"He just managed to be a better salesman who got other rich people to pay him to develop it - one of those being the US government." Almost as if he read Lee Iaccoca's book!

Reminds me of an episode of Star Trek. Next Gen. The inhabitants shed their evil, leaving it behind, alone, as a singularity.

2112: The Elder Race leaving the planet.

You are talking about tax law. It covers most everything objectivists hate. Open borders, welfare, foreign aid etc et. al. It renders your attack on Musk impotent.

who are the looters and moochers? The foreign governments that get our money, the illegals that get our money, who/what else? The biden crime family, yes do you have more?

What you call gaming is a unearned slam. He took advantage of the laws as they are written. Period.

He is NOT a politician nor a "public figure" whatever that means. Is there a definition for that? He is a businessman who leveraged 160 million from PayPal to becoming the most successful wealthy man in the world (excluding oligarchs and other unearned wealth like prices in the Middle East.)

Who are you asking? Me?
The national debt rose by nearly $7.8 trillion during Trump’s time in office.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckjon...

Warp Speed - bypassing time honored safeguards to protect public health and eventually slowly murdering millions world wide.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamc...
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-s...

Incidentally, I never, in a decade, claimed to be an Objectivist. I also claimed from eh beginning that we should be wary about Trump and refuse the jabbs and the masks.

Some interesting posts I presented a while back that no one here, Objectivists, bothered to watch. If you refuse to believe their own words...
https://www.galtsgulchonline.com/post...

https://www.galtsgulchonline.com/post...

I live in a border state and have for more than a few decades. There's been many wolves in sheep's clothing who reveal themselves as two faced one they have their seat at the table. Surely some have been worse and more egregious than others but they are did the same, absolutely nothing, when it came to illegal aliens and the damage they are doing to my state, me and mine. I doubt the locality of such duplicity is localized.

Why Trump? O left the county anemic and in bad shape, the cow was barely producing milk ($$$). Trump can restore the flow while still meeting key objectives (see above) to begin their next phase. Musk, like Trump, is palatable unlike any d so he can get more accomplished with less fury and more zealot-like support.

My 2 bit.

I'll congratulate him on gaming the system the way it was designed to be gamed. I'll stand up and cheer if he actually forces Twitter to expose the fact that they've been shutting down speech. But Musk wasn't a self-made man. He didn't invent something new. He just managed to be a better salesman who got other rich people to pay him to develop it - one of those being the US government.

I watched it. His words are encouraging, but actions are more important to me.
Public figures say lots of things that are encouraging but few act in a way that is consistent with their words.
When Elon acts consistently to do what he said to enable free speech, I will be more impressed.

It wasn't just earlier in his career, jb.
All of Tesla's profits are less than the total government forced transfer payments Tesla has sold to from other manufacturers for carbon credits. Tesla continues to get these unearned government forced benefits.
In addition, legislation in congress provides $8,000 to $10,000 in government tax credits to each buyer of Tesla electric vehicles (and other electric vehicles.)
Elon continues to take funds stolen by government.

If you listened to his TED last week. His goals were made clear. Free speech. Have you read AR essay censorship, local and express?

I posted facts that I use to form my opinion of Musk. Musk's actions are a matter of record.
His goals are unclear, imo. When I see enough evidence in his favor my opinion may change,
just as my opinion of Trump changed based on his actions.
On Musk, at present, we disagree.

Lord knows we need all the HR's we can get, but we really need is a bunch of JG's to halt the Looters and Moochers from the worlds inevitable destruction at their hands!!!

Subsidies are not voluntary trades. Money taken by the threat of violence (extortion, aka taxes) are not voluntary. If I do not wish to support his business I am not allowed that choice.

Once again, he does not write laws. I do not agree with tax subsidies either. I also do not agree with giving away money to illegals and foreign governments.

Yet the analogy is correct.

Harm others? He is aTrader. All relationships are voluntary, trading value for value. This mentality is foreign to objectivism

Musk used 160 million of his own $$$ at to start tesla and Space X. I am a big fan. Government handouts? He bid on contracts for rockets. So what. As for tax breaks to buy electric, so what. He does not write laws. He pursued tesla and succeeded. When was the last time and auto start up succeeded?

I am not going to criticize Ayn Rand for taking Social Insecurity. She was getting a repayment for what she put into "the system".

I see no similarities between Elon Musk and Hank Reardon. Elon subscribes to enriching himself by impoverishing others, not value for value trade. His invention of the Tesla car is interesting and non-functional in a free market. Without subsidies (money extorted from taxpayers) his vehicles would not work and would not sell. Electrical charging stations are subsidized, otherwise finding a place to 'refuel' would be difficult. Electrical vehicles do not have sufficient range to be efficient. Using air conditioning, heating, radio or other electrical needs severely impacts range. Mining of required rare earth metals is subsidized. His space program is subsidized. He invented solar panels for homes that are subsidized. I am not impressed with his work ethic or his willingness to harm others to succeed.

I am not comparing you to a commie. I do not know you. I am stating a fact the left attacks AR that she took social security.

Once again one is fictional and the other is reality. Any comparisons should be tempered with this fact

This is the first time in my life I have ever been compared to a leftist, and the first time it has been an inaccurate portrayal.

I will quote Milton Friedman. "Do you take your medicare? Do you take Social Security? " His answer: it is a great mistake to be tarred in this manner" if it is the law of the land I take advantage as well as be disadvantaged". As for Space X he provided a solution that saves tax payers money. He was competing against other venders including Besos. I fail to understand the attempt to besmirch him this way. He used his own money to found Space x and succeeded.