children in this country, they United States. You know, the ones you never hear about because it would undermine the illusion of wealth.

Then the last thing I would do is invite the homeless into the home, give them a place to clean up and get a decent night sleep. I thought about burning it, but that would put other people in un-necessary harms way. People around the fire would be subjected to toxic fumes and smoke and of course the brave fire-fighters would be placed in jeopardy as well. So I would just let the homeless move in... after I sold everything I could.

Bottom line, I would once again defend the weak and help the helpless in this nation. I did it for 14 years in the military, and a chance to do something like this would allow me to do it again.

I would just burn it. It serves no useful purpose. That's why it's called excess.
And that's exactly what the privatization parasites like him are doing in Iraq; knock it all down so we can build a corporate utopia.
Without his mansion, energy would be saved. Traffic in the area would be reduced. The construction workers hired to rebuild would probably earn more than any servants do now.
And when he tried to collect on insurance, I'd report it as an "act of god", a punishment for his sins of greed, which is not covered.

Well this is a big problem. And I wonder if Kravis donates to charity. Would he offer to give the money that the government is cutting him back? The system needs to change. If I was in one of his houses for a day I would invite people I know that are publically trying to fight this system like Ralph Nadar, Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, Michael Moore, and others to talk about this and find more ways to reach out to the public that is in need and raise us to the top only to level ourselves all on the same playing field and no care about the money but about the people. Life would be good if we were here for each other and not for the money. I would try to bring that message home.

your film is enlightening in the sense that it points at the issues, although it doesnt solve them.

The problem is more philosophical. The power game must be understood and people realize that there are no ethical filthy rich folks. But as long as crowds will continue to admire "successful people" like Paris Hilton and Co, nothing will change.

The feudal pyramid that is our world structure is based on the fear to lose one security and admiration of wealth/materialism. Materialism must be assimilated instead of rejected. This is the best way to transcend it. This is why leftism has dramatically failed. The more we resist the more it persists. It is about time to teach people that natural competition morphs humans into commodities. Greed is a double edged sword in fact. One fights greed with greed.

Remember "The golden calf" in the Bible? Not so surprisingly the wall street bull is in bronze and when wall street prosper, one says that the mood is bullish.

I have written a dramatization explaining the problems with our debt based economies and seeking a producer by the way.

I'd sell everything and, just like Henry Kravis, buy myself six or seven senators and two dozen representatives.

Whatever money remained would be used to finance Marxist study groups all over the country. Thanks, Comrade Kravis!

i would sell most of the unnecessary things in the mansion, i would start a company that would take all the excess food that the united states throws away or burns and i would have it shipped to starving people all around the world. i would use the money of the mansion itself to start another company which would go to stopping global warming. the "dirties" companies in the usa would get money from me for being greener, the more green they are the more money and help then get from the company. If i could do this all over 24 hours though i would probably be superman.

I'd try to sell everything at a good price on ebay. Liquidate all except one home. Heck, I might even liquidate that any buy a smaller home in a nice area. I'd definitely be giving money to people to see if I could improve their lives. At least give some people a good X-mas!

I am a travel agent. My specialty is Eco and vegetarian travel. I would invite all of the locals in each of the location to come by and take all of the furniture and paintings and sell them to the tourists. They then in turn could set up an eco friendly resort. One in which does not harm the environment and is all vegetarian.

i would invite the poorest, lowliest bastards from around the country... they would take turns kicking this prick in the balls for the full 24 hours till he couldnt even walk again to enjoy all his material crap

The American public with the bottom 20th percentile of income would receive an invitation to come in to dismantle the estates for their own use and rebuild a community on each of the properties. Mr. K would be welcomed to join as a latrine cleaner and wasre management technician.

The reason bad things happen to good people is that "good" people vote for bad politicians. All a politician has to do is tell the "good" people a bunch of lies about other people to stir up hatred against them, like "illegal aliens," Gays or Henry Kravis. Then,the hordes of ignorant Know Nothings rush to their computers to commend good men based pon the lies and then they rush off to the polls to vote for the cretin political hack who is spreading the most vicious lies about his fellow man. Then they bitch and complain about how hard their lives have become.

If you think the country is crooked, then stop voting for crooks -- morons!

For 20 years I have been telling people that we are surrounded by a bunch of thieves at the top. Everyone used to be so impressed with rich people, and didn't seem to think about where their money was coming from. I was accused of being jealous. The movie "Pretty Lady", with Julia Roberts, was about a man that earned his money in the same way as Henry Kravis. One positive thing I see is that Americans are finally waking up to the fact that they are being robbed. If I had Henry Kravis's houses I would sell them all; buy myself a 3000 square foot home close to my children; buy a new Prius, and invest the money back into the companies that the money was taken from. I would turn this country into a free market with regulations to curb these people's greed. If they don't know how to be Americans that care about the commonwealth of this country, they need to be regulated. They definately need to be taxed on the money they make so it can recirculate into the American economy. We are seeing the quality of life in America deteriorate, in every section, from public parks to public health. And now we see the super rich setting up foundations to donate money to our public institutions and we are suppose to be so grateful. We don't need the charity of rich men. We just need them to not steal all the money from the American population's commonwealth. If our politicians would spend our tax money on public services like they are suppose to, we wouldn't need charity from the so called priviledged. Now we are changing the names of public buildings and streets naming them after corporations. The American people are not only suffering physically, but are suffering public humiliation in front of the rest of the world. Lucrative wars that make corporations rich milk the American taxpayer. Men like Henry Kravis are out of control.

I am 53 years old and am currently unemployed. I tried to get unemployment but the company that I worked for black balled me. They told the unemployment that I was fired for malicious reasons. This is not true. What I am trying to say, why is it big corporations and very wealthy people can get away with murder, get all the tax breaks, this is not fair while there are so many hard working people that are just trying to make it in this world and are having a hard time doing it. The people that work there tails off for these companys should be the ones that get the tax breaks, not the rich.

I have a friend that lost her job, could not find another one before the unemployment ran out and used her 401K to live on until she found a job. The IRS taxed her so much that it took 2 years to pay the bill and they garnished her check. She is 55 years old and had to work 3 jobs to pay the bill. This is criminal!

I'd sell them and use the money to save some of the people who are being foreclosed on and losing their homes. I wonder how many I could save.

I'd invite prostitues to spend the day lounging around, swimming, enjoying a cocktail or two. It would be like any other day in the life of the house....with the occupants screwing the rest of the people around them....only with more colorful and revealing clothing on.

I have systemic lupus and cannot get health insurance. So far efforts to reform the disability program I am on to allow for more work attempts or to reform the US health care delivery system so I would not need to get my health insurance from the government's disability programs have been smashed by the Republican party over and over again. My medical bills are astronomical and so I am stuck. The state of California, so that I can get my health care, limits me to an income of $600 per month, or $7200 per year. This is below the poverty level and I would be homeless, and therefore very sick or dead, without the help of family and friends. Because I run a support group I meet many others in my situation. We didn't ask to get sick in a country with a twisted health care delivery system. I would have a silent auction of everything in that mansion. I would plan an elegant event with donated food etc. and the benefits would go to a nonprofit I would set up to pay for a high-powered lobbyist to work for change to the disability programs enough to at least allow all of us unlimited work attempts without being penalized by losing our health care and eliminating these income limits for the disabled that are totally out of sync with today's living costs. I am absolutely certain Mr. Kravis won't miss these belongings...with so much that he has, it is possible he won't even notice that they are gone. Thank you for this opportunity to play Robin Hood. To those who say America is the Land of Opportunity, I have to remind you that is not true for everyone. Do not get sick in this country (unless you are rich) is the only advice I can give you.

I would start selling things on EBay and take the money to finish my film on the vanishing of the bees. i've been working on this project for the past eight months. I am in debt, and have no source of income becuase i want to make this film wiht all my heart. The bees are here to deliver a message. If we don't start giving back to Mother Earth and getting back to our roots, we are going to go down. This system (like with the colonies) has got to collapse in order for new ideologies to sprout forth. We need to raise our consciousness and evil men like Kravis ha got to be held accountable. What I call "THE G FACTOR" is in people's blood. Peopel want more and more and more stuff, money, things to fill the HUGE hole they have inside. People with tons of cash need to give back. Not only rape and take.
Robert, i have indirectly worked for you before. I produced the piece on the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. I am on a mission and i would you a mansion to get myself there. Plus i need a dip in a pool. I'd probably sublet my place too to save some money. Damn those greedy bastards. they are not in touch with their sprit.

I would invite children with special needs for each bedroom in the mansion, along with a parent or gaurdian and treet them to a special 24 hour holiday

Of course there would have to be PROFIT in it for Karvis to want to participate in your "for profit ventures."

Certainly not because he wants to help people.

I would do what we are already doing. Take over more and more run-down and mismanaged properties, make them great places that people who could not otherwise afford it could now live in. I have already done this with 70 plus properties and have a business model that can change communities for the better. We reduce or eliminate crime, mitigate numerous social problems and SHOW OTHERS how to do the same. I am writing a course that will be available soon. Just came back from California yesterday and plan to introduce electric vehicles in the area to offset high gas prices and lessen pollution in our area and others. These are the things I would do in a BIG way if I had Kravis money.....Perhaps you can ask him to give us some!.....What we do is ALSO profitable, for EVERYONE!!

You guys don't seem to understand that the beauty of America is that anyone can become successful.
I know a guy that only made $10,000 a year when he was 30.
he is now 52 and makes $120,000 a month.........that is a result of hard work

I'd sell the houses and everything in them and see if it was enough money to bribe the Wizard of Oz to give him a heart. God knows he needs one.

I would use the 24-hr. holiday in one of his houses as a retreat for myself. A retreat to plan out the rest of my life and how I can best manage the time, skills, and resources I have left to leave the world a better place.

I'd invite Henry Kravis and all his close friends and party like it were 1999!

I'd use every penny on a global media campaign to change US defense policy from "full-spectrum dominance" to full-spectrum diversity, called:

Every Day is King Day
2 0 0 8
Campaign For Global Justice

Walking with King through the 21st Century

Today Earth’s status as the true superpower challenges its human family to reflect: What is diversity? What is defense and national security? What is our vision? Climate change changes our priorities as a small but remarkably caring and good-natured part of Earth’s far larger family of diversity.

A single US policy is all that stands between our division and meaningful salvation as a 50,000 year-old family of global caretakers. A single choice as US citizens and taxpayers can put us in tune with nature and help create a world of productive, lucrative community.

The Every Day is King Day campaign would promote the opportunity to achieve Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision by working to change our official national defense policy from “full-spectrum dominance” to full-spectrum diversity through popular demand.

As Election 2008 nears, climate change makes more obvious the chasm between reality and national campaign priorities. Every Day is King Day would seek to hasten and strategically navigate the collision of outmoded “evil other” politicking with scientifically proven realities: that Earth defines diversity, that all humans descend from the same family 50,000 years ago, and that the bond of our common origin offers the freedom to choose a common destiny as caretakers.

There is no higher honor to Dr. King’s commitment to global justice than the adoption of a defense policy that recognizes and defends our planet’s diversity as its top priority, and serves to unite humans in equal and responsible coexistence subordinate to nature.

Earth-centric defense and diversity is a most lucrative prospect. With the defense industry’s unmatched breadth and technical capabilities, by changing policy to control it we create the world’s largest network for mitigating climate change and begin to cherish true diversity.

Stopping the rise of defense spending is unrealistic in the short term, but when outdated national security priorities threaten the nation, changing how the Department of Defense spends is our duty through popular demand. If we are to continue paying taxes, the government must respond to how we want our money spent. If we really love our country and our planet, we’ll make them better every day.

At a time when the word “race” should refer to climate change and the human race against time, America’s leaders still bow to a dangerously racist defense policy mindset. As brothers and sisters, our generation needs a simple yet comprehensive solution to the core American problem. Still sinking with a million buckets bailing water, we’re ready to fix the hole in the boat.

To transcend all differences and bridge our past and future in dignified harmony is the very definition of evolution. Whether for the sake of Mother Nature, God’s Creation, or a concerted drive for survival, this is an opportunity to triumph at last. Together we will embrace Dr. King’s spirit, aspire to his level of commitment, and lead the way to global justice.

Facts we should know include:

When President Dwight Eisenhower gave his prophetic January 1961 farewell speech warning of the growth of “unwarranted influence” on universities and government by the defense industry, few universities had Department of Defense contracts. As of December 2006, 1,107 universities have DoD contracts, including 161 in 33 other countries.

Statistics show a 900% increase in DoD defense-applied research funding to schools since 2000.

The US defense industry is the top job creator in all 50 states, continually motivating state leaders to approve costly, unnecessary, and/or environmentally unsound programs.

The US defense industry is America’s top industry, spender, and employer. DoD and defense-related programs take an average of 67% of US taxes annually while education takes 0.3%.

The US defense industry includes tens of millions of companies in 198 nations and territories, making it the world’s largest corporate network and potential climate-change mitigating tool of advanced science and technology.

For the last 60 years, an elite bipartisan group using media campaigns have protected America’s defense policy of “full-spectrum dominance.”

The Every Day is King campaign would promote that today’s generation--with the Earth on its side as the true superpower--has the natural advantage in changing to a future-centric defense of full-spectrum diversity.

2008 brings us:

The advent of Earth as the true superpower in the public mindset.

A collision between political ineffectiveness and the real threat of climate change in an election year.

The 40th anniversary of 1968, the last year of united hope in America.

The 40th anniversary of Dr. King’s passing.

The 60th anniversary of the US armaments industry (DoD, CIA; NSA Act of 1947).

The 60th anniversary of “evil-other” propaganda for defense industry profit.

Clear statistics showing DoD trends, thanks to the digital age.

A planet that depends on a sound defense policy.


THAT'S what I would do. And maybe I'll do it anyway and see what happens.

Our Origin As One Leads To Our Future As One
DEMAND DEFENSE DEFEND DIVERSITY

Having that much power I would research what an equitable worldwide MAXIMUM wage would be, have our government put that into effect and create an equitable wealth distribution for the entire country. The ripple effects would inspire the rest of the world to see that this could end the causes of poverty and war and create a new era in human history.

I'd take all the people still living in the toxic FEMA trailers and relocate them (and Kravis wouldn't get his homes back at the end of the day, either). I've always believed in "live simply, so that others may simply live". For those with blinders on, hurling insults at those of us who care about humanity, your simplistic belief that this greedy bastard "earned" it....Pathetic!!

I would invite all the people whose lives he crushed, made more difficult, lowered their self esteem and invite him to there where we would tie him to a chair and he would have to listen for hours to each and every person from every company, their husbands, their wives, their children, who he has affected and then force him to write a monster check which would be divvied up to each of the people.

This is what my company is about -- it is a farce -- THE WANT SOCIETY! You can only join if you're a greedy bastard, but little do you know, if you join, you are admitting what you are and will be completely made fun of...

This has to stop!!

I remember our first house: 1140 square feet, 1 and half baths, 3 bdrooms and a luxurious 2 car garage, all for $14,500. What a life we had and what happiness in our snug abode. We had time for friends, guests, family and many activities besides work. Now have downsized since retirement and life is good in only 1320 square feet and this time with two full baths!

I kind of agree. He worked hard for it, but not nearly as hard as the rest of us and he pays less taxes.Thats definately not fair!He also shouldn't have the right to treat his employees so badly, or didn't you notice that part?
There should be a more equal system that allows regular working people the right to live well for the money that they earn without being taxed more than some ultra extravagant and abusive multi billionaire who thinks he needs 5 lavish mansions.

if tall people were giving up their organs in china, i would consider it, but until then, i will fight for what's right in the usa

Get a life you losers. These people worked hard for years and add a lot of value to organizations to be more efficient. Get a better job you losers and stop crying. Go to china and get your check from the communists

i have lived 2 different lifestyles in my lifetime, but non of those lifestyles compare to Kravis. I have seen easy come easy go. i have also seen if you work hard for something you tend to appreciate money more, at least that is the lesson i have learned. the war on greed is bring greed to the forefront of peoples minds and has brought out the bad side in most of you people. sounds to me if most of you had the money you would become little mini kravis. if i had the money i would give the money to the government and sway them with money to provide universal health care for all humans alike (regardless if you are illegal or not). for there is only 2 things in life worthy of bitching about, and those 2 things are being healthy, and being happy. money does buy either i've come to find out in my days. my brother was diagnosed with cancer when i was just 13 years old and then 2 weeks later my mother was diagnosed with another type of cancer completely unrelated. i have come to find happiness, but it has not been an easy journey. my brother is alive and well today, but my mother was not so lucky. all the money in the world does not bring health and happiness, this i know. the happiest moment in my life was the day that my brother got his double lung transplant, which he need due to the radiation. all the money in the world wouldn't get him his lungs. he had been on a transplant list for 18 months and because of his height, the prospects were not looking good. i wept for joy when i heard news of his donor and flew immediately to see him. i love him with all my heart. he is an inspiration to us all. love you jim.
your sis,
kristen
p.s. fuck greed. greed makes me sick, literally

I would liquidate EVERYTHING and fund a lobbyist group to inundate our political arena with issues that affect average citizens to drive change.

I'd sell all the furnishings and use the money to fund a health care clinic in the mansion for returning vets abandoned by the Bushistas and for the uninsured.
Once recovered, I would allow patients to continue to live there until they obtained housing and work but ask that they pitch in and help run the facility.

I'd sell all the furnishings and use the money to fund a health care clinic in the mansion for returning vets abandoned by the Bushistas and for the uninsured.
Once recovered, I would allow patients to continue to live there until they obtained housing and work but ask that they pitch in and help run the facility.

Bitch, bitch, moan, moran complain, complain --

The only thing all these mindless cows show is why H.K. and lots of other Americans are millionaire and billionaires and they're not.

Yes, there's corruption, but it isn't H.K.'s fault. The moaning cows are the ones who voted for Congress and then give them a 11% approval rating. If these mindless dweebs don't like the laws that allowed H.K. to make a few bucks, then it's their own fault for voting for the Ronnies, the Bushies, and the Pelosies.

I would invite as many people as could fit into the compound (literally) including all the major media, dress up like like Mr. Kravis (including a mask that look exactly like his face) and announce convincingly and with detail why on this day "I've filed the appropriate papers with the creator and am now officially spiritually bankrupt. To pay back the debt i will from now on live alone on my estates without contact with any humans for the remainder of my stay on this planet."

We would fly the most prominent "men of God" including Pat Robertson, George W Bush, Stephen Graham (and his father Billy if possible) James Dobson, and of course the Reverend Billy from the Church of the Shopocolypsc to one of Kravis' mansions for a prayer meeting in which they would ask Jesus what he would do with Kravis' house for one day. P.S. It would be good if they performed an exorcism on Kravis' house to remove the spirit of his greed.

People like Mr.Kravis confuse the American Dream with greed and special rights. It may be called communism to want everyone to have a piece of the pie, but for someone to have such a large piece is ridiculous, especially when it is gained at the expense of others' heath care and jobs. While at his home I would invite wall artists to artfully depict messages about reality and real people who work hard for what they have every day. Then we'd have poetry readings and slams about poverty and greed. I would invite the people from adbusters.org to help me throw the party, it would rock!!!

Suggestion for use of Kravis' mansions:

Turn them into museums where visitors can learn about how the rich get richer, how the rich avoid paying taxes, how power corrupts and ultimate power corrupts ultimately, how the gap between rich and poor is growing, why the media doesn't focus on the excesses of the super rich, how the media is controlled by the super rich. People need to learn why the media focuses on poor people as the problems rather looking at the root cause of poverty in the U.S. and the rest of the world. The tour of the mansions would be an 'educational' tour so that the 'web' of how the super rich get there and stay there can be revealed through video presentations; confessions of the 'recovering' rich who can give personal testimonies of how the 'web' works internationally (through alliance of the elites) would be great.
There could be a think tank at these mansions to strategize on how to make the world a 'just and peaceful' place for all creatures on Planet Earth.

Personally, I would not want to spend any time in Kravis' presence or his homes. It's disgusting and shameful. I feel sorry for someone that places that much importance on money. He's lived a long life and not figured out that there are valuable things in life and they don't involve any money; I doubt that he will figure it out.

I would set up a soup kitchen AND a medical group to swap needles for drug addicts and homeless people. For the FULL 24 hours.

This would not only utilize the home, it would also annoy the living shit out of his pompous, bloated neighbors.

I'd be sure to pass out fliers at least two weeks beforehand, and also have busses at the ready, to bring in all the homeless we can find. From the neighboring states, if necessary.

Barbara's proposal is as good as I could do! No, it's not envy that drives our disgust, but perhaps certainty that perverse raider capitalism is apparently still condoned in American business courses. It sure shows in the many comments in defense of quick wealth that get posted all over the internet...You can try to tax robber barons.. but the surest, quickest punishment is to publicize decadant cases of the American religion i.e. capitalism and market determinism.

Since travelling to third world countries like India and South America, people such as Mr Kravis repulse me. After personally experiencing starving people that would walk up to me begging incessantly for food or money or sitting inside a car and having a starving person banging on the car window persistently for help and not stopping until the vehicle moves, I cannot fathom living in luxury without thinking about those poor souls that would be jubilant just to get one meal a day. If I had 24 hours in one of Mr Kravis's houses, I would see off EVERYTHING, including the mansion and personally deliver generous checks to the charities and organisations that help poor people all over the world. I spent a month in India and two weeks in Bogota, Colombia doing volunteer teaching and those people were so wonderfully appreciative of my time and effort. It is so unfair that they can't get proper schooling just because their families are poor. Oddly enough, those children LOVE school and couldn't wait for us "teachers" to come back and give some more free classes. They even sat quietly minutes before the class was due to start.

Mr Greenwald, I hope you will let me be in your next documentary so I can show the world that the greatest wealth of all is the wealth of knowledge and spirit. Poor communities let you know that there definitely are things that money never can buy. No one ever gets true happiness from wealth and power. That's why there are many more people now with mental health problems than 50 years ago.

Boo Yow!
There you go!

as per usual people who don't have what the rich have, dislike the rich and are jealous. The video fails to mention that Henry Kravis came from a middle class family, started with very little and was an entrepeneur and built a large business. With risk comes reward...Also the buy and strip mentality was in the 80's - things have changed so get your facts straight before bashing the PE industry. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer - get used to it - it's always been that way and always will. You want to give advice? Tell people to send their kids to Ivy League schools as that is how you get into the industry.

Produce nothing and add nothing to the economic fabric of our country. It sure seems that he has a great deal of people working for him, whether it be on a business level or personal level. What comes with greed...envy. Maybe we should all compare ourselves to the people are pulling double and triple shifts today. They do not have time to gripe and moan about the "bull" that they see everyday. We should sell our computers and give them the money. Better yet, we should sell everything and give it to the people around the world who starve. Is the problem that he has too "much", or we have too "little". Perspective makes the difference.

I would seek Mr Kravis's commitment to assist in improving the financial situation of his employees, whether directly or indirectly employed by him or his companies, and would encourage him to invite all his employees to barbeques or dinners at his various homes. I would try to get Mr Kravis onboard of a nationwide effort to reduce the tax disparity between the very wealthy classes and the rest of the population.

There is nothing wrong with being wealthy, even obscenely so. There is something wrong with how people like Kravis got that wealth and what he does with it. He DOES NOT make the companies he buys more efficient. The reduced staff must work longer hours under more stress with less benefits. The company is no longer capable of quickly adapting to changes in the market because of the reduced staff. The quality of the product/service eventually suffers. After an initial surge in the stock price, it gradually sinks to pre-buy out levels. Then KKR and their ilk simply move on to other victims. These people produce NOTHING, add NOTHING to the social or economic fabric of our country. They are parasites living off of welfare that is on a scale greater than all the social welfare programs combined. It is people like Kravitz that make socialism look good.

Turn the NYC home into SRO housing for the homeless with psychiatric & job assistance on site. The Florida home: housing for families - lots of them.
Also agree with David Howle's comments about addressing the flaws, particularly the Tax Law problems that allow more favorable treatment for 'investment' using borrowed money.

I would invite Henry Kravis his business associates and all the families profiled in this clip and we would spend the entir 24 hours talking about the disparities between the two groups and the impact KKB has on families and communities. We would also view and talk about other Greenwald videos and try to persuade Kravis to invest his time energy and wealth in the american people.

Assuming I only had the house for a day, after which he and his wife returned... I think I'd shut all the windows, crap on the kitchen counter and leave. Let them eat cake!

Why complain about people who take advantage of the "flaws" in the system. Why not go directly to the "flaws" (i.e. tax law, congress, voting, etc.) to solve the problem. What would be funny is if the people who were portrayed in the video were each given a large sum of money and then compared to "less fortunate" people who did not seek out the tax breaks availalbe to them.

@ J.C. Bolton:

> 1. Just how much wealth does one person
> really need?

It is never enough, because money is just a tool. And the more you have, the better you are equipped to do what you want.

> 2. What would anyone need to do with a
> billion dollars that they couldn't just
> as easily do with a hundred million?

Things that catch your fancy? See, to me, there is no greater calling than making space travel a reality. It costs millions to get a half-decent telescope lens. And a simple suborbital space-flight cost about 100 million dollars. So, no, 100 million isn't really all that much.

With a billion dollars, I could do ten times as much as I could with one hundred million.

Now, insert your favorite dream - and chances are that you will that the amount does make a difference.

I would sell the mansions and all the things in them and I would buy foreclosure homes for as many people who work, yet make under $30,000 a year as I could, paying these homes off entirely, of course.

One more thing. I wish this filmmaker would make some films showing how our elected officials - President, V.P., congressmen, etc. live, and especially how their wealth has changed since they got into office. Now THAT would make us all happy, I'm sure!

Misc gave me a great idea. I would put up website complaining about greedy lawyers and demand that the law be changed so that gready lawyers can't sue businesses for unfair business practices. Then after the jerks who hate lawyers abolish the unfair business pratices law, all the businessmen can have a huge party in one of their mansions and laugh the night away at how easily the stupid cows were manipulated. However, --- I'm too late Schwarenegger already did this in California.

It boggles the mind at people's stupidity. A multi-muli-millonaire Republican stirs up hatred against consumer lawyers for protecting the public and the idiots destroy the best consumer protection statute in the entire nation.

I would invite all of the politicians..republican and democrats alike and after they have all arrived, I would have all of the doors and windows locked and have good old average, hard working Americans guard the windows and parking lots. I would keep them there until they finally did a whole days work that really helped this country and the American people. Then I would fire all of the politicians and put the hard working, average Americans in their place.

I would use a Kravis Home and convert it into a Training centre, invite 50 - 100 people in starting at 7am with a nice 3 course breakfast, lunch, dinner and teach them as many of the kraviz money making secrets as possible in 24 hours, all for free transport included.
Ill call it the how to be a millionare in 24 hours course, then give them each a $100 000 to get started.

Our society is too greedy, we have made money our god because the system encourages it.
Its all about I want want want. Not saying one cant be rich but some people like Kravis take it too far.
I would like Kraviz to give scholarships to bright young students who have been accepted to universities but cannot afford it.

To Otis Toole and all the other tools:

This is as much an indictment of a system that is predatory and abusive and it is about a man who chooses to capitalize on what may be legal but is nonetheless immoral. The price payed for such obscene exploitation is done by those whose lives lay dismantled in the wake of such financial juggernauts. I don't doubt that Henry person-to-person is a great guy. But it is a strange schism that allows a sometime amiable person to slash and burn faceless victims because thats the way the game is played.

This is truly disgusting! I would shackle Mr. Thief and his wife, and I would make them scrub every toilet with a toothbrush. Then I would make them spit shine all of the marble floors. When they were done with that, I would make them polish every piece of silver, handwash each piece of fine china, peel 300 pounds of potatoes, and serve a party given to every homeless person in the city. If they complained for one second, I would lash the hell out of them. When they were done, I would make them sleep in the stables for the rest of their time there. These are gluttonous pigs who know how to do nothing but rob from the poor.

If I had access to one of his mansions for a day, I would set up a phone bank and invite local, regional and national news organizations as well as all those who have lost jobs and/or benefits from KKR's greed and would have only one request of them. That they petition their state congressional representatives and their US senators as well as followup with a letter to each complaining about the corrupt tax laws in this country that reward the rich and penalize the poor. The only way for change to occur is to use your voice and speak to those who can make change happen.

If I had use of one of Henry Kravit's palacial estates, I would make it into a shelter for homeless folks, dividing it into areas for single men, single women, and families. There would probably still be unused space. This I would turn into job training facilities.

Wow, haven't you guys learned anything? Sure I'd throw a party and during that party my captive audience would be taught to "invest" just like Henry so that we could all become clones. But instead of hoarding the profits the money would be used to educate and support the injured while they train for their new vocation/career. Before long we would all be sophisticated parasites like Henry Kravis, legally bleeding the system dry. We would all stand shoulder to shoulder with the snake that consumed itself and would raise a bronze, bigger-than-life monument on Wall Street to our mentor, the founder and inspiration who started it all. So stop fighting and join in the entitlement bonanza. But heavens, give that money away because those houses are way too much bother to maintain and besides there’s always more where that came from.

You are not going to get my opinion, as other posters have done. Instead what I would do with all the mansions is to invite people, to gather and make a video conference between all the mansions to be viewed to all the congress members. Not exactly a conference though. I'd write a complaint song about the inequality that our beloved America is experiencing. I'd write a very funny, but true picture, and I'd set it to UPBEAT music. Perhaps, a Christmas song. It would be recorded, both the participants and the observers, and then broadcasted on every possible website.
Maybe, even on NBC nightly news! That's what I'd do.

Greed may not be good but being rich is. I am all for everyone operating from the thought there is enough and we can all be rich. Wealth is not to be measured by ones income. Dollars measure value they do not measure worth. I think this man has shown what one can do if they have the guts to try. He does not offend me. He is here to teach us what is possible. Selling your stuff and living in poverty is not my ideal of a good life. Showing others what is possible and living in good health and a clean environment is. I am rich because I own everyday and spend it as I wish. This man has alot of balls in the air and I don't choose to live in that fashion. If you think the tax structure is unfair you are right but target those who exploit it is not the place to start. Elect public officials who remember they are to serve at the pleasure of the people and not the president is where I would begin. Good for Mr. Kravis. I am glad to see it can still happen in America.

In western society, we are taught that happiness is derived from things outside ourselves - material wealth, the admiration of others, good jobs and love.

It isn't.

Happiness is gained through overcoming fear, suffering and insecurity and building compassion for oneself and others.

For a person to cause the suffering of others and amass wealth for himself is an extreme fear - that of not having, perhaps of not being enough. For a person to ignore the suffering of those who live in abject poverty in many parts of the world, not getting enough medicine, food and/or shelter whilst amassing more than he/she needs to actually live, is very sad. Spoiled habits, fear habits, insecurity.

I have what I need. About 8 years ago, I gave away or sold most of my furniture and moved from a 4 bedroom house to a one bedroom flat in another country. I learned through this experience that I was taught wrong. I don't NEED material wealth to show for my life's work. I don't need insurance, I don't need trinkets, whatnots and new things. I live with second hand furniture in a one bedroom flat back here in the US now, and I am happy. I do my best to make a living helping to allieve the suffering of others, and I am an activist for human dignity and rights and the environment in my spare time.

I don't envy the lives of such as Henry Kravis. He has many habits to conquer, and his happiness is dependency.

cheers.

I feel this board is littered with inaccuracies. Communism is dead; I believe that was proven after the curtain that shielded the USSR and East Germany from capitalisms prodding eyes. They were revealed to be economic nightmares with massive food shortages and little technological advancement. Is Keynesian economics dead, no, but it is inherently flawed. People make rational decisions and as proof from China, India and more, the is gradual shift from a planned economy to a market economy and when executed properly, this leads to greater wealth. With that understood, someone making money through investing is not a bad thing. Investment is causally related to future production and without there would be none. Thus, an arbitrage seeking entity like a hedge fund, private equity and the like seek to create efficient markets and productive entities. They are a necessary piece of a capitalist economy. Should Mr. Kravis pay more taxes, give more to charity. Perhaps, but judging by the intro of the video, Mr. Kravis already employs more people than coke, Walt Disney and Microsoft combined. He also generates more revenue. One might argue that this would make him deservedly wealthy as judging by this he should be making at least 2X what any one of those executives is making.

The problem with Henry is that he is not some common criminal forced to steal to provide food for his children.

Making money in itself is not a bad thing, what is at question here is HOW you EARN it. It seems obvious to me that people like Henry do not EARN money at all, they "invest" money and then reap the interest. Of course, it's not usually their money that gets invested. They borrow money, and buy things that are valuable, like successful companies, and sell off the parts for more than what they borrowed. The employees loose, the customers loose, but Henry gets the difference.

Yet, with Henry there is the added problem, that he doesn't just accumulate interest, he actively leverages influence to buy and sell entire companies, hell entire industries, apparently sacrificing the living standards of the workers in those companies to maximize his profit return. He is reaping the profit from the value of the labor of people who earn it, yet he provides nothing of value in return.

If Henry did something like invent a cure for cancer, or write software that changed the world for the better, or even ended a war, or something equivalent, then one could make the valid argument that he actually EARNED his $450 Million Dollar personal income. You might argue that people like Henry provide more value than they take from their investments, that they act like vultures, cleaning up the dead bodies of industry, but they do not. Usually, what they do is use their financial influence to 'modify' the rules, buy governments, and change the law to allow themselves more freedom, and avoid any responsibilities, they need to gut businesses and reap reward.

Unfortunately, we can not blame the rich. The fact is that we let them do this, that we are culpable, because we accept the low salaries, and work for people like Henry. We allow our governments to become influenced and corrupted by big money. We fight wars that profit these parasites and cannibals.

So, do not blame Henry for the things he does. It is we who allow him to do them. Look in the mirror, and know that you are responsible for your choices to give away your life, you labor, your government, you nation, the laws, the justice system, everything that makes American's free has been sold to people like Henry. And it is YOUR fault.

Perhaps like Bill Gates and others, Henry will eventually realize that he exists in a society, and that any meaning his life has comes from his relationships to other beings, then give his wealth away to humanity (instead of his 'children'). Yea, right. Some will argue that my statement sounds like Marxism or Socialism, but that is not what I'm advocating. Communist theories are based upon ideas of community, and the American ideal is the individual, not the collective. I just want to limit the inequalities caused by money.

1) Let's just take Money out of Politics. - No corporation should be allowed to make ANY contributions to any campaign. Companies are not PEOPLE, Companies do not have rights. PEOPLE have the Right to VOTE, not corporations. Corporations are legal entities that allow PEOPLE to avoid accountability (liability), they influence the laws that regulate them, and we need to end it. Campaign finance laws limit individual contributions to $2300 per campaign, but corporations are allowed to form not-for-profit PACs and then use unlimited funds to advertise, and attack their opposition with propaganda. We should eliminate that, no corporation should be allowed to buy our government.

2) End Inheritance - the rich call it the DEATH TAX, and it used to take the wealth of the super rich and redistribute it upon their demise. Just Fifty Percent of the wealth would be TAXED and taken by our Federal Government. the rest would be left to the children or the beneficiary of their will. Not the wealthy can pass on all of their money to their kids. We should end this. RETURN the tax on INHERITANCE to at least 50%! The rich will continue to find loop-holes to hide their wealth, transfer it overseas, and escape loosing control of their accumulated wealth, as they always have, but we need to set the standard. This is not a country of KINGS.

3) Eliminate foreign ownership of companies that do business in America. - This is the dirty secret behind our corporations, most of the people who own them, and own the largest percentages of their stock, don't pay taxes, because they are not living in the USA, they are not citizens, or hold dual citizenship. They transfer wealth overseas, where they can protect it from IRS scrutiny. Just ask HALIBURTIN why they moved their Headquarters to DUBI?

Henry is just an example of a rich sociopath. The solutions are simple, but the majority of US Citizens would rather be bough off by the owners of these rich compainies, than earn their own way in life. The fact is that most of the people can not support themselves, they lack the ability to survive on their own. So, with everyone owning a vote, they have something valuable to trade for their survival, and the system is set up to pay. With a two party system, the rich only need to buy 1% of the vote to sway any election, and so increase their influence. With real elections, multiple parties, and accountability, we might someday begin to take back control. But with corporations paying various lobbying groups, and financing political action committees, we can't see the forest for the trees.

The people in this video who complain about Henry's wealth, are responsible for their own unjust circumstances. They are sheep, led easily to shear and slaughter. People who live off the labor of others are afraid to shun the powers that control them, the wouldn't know how to live without being controlled.

Since about 1980, we have had a system run almost exclusively by and for greed-mongers like Kravis and many others. These people know well how to manipulate a corrupt system to their advantage, and take every opportunity to do so.
But 2 1/2 billion people on this planet make do on two dollars a day or less, while characters like Kravis knock down almost $50,000 an hour. Such systems, historically, always prove at length to be completely untenable. And then they fall under the weight of their own corruption and stupidity.

He must feel very lonely with all that money,
1st I'd like to know him.

I agree with Bill W. about starting schools, but that's just the beginning. One wing would serve as a school blending all disciplines (we only have one day after all). An open call to all students, large and small, young and old would go out. My buddy Wood, who's working on his MS in applied science education would have to help. Of course, my experience in public education would be an asset. I'd call on my dear friend Alaina with Subjective Theatre Company to get involved. Houghton, MI (where I live) is filled with fantastic artistic talent, as well as the home of Michigan Technological University (my alma mater and where I'm getting my PhD in analytical chemistry, and where I help register voters with the MTU Dems, and where we're screening Brave New Films free to the public), would bring a fair share of science and engineering talent to the table. I'm confident I know enough people with fingers in enough pies to run one hell of a one day educational experience. As I said, though . . . the school is just the start.

Another wing would host galleries . . . a Guggenheim of sorts. Peggy was buddies with a bunch of fantastically talented artists and she'd hang their stuff in her house(s). I'd reach out to starving artists that are having a tough go of it and offer one day of free gallery space. I'm thinking paintings, sculpture, performance pieces, comic book illustrations, whateva! If it was created by a fiery soul with love and a bent toward changing the world, I want it in the gallery. The more, the merrier! Let's have so much art that you can barely move through the exhibits without bumping into more art.

Then, of course, there's the screening wing. Brave New Films along with other notable truth-infused documentaries, independent films, even some tasteful Hollywood fare will play for the twenty-four hour allotment. We'll need several rooms for this . . . multiple screens . . . a virtual cineplex. Good fictional works will play, too. Let's see Fight Club, V for Vendetta, Henry Rollins Live at Luna Park, Syriana, The Matrix, The Big Lebowski, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera (I had to go to the DVD collection for inspiration).

Okay, we've got education, art and cinema. I suppose stage theatre would be covered under the art umbrella, but it should be mentioned.

Next, let's roll over to the laboratory wing. Let's invite scientists from all disciplines to do whatever the hell they want. Maybe we need to subdivide into distinct labs. I'm thinking what will work better is put everybody in one lab to solve some world problems together. Who knows? Maybe we cure cancer in that day. Maybe we solve the problem of dwindling fossil fuels. Maybe we find a reliable way for Suzy Q. Homemaker to detect the presence of chemical and biological threats in her food supply so we don't have to spend so much money on bombs to eliminate threats. Maybe we create cold fusion. You put enough talent in one place and God knows what can happen.

Okay, so roll over to the polical think tank. Let's develop strategy for the next election. Let's produce some workable talking points on how we'd like to change the world for the better. Let's invite local, state, national, whatever level policymakers to be part of the plan. Let's invite activists from around the country to be part of the plan. How many people can you fit into one of these mansions, anyway?

We'll need an IT center. After all, the information generated in all of these pods will need to be collected, organized and disseminated somehow for the world to see. It'd be nice if the IT folks can get all this information to all the high school principals and college deans in the nation (I'm kinda into youth outreach).

With all this frantic activity, somebody is bound to get stressed. We'll need to convert part of the facility into a counseling center/day spa. Go get yourself a session with one of our resident counselors, or spend 20 minutes in the sauna, or swim a few laps to unwind.

Crikey! I've left out the music/sound explosion. We'll need to have the whole place wired for sound . . . both playing and recording. I'm picturing a Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters-esque system of recording, sampling, looping, rerecording, broadcsting sound to and from any part of the complex. For that matter, add video to the mix. Anyone can tune in or tune out of the collective symphony (or even little bits of the symphony) from any point in the complex. People will be producing original music, dialog, rhythms, hues, what have you and, of course, it will all be routed to IT to do disseminate to the larger public audience.

Let's face it. With all this free energy floating about, people will need places for sex. Let's put some rooms aside for that. 'Nuff said.

We'll need a place for games . . . all kinds of games. Let's put a disc golf course in the backyard. We'll convert some open spaces for hackey sack. I'm sure there are already some tennis courts in place, possibly a golf course. We need to have space for physical activity (other than the sex rooms).

There's gotta be a mess hall. I'm thinking chefs from all corners of the world to prepare the most delicious day-long feast you could possibly ask for. Whether you're into soul food, Chinese, Indian, burgers & fries, Italian, whateva . . . you can get what you want and it will be the tastiest morsels you have ever shoveled down your gullet. Mmmmmmm . . . smorgasbord . . . melting pot. Deeeeeelish.

What else? We've covered the arts, humanities, physical sciences, political sciences, natural sciences, political sciences . . . Aaaahh! Economics! Let's dedicate a wing to bringing small, mom & pop businesses together to share strategies that work and those that don't. Curt at the Keweenaw Coop I'm sure would be in on this. Good stuff.

Then there's religion . . . how to embrace religion in this goofy network of doodads and googaws? That's just it . . . embrace it. Give it a big hug. You say, "I may not believe in your god, but I love the golden rule." We have a wing dedicated to this sort of discussion groups. I was raised a Baptist, trained as a scientist, and live as an alchemist, blending the many into one. I recommend bringing in Brother Guy Consolmagno . . . he's a Jesuit astronomer . . . came to Tech to deliver some fantastic words about how scientists and engineers make sense of religion. He's a good man, and thorough. You will receive no bill.

Okay, those are my thoughts. I'd love to appear in a Brave New Film, but ultimately, this isn't about me . . . it's about the kids. I'm doing everything I do for those kids in Burton, MI that may or may not have fathers, that may or may not be able to afford a college education, that may or may not have health care, that may or may not be able to vote in the 2008 election.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak my mind.

Jeremy

Well, I am in the wrong business. It is a shame how most people work hard and get crapped on.

I'd use the buildings to start schools--there's a nice long tradition, for some folks, anyway, of donating their homes to private schools. I'd make them public schools--charter schools. The rest I'd set up trusts to award super teachers additional bonuses & salary.

The biggest thing, though, is to put up lists of the filthy rich, and campaign to have all news outlets, when covering any of these folks, to "bring the story down to human level."

Here's what I got to say on NPR:

I'll bet that all it would take to reduce CEO pay is for the news media to report something like this in EVERY story using the CEO's name, even in a minor photo caption.

For example:
AP Photo
"Jim Jones (left), the CEO of ABC Inc., accepts the men's singles tennis trophy at Greenƒleeves Country Club from club president Stephen Potter. Jones's complete compensation package comes to $1.3 a year, including two Starstream jets, eight houses (one for each season but allowing a choice for each season), and 35 cars. His personal staff is 1,850, of whom 655 are in the US, most of them illegal aliens.

And, in an exercise of appropriately fitting wretched excess, the media might even go further, like this:

"In the four minutes it took to pose for this photo, Jones made $165,000. In that same four minutes, the average worker at ABC Corp. pulled down $0.53 (53 cents), which is 311,000 times LESS than Jones got."

Just a thought, FWIW.

The problem is not individuals like Kravitz. It's the disgustingness of the system the people of your country have created. The rest of the world constantly laughs at how you think you have something to be proud of. Your country, your system and your people are a farce.

It is absolutely loathsome that anyone would make this much money and not do something for the unfortunate ones in our country. If I had the opportunity to live in one of Kravis' homes I would bring in all the doctors Naturopaths, healers, body workers, and therapists I could find, set them up with everything they would need to serve patients. I would be sure that there were sufficient vitamins, minerals, natural remedies, and whatever else is necessary to work with. Then I would put the word out that anyone without medical insurance would be treated and taken care of at that location for as long as we were allowed to stay there. I would make sure that alternative therapies, massage, chiropractic, etc. etc., were available to anyone who, again, had no health insurance. What a wonderful day it would be for all those who needed medical attention but couldn't afford it. So very many out there in that position. It boggles the mind that our once great nation is now so 'third world' in its attitude that we do not have health insurance available for every person within our borders.

Anyway, that's what I'd do if I had the opportunity.

While sitting in a chair by the door I would also ponder two questions:

1. Just how much wealth does one person really need?

2. What would anyone need to do with a billion dollars that they couldn't just as easily do with a hundred million?

No thanks! I'd rather go hiking in the wilderness.

In that 24 hours, I would, first of all, sell off this house that I was staying in, as well as all of it's assets, and fire all the help. Then, I would take all of the money I aquired from selling off all these things, buy a private jet with a pilot, and figure out where EVERY SINGLE OTHER home that Mr. Kravis owns is ANYWHERE ON THE PLANET, fly to them, and burn them all down, after telling all of the employees to first leave. Then I would fly back to my home city, and whatever money I had left I would give to environmental organizations such as the Sierra Club, so that they can have more than enough resources to bitchslap Bush and his cronies.

It is disturbing that so many people will villify a fellow human being they have never met and about whom they know nothing, yet say nothing that the people who made a movie which was defamatory in the extreme. If Henry Kravis were not a real person, I would think that the film maker was punking everyone in order show what evil hearted bastards so many G-d fearing Americans really are. Ready to murder a man when he comes home!

But it's not prank on dark hearted Americans. Henry is a real man so we know the movie is in fact character assassination. We don't have to look to pre WW II Germany to understand the rise of Hilter nad the genocide of millions of Jews and others. All we have to do is look at Americans in 2007 and see how readily they would kill a fellow man based upon lies.

I would use the publicity generated to get this message to the public:

Our government, that has been bought and paid for by corporate interests, needs to be bought and paid for by the people. Corporations spend millions on lobbying only because it is an incredibly good investment, with wildly high returns. In order to get those incredible returns, the voters must pay for candidates' election campaigns, so that the candidates elected are beholden only to the voters. This is not a pipe dream; it's working in Arizona and Maine. It is called "Clean Money Elections" in some places, or "Voter Owned Elections" in others. It is public financing of election campaigns, and it is the reform that makes all other reforms possible.

Interior Exterior Industrial Hemp Cultivation Hydroponicly also on flatroof for Fuels Foods Clothing Building Materials Sell Furnishings for Advertiseing for Coopretive Implimentation without DEA FBI CIA Or Any Branch of Religious or Government Ignorance Interferance Return Paper Money to Being Made of Hemp Fiber for Greed of Fools Hemp Against War

I have met Mr. Kravis and his family and I am shocked that you can flat out lie about what facts you think you have. My mother worked for Mr. Kravis at his home in Casa de Campo as a property manager and he was beyond generous. He paid my mother a salary that is, to this day, unheard of, I don't need to say the amount, but it was a lot. He paid for my college education at University of Miami and Parsons and even paid for my rent. Your facts on his house in Casa de Campo are false, the pictures you have posted are not even pictures of the house he owned and you did not mention this disclaimer anywhere. He did not spend 25 million dollars renovating the house either, the total cost of everything was more like 10 million. He is a very smart man and also a humble person. He is not this monster you portray him to be. I suggest that you do your research and also find out what good he does for people throughout the world. Check all of your facts before you decide to make a documentary and imply that everything is a fact. Also the resort of Casa de Campo has all of the facilities available not just to Henry Kravis but anyone who lives in it or is a guest there, it's not just his 8 swiming pools and 150 polo horses, it is accessable to everyone there. I suggest you rethink you documentary and note where you went wrong and where you are telling half-truths. If you want your documentary to be factual and honest, also say the good things he does for every day people like myself and my family. You owe it to your veiwers to be honest and fair.

I alsomst threw up watching this video of decadence and inhumanity. No matter how some of you are turned on by his contribution to his charity, Kravis is no Ribin Hood. I suggest that we demand changes on tax laws so the the wealthy could pay their share of the burden.
Would I want to stay in one of his mansions for one day? The answer is NO. It is not where you live, it is how you live. Infact, I would not even like to be Kravis for one day.
And Mrs MTLN, you did not waste any of your time watching this video, you just wasted too much time whining about hard working folks who pay taxes.

I'd throw a big party for poor people in all 26 rooms and then make Henry Kravis clean up.

How about throwing an obscenely fancy party. Make it one of those parties where you're a nobody if you don't get invited. Somehow, I'd have to find a rich front man. One of these Scrooges that suddenly has a conscience, like Warren Buffet. Naturally, every rich person will have to go, to prove they're important. When everyone shows up and the champagne is pouring, cigars are lighting, and the hobnobbing starts, I'll lock the gates and turn on the electric fencing. These mansions are fortresses meant to keep the poor out. I've always thought they look more like prisons and that's what they'd get. Then all the mansions of the rich party-goers will be empty and geez, then we can think of some good stuff.

I would sit Mr. Kravis down and explain to him that he is living like an ill bred cad. That it is insane the way he is living, because there is no way he could spend that money in a life time and he can't take it with him. His homes are in poor taste and grotesque.
I would ask him where is his sense of honor, duty and integrity? He is acting like a greedy child in a candy store, and eating everything in sight.
Then I would make him face the consequences of his actions by holding a dinner party with every employee that he has economically affected. I would make him listen to them and explain why he destroyed their lives.
The last thing I would do is ask him to take six months off and spend it working a minimum wage jobs, eating in soup kitchen, sleeping in homeless shelters, and anything that will humble him.

It is interesting how hundreds of people are ready to criticize Henry Kravis without knowing anything about the man. Many express hatred of a man they have never met just because some jerk makes a short movie distorting Henry's life. In reality Henry has done far more good things with his money than the posters here propose.

The difference between Henry K's good works and the suggestions made here is that Henry's are real and help real people and help America.

It is frightening how many people leap to an anti-Henry K zealotry withut knowing anything real about him. How about I make a movie of your home or your car or your fancy TV and then compare your life to the homeless shcizophrenic lady who wanders nerby streets. After all, her mental illness must be the result of your hording all that wealth: a tV 2 radios, heat at night, etc. Then, let's give out your address and have thousands of people hate you and write vile nasty things about you. Of course, when I write my story and I leave out the fact you have feed 25 homeless people this year alone. But what the hey, what does it matter if I never tell the truth about you as long as I can get people to hate you.

I'd start my own country.
I mean, its big enough. Its even probably bigger than Vatican City.

It would represent everything that America is not.

There are many men and women who have been terribly injured for this war of greed called the Iraq and Afganistan War. I would challenge this Kravis to develop a heart late in life and open all of these places for rest and relaction for our men in uniform who have paid a dear price to protect this jerk's lifestyle. They have earned it.

I would sell it. Buy a reasonably priced 1 or 2
bedroom home and give the rest to chairity

If I lived in one the Kravis mansions for a day during the holidays I would sell everything on ebay and use the money to find or build homes for all the homeless vets. If I could do anything I wanted with all of his mansions I would use one for homeless vets, another for still homeless Hurrican Katrina victims, I'd turn another one into a rehabilitation center for vets from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, a fourth for a holiday center for foster kids and the 5th for a center devoted to a progressive think tank. Happy holidays everyone.

A junk bond, as perfected by legendary felon and now university professor and "philanthropist" Michael Milken, is in effect an I.O.U. given in exchange for money to buy a gun to commit a holdup. If the holdup fails, the lender knows he's not getting his money back. It's an effective way for the very rich to gamble a few hundred thousand to make millions. They can afford to gamble a pittance, and they reap handsome rewards if the crime is pulled off successfully.

Mother Theresa once said to the author of the book "The Soul of Money", after she mentioned her disgust at people with this sort of money, "we must pray for these people, for they too have a sickness". I am glad that I don't have this sort of karmic debt. There is no way I could step over so many people just to live like royalty.
Anyway, if I had this kind of money, I would merely pay of my enormous propane bill in just one month.

If I lived in one of Kravis' mansions for one day during the Holidays, I would implant an audio-video of Dickens', A Christmal Carol, and hope he had to listen to/see it in perpetuity, without locating it. Maybe its message would sink into his greedy skull! If not, it would hopefully drive him crazy, maybe enough to get out of the parasitic "business" he is in (which provides neither a product nor a service of value to anyone; only more unnecessary wealth to him and his cronies).

Since our Veterans put down their lives to make these mansions possible, I think they should be used for rehabilitation and transition housing for homeless vets and the ones with mental disorders. I'm sure the surroundings of these mansions would be conducive to their recovery. It would sure beat the mold and horrible conditions that they have to endure at the VA.

I would hold a meeting of the Ayn Rand society and read Atlas Shrugged.

This is a very misleading film. Here are some inaccuracies in the film:

1 - Henry Kravis is a major contributor to charities and has funded many educational institutions.

2 - He pays taxes on gain of sale of stock at the same rate as everybody else -- it's called capital gains. This money has already been taxed at the corporate level by generally 35%, so he is being double taxed on his money and paying more in percentage terms than the worker. This "opportunity" is available to every American who owns stock in a corporation.

3 - He does not deduct the debt of the company from his taxes -- only the interest on that debt, from the company's taxes. This opportunity is available to every American homeowner or business owner, and even Americans who finance their education with debt.

4 - He purchases mismanaged companies from their owners and offers them a price that is more than the current value (usually a premium on the stock price). At that point, as the owner, he is effectively paying for the salaries of every employee at that company (and paying half of their taxes, through the company's payroll tax).

Is there a proposal here? Does the author suggest that we stop the buying and selling of companies. That we stop the current owners of companies and assets, such as homes and stock, from accepting offers that would make them a profit as well. That we stop Henry Kravis for making money for everybody he deals with -- his partners, his employees, the people he buys assets from, the people he sells assets to, the banks he borrows money from --- that we protect these people from their own choices? How would we do such a thing as a society? Is this a proposal about the tax code? I am sure that Mr. Kravis, and all in private equity, would love for us to have an equitable tax structure where we eliminate the double-taxation of corporate income and other inequities.

This is poorly researched and poorly informed muck-raking. I sense the influence of labor unions...

If I were the king of the forest....and had merely one of these properties. I would sell it.

The proceeds of the sale would be dedicated to establishing a PAC that would turn the powers that allow this kind of fraud on it's ears.

As I intend to win this contest, I hope that educated, intelligent, and progressive people will join me.

Thanks to all!

Wow! I just wasted several minutes of my life watching this video. As someone who pulled myself up by my bootstraps, I have to say, many of the people making comments on this video need to do their homework. Maybe you should look up how many people this person employs and how much money he gives to charity each year before you criticize him. Honestly, if I had his home for the weekend, I would thank him for letting me stay. It sounds like it would be a nice vacation. Anyone who says otherwise is probably lying or nuts. Don't worry, I don't understand how you guys feel. I didn't grow up with no running water not knowing where my next meal would come from. I did not spend winters freezing my buns off and had to shop at the church clothes closet for clothing. I have no idea what it is like to have to join the military in order to have enough money for college. You guys whine so much, maybe you should apply for those student loans, go to school, get at least a master's degree, and go get a job that allows you to live the American dream. I get so tired of hearing how you had it so bad, many of you could not have had it worse than me, and you criticize others for not knowing your plight. That is utter bullshit.

You hate the tax laws, fix them. Elect someone who actually has a brain into office and get rid of the man that is making money off of defense contracts. If you hate having low paying jobs, go to school. It's not like you have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that teaching school pays almost nothing! It is the same with firefighting and police work.

It's not like you didn't know how much money was in your bank account when you had those kids. (It's called Birth Control and family planning)

Mr. Kravis, you rock! You take struggling companies and fix them so that fewer people lose their jobs. You boost our failing economy and I salute you. To hell with the other idiots here.

I would use his home for my poker game(and video tape it). The regular players at my poker game are a homeless person, a disabled war veteran, a 14 year old drug dealer, a teacher who works in the hood, a policeman who works in the hood, my friend from New Orleans (who lost their home in the storm), a friend of mine who was laid off after 23 years of working at a company Kravis bought, another friend of mine who went back to work at age 67 because he lost his retirement money via Enron and me who got rich, very rich via helping people feel better.

I would go to downtown Ottawa, where I know some of the nicest people in town- the homeless- and invite them to come down with me. And then I'd find whatever sound system he has in there- and he must have *something*, right? And rock out. Yeah.

I would go to downtown Ottawa, where I know some of the nicest people in town- the homeless- and invite them to come down with me. And then I'd find whatever sound system he has in there- and he must have *something*, right? And rock out. Yeah.

To try to let Kravis undestand what a lack of material resources does to your spirit, I would descend upon his property with a horde of artists. First we would use superglue and glue every drawer, cabinet and closet shut; glue every appliance control and lightswitch (in the off position of course), and glue every piece of furniture to the floor. Immobilizing every mobile, usable, sellable and materially gratifying piece of Property, we would proceed to paint every surface purple and green, to represent the bruising of the body of humanity that aquiring great wealth invariably causes. Finally, every window would be painted black, as the evil of greed blocks out any posiblity of illuminating decent souls.
That all.

I WOULD PERSONALLY DISTRIBUTE IT TO PLACES WHERE THE DEMOGRAPHICS SHOWED THAT THERE WAS A LARGE DROP OUT RATE AND PEOPLE NEEDED MORE EDUCATION FOR EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO OVERCOME ALL IGNORANCE AND POVERTY IN THIS NATION. I WOULD ALSO MAKE IT MANDATORY THAT EVERY DOCTOR OF ANY KIND AND EVERY LAWYER SERVE AT LEAST 2 YEARS IN PUBLIC SERVICE BEFORE THEY COULD BE AWARDED THEIR FULL CREDENTIALS, NO MATTER WHERE...iF YOU WERE RICH YOU COULD LOBBY FOR THIS AND BUY OFF ENOUGH POLITICIANS TO HAVE IT ACCEPTED, AT LEAST HERE IN THE US.

Wonderful, moving.
It could only be described by the accumulation of all the good works and words.
A message that needs to be said over and over.
GOD did not make us all equal. Some brighter some stronger. But he gave us all equal ability to be honest.

To describe such accumulation of wealth shown in this movie as being earned or justified.
Is delusional. Dishonest.

I would put on production of HAIR free for all who want to come to see it.

Easy, invite all congress reps who voted for their free health care for supper in style... last supper with pink slips... any other manager would have been fired!

If I had a Henry Kravis home for 24 hours, I would sell everything in it. I would imagine all of his homes house many very, very expensive items, probably worth millions by themselves. I would use the money to provide homes for as many hurricane Katrina refuges as I could.

I would use some of the money to buy as many copies as I could of Aaron Russo's "America From Freedom To Fascism" to give out to people to help spread truth about the Federal Reserve and the IRS, to wake people up. I might even rent a few theaters so we could show free screenings of the film until it was seen by enough people to start the necessary buzz across America it surely will create.

I would keep a little of the money to help our family so we could successfully launch the 3 businesses we have been working very hard to create so we could breathe again. I had a mom and pop business doing criminal background checks for employment screening. It was very successful for 10 of the 12 years I ran it. Neo-con greed and corruption put me out of business. I was unwilling to cross the line and follow in corrupt competitors footsteps. In defense of our corrupt competitors, they were only doing what became the required modus operandi to stay in business. Large Corporations like Choice Point drove the prices and the turn around time for getting the work completed. A small mom and pop research company had 2 choices, become corrupt, commit theft and fraud everyday to get the job done as quickly and cheaply as possible or close their doors. I chose the latter because I want to be able to look in the mirror at night. I also wanted to be telling the truth myself when I told our son it's important to be honest. Pretending to do a "real" criminal background check in order to keep my job was not an option for me. I was unwilling to place potential employees or any unsuspecting person in harms way. Corrupt background checks caused a patient at Brotman Medical Center in Santa Monica California to be raped by someone who was hired based on a corrupt background check. As it has become clear, the corruption in the criminal background check industry was just the tip of the iceberg.

When lust for power and greed replace honor, truth,integrity, compassion and a healthy respect for the sanctity of human life, things have nowhere to go but downhill.

When madmen filled with hate decide they are going to rule instead of govern, when madmen decide they are better than everyone else and allow greedy corporations to become partners in crime with government, things can only go downhill until the masses rise up and say enough is enough. This particular group of madmen have already put into action their plan to create the New World Order/One World Government. The first phase was creating the EU in 1954 secretly. One the citizens found out, it was a done deal and too late to do anything about it. The 2nd phase for these madmen is to create the North American Union, (NAU), dump the dollar in favor of the Amero. This is why they have been doing nothing at all about illegal immigration. From their prospective, the US, Canada and Mexico are designated to become one country with the complete loss of the US constitution. The plans have all been put into place in secret, however, some very brave souls who are also journalists did their homework and have been exposing this truth. The question is, has it been exposed soon enough to stop it dead in it's tracks. Time will tell. If anyone thinks the greed, the falling dollar, the real estate bubble being popped essentially at the same time is merely coincidence, think again. The truth is, the greed is merely the TIP OF THE ICEBERG!!!

I would ask each of the presidential candidates to appear in front of one of his houses using the same video footage that you used to display why people like Henry Kravis are getting richer by the day as the rest of us get poorer by the day, and then saying what they would do to fix it. It would be a great way to see which candidates are really for helping the poverty issue in America and which candidates wouldn't do it because they are already in bed with the likes of Henry Kravis.

Each Kravis mansion would become an annex to Walter Reed Hospital, with daily showings of 'Dr. Zhivago', 'Fall of the Roman Empire' and 'Trading Places'.

On Christmas Eve, I would have a big celebration; cramming as many of the homeless people on oahu (because you most definitely couldn't fit all of them) inside. I would let them know they're more than welcome to all the clothes, food, drink, toiletries, and any other valuable items of their liking inside. This event would have to be heavily policed because a large portion of them are insane. Then on Christmas day, I would sell the home, hiring the portion of the homeless that would be willing to work as clean-up crew. All the money split between Red Cross and Salvation Army.

The point of the video is quite clear.

I would:

Advertise a week ahead. Have a firesale. Use half of the proceeds to hire the best lawyers in the U.S. They put together the lawsuits and laws that would reverse the damage the courts did when they granted the rights of an individual to corporations. They failed to place effective legal limits on the kind of damage that corporations can cause by virtue of their collosal size and power. Their right to make profit must be limited by the rights of those affected. This is similar to the limitation on free speech: no yelling 'fire' in a crowded theatre. The 'our only responsibility is to our shareholders' notion has to be knocked down. Damage awards must always exceed the monetary advantage gained by ignoring the damage to citizens of the country.

The other half of the proceeds should be used to publicize the issues to voters in alternative media.

T.W.L.

Re; Solarisist comment, "What is the point?...."
Well, amigo, you are the point. even though you are intellectually aware of the problem, you are unwilling (or too scared) to do anything about it. I think what Greenwald's point is to tell people that if something isn't done about greed, and soon, this whole planet will implode both socially and economically. Greed is not original. It's been around since the first farmer planted a seed and conned someone else to do the drudge work of caring for the plant while the farmer diddled the worker's wife. Egality has beengoing down-hill ever since.

@ Joe Davenport

Yes, quite obviously I do not understand the difference between socialism and communism - you should perhaps go back and re-read the comments.

I never said that socialism was dead - merely that the outcome of socialism and what it grew into is quite well known. Pseudo-socialist states (e.g. certain Scandinavian economies) provide welfare through very high taxes, but they work well only because they are homogeneous societies and do not care much for free enterprise as we know it. A study on how many startups and new technologies come out from the US versus those countries, perhaps?

Secondly, even those countries that had mixed economies eventually gravitate towards capitalism (e.g. India) simply because it *works*.

Thirdly, nice ad hominem attack there, btw. You hardly know me, and yet there you are, stereotyping me and being judgmental.

There is *nothing* stopping you from coming up with your idea, starting a company and making millions. I have a lot of friends that did so and continue to do so. Genius and hard work stands out, to this day, anywhere in the world.

Get this. Nobody needs to do anything for you. It is not their duty nor their obligation. To quote a character from a Neal Stephenson book, "I have found that if you work hard, educate yourself and keep your wits about you, you can find your way in this society."

Perhaps you should take that to heart and spend more time doing something productive and less time belittling others for not helping you.

All I can say is:
Hooray for capitalism!!!

I would keep those employees..but have them do some valuable work. They would fo out into the slums of the cities and the edges of rural amerika and find people who need housing, food, healthcare, clothing, warmth. They would bring those people to the fine big home and give them what they needed. Then we would all gather in the great hall and have a giant feast celebrating the arrival of the Solstice and the end of poverty in amerika. At the new year we would continue around the globe til no one no where is cold, hurting or hungry. Love to all!

I would move in, and begin by laying off everyone who worked there, then I would subdivide the house, installing walls where all the doorways are and selling off each room to the highest bidder. Then I would use the bathroom, not flush and crawl out the window.

Or, I would do to his house what he has always done to companies. Oh that's right, it's the same thing.

I'm not sure what the point of this video was...
The great divide between the super haves and the those who have a little compared to them?
This is the least ground breaking pathetic youtube tripe you see everyday... go do something more creative then tell us how much a public school teacher makes compared to Henry Kravis...

the aboriginies had a novel method for dealing with the Spanish Conquere lust for gold and silver. They would pour the molten ore down each of their captives orifices in an attempt to satiate their greed. Perhaps Kravis should be invited to go through the same proceedure by stuffing forty one crisp one thousand dollar bills up and down each of his orifices to see if he would get the message.

The question is, what would you do if you could use one of the Kravis mansions for a day. I love other people's ideas, but many of them seem long term, and involve selling the property (which seems to offend some people--but Kravis should condone this, since he likes selling so much). If this were a question of long term and/or usurping the property, then i would agree with other's plans to sell the property with charity in mind--helping the environment, sheltering the homeless, sponsoring educational programs.

If I could only have it for one day, though, I would throw a party. Not just any party--my long term dream is to establish a commune for artists, and my idea for this party would be a sort of "Burning Man" type party--a temporary gathering of artists. Visual artists and Performance artists/companies of all kinds could apply to the project, with their idea for a one-day piece that would incorporate the theme of greed and how to rectify it in our capitalist society. People who could perform with regards to the environment would get preference. After the artists had been chosen and the agenda set for the day, we could invite guests--basically, anyone who could come and would want to can, and pay a donation if they want, the proceeds of which would go to selected charities. We could also video tape the day, and sell it online with the pay what you want method that certain recording artists have recently been employing; these proceeds would also go to charity.

For the food and refreshments provided during the day, i stipulate that they be bought only locally and organically, and vegetarian. We could bring in members of NYC's Just Food to educate guests on how to prepare thrifty, healthy meals for themselves. Actually, this would also have to be an eco-minded event, and we could reward people for using public transportation or alternative energy to get to the site, and have environmental organizations present for educational purposes. I think there would be enough room on the property to accomodate all this. At the end of the day, we would clean up, return everything to its original place, and recycle, reuse, or compost any waste.

Co-op America asked its subscribers to write thank-you notes to Kohl Kravis Roberts and Texas Pacific Blue for the TXU buy-out to stop the coal-fired plants in Texas, a faux environmental triumph. Co-op America even had tear-out cards for us to mail to Kohl Krais Roberts and Texas Pacific Blue to say "thank you." I didn't tear them out or mail them and I've really come to despise that greenwashing machine, Co-op America.

He is a big capitalist!

While I admire the effort, if you honestly think any is going to change the system that these people created and protect you couldn't be more wrong. The only thing that could have changed this would have been government... but that was bought and paid for long ago. 10, 20, 50 years from now these people will be raking in even more money while a majority of the population struggle to make ends meet or starve to death in a third world country.

what a great guy! A great American! A Hero!

This country was built by the blood and sweat of suckers who were saved by con-men like Kravis.
Without men like Kravis happy African men, women and children would have stayed in Africa.
They would have missed out on their chance of the American dream with free room and board in the deep south.

Without men like Kravis Native American people would have continued to mismangage their land.
Thank goodness there's always been men like Kravis to save us.
I think Jesus said it best, "forgive them for they know not what they do." Yes!!!
Kravis is more than a money grabbing scum bag he's a savior, a great guy, a great American, and a true hero.

A classmate of Henry Kravis way back in undergraduate days, I've noticed with some amusement the good and bad press he's gotten over the years. While his level of accomplishment is certainly unusual, it has been done in methods available to anyone in a position to take advantage of them. To a large extent the operations of KKR, something of a "family business" at its inception, have been perfectly legal and encouraged by the mutated tax code we have allowed to develop.

My one-day experience at a Kravis property would avoid short-term reactions to the situation. Instead, I would gather many (very many) corporate and political power-brokers for an open discussion as to how the nation might return the tax code to what should be -- a means to one end, the fair collection of revenue. The tax code/tax system should not be seen as a solution to social or political issues and should, above all, be equitable.

All of this discussion should be recorded and shared with media and the population -- as should the explanations from those who choose not to attend. There is nothing more valuable than getting information to everyone. If the electorate drops the ball and forces no corrections, so be it. If needed change is made, we won't have Henry Kravis to kick around any more.

If I were to be given one of the Henry Kravis mansions for one day over the holidays, I think doing something really creative would be in order. I'd start by selling the place and all it's accoutrements to the highest bidder, (probably another Henry Kravis), then I would invest that money into green energy development and production projects, which in turn would create sustainable work for Americans for years to come, (hopefully some would be the same people Mr. Kravis put out of work).
After the green energy projects began making a profit, I would take a large portion of the proceeds to influence the lawmakers in Washington to change the laws that allow people like Henry Kravis to buy operating companies with borrowed money and gut them mercilessly. At the same time I would influence the Washington lawmakers to put this prick and others like him behind bars for the rest of their natural lives.
Then I would donate another large share of the proceeds into shareholder accounts for those people that lost their careers due to the greed of this one man.
But in the real world none of this will ever happen. We already live in a corporatocracy bordering on fascism and the only real way for Americans to gain this nation back is by becoming involved in the daily deals our politicians make and by voting the nastier of them out of office.

I'd probably clean. Like dust and stuff. Because that's what I like to do. Always leave a place better than you found it, just like in nature, and take care of stuff. One, its someone elses home, and I am guest there. Plus it would be nice to be invited back. And its the right thing to do. Its the civilized thing to do.

You don't go into someone's home and start stealing stuff, and selling it on ebay, or burning it to the ground, or invite a bunch of your shifty homeless friends into it who won't respect it. What is wrong with you people? It takes a lot of work to create organization. I see from the comments here, most people when jealous or envious, descend into barbarism or become wild animals. Which is why I don't allow people into my own home. It may be only a house trailer, but I keep it immaculate, clean, and organized.

There has to be a way to stop this. Can't you sue them under ethical standards. You need to hire some sort of lawyer to find a law he's breaking or lobby progressive senators to make laws against this.. This is just plane wrong.

What a sorry display of socialist agenda. Perhaps Hugo Chavez would jump up and down, but I fail to get the point here...Kravis has made tons and tons of money, no argument here. You think Kravis doesn't contribute to charitable causes? Check your facts. The beauty of this country is that (most) successful people also give, which you conveniently fail to include in the video. Every single one of these "standard citizens" you are putting up in the video would do the same if they had the opportunity. Let's not waste energy on bashing successful people, but spend it instead on fixing the problem!!! And taxes aren't going to do it. Plenty of examples around the world with much higher tax rates for the wealthy and the same exact problems as in the US.

I'd turn them all into homeless shelters or burn them to the ground.

Since there are lobbyists spending millions on keeping these people from paying more taxes than us, I would sell all his assets and put it toward reversing the tax break they get. I would make it so that people pay taxes subjected to what they make. The more you make, the more you pay. The less you make, the less you pay. Hey, that's how it is when we spend our money, why should that be any different from what we bring home?

What needs to be done is lobby to change the tax code. See the book, Perfectly Legal, for more information based on an examination of US Tax returns from 1970 to 2000.

If 100 people from each state would write a letter about it to their congressmen--it would help get things rolling.

People like this rob from the poor and give to the rich. This is old money that hasn't been earned. These guys are the real power in America that practicaly own the government. Policy is based their needs and interests not the general population. This kind of greed is the cause of suffering for many Americans.

This goes beyond capitalism and free market economy. Clearly this is societal exploitation on a gran scale assisted by the government policies they have purchased on the backs of the rest of us.

MR. KRAVIS IS ONLY ONE OF MANY BLOOD SUCKERS IN THIS WORLD BEING AIDED BY OUR CORRUPT PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON!!IF I WAS GIVEN THE USE OF MR.KRAVIS' HOUSE FOR ONE DAY...I WOULD DEFINITELY DECLINE THE OFFER ON THE GROUNDS OF BEING SUBJECTED TO SEVERE CONTAMINATION FROM THE VERMIN THAT OCCUPIES THAT HOUSE!!!!

I'm not sure I'd be comfortable living in a mansion afforded by the exploitation of so many decent working class families like my own. Given the right to do so I'd sell the abomination to an organization(s) that could make a positive use of it and use the proceeds to help restore some sense of efficacy back to the families that had to feel a loss in order for Kravis and Co. to afford such wasteful luxuries.

I'd work non-stop on educating people about what they need to know to effectively change a system that benefits Henry Kravis more than it benefits them. I'd educate people about this country's monetary policy and Federal Reserve System. I'd try to raise awareness about the corruption and greed that is rampant and supported in our current form of government. I'd talk about publicly financed elections and the reality and ease in which voter fraud occurs. And I'd hope that enough people are woken up to these facts that they demand our educational system teaches this stuff to all our children, so that someday we live in a world where our education system, our media, and our government serves the least among us as much as the wealthiest among us.

I'd work non-stop on educating people about what they need to know to effectively change a system that benefits Henry Kravis more than it benefits them. I'd educate people about this country's monetary policy and Federal Reserve System. I'd try to raise awareness about the corruption and greed that is rampant and supported in our current form of government. I'd talk about publicly financed elections and the reality and ease in which voter fraud occurs. And I'd hope that enough people are woken up to these facts that they demand our educational system teaches this stuff to all our children, so that someday we live in a world where our education system, our media, and our government serves the least among us as much as the wealthiest among us.

Strange, I've seen some comments from some claiming we're all just a bunch of lazy, commie, sob's who just want to take away the fair earnings of people who worked for it....well, my question is this; How hard do I have to work to get that rich, how many lifetimes do I need to live before I get that rich? I don't think most people are lazy; Teachers, Police, Military, Construction workers all have very demanding jobs, and I'll bet YOU or even Kravis could not last in such positions. Perhaps I'm asking the wrong question, not how hard I need to work, but who do I need to know?

I'd sell the mansion and parcel out the monies to East St. Louis firefighters, police, teachers, nurses - all that community's essential services including youth groups who want to rebuild and lead East St. Louis out of its 3rd world image.

He can have the New York place, but the local governments of the other locations should declare all the other properties for the government under the eminent domain laws (another Bush-era boondoggle). Then, they should sell off a portion of each and use the proceeds to turn them into camps for kids.

JTGates

1st, do no harm...
Contact local arbor clubs to preserve part of the property for indiginous species, water garden for runoff and other examples to sustain a property.
Then have annual 'arbor day eve' open 'house' for the area with labels and a path to educate and increase awareness of the environment.

Reward people trying to help:
Katrina volunteers with vacation time in a ansion.
Let local schools use space as museum/field trip.
Give sailing lesson the week before America's Cup races, to those that demonstrate an interest.
Host a dance lesson/class in the ballroom with each local dance studio.

Encourage people around him:
Health care to employees / $ incentives for rain
barrels and solar panels at their homes. $ incentives/loans for staff to live closer to work/the mansion. Free bus and train passes.
Support the infrastructure of the cities he is in.
Above paying fair property taxes by setting an example for other companies.
Matching 401K to support savings by employees.
Host financial planning referals/classes.

If given the chance, I would do the following.

A Day in the Life of Mr. Henry Kravis and his stuff and how his stuff was made and by whom.

6:00 am EST. As he finishes dressing by adjusting his diamond cuff links, individuals of those that dug for those diamonds and gold would be just standing watching him in his dressing room. Children with amputated hands, Fathers bruised and bloodied and Mothers morning their sons deaths in the latest mining accident. Silently, just watching. As he moves through the hallways, gold gilded frames would hold pictures of lives he's effected .Showing the effects of his policies which contribute to the numbers of poor and uninsured masses . And their eyes follow him as he saunters down the huge Honduras mahogany and marbled staircase which is also filled with those that were made to labor unfairly in order to special order that one of a kind staircase. All just standing on the stairs silently as their eyes meet to focus on the man that has exploited them for so long. The man that has contributed nothing to a starving tax base. They follow him as he steps onto the Persian rug, as all of the children that helped make the rug sit there watching as his Italian leathers step across every weave. They too watch in silence.

Each time Mr. Kravis held a dinner party in any of his homes, I would have individuals that are on the opposite end of Kravis's spectrum , also present. Not saying anything, but just there lining the circumference of his lavish dinning room ,watching silently. As he and his many guests begin their 10 course meal the flames of one of many fire places casts their shadows onto the ceiling above the guests. And each time he and his guests raise their crystal glasses , sterling silverware and imported linen napkins to their lips, their eyes would meet hundreds of starving individuals from across the globe. Silently watching them chew and swallow every last morsel. And while those around them would love to see them choke , they say nothing .

From Pool side to Golf Course, people everywhere just standing in silence watching as Kravis goes through his routine. There would be no escape from reality entering his self made reality. No matter where he was, no matter which home he was in, there would be thousands of silent onlookers that have been abused, under payed, uncounted, and made voiceless by the corporate elite.

They would be present in office buildings, elevators,and boardrooms. Staring silently all the while into the eyes of a shallow granite man, who is about to be crushed through eye contact over time. The oppressed will fill his every waking and sleeping hour. Reminder of what he has caused and perpetrated in the name of greed.

I would also fill his pools, his water supply and his liqueur cabinets with the blood of those that have died as a result of his corporate dealings. Those that were forced to endure the inhumanity of the power brokers. I would fill his bedrooms with sobs and screams of individuals that have been screaming for fair labor , banking and tax laws , yet were punished instead.

Mr Kravis would not be able to escape the world he has created outside of his many homes. As the realities of class division that he has helped to create, begins to ooze and back flow its way into his life . He would eventually either go insane or become sane. Which ever way you care to write it. But he will eventually be effected. And he will realize that he is indeed the oppressor and that oppressors are but a minority. He will know his opulence is a false one as it is so dependent upon politicians and at the expense of the individuals that now shadow his every move. And they have had it with being oppressed...as they shout out in unison, Let him eat Ramon Noodles!

The oppressed now have a view into what type of world they were forced to create for Mr. David Kravis. And Mr. David Kravis, surely realizes that he would not be in the position he is financially if he had to rely on his own sweat labor, but rather the power of many of whom he has screwed, as he scrambled to the top of the heap of the Corporate Elite. He will soon learn that he is but a mere small individual that does not know life , only that he uses others lives in order to maintain his addiction to greed and power.

In an ideal world, after a life time of being callous , shallow and running on empty, Mr Kravis eventually succumbs to the realization that he is the problem....however we do not live in an ideal world. Therefore, the majority of individuals that have been used and abused by the corporate elite, work feverishly for new and fair Tax Laws as well as repealing the global economic system that serves a few . Oh and in the end, all material goods owned by Mr.Kravis are placed into a repository until the day an agreed and democratically fair plan is made, as to what do do with them.
As for Kravis? He was charged with many crimes and was sentenced to a glass elevator to no where in the middle of Manhattan.

If I had one of his homes for a day and enough time to organize it, I'd have a much publicized press conference/event the purpose of which would be to raise awareness of the loophole in taxation of hedge fund managers' income. Their fight to maintain this loophole while making multi-millions per year risking other people’s money can only fall in a column labeled GREED. The event that I’d sponsor would be a call for equitable taxation – fair across the board, progressive and void of most exemptions.

However, I’d stress that this is not a personal and individual attack on Kravis. He has the financial smarts and the chutzpah to get to where he is today. He should not be penalized for his success, nor, however, should he pay less taxes proportionately to the waitress or the plumber or, for that matter, the physician. You can judge his methods ethically, but you can’t question the legality. If one feels his methods should be regulated, then talk and write to and make films about the politicians who live in Kravis’s pocket – Schumer of New York (where I live), for example, who wants to maintain the loophole mentioned above.

I’d also use the event to convey the concept that, ideally, paying taxes is a payment for the privilege of living in a democratic, enlightened society (unlike, unfortunately, the one we Americans live in at present). I’d distribute a bumper sticker that read: I wouldn’t mind paying taxes if 50% of it didn’t go to the military-industrial complex. I’d place video screens all over the mansion. They’d play “Why We Fight” over and over again.

I wouldn’t show a movie that demonized Kravis or offered alternatives like barbecues for the neighborhood (what about the hungry or homeless in the adjacent neighborhood?) or unlimited buying of video games (the same basic greed but at a different level). While calling for equitable taxation, I’d ask to whom wouldn’t the following apply? “There, but for several billion dollars, go I.”

@ Redman:

I appreciate you reading what I wrote and your response.

I am going to have to disagree with you here because the charities in question are very closely monitored by the government and they are dramatically helping hundreds of thousands of people. All of this information is publicly available and I encourage you to do the research. GuideStar may be a good place to start.

I hear you that I need to read up on the system and tax laws and I will do that - but the basic principle - our government rewards us if we make a charitable donation - seems like a good one to me.

The conversation is a good one - let's just make sure we are working with all of the correct information.

@ Redman:

I appreciate you reading what I wrote and your response.

I am going to have to disagree with you here because the charities in question are very closely monitored by the government and they are dramatically helping hundreds of thousands of people. All of this information is publicly available and I encourage you to do the research. GuideStar may be a good place to start.

I hear you that I need to read up on the system and tax laws and I will do that - but the basic principle - our government rewards us if we make a charitable donation - seems like a good one to me.

The conversation is a good one - let's just make sure we are working with all of the correct information.

If I had access to one of the Kravis mansions, I would use it for a fundraiser to raise money for water projects our Rotary district 7490 is doing all over the world. We are assessing erecting a dam at Comayagua, Honduras, a city of 80,000 that only has water two days a week. Children are getting sick from having to drink unsafe water. We are also trying to raise money for an orphanage for children parents who died of AIDS in Rundu, Namibia. They have little or no access to fresh water, plus they need money for school supplies and hriing teachers. Our third project is in Waari, Nigeria, to build a lavatory for students in a school there. Every day 6,000 children die around the world because they have no access to fresh drinking water. It would only take $11.1 billion dollars to remediate the problem. So, if I have access to the mansion, I would like to host a fund raiser to bring water to the millions of people who have to walk 1/2 hour to an hour every day just to get a gallon or so of water for drinking and bathing.

I'd turn the Kravis home into a museum dedicated to teaching about unbridled capitalism, and provide many instances of alternative economies where people and not the dollar are the bottom line. There would be no entrance fees. More people need to understand what our country is creating (war, inequity, injustice), which, of course, is the point of your video. Bravo, Robert Greenwald!

Call all the media and burn the house to call attention to the problem.

If I had the opportunity to utilize the Kravis home as I saw fit I would open a teaching center in cooperation with the Drepung-Loseling Monastery & The Mind Life Institute. We could hold seminars and classes to teach the principals of altruism and compassion along with life skills for a better world. Scholarships could be provided based on a sliding scale for everyone interested.

If I were allowed to stay in one of the mansions for the "holidays", I would throw a Charity Ball. I agree that he deserves to make as much money as he works for, however he does not deserve to pay a lesser tax percentage than anyone else. The basis of our tax laws are that everyone should pitch in their part. a school teacher makes less, but doesn't work any less. Why should she be penalized because she can't pay lobbyists to protect her financial interests?

I have a dream - AND A FIRM PLAN - to start a SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY where EVERYONE has enough high-quality food and warm/dry shelter, and where the earth is respected for supporting us (EXACTLY the opposite of our current situation, where we're abused at will by CEOs/corporations that have UNLIMITED GREED and NO MORAL COMPASS whatsoever). The way this "NaturesNetworks" plan is designed it mimics natural processes to generate win-win situations for EVERYONE involved (exactly the opposite of HK's actions), and it can be started ANYWHERE where there are people. The equivalent of two hours of his salary is technically enough to jump-start the plan, which my business advisor says is one of the best business ideas he has ever seen.
Implementation of this plan is ridiculously simple, and once the first demonstration "pod" is functioning it can't help but expand (everybody who has heard about it so far wants to be a part of it)! Just think: HK's money could start the SUSTAINABILITY REVOLUTION that brings him back onto a par with the rest of us! I was getting ready to go for grant money, but the irony of starting a TRULY GRASSROOTS REVOLUTION in this society with a MAJOR capitalist's money is too good an opportunity to pass up. Yes, Mr. Kravis, you can take that as a challenge, please! Thanks, and good luck to all!

What would I do? NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

WHY? Nothing can be done, as long as we have a fascist government, that caters to only the wealthiest and greediest among us, headed by an administration that believes its lies, deceit, hypocrisy, secrecy, corruption and incompetence are "par for the course". This situation will NOT change unless and until the American people realize how they have been and are continuing to be financially raped over the years for the benefit of the richest among us.

There is a class struggle in the United States. The rich and wealthy try to keep it hidden. We can only hope that someday it will find the light of day, and tax breaks will go to those who need the tax breaks, not wealthy financial rapists like Henry Kravitz.

Kravis is bad but he is not even the worst. They guy you should be going after is private equity tycoon Thomas Lee. He is rapist and using his billions to silence when that failed harass his victim.

The American citizenry is the Peter Principle at the national level and as a country we have risen to our level of incompetence as a nation. This is why our presidents are selected, Ford and Bush 2; why the politician and preachers lie and steal from the American public and broadcast it on television;why campaign contributions are legalized bribery and done with impunity; where arrogance is considered to be confidence by a gullible, ignorant populace who are abused, insulted, lied to, and stolen from and then bragged about in the MSM. I would have a garage sale.

I just saw several people put out of work and have had other friends out of work thanks to KKR. I'm just starting a family working at a company recently aquired by KKR. I instantly lost 20% of my income just by loosing the employee stock bennifits. Our insurance just went up25%, we lost 6% of our staff nationwide last month. I would invite every person I know that has been negatively effected by a KKR takeover / buy out. To do as they see fit. Maybe there'd be enough in the home to sell including the home to make up for all the suffering for the few people I know. Thank you KKR for the depletion of my savings, the increase in my debt, and the fact that I can no longer afford to see a doctor.

I would take that 28 story penthouse and convert it into affordable housing for the city. Not just affordable housing, but good housing. I would take the money he makes in a day and donate it to libraries, schools and arts foundations. I think that anyone who has that amount of money has an obligation, responsibility and honor to donate it to the less fortunate than themselves. I don't hate him for being rich, I don't hate him at all. It's not personal, I just think that if you have the resources, why wouldn't you do as much as possible to effect positive change in our country? It's not about a communist or socialist idea of "sharing wealth," it's the simple concept that we are all connected. For the Christians reading this, "Love your neighbor as yourself." I just think that owning 4 gynormous homes is a little excessive and instead of owning a lot of land when there is a shortage of space to support our growing population, you should cut it down to one and donate the rest. I think if your profits are that big, you should be able to afford amazing benefits for your employees, raising hourly wages, or even making them salaries so that they don't have to worry about not being able to stay home with their kids when they get sick. You know, in a lot of Europe, people don't work 40 hours a week, more like 30. They also get a minimum of 4 weeks paid vacation. Sounds to me like that is a model of how our employment system should work. If this guy has the money to make that happen for his fellow man (at least to the extent of the companies he owns), don't you think that he has at least the smallest obligation to do so? I feel that we should take care of each other, if we don't, we fall apart. Didn't we all learn about how teams and leadership work? If we are making gross amounts of profits, you give back out of gratitude and thanks for the blessings in your life.

When I got back from serving in Fallujah, Iraq, I started a dance company to tell the story of my comrades, the things we dealt with, and the people we left back home.

If I was there, I would take all my Marine buddies, my company, and every veteran I could find and we'd have a homecoming party once more.

Since he is putting people out of work, I would use his vast resources to set up small business start-up loan, counseling and continuing support services. Set up centers in the places hardest hit by his predacious practices and put people back on their feet and on the road to financial independence. Honor especially businesses that have the potential to put money back into the local economy and provide decent jobs to local people.

I admire people who are able to become wealthy beyond imagination. However, I only admire those who produce a tangible product or service, and those who give back to the community.

Henry Kravis and people like him are worse than the robber barons of the 19th century. Their lifestyles are the same as the robber barons, but unlike the robber barons, Kravis and his cohorts do not produce anything tangible. They do not build companies. Instead, their business is to destroy companies, communities, and people's lives. I despise this kind of greed.

If given the opportunity, I would turn Henry Kravis mansions into colleges where the curriculum would be based in the liberal arts. All students would be required to take courses in Ethics, Critical Thinking, English Literature, History, Psychology, World Legal Systems, World Religons, Economics, etc. Hopefully, when they graduate, they'll understand that all this seemingly disparate disciplines are tightly connected to one another. It would be my hope that they would leave better prepared to make a positive, lasting contribution for the greater good of us all.

Investigate the legalities of his practices, prosecute and meanwhile TAX TO THE MAX!!!

ok then, turn one of his mansions into a shelter for the homless

@ by J

These people do charity so they can feel good about it. But the rule is this, every cent they donate is tax deductible, so they are in essence taking your tax money and "appearing" to be a better person for it....learn the system and tax laws and you will see most charities are horse shit even if they help a few people. They would be better off making something in a factory thus employing thousands.....

I genuinely understand where the filmmakers and commenters are coming from but I think this is very wrong.

I come from a family with extremely humble origins - a family that includes military veterans, people who suffered from serious mental illness, regular people just like yourselves. I am in my 20s and also trying to make it in life. I went to all public schools and I did not attend college.

I do not know this man personally, but living in New York City I can't help but be aware of the Robin Hood Foundation. You can look at their website www.robinhood.org. Please take the time out to read about their origins and what they are doing. These programs have made a difference for many people I know and Mr. Kravis is a driving force behind this project.

Look guys I want a house like that and I thought the people in your film were very endearing and I would love to buy that kid every video game in the world. Let's just be careful about demonizing a man. This goes without saying but many of our heroes like Mr. Soros and Oprah and countless others live very similar lifestyles. Remember that this man has a family and this might be very hurtful to them.

The basic premise that he is getting rich while destroying people's lives is not true. It makes for a good story but it is just not true. Where are the numbers and statistics to support these claims. They are operating business that employ millions of people. The goal of the firm is to make a company more valuable. A valuable company shows growth. A growing company is hiring more employees.

Anyway overall I like to see young people doing things and I think you guys are very creative and have some great ideas and I wish you all the best of luck. I hope you consider what I've said here because I really think you are picking on the wrong guy.

Thanks and I wish you all the best.

Use the mansions as safe havens for the returning veterans from Iraq. A place of healing which would provide medical care needed for their multiple injuries. Mental health for those with PTSD. The whole array of medical staff needed to treat the multiple physical injuries. Possibly Doctors Without Borders would particpate in this project? Or.....begin another organization e.g. Health Care Providers for Veterans. Have this include Vietnam Veterans as well.

I would sell all the homes and furnishings and use the money to open health clinics nationwide for those who have no access to health care.

If I had access to one of those homes for 24 hours I'd cut the power to save the energy for a day...Take it right off the grid.

Kravis is a parasite. Corporate greed is destroying America and people have to stop accepting this the cost of our democracy. We can stop pigs like Kravis and still have a strong, democratic country. We can have a democracy without pandering to corporations. They're selling out America.

Nabisco wasn't destroyed by KKR, it was nearly destroyed by its former managers, and rescued by KKR. Private equity companies serve a vital function by being able to buy failing companies, reorganize them, and make a profit doing so.

Henry Kravis not only makes more in an hour than the people featured in this video, he and the companies he's controlled have also added vast amounts of wealth to the global economy, employed many thousands of people, and incidentally paid more in taxes every MONTH than all the snivelling pinko whiners here will pay in their lives.

Russia tried it your way. 30 million dead. China tried it your way. 77 million dead. North Koreans are dropping like flies from starvation as we speak, because they're doing it your way.

Surviving in the USA requires fewer hours of work than in any of the commie worker's paradises that have ever existed. Why do you think that is?

The fact is, that socialism is nothing more than misanthropy dressed up in pious pretense. You mother fuckers couldn't care less about the poor, you just hate anyone who's taken the initiative to make something of themselves.

I once worked for the richest, geediest family in the world "Walmart" My conscience pricked and I left to work in recycling, I'm happy that I'm not contributing in any shape or form to making the likes of these greedy individuals even richer!

Kohlberg, Kravis, and Roberts have been the Posterboy for greed and destruction to peoples lives for 25 years or longer. "Barbarians at the Gates"(HBO) documents the destruction of Nabisco, and personal experience at Safeway resulted in 50,000 layoffs, and a number of suicides by longtime stockholder/employees. MacGowan bought the Giants, and never missed a beat. Kravis is a certified slimeball.

What a bunch of bull! America is founded on capitalism, that any individual can amass as large a fortune as he wants. Just because you are poor does not give you the right to criticize the rich. Can't handle it? Jump off a freaking bridge.

I will take that mansion with an open mouth - just as you would.

And sorry, if you're going to be a nurse or teacher, you're probably going to make less than a CEO or investment banker. It would be comforting to know that the people teaching our kids KNEW this, but apparently this basic knowledge has somehow evaded them - and they are apparently passing this on.

So... Nurses/Teachers - start a Nursing/Teaching company. For you teachers there is the added bonus of knowing that even with minimal performance your company will outperform every public school. Grow it into a multi-million dollar enterprise and buy yourself a really nice house - but not TOO nice because you may not deserve it according to some others. ;-)

And to all of you talking about "giving it to a school", that is one sure way to make sure that NOTHING gets accomplished. Look at the debacle in was it Kansas City where they tried overfunding the schools - disaster. Also, note that the best funded schools in the country (DC?) are also the worst performing. Could just be coincidence. The point being - they have enough.

Ever since the Federal Government got into the school business, it has been a p-poor result ever since. They must have had a "War on Stupidity" with similar results to the "War on Poverty", "War on Drugs", "War on Terror" - all those other great successes.

Crazy though... I can't believe there are people out there that believe this stuff. Scary. I hope I don't make too much money. I'd better stop working now.

I ditto Mary Riker, for whose response I'm grateful, and I'll add that the angry provacateurs who post here are probably paid handsomely to do so:
Yes, one house could be converted into an employment agency that hires back all the displaced American workers, and then uses his tax break money to pay them to do real jobs, like cleaning up our trashed environment, and feeding people. We really should get that tax money back. Another house should be a hospital/clinic for all of us in the health insurance donut hole. And the fourth house---let's choose the most opulent one for this---should be a rescue shelter and home for homeless animals, and
THEY NEED NOT BE HOUSEBROKEN. Let's think big, and use them all. Has anyone else noticed that the rethuglicans who post stuff here are all bitter and humorless? How is it that when they got what they wanted with our huge gov't handouts to the rich, they still all sound like sour losers? Time for fair taxes, and a productive civilization---or just a civilization.

I'd take that mansion and shove it down dougieb's greedy smart ass big mouth until he whined "Wah!" (Dougieb's the childless crybaby provacateur who whined in a previous post that teachers should just choose jobs that pay more.)

OMG... I usually love Brave New Films, but OMG what a bunch of whiny morons these people on this video are. 5 minutes was hard to hold my dinner down, but I don't think i could get through an entire film of that wah wah wah whine BS. Seriously... what a bunch of babies. If you hate your lives so much - kill yourselves - or better yet, CHANGE YOUR JOB.

"Wah! I'm a teacher and people make more than me. Wah. I love being a teacher, this is my hovel. Wah."

Listen, I love playing backgammon, jetskiing and having sex, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to make $750,000 a year doing that, so I PICKED ANOTHER JOB. Duh.

So all you whiny teachers, nurses, etc. - Go be an investment banker. If Kravis' chose one of your jobs, he would be in the same spot as you. Ugh! I have the utmost respect for Kravis - and ZERO respect for these crybabies.

The one guy says that everyone should pay the same - I agree, but democrats (and republicans) don't - Democrats would like to see their own jack-booted thugs barge into homes of well to do people and take whatever those people "don't deserve" and 90% of what they earn so the government could waste it.

It is horrible that Americans have this "gimme" mentality. It is embarrassing and sickening. This is exactly why so many republicans STAY republicans even thought they hate the police state civil liberty assault and psycho-religious right tirade, etc.

Another thing that is not mentioned is that typically government workers such as firemen and police officers may pay more in taxes, but they often get 75% of their pay weekly for 10-20-30 years after they aren't firemen anymore. Think Kravis will get $450m a year if he STOPS working? Hell no.

And who do you think the 50 MILLION+ dollars he spent renovating his homes went to? Other millionaires? NO - probably to workers. The materials for those homes? Probably someone made those as well. What about the thousands he employs? That is tens of Millions in the economy people. And $50 Million being spent by this man is going to reap a lot more value than the government can at $15,000 per toilet seat. The government is lucky if they get $0.05 of value out of every dollar they waste so boo frickin hoo.

Yeah, "I would eBay everything in his house and give it to Charity" - nice. You'd make a great communist or Nazi. Give it to the Catholic church so they can pay off some of their molestation judgments. Ugh. Talk about taking out the (white) trash. Yeah right - and you'd give it all away... uh huh, then you would just be whining about how poor you are again.

LOL... and the kid at the end is being brought up right - "I'd sell it and buy every video game in the world" - Hey... then there would be some other kid complaining that he had an "unreasonable" number of video games.

If I offer you a $10 million dollar company for $1,000 - would you take it? Of course you would. If you didn't, you would be stupid. Now, scale that, and you have his job - looking for these opportunities. If you have a complaint, it is with the people that SELL KKR these companies in the first place.

So all you lovers of this film, go find yourselves some undervalued companies, put a buyout proposal together and make it happen, then you can keep all of the workers employed that you want - and you can give all of your profits to charity and make sure that you only live in the square footage you "deserve" no matter how much you work.

Bill Gates used to get this same rap, but he's done a million times more for the poor around the world than these whinebots in this video ever will. Think if the government had Gates' money that they would have done ANY of what he's done? They probably would have blown the entire $50 billion on the "study" of what they were going to do.

Hell, I guarantee Kravis has contributed more to society than the total of the freaks on this video.

BTW, at one time I was homeless and did not have a penny to my name. I am now a multi-millionaire - because I made a CHOICE instead of standing around breeding and bitching about how unfair it was that someone worked for something that I did not.

I feel like I just watched an episode of Springer.

OMG... I usually love Brave New Films, but OMG what a bunch of whiny morons these people on this video are. 5 minutes was hard to hold my dinner down, but I don't think i could get through an entire film of that wah wah wah whine BS. Seriously... what a bunch of babies. If you hate your lives so much - kill yourselves - or better yet, CHANGE YOUR JOB.

"Wah! I'm a teacher and people make more than me. Wah. I love being a teacher, this is my hovel. Wah."

Listen, I love playing backgammon, jetskiing and having sex, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to make $750,000 a year doing that, so I PICKED ANOTHER JOB. Duh.

So all you whiny teachers, nurses, etc. - Go be an investment banker. If Kravis' chose one of your jobs, he would be in the same spot as you. Ugh! I have the utmost respect for Kravis - and ZERO respect for these crybabies.

The one guy says that everyone should pay the same - I agree, but democrats (and republicans) don't - Democrats would like to see their own jack-booted thugs barge into homes of well to do people and take whatever those people "don't deserve" and 90% of what they earn so the government could waste it.

It is horrible that Americans have this "gimme" mentality. It is embarrassing and sickening. This is exactly why so many republicans STAY republicans even thought they hate the police state civil liberty assault and psycho-religious right tirade, etc.

Another thing that is not mentioned is that typically government workers such as firemen and police officers may pay more in taxes, but they often get 75% of their pay weekly for 10-20-30 years after they aren't firemen anymore. Think Kravis will get $450m a year if he STOPS working? Hell no.

And who do you think the 50 MILLION+ dollars he spent renovating his homes went to? Other millionaires? NO - probably to workers. The materials for those homes? Probably someone made those as well. What about the thousands he employs? That is tens of Millions in the economy people. And $50 Million being spent by this man is going to reap a lot more value than the government can at $15,000 per toilet seat. The government is lucky if they get $0.05 of value out of every dollar they waste so boo frickin hoo.

Yeah, "I would eBay everything in his house and give it to Charity" - nice. You'd make a great communist or Nazi. Give it to the Catholic church so they can pay off some of their molestation judgments. Ugh. Talk about taking out the (white) trash. Yeah right - and you'd give it all away... uh huh, then you would just be whining about how poor you are again.

LOL... and the kid at the end is being brought up right - "I'd sell it and buy every video game in the world" - Hey... then there would be some other kid complaining that he had an "unreasonable" number of video games.

If I offer you a $10 million dollar company for $1,000 - would you take it? Of course you would. If you didn't, you would be stupid. Now, scale that, and you have his job - looking for these opportunities. If you have a complaint, it is with the people that SELL KKR these companies in the first place.

So all you lovers of this film, go find yourselves some undervalued companies, put a buyout proposal together and make it happen, then you can keep all of the workers employed that you want - and you can give all of your profits to charity and make sure that you only live in the square footage you "deserve" no matter how much you work.

Bill Gates used to get this same rap, but he's done a million times more for the poor around the world than these whinebots in this video ever will. Think if the government had Gates' money that they would have done ANY of what he's done? They probably would have blown the entire $50 billion on the "study" of what they were going to do.

Hell, I guarantee Kravis has contributed more to society than the total of the freaks on this video.

BTW, at one time I was homeless and did not have a penny to my name. I am now a multi-millionaire - because I made a CHOICE instead of standing around breeding and bitching about how unfair it was that someone worked for something that I did not.

I feel like I just watched an episode of Springer.

Just read comment from MTLN, sorry to burst your bubble but socialism is alive and well,communism on the other hand is dead-do not confuse a form of government with and economic school. As to 'What happened to America, jerks like Mr Kravis and perhaps MTLN pulled the ladders up behind them as they headed to to the top of the heap (they also seem to make a point of taking the bootstraps we are all supposed to use to pull ourselves up. Time for a whole lot more we and less me MTLN or we all go down the toilet together

Sell off the property in the Dominican Republic save the proceeds for transportation to the new workers college campuses you've just created, don't forget to include adult residential habitation facilities on the country estate. Oh did I mention that Mr Karavis should get a special retraining vacation? School cafeteria, C-store night clerk. special education assistant for the profoundly disabled (yup let him mop up beer, wash dishes and change diapers on adults-he can have a stall in the barn for a nominal rent of course

One house could be converted into an employment agency that hires back all the displaced American workers, and then uses his tax break money to pay them to do real jobs, like cleaning up our trashed environment, and feeding people. We really should get that tax money back---I have a normal income and a HUGE tax bite. Another house would be great for an arts college for people who can't afford an education. Another house should be a hospital/clinic for all of us in the health insurance donut hole. And the fourth house---let's choose the most opulent one for this---should be a rescue shelter and home for homeless animals, and
THEY NEED NOT BE HOUSEBROKEN. Let's think big, and use them all. Has anyone else noticed that the republicans who post stuff here are all bitter and humorless? How is it that when they got what they wanted with our huge gov't handouts to the rich, they still all sound like sour losers? Time for fair taxes, and a productive civilization---or just a civilization.

Time for some lessons, ignoring others opinions makes you a very shallow person..........

Learn
Read Ron Pauls words....
Jews for Ron Paul

Equal Rights are EQUAL, not preferential.

So, I've got the mansion for 24 hours? I wouldn't sell stuff, hey it's not my stuff to sell. But, I could go to the local agency for homeless/hungary agencies. Tell them to send their hungary and homeless over to spend the night and have a meal. I could probably find enough food in the refriderator/pantry to feed the lot. I'd ever pay for a bus to bring them in.

To be quite honest, I wouldn't want to be in any of that man's dwellings...I would feel dirty.

It upsets me that greed is worshiped in this country...that men, such as Mr. Kravis, are envied. I think he must have a self-confidence issue since he surrounds himself with so much pomp. I am angered that he has sold out his fellow Americans to attain his wealth. Mr. Kravis is a perfect example of why America is reguarded by many as "The Great Satan".

He will not be missed.

go to: gerwouters.sp.nl

I would sell the mansions and auction off all belongings. Then,put the money in a trust for the most impoverished school systems in the country to fund afterschool programs and weekend programs for poor children. These programs would be carefully geared toward helping these children out of the cycle of poverty. I would also donate money to child abuse prevention programs.

Wow.

You guys do not even get the basic definition of PE right. Unbelievable.

You know, that video reminded me of something that I saw somewhere once - I think it was about the peasants taking the money from the rich and redistributing it for social welfare.

Oh wait, I think it was called socialism. We all know how well that worked out.

I think that the only honest answer was from the kid, who said that he'd sell the house and buy all the videogames that he could.

The person who made this film is probably a serious nutjob. What is this? Propaganda material? Alternating between the rich and the poor?

What a bunch of idiots. I wonder what happened to the days when the US was the land of opportunities and where you said, "Hey, I will earn as much as that guy if not more".

Instead, people bitch and moan and whine and would rather have it all handed it over to them. How about getting off that ass, working two or three jobs, getting a couple of college degrees and seeing how far you go in life? No? Too hard for you?

i would jerk off to a poster with his face on it in every room and rub my butter on the door handle and ask him to come over. i have issues.

This could only happen if I was given enough notice to Make flyers and post them in a 10 block radius announcing: a 24-hour Estate Sale Everything Must Go! Any one furniture item $20/each, all sets of furniture $100.00, silverware goes for 5.00/pc., or $35.00/set of 4; carpets $50/each.....
I'd buy a one-way ticket home to CA and then I'd donate the remaining monies to my favorite charities in Petaluma, CA.
Oh, and buy dinner for 10 close friends

TRASH THE PLACE FUCKING TEAR SHIT UP

I agree that what Kravitz does hurts this country and its people but staying in his house for one day wouldn't do anything to help that. If I sold off his stuff, I'd be sinking to his level and I wouldn't be a robber baron, just a criminal. I'd end up in jail and he could buy everything back. How about upping the stakes on this game of pretend and say what if you could take over and own one of those houses--or more? Then what could you do? It has to be something that lasts to do more than just punish a man who might not even notice. Open a free clinic and staff it with well paid doctors and nurses and good equipment available to people with no health insurance. Feed hungry people. If there's a disaster somewhere, provide asylum for victims--or provide political asylum for victims of atrocities all over the world, with counseling and help becoming citizens. You'd have to have access to Kravitz's assets as well as one house to finance all of this. Unfortunately, the people who finance him taking over and gutting businesses and running them into the ground are less likely to loan money to do good things for people.

Shelter for the homeless; considering the state of the economy, outsourcing of jobs and lack of affordable housing, the numbers are growing!

If I had the opportunity to stay in one of Henry Kravis's homes I would send a bus to the local mission and invite everyone to the house for a great meal, the opportunity to spend the night, and a parting gift of their choice as they left the house the following morning. All at Henry's expense of course.
Scott

Excuse the misspelling...that was supposed to read
"our" own tax dollars...

With the proceeds of the Henry Kravis sale of all that could raise capital, I would buy Main Stream Media simulcast time and put out the truth of this whole system, built on greed, which depends upon us not asking too many questions...as many minutes as possible to pack in a pithy meme powerful enough to shock open an overly-complacent population to receive the good news of what We The People could actually do for our planet if allowed to spend out own tax dollars on it!

Kravitz is a one of the fascist bosses that controls America. So what? Why shouldn't he have all that money. He is one of the fascists calling the shots for the entire country. The brain dead American public put him in power by their greed and stupidity. He is simply taking advantage of the greed and excessive consumption of the vast majority of Americans. He is one of them, just much better at it.

I like where you're going with this, except for one thing: could we please not have another war on something? I've had quite enough war what with the war on Iraq, the war on Afghanistan, the war on Somalia, the war on Pakistan, the war on India, the war on Burma, the war on Haiti, the war on Sudan, the war on the Congo, the war on Indonesia, the war on terror, the war on drugs, etc, etc, etc.

You know what I've noticed? None of these wars seem to be working out really well for the people involved on either side.

How about being in favor of something? Equality, maybe, or human rights? How about being in favor of food, shelter, clothing, security, freedom, education, and medical care for all people? Can we try that maybe?

I would do all of those things! Why is this type of activity even allowed in the U.S.? I doubt it would be legal in Europe. I think most European countries go to great lengths to protect their jobs. But here!?

I would sell everything and feed all the hungry children and people all over the world.

"For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil"

unfortunately greed seems to be the common problem everywhere and very much a problem in the united states these last 7 years. welfare for the rich is obscene, as is war for profit and oil. no one needs more than a modest amount of income to live well, the excess should go to a general fund for education, health and the well being of all of our citizens and visitors.

Chris you are not well informed. Often, Private Equity companies target public companies that are doing well who have little debt. They offer shareholders and executives premiums to accept a buyout and then take the company private, lay off workers, cut benefits, sell off parts and then sell the company making billions in profits. All while benefitting from a 15% tax rate on much of their profits.

What about that do you not understand? If you embrace greed so be it but be honest so people know where you stand.

I would sell everything in the house, including the house and give it to Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy foundation, so they could find a cure for this very painful disease.Not enough research is being done. They found out about this disease during the civil war time. I know it's too late for me to be cured, but, I would like to see a cure for it for all the other people that have it, that are younger than me. Like our troops that are fighting in Iraq and Afganastan. That's what I would do. This is so sick, I can't work and have been disabled since 1994 and my husband who is seventy-five is still working just so we can live in this mobile home, he can't afford to retire.

Hit the barracuda with a 50% capital gains and income tax.

Wow, I am surprised at how ignorant the people who made that Kravis film are. The companies that they buy are usually in some form of distress such that they WANT to sell their company to private equity firms. Usually, these firms are losing money. Would you rather have the firm stay the way it is, and then go bankrupt in 5 years and EVERYONE gets laid off, or is reduced in size, and returned to profitability so that it may operate for another 20 years? Private equity firms, in the long run, help distressed firms return to profitability.

I know that the world is not fair, but his income is DIRECTLY tied to his performance. Ironically, his income method is actually the most fair and capitalistic method out there: You earn depending on how much business you generate. His income isn't necessarily ~$400m a year every year, but varies with the amount of profits that KKR makes. This, in my opinion, is the best method out there. We have all encountered those receptionists and such who don't give a damn about customers because unless they seriously screw up and are fired, they know they'll be bringing in the same $30,000 home every year. KKR's method gives him motivation to go above and beyond of what is required.

I would open up the mansion to some of the victims of Hurricane Katrina who are still homeless and or in need. They would be allowed to have a room in the mansion and all would be responsible for the up keep their rooms and help out with the general care of the place. It would be modeled kind of like a commune but with more boundaries.
Those who come there will be able to live there free, in order to save their money to be able to afford their own place. When they move out then others who are in need would be able to move in. This process could continue so that no one person has a monopoly on living there. In fact, I think that Mitt Romney also made his $ by buying companies, laying off workers and then rehiring them at much less than what they were paid before. He sliced and diced his way into his wealth as well. Explain the difference between he and Kravis? Maybe Mitt has some extra space some homeless people could use.

Fill it with 1000 monkeys who would, given enough time, write the following on all the walls, in their feces, "DEATH TO CAPITALIST PIGS."

There is nothing wrong with making a lot of money, the question is how was it made? How many lives were destroyed along the way? and at the end what do you really do with the results...well there are people like Henry Kravis and there are also many rich people who build and donate to schools and the poor and the needy...not too many out there, are there?
What would I do with Henry's house, Plan B: Gather all the world rulers who are war hungry and parasites on other nations and their people...let their own soldiers do what they did to the innocent people & get a taste of it too.

I left out a statement on last blog. What I meant is those of us in America who by choice, chose jobs in the helping field or ones that pay the same low wages should be kept struggling, because they chose to have a conscience and help others.

Those who call the left names are ignorant. If you read most of what is said, it is about equality of tax paying. Why should those making $30,000 a year pay at say a rate of 32%, when those making what Kravis makes with all his tax breaks pay at a rate of 3%. And just so the right has nothing to fault me with I am using for instances, when using the above percentages. I only trying to show the vast inequality for those in the top 1% of income. It is all about choice in America, but those by choice who are kept struggling by their own government's need to give the "haves" more breaks than the "have nots"is a travesty.

Oh and Dave, with the comment about the "republagoons". This has nothing to do with Bush/Cheney, yes Enron was criminal but LBOs are not criminal in any way at all. Kravis is just good at it. You are so stupid Dave, your comments illustrate your lack of knowledge about PE and investing.

Fucking haters... I used to be just like all you stupid people. Trust me... you're all wrong.

If only you'd spent as much time on BECOMING successful as you spend on trying to PREVENT OTHERS from enjoying success... you'd be successful too.

There's enough to go around. And you don't have to give up your morals to do it.

Forget about theirs. Just focus on yours and you'll be fine.

So because you all are pissed off because he is wealthy? How do you know all the "families who lost money and suffered?" Where are you getting this?

This is absurd, life isn't fair, and he pays less tax because he pays 15% capital gains tax, which according to the LAW is less than ordinary income. He is investing some of his money such the tax treated as cap gains. In addition, the absolute amt. of tax revenues he is giving the government has amounted to the hundreds of millions.

You are all so naive, and so uneducated. You lack of income is not Henry Kravis' problem, he had not hing to do with you not making "enough".

It is his private right to spend as he wishes, shame on all of you.

I would sell all of the assets and apply the earnings toward the taxes that Kravits should be paying.

I would sell all the useless expensive garbage inside the houses, furnish it modestly, bring back all the families who lost money and suffered hardship, let them stay there for free to get back on their feet, move out...then at the end bring all the homeless and do the same with them till they too get back to a normal life if not too late... :) Hey Henry, save your soul and do something useful with your money, Let go of the greed, I assure you the pleasure of making a positive change is irreplaceable, and if I were you, I would dis-associate with the likes of the Bushes!

I would sell all the useless expensive garbage inside the houses, furnish it modestly, bring back all the families who lost money and suffered hardship, let them stay there for free to get back on their feet, move out...then at the end bring all the homeless and do the same with them till they too get back to a normal life if not too late... :) Hey Henry, save your soul and do something useful with your money, Let go of the greed, I assure you the pleasure of making a positive change is irreplaceable, and if I were you, I would dis-associate with the likes of the Bushes!

Appears as if we have some DUMB-AZZ Republigoons on here that can't handle that were on to their worthless asses !!! Their the same ones that tried telling us that "KEN LAY" & "JEFFERY SKILLING" OF ENRON DID NOTHING WRONG EITHER, ITS WAS ALL MARKET CONTROLLED, YA, RIGHT MORONS, ANOTHER LIE, YOUR REPUBLIGOON SPIN ISN'T WORKING, THE ENTIRE COUNTRY IS NOW WAKING UP TO YOUR RHETORIC AND BULL-SHIT !!! FOR THOSE THAT ARE INTERSTEADED GO VISIT THIS GUY, HE'S NOT AFRAID TO TELL IT LIKE IT IS AND HE HATES BUSH/CHENEY TOO !! -- WWW.THEGUYFROMBOSTON.COM

I would burn it down for the insurance money and use the cash to help fund a not for profit group to end lobbying in american politics.

When did the film go from a point about the inequality of the tax code to whether or not he deserves his money and if he doesn't we should all divvy it up between the have nots?
I find it boggling that John and Deglazer and the rest of the Kravis apologists can stray from a basic theme and insert their own flaccid defense of a corrupt system. IT'S ABOUT THE TAXES. The rest of the profile just shows what a callous twat he is.

I WOULD FUCKING BURN IT TO THE GROUND

Its hard to get we teachers paid more when those with the most wealth manage to get around the taxes and less money is getting into the hands of the average Joe because they are getting laid off and our products and service standards are lowered to boot. There is not much that seperates what is happening now from when there was wealth through royalty. They both make the rules and keep the subjects ignorant and fighting among themselves while they have their perverted life style.

Let's us the Kravis homes for the best schools that the U.S. has ever seen. Let us show American children we care about them. Instead of going to dilapidated, overcrowded schools--they can experience great space as they learn.
What a wonderful statement to make we would make FOR EDUCATION!

1) Kravis never hurt anybody, which such bitter words against him, 2) Life isnt fair, sorry; 3) The money he is investing, and producing superior returns, is from pension funds so people can have more money when they retire; 4) None of you understand finance, it is massively hard what he did, it is his company and he can pay himself as much as he wants, who cares.

What a colossal waste of time to produce this video. You note that Greg Norman the golfer bought one of his homes. Why not make a video on how rediculous it is that a golfer can afford a $16 million dollar ranch? If you care about change then let's focus on getting the teachers paid more. It is naive to think that you take his money and give it to all those people who "need" it. We all went to school, got an education, and chose our path. Most of what we all have is a mixture of intelligence and luck. If you as an adult you haven't learned then no wonder you think you are entitled to other peoples work and money. Just pathetic.

Such naive uneducated comments from usual leftists who think there is some conspiracy. He made the money fair and square, let him be and don't be jealous.

Such naive uneducated comments from usual leftists who think there is some conspiracy. He made the money fair and square, let him be and don't be jealous.

Captitalism took mankind out of the Jungle. Marxism tried to take the Jungle out of mankind. Sadly, Marxism failed. The reason it failed is illustrated by the comments of the "ordinary" people in your film and on your comment board. Kravis didn't speak. He didn't have to. They said what he would have said. There are only two deadly sins: Greed and Envy. These sins are the parents of all other sins. We even see these sins in our little brothers and sisters---the animals. We have stood up, but we have not walked out of the Jungle yet. Will we ever walk out of the Jungle? Have the ants? Have the bees? Perhaps as an individual ant or bee, they have. But as a collective unit, they have not. What Brave New World do you see?

Let all the people that he has put out of work move into these little houses of his. There still probably wouldn't be enough room!

Whatever.

So he's rich.

I only make $45,000 year and I'm doing ok by it.
Sure It would be nice to be rich beyond your needs..... But I bet I have a much better, healthier wholesome life than what Henry Kravis and gang will ever have.

There is not enough money and wealth in the world that could buy the happiness and joy that I have in my life.

YOU KNOW, YEARS AGO WE CRITIZED PEOPLE LIKE "LEONA HELMSLEY" THE HOTEL HEIRES FOR NOT PAYING TAXES,, AND LETS NOT FORGET THE PRESIDENT AND HIS WIFE OF THE "PHILLIPENES" IN THE LATE 80s EITHER, AMINO MARCOS, WHO HAD A CLOSET FULL OF SHOES LIKE 230,000 PAIRS OF SHOES, WHILE PEOPLE IN THEIR COUNTRY WERE STARVING TO DEATH, AND LETS NOT FORGET SADDAM HUSSEIN, WITH ALL HIS GOLD EITHER, WHILE HE KILLED AND TORTURED HIS OWN PEOPLE-THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO GREEDY WORTHLESS COCK-SUCKERS LIKE HENRY KRAVIS, THEY GET OUT OF CONTROL, THEY PAY OFF GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO GET THEIR WAY, MUCH LIKE KEN LAY AND JEFFERY SKILLING DID WITH "ENRON" AND LOOK AT THE GREED AND CORRUPTION THAT TOOK PLACE ALONG WITH FRAUD & DECEPTION, AND THE PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT THEY TOO DID NOTHING WRONG AND THAT WAS THE AMERICAN WAY, WELL YOU SEE WHERE THEY'RE AT NOW !!!! DEAD AND IN PRISION WHERE THEY BELONG !!! ANYWHERE THERES THIS KIND OF MONEY, THERES FRAUD, DECEPTION-CORRUPTION JUST LIKE HALLIBURTON/KBR-BLACKWATER AND THOSE CEOs,, this guy isNO DIFFERENT, HE NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED AND PROBABLY BROUGHT DOWN !! THESE GUYS ARE LIKE DRUG DEALERS, ENOUGH IS NEVER ENOUGH, AND THEY'LL KEEP GOING TILL SOMEBODYS GOT THE BALLS TO STOP EM' - GO GET EM' SONNY CROCKETT !!!!!!

I would use Kravis’s mansions to host a series of corporate watch mini-conferences at which local, national and international speakers and panels could gather and share ideas/research on corporate law reform and on progressive corporate citizenship and social responsibility policy and programs. Themes could include individual, collaborative and social action plans to: protect and improve workers' rights (including pay and benefits), design, produce and implement eco-friendly and sustainable economic development programs and technology, and ways in which to legally, economically, politically and socially compel companies (e.g. through taxes and regulation) to help finance the health, welfare, and positive growth of local communities, namely the educational and social support networks of communities. A review of current laws and the conceptualization and proposal of new and revised regulations on the borrow-and-buyout of corporations would also be an interested topic to explore at these sessions. Perhaps invite former employees of Kravis’s companies to speak on the personal impact/circumstances of being laid off as a result of the various holdings and business policies and transactions of Kravis, et al. Registration fees and financial gifts collected through these events would be donated to local and national charities. Possible keynote and plenary speakers: besides the obvious, e.g. Ralph Nader, Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, Amy Goodman, Naomi Klein, etc., could include local, national, and international lawmakers and organizational, community, and educational leaders. –B.

I would invite an entire "army" of skilled workers to the mansion, and have them lovingly, painstakingly dismantle it and carefully transport it to the Ninth Ward in New Orleans and meticulously re-build it there; then I would invite as many of New Orleans' displaced poor people to live there while their new homes are being built. Then I would send the bill for all this labor to Mr. K!

It's silly to see comments stating that they need not worry about others because they "already got their piece"
We are all connected.

If "I" had a giant mansion I would invite all who would be willing to work towards the true existence of humanity. One where currency no longer exists because personal admiration is the only thing that determines value. An existence where atrocities like this could never happen because not one person would desire it. One where people do not work simply to live but to care and create. One without fear and confusion but of much joy and its consistency.
These people could make it happen and simply through logical discussion of ethics not morals. It would not be an argument, only a summation of ideas to fix the problems we didn't create. There is no need for greed like this to reign any longer if all those willing to make its demise priority one.

Its easy to see destruction because our human nature favors it. It will take effort to change things but I'm sure the juice is worth the squeeze.

First things first. We would have to get the finances in order.

Since loan fraud has became vogue, acceptable and easily accomplished I would take out simultaneous $50,000,000 loans from WAMU, Countrywide, Wachovia, Citibank, Wells, Chase, BofA, etc.

After 1/2 a billion or so of loans were recorded
we could set aside a million or two for a raging party. Of course you would want to get all the action on video so hidden cameras would be installed through out the home.

I would then invite his most connected friends; unconscionable business tycoons, corrupt politicians, etc.

The most attractive, wild male and female escorts would be hired to help entertain and relax the (straight, bi, open and closet gays). Once everyone was intoxicated and comfortable discussions would begin about how "we" screwed over taxpayers, shareholders, etc. Eventually, everyone would be trying to one up the other.

After sufficient footage was shot I would then call the media and police to report the illegal, sex party.

The inside footage would first be used to extort more money from the guests and then eventually forwarded to Robert G. for another one of his great films.

Some of the money would be used to destroy the lives of all the corrupt politicians and business people who have been destroying our country.

I would use the remaining money (except $5 million for me)to:

a)prosecute and disgorge these criminals of their fortunes

b)campaign for politicians who will properly represent their constituents, especially the President.

c)create a 4th branch of government that will only be in charge of overlooking the other branches.

Food, shelter and health care would eventually be provided to all Americans who are willing to work.

And everyone lived happily ever after.

Michael Blomquist
www.discountrealty.com

I would sell and then Lobby Congress to outlaw anyone acquiring money without working for it. Give the rest to the welfare of premies.

I would et up a hospice house for those in the dying stage of AIDS to die in a place of love and comfort, with all the medical, psychological, pastoral attention they deserved.

I'd sell. I'd use the money to bankroll a Michael Moore film. Lure as many Republican senators as possible with promises of campaign contributions to the sold mansion. Bring people who were laid off or suffered financial hardship to the mansion. Have each Republican senator who voted for these give aways to the rich explain their votes to those who suffered as a result of their votes.

Kravis pursues his riches blindly, with a hollow heart, but who knows? Buffett was called a cheapskate and now he's pouring money into worthy projects. The real problem is the system that promotes and allows such obscene lives. People who work to make a contribution to society, as well as their families, are far richer than Kravis.

I'd like to have it for more then one day, but I guess if it would be only one day, I'd sell it and use the proceeds to help animals. Donating money to save shelter pets, buy land to preserve it, and to help endangered species. I'd be embarrassed to have so much when there is so much suffering in the world

I have a father who still lives on his own and he is 90 years old.
I would sell everything and help the elderly with little or no money to enjoy the rest of their lives.
They have paid their dues and deserve our support.

No way would I give up midwestern life in my 2400 square foot home to live in a Park Avenue penthouse.
But if I were its owner, I would gladly offer it to the city of NY to serve as a much needed homeless shelter. What kind of system enables such egregious inequities?!

If I could live in one of Mr. Kravis' homes for one day during the holidays I would gather all the poets who wanted to write from morning to night. We would fill the house and the grounds with the kind of creative energy that is needed to take on questions of global warming, to advocate for peace, to create nurturing environments for children. By the end of the day, the house would be saturated with poetic energy. That energy would provide an antidote to the toxic desire to use up and discard the lives of others as Mr. Kravis and his associates have done during their careers. By using one of his environments for the creation of art rather than money, we could begin to reverse the downward spiral we're in, the destruction of communities and ethical behavior brought about by the culture of greed.

It is hysterical how some people on this site believe that if you just work harder, it will happen for you--millions will come your way. Capitalism depends on some, actually loads of, suckers at the bottom. Once you make your way to the top, it is almost a given that your future generations will as well. Henry Kravis was not entirely a self-made man. He was born to enjoy resources of wealth, opportunity, and education. For the majority of Americans who live on the bottom of the pyramid of opportunity, it is just not that easy. This film presents a perfect opportunity to begin to look hard at this system and its fairness. A system that depends, by definition, on the suffering of some for the success of the few. As Marx said, "The rich will do anything for the poor but get off their backs.."

I just don't see how people like this can look in the mirror every morning and see anything that even they would think is worthwhile.
Some people just don't care about anyone except themselves and Henry Kravis is one of those poor soles. I feel sorry for him.

I think it is time to tax this kind of senseless and greedy wealth away from Mr. Kravis and his ilk. Then that money should be redistributed to the needy. It is criminal that he, who has so much, doesn't do more for those who have so little. Also, I don't want to hear from him about others who have so much less are lazy. Almost everyone else works harder than he does. People who work for a living don't