Do You Wish You Were Mark Cuban?

I don't know what to make of Mark Cuban. He's either one of the luckiest SOBs around or the only dot-comer smart enough to sell his business for billions at the peak of the bubble. One's thing's for sure: Mark Cuban polarizes people. Folks either think he's a self-serving blowhard with a billion dollar platform, or a successful businessman with something to add to society.

I'm wondering what the business community thinks of this guy. Do you hate him or want to be like him? Here are a few questions to consider, all referring to his much blogged about post: "The Mark Cuban Stimulus Plan - Open Source Funding."
Do you wish you could name a stimulus plan after yourself?

Do you wish you could take a national crisis and make it all about you?

"I just needed a way to help. So here it is. Some people will love it, some will hate it. It is what it is."

"You must post your business plan here on my blog where I expect other people can and will comment on it. I also expect that other people will steal the idea and use it elsewhere. That is the idea. Call this an open source funding environment."

"If its a good idea and worth funding, we want it replicated elsewhere. The idea is not just to help you, but to figure out how to help the economy through hard work and ingenuity. If you come up with the idea and get funding, you have a head start. If you execute better than others, you could possibly make money at it. As you will see from the rules below, these are going to be businesses that are mostly driven by sweat equity."

"I will invest money in businesses presented here on this blog. No minimum, no maximum, but a very specific set of rules. Im sure I will come up with more rules as I see what comes along, if anything."

"As I find businesses I like, I will use the email address you provide before you post to get in contact with you. There will be a standard agreement, you can take it or leave it. Im not going to claim a minimum or maximum amount or total I will invest. Im not promising I will definitely invest anything. If nothing comes along that I think is viable, thats the way it goes."

• "Mark - Awesome. In all honesty I was hoping that you'd offer something like this up at some point."
• "This is the best stimulus plan I've seen so far."
• "Wow, transparency and accountability. What a concept!"
• "I love the "open source" aspect."
• "This is just brilliant --"
• "Very very cool idea Mark. Might lead to something big."

You know what I think? Hard to say; I'm too nauseous to think. Which leads me to my final question: Are we really a nation of sheep just waiting to drink from anyone's Kool-Aid trough, or do they have to be condescending billionaires?
[photo: AP]