It's their money, let them spend it any way they want.

@starbuck49 - yes you are correct but i think Gabriel was talking about the moral compass. its ironic that you make a statement like this on thanksgiving holiday time

"it's their money, let them spend it the way they want." While 24,000 children starve to death on a daily basis, while our service men and women who fought for the right of these people to "spend their money the way they want" sleep in the streets this holiday season, while an elderly couple who worked hard their whole life share a can of dog food for thankgiving dinner because the cost of living is so high that their "entitlement" check won't cover rent and food.

anyway how did they come about this money that you claim is theirs? did they exploit natural resources that were not theirs to exploit? did they manipulate the poitical system? hide money if off-shore accounts to get out of paying their fair share of taxes? did they crush smaller companies, laying off all the workers, shipping their jobs to a communist country and stealing their pension? did they bribe government officials in 3rd world countries so that they could enslave their people? Did they gamble with the worlds economy and win even though we lost?

Yesby all means, if you can sleep at night and look yourself in the mirror, spend $4,000,000 on a solid gold Christmas tree while those you stepped on to get what you want suffer.

Well I hope physically ill was just a phrase not an actual occurrence. If so you may need help.

Why all the pessimism? There are plenty of people that have money to burn that did not steal it. How about people in the music industry, clothing designers, motion picture industry to name a few. Maybe the same person that would spend 4 mil on something so lavish gave 10 mil to charity, maybe they didn't. In any case why so judgmental? If people would spend less time tending to the business of others maybe they could uncover some hidden treasure of their own.

Well, the gopers want to protect their 1% rich with more tax cuts at the expense of the poor and destitute. Bitch to them, not me.

In any case why so judgmental?

The purpose of a lavish and public expenditure, such as this one, is for attention. Judgement is invited by the purchaser.

@deprogrammer, you're aware that this is in Japan, right? Your statements all concern America: Thanksgiving is not a global holiday, and the elderly in Japan are taken care of much better than they are here. Family bonds are much stronger, and there is a much lower poverty rate. They're what we used to call a 'first-world' nation.

Nobody has bought the 'tree', you read that, right? And the money that was spent on the smaller versions doesn't evaporate: It goes to pay the goldsmiths and the jewelry company. Money is like energy: it is always conserved.

And as to the provenance of their wealth, there is nothing to substantiate any of your claims, shrouded in the guise of questions though they may be. Some people are rich, some people are poor. Get used to it.

I would buy it if they would let me do it my way. ON CREDIT WITH NO INTEREST.

It does not look anything like a tree! Im I the only one that can see that?

@deprogrammer

It's their money, libtard. That's all I'll say. There's really not much to say to someone who blindly appeals to emotion.

Kids are starving to death in Africa, why aren't you donating all of your money minus the amount necessary for the bare essentials?

Yes I read the story and am aware that it was made in Japan and being sold in Japan. No where in my comment did I blame this on America or any political party. But since very few in Japan actually celebrate Christmas and Disneyland is an American Icon it is only obvious that this is being marketed to wealthy Americans.

Ah I knew soon some name calling child would show up and spew hate, thanks arron you are right on time. I do donate, in fact after college I worked for an NGO that fed starving children and helped get clean drinking water to places that had none. But get if I had $4 million in pocket change laying around to blow on a solid gold disney tree for my obviously spoiled rotten, soon to grow up and be a mittens romney clone, I WOULDN'T, I would spend it on helping people rather than something as meaningless and grotesque as this piece of crap.

@ Sauve-3568661

I agree, it does not look like a tree. Maybe it doesn't photograph well, but it doesn't look all that awe inspiring much less being worth $4.2 million.

Not impressed.

But I do hope everyone has had a great Thanksgiving!

@deprogrammer You still don't get it. All the money you spend (All of it!) helps people. Money doesn't disappear. It flows, from one place to another. There are a bunch of goldsmiths that would get a nice bonus for the holidays if somebody buys this.

And, if you're going to have a problem with name calling and hate, do you really think you should be saying "obviously spoiled rotten, soon to grow up and be a mittens romney clone"? Kind of sinks your high ground.

Matt, that's sort of not true. Money put in offshore accounts most definitely does not help Americans, it isn't loaned to Americans, and the employees are not Americans. It might help someone, but not Americans, so I will always view Americans that use them as unpatriotic, perhaps smart, but unpatriotic. And when you buy gold, that money really does just go away. It no longer is in circulation, people that buy and sit on gold are maybe helping themselves, but are hurting their own country's economy. That wouldn't be the case if our own money was backed by gold, but it isn't.

It does seem a little absurd to spend that kind of money on something like this, but I guess if you have it and the tree does it for you, oh well. What they are charging for it does seem a little excessive, as you pointed out $2million for the labor when it took less than two man-years (10 people times 2 months) of labor to complete does seem a little outrageous. They must be paying these craftsman very well, that or they are taking one huge markup.

It would have been cheaper to buy a solid gold sign that read "I may not have gotten enough hugs as a child, but I'm a winner now! Look at me! LOOK AT ME! I'm going to live forever!".

If you took the gold tree apart to donate it by pieces..it would lose the value, $2 million was for labor/overhead.

The gold amount is about $2.2 million for 88 lbs of gold ( as of now its $1710.42 per troy ounce-pure gold).

If you had the $4.2 million to buy the tree..better off just donating the $4.2 as money then.

What's nice usedup? :-)

perry - Have you ever heard the saying, "Bad news comes in 3s? I tell how 9/11 attack was the 1st of 3 major terrorist attack. The 2nd is soon to come and it will most likely be 1000 times that of the 9/11 attack and right now I am guessing that there is a very good possibility of the 3rd attack of being approximately 40 days later. God has never allowed a destruction of a people or nation that He has given His warning of this coming destruction.... Amos 3:7

To read God's judgment for America's future or lack thereof, google: "The Message For America, Hand of Help Ministries." For how I was led to this google: "Watchman On The Wall, America ~ Mystery Babylon?" For America's 2nd major terrorist attack, google; "The Eagle and the Serpents, Hand of Help Ministries." And again, what I believe will be the location of the 2nd attack, google: "Watchman On The Wall, The Eagle and the Serpents (Part 2)."
God has promised that America will be paid double for her iniquities.

Amos 3:7 Is that the thrid show of Amos and Andy seven minutes in?

Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.

Proverbs 1

Purpose and Theme

(Please re-read #7 several times over.)

1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

2 for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight;

3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair;

4 for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young—

5 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance—

6 for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Apart from Christ the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Why is it that there is no world peace? Everyone says they want peace.... Apart from Christ man's heart is inclined to please himself and maybe those that are closes to him.... He has no desire in trying to help a stranger unless he himself will benefit in his efforts. How foolish many are when they speak of things that they have no understanding or knowledge of. But then again this is how it has been for nearly all of man's history.

Please tell me if you can, why should God reveal himself to someone that does not seek Him, or to someone that is not serious in wanting to know him in a personal way, much less to someone that does not believe in Him? God has chosen to hide Himself, but to those who fear Him, He will reveal His heart's desires. In Psalms 91:1 He refers to His place of hiding as the secret place. Only those who fear God will find this secret place, as we are told:

The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. Psalm 25:14 NIV