Charles Barkley vs. Michael Jordan on the Value of Money

Former NBA star Charles Barkley, who never had the drive on the basketball court that Michael Jordan did and who once excused an absurd remark he made in his autobiography by claiming he was misquoted, is in a Michael Jordan attacking mood:

Sports Illustrated reports:

Michael Jordan’s alleged tightfistedness is back in Charles Barkley’s comedic crosshairs.

In an interview with late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien, Barkley says that golfer Tiger Woods, Jordan, and Jordan’s former Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen are among the cheapest people that he knows.

“There’s nobody cheaper than Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan,” Barkley said. “Oh yeah, [Jordan is] cheap. I always give homeless people money and he will always slap my hand [and tell me], ‘If they can ask you for spare change, they can say, ‘Welcome to McDonald’s, can I help you, please?’”

The subject came up when Barkley was asked about his own tipping habits.

“I think it’s important when you’re successful, the waiter, the waitresses, the blackjack dealers, they work extremely hard, they don’t get a great salary,” Barkley told O’Brien. “The more successful you are, the more you should tip, I truly believe that. … I never went overboard. I tipped $25,000 before. I won about $700,000 at a blackjack. You have to tip. I probably should have tipped more to be honest with you.”...

“I think that’s why [Woods and Jordan are] rich,” Barkley quipped. “They don’t tip. That’s their secret to being rich, they don’t tip.”

If one thinks about Barkley's smartass  comment for a minute, it becomes obvious that what he is really pointing out is that different people have different value scales. For some people every penny is important, for others it is not. Further, some people are very charitable others are not.

It is important to keep in mind that in a libertarian society, everyone would be able to do with their money whatever they chose to do, libertarianism is silent on value scales, it is about non-aggression.