With all the news about Apple hitting the trillion dollar mark, it made me wonder what Apple is actually going to do with all that capital. They’re capital surplus is more than all but 16 country’s GDP in this world. They are the 17th biggest country, if they buy an Island for themselves and maybe call it Ambrosia, you know, after the apple. They would be considered a major economy. Their sole product would be, well, exporting Apple, not the red delicious type but the laptop, iphone and ipod type. Apple has recently invested $350 billion dollars over 5 years in creating U.S. jobs. That’s good! I have railed against the company in some of my past illustrious blogs about their inability to be team players and to give back to communities that have given so much to them. I wish I had thought of putting pressure on them to create jobs here. That’s definitely a win for this administration, their losses come from deporting families of veteran’s who put their lives on the line for our safety, it’s a give and take. Getting back on subject, Apple has shown that capitalism doesn’t mean you can’t have a socialistic outlook. By creating factories here, they have given people opportunities, even though it’s recent, course corrections like that can be done at any time. Better late than never, so, hats off to Apple and this administration on these particular events. I, personally can’t criticize someone (deportations and separations of families) and not give them their just do and congratulations or applaud them (have Apple invest in our community) when they make, what everyone else said was impossible to do, happen. Investing in our community, global community, as a whole by asking companies to give a little back in form of some kind of social program, when they make 1 trillion dollars, seems to me, should be the norm.

Lebron James, who in 2018 made or is going to make 80 million plus and who’s net worth is roughly estimated at $440 million (just to put that perspective, that’s a little more then four ten thousandths of apple or .00044 of apple or 44 cents for every thousand dollars for Apple, so, he’s an apple seed which I’m sure will continue to grow and to put that into perspective to my finances, I would be walnut, because walnuts didn’t make any money, they’re broke and probably owe more than they have, thanks mastercard), just built a school in his home town of Akron for underprivileged children to get a better start in life. That is amazing and Mr. James, or apple seed (just kidding), King James, should take a bow.

The Gates Foundation is another great example of a capitalistic socialistic view. The Gates Foundation, is a private foundation founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It was launched in 2000, and is said to be the largest private foundation in the US, holding $38 billion in assets. The primary aims of the foundation are, globally, to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty, and in America, to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology. The foundation, based in Seattle, Washington, is controlled by its three trustees: Bill and Melinda Gates, and Warren Buffett. Other principal officers include Co-Chair William H. Gates, Sr. and Chief Executive Officer Susan Desmond-Hellmann.

It had an endowment of US$44.3 billion as of December 31, 2014. The scale of the foundation and the way it seeks to apply business techniques to giving makes it one of the leaders in venture philanthropy, though the foundation itself notes that the philanthropic role has limitations. In 2007, its founders were ranked as the second most generous philanthropists in America, and Warren Buffett the first. As of May 16, 2013, Bill Gates had donated US$28 billion to the foundation. Since its founding, the foundation has endowed and supported a broad range of social, health, and education developments including the establishment of the Gates Cambridge Scholarships at Cambridge University.

With this type of generosity from people that are willing to take a capitalistic socialistic approach to life, it makes me wonder, why haven’t more people done it, in their private ventures? Apples venture isn’t as socialistic as the other people mentioned, crossing my fingers that they will also follow the Gates Foundation path, because they are getting something in return, product. But with all that wealth and intelligence, couldn’t they come up with something truly altruistic? The biggest fix this country needs is healthcare and, in my opinion, that solution can’t come from the government, it has to come from the private sector. If one of these multi billion companies or the one trillion dollar company, could figure out a solution to that problem, they would truly be indispensable. Some people feel that it isn’t private companies responsibility to take on such a task, I think different. I say it isn’t right to make a profit on sickness and that when you make that much money in other areas that it is your responsibility, not only responsibility, but duty, to take on such tasks. While giving money as donations is great, it isn’t sustainable. Plus free, doesn’t really give a sense of self worth or accomplishment, not that I wouldn’t accept the offer or be grateful.

I always thought that  my gym should offer me cheap, 100% covered healthcare. You can make it so that the gym makes a small profit, enough to pay employees and and cover any maintenance cost and overhead, and the rest should go to paying for healthcare costs. This type of venture can only be started by a company that already has it’s roots settled firmly into the capitalistic ground and let the socialistic leaves bloom. You can even sell your other products at the gym, if you make something like fitbit or similar device. That would be truly be a capitalistic socialistic private venture. The good it would do, would truly be amazing, because you wouldn’t be making a profit on the healthcare portion, just the gym product portion. This is only my thought but one thing is for sure, neither socialism, having the government create a universal healthcare medicare thingy, or capitalism, making money by raising prices on pharmaceuticals and charging exorbitant prices for health so the CEO can buy a yacht, work.

If someone takes the leap and decides on a plan to intertwine socialism with capitalism, which is not a mix of communism and democracy, those are political views and plus you wouldn’t have a cool army to order around, I think it would solve a whole series of problems. So if I ever hit the lottery for two trillion, which would make me two Apples, I will definitely give it a go, until then, I blog.