A VC - Latest Comments in Selflessness vs Selfishness

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

fredwilson — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:09:25 -0000

I like that last point and reblogged that part of your comment on
fredwilson.vc

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

Erik S. — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 18:46:34 -0000

When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail, doesn't it?

At this point, no one is talking about rebate checks (what a bogus idea, in any season) or government projects to enable sustainable growth, they are talking about them to pull us out of a deep recession that could turn into a global depression.

That's not to say that government projects are guaranteed to drag us out of this mess, because, lets face it, we're are long on ideology and short on experience when it comes to this sort of thing.

People will legitimately debate the role of Roosevelt's programs in pulling us out of the great depression. I think a better question is whether they kept a bunch of people in this country from either starving to death or killing each other. I think the answer is yes, and i think that's a good thing. This country couldn't have made a difference in WWII if we'd been mired in some form of civil war or institutional collapse, and we couldn't have roared out of it either.

Before we can start climbing, we need to pull out of this dive. Let's focus on that.

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

Riaz Kanani — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:51:02 -0000

Difficult to say. Some country somewhere must have tried it.

On the plus it might make people be more selfless. On the negative there would not be enough time to achieve much and it would not be very efficient since too much time would be taken catching up on what the previous occupant did before being able to do anything themselves.

If we could make decision making quicker and reduce the beurocracy then it might be ok. or if you could unite the entire public sector behind a positive and self governing ethos that rejects greed and selfishness then that in itself would work much better and the length of term becomes a mute point.

I'm tempted to say that pigs might fly.. but it is always worth aiming high.

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

fredwilson — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:40:28 -0000

Exactimundo mark

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

Riaz Kanani — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:38:11 -0000

Great analogy - the whole "I" thing is how Europeans stereotype the USA for better or worse - theoretically Europeans are not quite so "I" focused (again for better or worse) but of course both are in the same mess today.

With the world being so connected, it will need both working together to get out of the recession quicker.

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

Dan Blank — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:41:08 -0000

Thanks - feel free!

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

Dan Blank — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:41:06 -0000

Great points, though, tell that to the 3 people hoping to get a job at the vineyard if money is earmarked for them! :)

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

fredwilson — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:01:25 -0000

VC is corruptible too. There are many VC firms that have been put in
business by state govt¹s with the mandate to invest in job creation. I don¹t
think any of them have produced a positive return.

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

jeffiel — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:08:07 -0000

I've been thinking about how a small portion of this money could be use for venture capital... it's a pretty direct way to generate economic growth, job growth and would represent an investment in our technological leadership role. Startups are "shovel-ready" and are generally low overhead. Naturally, Fred... you would run the federal VC firm...

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

Jeff — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 18:17:57 -0000

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money." - Alexis de Toucqueville

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

thewalrus — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:56:40 -0000

Thanks for calling out the 'greedy politician/CEO/neighbor' hypocrisy. Macro change happens at the micro. Stay true.

"Be the change you want to see in the world" -Ghandi

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

fredwilson — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:35:57 -0000

ouch

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

fredwilson — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:13:17 -0000

Right

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

John Ball — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:24:55 -0000

Spot on Fred!

What really screws me into the ceiling is to hear that many of my "friends," with historical success in business, see this as a challenge to beat the system.

For me, I can't recall or more poignant light shining on what seems to have become simple personal greed ahead of any responsibility.

The horse appears to have left the barn as I recently witnessed Cerberus partners rubbing their hands together in glee since TARP will feed the firm a few billion through their investment in Chrysler Financial. Private equity; staunch supporters of the free hand, standing at the trough.

In keeping with the theme, "Wise is the man who plants the seed of a tree whose shade he will never sit under,"

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

Jevon — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:49:07 -0000

If any more airlines join StarAlliance, we will be left with a single global airline anyway!

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

Jevon — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:39:02 -0000

I was kindof feeling him until the "you liberal guys" bit. Why do people think that adds to the conversation?

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

Jevon — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:36:59 -0000

Almost all of the great public transit systems in the world were originally private ventured, London and Paris as well.

Canada is doing its own thinking about what to do to stimulate the economy in the next few years and the federal government here has been pushing public transit very heavily. I hope some of that goes to the bigger cities like Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver who need to upgrade transit badly.

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

andyswan — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:44:28 -0000

They'll say that about airlines one day :)

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

markslater — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 13:01:30 -0000

lol. brilliant.

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

Josh Morgan — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 11:00:23 -0000

I would also agree...except for this whole nonsense that tax cuts don't work to jumpstart the economy or "starve the beast." After the Bush '03 tax cut, government coffers swelled. The same could be said for when Reagan had his tax cut(s) passed.

Frankly, the capital gains taxs needs to be eliminated. Investments in companies, tech, infrastructure by the private enterprise would boom. Also, the estate tax nonsense needs to be quashed. The government spends more money on the collection of the estate tax than the tax brings in. It only exists for political pandering.

History has shown tax cuts, not tax rebate checks, not government projects enable sustainable growth. When the govnt money runs out of money for projects for "infrastructure"...then what happens? I can see it now, a thousand "Big Dig's" across the country. In the words of John Boehner, "Oh, my God."

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

slowblogger — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:58:27 -0000

There are 10 people with 10 different needs. There are 100 people with some money to invest in.

1. They vote on which project to do. (Or a committee decides.) And all 100 people have to invest in the picked project whether they like it or not.
2. There is no voting. Each can pitch the project and raise fund. The people with money can invest in any project they like.

The first one is called politics and the second market. I prefer market. And I believe people will be more honest with it. Of course, there are cases where government could be more effective. Therefore minimize, not remove, the government.

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

slowblogger — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:43:57 -0000

I want to be rich. Am I greedy? What is greed?

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

scott crawford — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:19:51 -0000

Welll said and true. Hope is nothing less. I commented yesterday to a few folks within earshot that my favorite phrase from Obama's speech from the train trip was "Independence from selfishness." This is key to everything. It is the antidote to the tragedy of the commons, the basis of trust. And, no, selfishness is NOT the same thing as self-interest. Peace. Hope. Willingness.

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

bfree — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:44:48 -0000

Haha - Salted!

Re: Selflessness vs Selfishness

kidmercury — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 08:18:58 -0000

i think it could be privatized like andy said, though i can see potential problems with that and how this might regrettably be one of those things govt actually should get involved with. but the federal govt is broken. beyond broken, they're a pack of criminals, practically out in the open now. wish this was a local govt movement, or even a states thing. the feds shouldn't be doing anything but downsizing IMO. curiously they're the only sector of the US economy that is not downsizing. depressions are a bull market for feds!