A: Money and banking theory. The banking system to me has failed. There have been once-a-generation failures since its founding in Venice in 1200. We keep blaming the incidents that spark them, like subprime, but not blaming the big leverage that’s the root of the problem.
Q: Is wine a vanity business?
A: I don’t want to lose money in it. You lose morale, and nobody takes you seriously. The more you make, the more confident the people working for you are.
Q: Malcolm Forbes crowned you America’s wealthiest person in 1983. Do you miss being the richest?
A: Hell no.
Q: Today, Bloomberg has you at $3.5 billion.
A: Honest to God, it hasn’t been on my mind in so long. I have much more dough than I need. It’s always fun to make more, but it’s just a game!