Individual wealth redistribution

great, if your interest is starting up ethical collectives rather than destroying capitalism.

if your activist friend waned to make himself working clas he'd spend the money on a pile of shite, become depressed and then turn to drugs.

if i had 200k i wouldn't be giving it to any fucking anarchists, i use it to help me live a nice life , probably just buy a house outright so i don't have to worry about a mortgage.

AFraser you're thinking UK property prices, in the US $400,000 is worth $400,000, it doesn't compare to UK money and in Houston for example can buy some pretty substantial [url=http://www.commgate.com/index.cfm?pagename=inc_FS_pick_search.cfm&sch_string=ptype=|ptyp_ret=1|ptyp_off=1|ptyp_land=0|ptyp_mult=0|ptyp_ind=1|ptyp_farm=0|ptyp_hot=0|ptyp_mob=0|ptyp_spl=0|Minlp=250,000|Maxlp=300,000|minsqft=|maxsqft=|minlot=|maxlot=|minacr=|maxacr=|mincap=|maxcap=|map=|minland=|maxland=|area=|ln=|str_name=|agentbit=|mcdadeonly=|zip=|invsearch=|cityName=|invonly=0&sch=1&srow=1]properties[/url] with a fair chunk of money spare for emergencies, renovation, advertising etc as well.

while this is true in theory, the scale involved for it to actually work in practice is enormous

i agree with this, it's what i'd do, and then donate time & energy which is undoubdetly a harder thing to do and sustain than just chucking a wodge of cash at a project and expect to have some overriding say in how it's run

Revol is right. He should buy himself a house.
Devrim

My response was serious. I also recommend buying a house. Philanthropy sucks. I'm reminded what Malcom X said to the rich white girl when she asked "What can I do?". "Nothing", he replied. He felt bad about later apparently.

Sure does, you can kill the rich man but it doesn't end class antagonisms or hierarchy. Rather it continues them for ever. By button's logic he'd be gunning down Kropotkin and Engels, which would be very silly.

Anyways, on the topic of money, why not put it towards non-religious, non-profit charities that aid people in immediate need? Or there's the Anarchist Black Cross etc.

aye, you'd have to dig them up, waste bullets on a corpse and then re-bury them. hardly a model of revolutionary efficiency. i'm sure comrade button would pass a decree commuting dead sons and daughters of the bourgeoisie's death sentences to life in terra

j.rogue.

Your pal should give a bunch of money to the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty.

They're one of the few anarchisty groups which actually do a reasonable job of building working class/poor people's leadership and taking direct action. They've got a record of winning, so you'd be putting the money somewhere with the reasonable expectation that it'd be well used, not pissed away in a long and steep learning curve.

If he doesn't mind sending some over to britain, drop me a pm - I know a project that could go a long way with just a grand, and I'll send you details.

fuck that, if he gets to decide what project it goes to he's ruling class.

the Northeastern Anarchist collective hereby claims 1/4 of it, to become a proper continental magazine with good distribution.

Yes, I'm agreeing with that. That's why I'm saying it's not his choice. I'm demanding 1/4 of it on behalf of a collective project already underway.. You probably won't pass along my demand, because you want to position yourself as a gatekeeper to his wealth.

like getting himself a house

That's not rich, here that would get you a bit more than half a house.

He should buy himself a house, that's what I'd do.

If he is keen to give it away though, I would advise he give it to well-organised anarchist communist projects with long term goals, and staying power, so it won't be pissed away.

Hell, he could even give some to us. We've just upgraded our hosting again due to increases in traffic, and need cash for that and for advertising. Some monthly donation would be hugely useful.

Oh and he can be on the NEA advisory board if he wants, as a token of our gratitude, when we put one together.

You'd have to change the name. No More Butt Flaps Magazine maybe.

I don't think it reinforces capitalism in a particularly important way for your friend to make the decision about where to donate the money. I _do_ think that there are limits to the whole 'leftist foundation' idea and I do think that the motivation for most people with a lot of money in giving money away is to ease their own guilt. At the same time, lack of money limits good projects and more money would be a big help. Your friend has the money and that's just the reality. Being too moralizing or guilt wracked about how to give it away isn't much different than any other people with money - redistributing it may be philanthropy but it's certainly better (in terms of being useful) than your friend just keeping it. I think your friend should pick some stuff that already has a track record of producing worthwhile results (so the money won't go to drugs or a house for Revol) and for whom additional money would be a big help. So, 100k for NEFAC, $10k to the WSA, some donation to the IWW's organizing fund and/or the Industrial Worker publishing fund, maybe a donation to the Institute for Anarchist Studies, etc. If your friend gives it to good groups then the money won't be wasted. If your friend gives it with no strings attached then its not the same as most philanthropy, which requires a grant report etc. Another way to think about it is this - think about what projects groups do that are good out of their own dues money. Think about the ones of those that are small enough that you could make a meaningful donation out of 400k. Fund those.

I'm not reading what some rich dude feels about his inheritance. Help him get rid of it this week (preferably including $100k to the NEA) and I'll totally read it.

Rogue, why not post it as a thread on libcom?

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