General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDoes it bother anyone else that billionaires quickly line up to repair Notre Dame Cathedral
while there's growing inequality all across Europe?
Loki Liesmith
(4,602 posts)I dont care what billionaires do with their money.
Freethinker65
(10,023 posts)Amazing that this disposable income is seldom available to help people in need.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,719 posts)I do want Notre Dame to be rebuilt and it will require a lot of money.
SharonClark
(10,014 posts)WhiskeyGrinder
(22,355 posts)MyOwnPeace
(16,927 posts)be a politician - you're WAY too honest!
Initech
(100,079 posts)Helping the poor doesn't get you that. Donating millions to a historical landmark, museum, universit, or hospital wing? That's gold yo!!
SWBTATTReg
(22,130 posts)yesterday's news clips). Something too about taxable and/or non taxable contributions (I didn't catch the entire clip.
MaryMagdaline
(6,855 posts)Rich people will never give their money to poor people willingly. At least this public works project will do some good. Im not convinced, too, that poor French people dont care about a symbol of their national heritage or that they dont welcome these contributions from billionaires.
IggleDuer
(964 posts)... that burned last week.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,719 posts)to rebuild those three small churches vs. one enormous one.
those billionaires were from Paris fashion houses. It was good for business.
And they were giving to help their city.
hunter
(38,316 posts)The process is historically accurate too. The wealthy and powerful have always funded these things.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)Is there more, or less, economic equality than, say, 1118?
Rich people funded its construction in the first place.
jalan48
(13,869 posts)DFW
(54,399 posts)And except for their outremer territories like Martinique and Guadeloupe, there are no continental parts of France with coral reefs.
jalan48
(13,869 posts)Blue_true
(31,261 posts)(tinderbox timbers waiting for a spark), the rich, most politicians and the clueless will wait until the oceans are largely dead to freak out. Afterall, until recently, humans viewed the oceans as dumping grounds for garbage.
intelpug
(88 posts)How do you know these particular people have not donated to other causes and it simply didn't make national news?
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)An ancient church has celebrity status as much as it has religious and cultural significance. A family going hungry for parts of a month or having no place to live are unknowns. As sad as that sounds it is true. People and their money are drawn to celebrity in this age and I argue, past ages too.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)Wealthy people who funded the original construction of things like this are usually memorialized in the art adorning the structure itself.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)A person annomously dropping $200,000 to help feed homeless people for several months won't get noticed, so instead of that, they go to Walmart and payoff layaway items for the people that had laid away.
But, we bring that upon ourselves because we worship the public givers and make no effort to acknowledge those that give quietly and without fanfare. And if those quiet givers happen to be super rich, some politicians pile on to the dog-pile and rip them a new one for being greedy.
ucrdem
(15,512 posts)for most French religious structures including cathedrals. A few bigger structures like Versailles and NDP are funded nationally. So the donations are another form of paying taxes, and come with healthy tax breaks to make them attractive. So it's just putting a merit badge on a funding stream that is already in place.
Arazi
(6,829 posts)tavernier
(12,391 posts)crosinski
(411 posts)There's a lady who's sure
All that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven
When she gets there she knows
Led Zepplin
Siwsan
(26,264 posts)Nothing last forever. It's just sad to see such majesty disappear. IMHO, anyway.
Siwsan
(26,264 posts)As someone who loves history, and really loves visiting historic sites, I'm glad it's being restored. My wonder was, if they raise more than they need, can the surplus be constructively funneled elsewhere.
Totally Tunsie
(10,885 posts)for future maintenance and operating expenses. Hopefully, there would be enough left over to share with other structures.
YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)Igel
(35,317 posts)That reduces inequality, doesn't it?
Every little bit helps.
malaise
(269,024 posts)<snip>
Yellow vest protesters angry over high taxes and inequality march in Paris days after blaze
Riot police and protesters have fought running battles in the centre of Paris as gilets jaunes anti-government demonstrators in fluorescent yellow vests led street marches over what they called a crisis of high taxes and economic inequality.
Less than a week after the fire that destroyed the roof and spire of Notre Dame Cathedral, firefighters rushed to put out multiple small fires around the Place de la République, as motorbikes, bins, bicycles and cars were set alight on roads and pavements. Groups of masked men threw projectiles and police fired teargas. Some rioters in masks smashed the window of a sports shop and ran in to loot it, emerging with bags full of goods.
The interior minister, Christophe Castaner, said on Saturday that Paris could become the capital of rioting, suggesting extremist demonstrators planned to attend the street marches. Politicians from Emmanuel Macrons La République En Marche party said black bloc masked anarchist protesters were present.
UniteFightBack
(8,231 posts)defacto7
(13,485 posts)what else they do with their lives.
johnp3907
(3,731 posts)Tipperary
(6,930 posts)Not a bit. That is a beautiful cathedral, and I hope they can restore it to its original majesty. History cannot be replaced, but we should retain it as much as we can. I would bet if the original craftsmen who worked on that gorgeous place back in the 12th century were asked - they would agree 100%. And very few of them were rich.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)But on the other hand the greatest monuments in the world wouldnt exist without self serving rich people paying to build them.
UniteFightBack
(8,231 posts)WillowTree
(5,325 posts)Apart from that, I'm never against creating (or re-creating) something beautiful.
VarryOn
(2,343 posts)It will take millions in repairs. That amount will employ hundreds, if not thounsands, for quite a while. A silver lining from a bad thing.
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)....and is as close as you will get to a Gothic Style Cathedral in the US. Took 81 years to build. Was damaged in a rare earthquake in 2011.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_National_Cathedral
intelpug
(88 posts)Probably damn few people know it needs work since it isn't featured in a catastrophic front page story. ON the other hand, looking at those towering spires of stone,-- well it has convinced me that if something like this is humanly possible then maybe I CAN get away with building a modest stone chimney alongside my house without disaster happening!
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)Total giving to charitable organizations in the US was $410.02 billion in 2017 (2.1% of GDP). This is an increase of 5.2% in current dollars and 3.0% in inflation-adjusted dollars from 2016.
https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=42#
Takket
(21,573 posts)not who they choose to give it away to.
fescuerescue
(4,448 posts)WHere do you think that money goes? It goes into the pockets of tens of thousands of workers.
Billionaires using their personal funds to hire thousands and thousands of skilled workers makes the billionaires a little poorer and the workers a little richer.
This will do alot more to reduce inequality, than Billionaires leaving their cash in the bank.
Raine
(30,540 posts)I'm glad they're doing it since they can afford it.
Hekate
(90,708 posts)...or a penthouse in a place with a big gold T on the front of the building, and no one would even notice it enough to bitch about it. Instead they are helping to save a significant artifact of Western Civilization.
The word from me is: Merci boucoup.
Snackshack
(2,541 posts)Money to do with as they see fit. However the money being donated could go a long way to helping many, many, many people instead of rebuilding an 800+ year old building.
Crabby Appleton
(5,231 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)works that should be supported by taxpayers, like donations to public colleges. Those are OUR responsibilities and our chances to build and be proud. If we can't afford it, we need to question why we're maintaining these ultrawealthy classes with our national wealth. They're not even paying the taxes we would have on their accumulations.