"Elon Musk has earned every tax payer dollar he has received." By definition you do not earn a handout. You merely conform to the requirements of receiving it

"Elon Musk has earned every tax payer dollar he has received." By definition you do not earn a handout. You merely conform to the requirements of receiving it, which he has. "Earn"? Definitely not the word to use for him. We're talking about money that he has taken from all taxpayers to fund the pursuit of his dreams. His dreams get funded because they are approved by the government. There are ~156 million adults employed full time. On average, this equates to ~$32 every single taxpayer has paid to Musk. If you are a higher earner, which I suspect is true of many here on HN, Musk has "earned" somewhere between $50 and $100 of your money.