Ancient joke: What’s the difference between god and Larry Ellison?
Ancient answer: God doesn’t think he’s Larry Ellison.
The list of people who take more flak than Larry Ellison for being rich is pretty short. But, then, Larry Ellison works very hard at maintaining and inspiring hatred. His efforts are so ceaseless, one might almost think he revels in the vitriol. Actually, we like to think that his divine metabolism absorbs energy, not only from the seething hatred of the mere mortals he enslavesemploys, but all of humankind.
It would be easy to chalk his abrasiveness to childhood trauma (born to a 19 year old, unwed Jewish mother, sent away to live with his aunt and uncle, etc. etc.) but it is so pervasive, it is just much cattier to attribute it to a sort of perverse pleasure.
There was that thing with the aircraft noise. After being cited repeatedly by the city of San Jose for noise violations stemming from his insistence that he could take off and land his Gulfstream whenever he damn well pleased, he simply sued the city for an exemption (a suit which, after record legal fees, he won).
And that time when he offered to “donate, as in free” the software to create the largest Big Brother database in the world along with a national ID program. (He didn’t mention that Oracle planned to charge significant “maintenance fees”).
And when accused of insider trading after dumping $1 billion in Oracle stock? He donated $100 million to charity in lieu of paying a fine. (The little detail that it was to his own charitable foundation seems to have attracted little notice until after the settlement was final). We’ll let you guess if he claimed a deduction.
Oh, he pledged $115 million to Harvard- but decided he didn’t want to pay- and so he didn’t.
And now, he is stealing from school children. The cad!
The Oracle chairman, who is the fourteenth richest person in the world, recently had the value of his 23-acre Woodside, Calif., home reassessed from $173 million to about $70 million. That dropped his annual tax bill by more than a million dollars. The biggest loser: Local schools that depend on tax revenue for the lion’s share of their budgets, according to the Almanac.
The Portola Valley School District, for one, will lose an estimated $250,000 to $300,000 a year as a direct result of the Ellison reassessment, Tim Hanretty, the district’s assistant superintendent, tells the Business Technology Blog. That’s a healthy chunk of the district’s $11 million annual budget, and Hanretty tells us the district will have to lay off about six of its 100 or so employees to make ends meet. The cuts won’t come in the classroom, but in administrative and facilities positions.
Count on Larry Ellison to make subprime work for him, at the expense of helpless school children.
Ok, so the headline is a bit of a stretch. But he’s been asking for it for years! (Even his Wall Street Journal “hedcut” is unflattering).
Yes yes, what a jackass. (Admit it, you want to be Larry Ellison).
Larry Ellison’s Tax Cut Breaks School’s Budget [WSJ]
Equity Q. Private is the author of Going Private and a Guest Editor at DealBreaker.com
I think every other Friday should be ‘Bash the Jews’. This is great! And on the Friday in between – ‘Bash the Wops’. That’s what you all get for killing Jesus. Between the money changers and the Romans/Catholics/Wops, Jesus didn’t have a chance. Just like the investors who are dealing with these groups on Wall Street.
1,001 places on the net for religious arguments and name calling… I guess DB has now become the 1,002 place…
EQP keep up the “good” attempts here…
…are there any market conversation locations where the “market” is discussed instead of who killed who’s savior?
guest @12:12 – you realize that Bess has been bashing the dirty Wops (by using Charlie Gasparino as a proxy) for months now, right?
@ 12:12 — You’re the one inciting the stupidity by your retarded comment.
Equity Private — I’ve loved your posts since I found your blog last year and read the Offering Memorandum.
@12:21 and 12:27 I knew someone would fall for the post I wrote. Personally I was hoping for that jackass anal_yst – or perhaps Golden Girl. You couldn’t tell if I was being serious – or just sarcastic. Just like Bessie’s writing style which I and others have complained about because it’s often unclear as well. I was being sarcastic. Now don’t you feel better? I think it’s great that you got mad. See how easy to not know?
@12:26 I know. I think it’s great. .
His home was appraised at $173 million? Exchange rates aside, I’m pretty sure thast the priciest single estate in the world. School district was lucky enough to have such a lofty assessment in the first place, no need to start crying now that the value is based in some sort of reality.
And yes, Larry is a dbag, and yes, I want to be him.
@ 12:31
Stop the bashing of anal_yst. No need to call him a jackass.
The Jesuits told me that it was part of the “Divine Plan” that Jesus die at the hands of the tribe, therefore we can’t be mad at them for it.
I like the story about Ellison buying out his neighbors at Malibu so he could have “privacy”.
Sarcasm is what i love about Levin’s posts and EP’s blog and posts. Now for real sarcasm lets bring on the Debt Bitch.
Blarney most be loving this all these chicks and thier sarcasm. He has probably been wearing his “good” knit tie since EP started hanging out in the office.
@12:34 It’s a free country with freedom of speech. If I think he’s an ass, then I’ll certainly say so. I am entitled to my opinion. Since he bashed me over another prior post, I feel no obligation to not return the sentiment. Deal with it hon. You want nice – go to France.
@12:31 — backpedal much?
@12:49 Nope. It was sarcasm. Nice try. I can see that you’re afflicted with the truth/sarcasm uncertainity as well.
Glad to know I’ve finally reached the level of ‘jackass’…my life is now complete
I don’t see the problem. Reassements can go both ways, in this case it went his way.
@Anal_yst seriously, isn’t Updown Court only like $100 or $110 million?
never mind, I just looked it up and answered my own question.
s75
@12:31 – Are you so retarded as to not know the concept of looking to the source of a message to percieve the meaning?
You’re little “trick” falls flat on its face being posted anonymously.
i new to america. what make sarcasm?
What about the children!? For God’s sake won’t someone think of the children!?