The purpose of this blog today is a statement by the guy behind me. He was talking to a friend about people who are "filthy" rich. Those who have more money than they need, it would seem. He said, "Being rich only means that you have and someone else doesn't. People try to get away saying things like 'but I'm helping people with my money' but it's just justifying." That, friend, is not justification. That's resonsibility. If you have a million dollars and you give up one percent of that to people who really need it at a moment. (that's 10,000 for those of you keeping track at home) in funds to help a family get back on their feet. Why didn't you give up the other 990,000?
If every man was to give up 990,000 and keep 10,000 to themselves, what would they live on? Why should a person who has worked hard for what they earn have to give up everything they make to those who didn't work that hard or, in the case of the man behind me, don't want to work that hard? Yes, there are ways in which those who become rich stay rich and there are bad ways to do that. There are also GREAT ways to make and keep money that don't include giving it away!
Any economist worth his salt knows that it takes money to make money. It takes investment to create a business. It takes capital and overhead at least. You have to have a product to sell and getting that product takes money. Those without any money at all must work for those who have put money into an investment and begun building something.
If no man believed in making money to get money and spread money around, it would be ridiculous to believe that economics was a zero sum game. There is not a stagnant amount of money in the country. As more people are born and die, inventions are created, bought, and sold, and we export as well as import, goods rare bought and sold. Some investments are quite a bit more lucrative and many more are dangerous to the point of stupidity. some are less stupid and some are less lucrative. That is why it's called an investment. It's not a promise, not a guarantee, and it's not a sure fire bet that everything will work out. It's a chance. Those who take big chances and run with them and get lucky (or blessed) can make great money.
In turn, jobs are made. I now I already made the statement that we need people to stand up in this country and make it count. Now I say we need people who want to start something and policies to make it possible. If we keep making the initiation of businesses as difficult as we have (defining small business as one with 500 workers where Australia allows a small business to have up to 15 with quite a bit more incentives than we give) we won't be making jobs. We'll just be giving the big businesses less competition and more power. We need competition to keep things affordable and progressive. Affordable and progressive mean more jobs, more innovation, and more ingenuity. We start building people at that point, not just jobs.
One of my best friends' uncles has a great deal of money and he makes movies. He funds unknown actors to be in films that go to lesser known everything which, in many cases end up making millions for everyone! And he didn't start off with all that much.
Now I'm returning to the original point. Just like the bible says, "to be learned is good" so is being rich. It's only good if you're using what you have to the best of your abilities. BEING rich isn't the problem. It's keeping it all to yourself and ignoring the plights and needs of those right around you that's the problem.
I am poor. I have been most of my life. Not destitute per say but not the most affluent. I'm actually pretty dang OK with that. I don't really need that much to be happy and I don't really fear living on top-ramen for weeks on end. With a budget for frozen foods (even canned foods aren't that bad) and enough top-ramen, my dad taught me how to mix and match for different flavors, textures, and nutrients. I know I'll be OK.
Quite frankly, even though I can complain all day about the things that happened to me today and yesterday and my werewolf-ism, I'm OK. I have a couple of tests to take soon but I got a new charger for my phone, found my i-pod (again) and have another appointment for next week to donate plasma. Look, things might not be perfect or even great but I'm not living in "crappy" and "hell hole" doesn't really approach my arrangements. I might move next year and I might not. I don't have to worry about that right now. That's really nice.
I don't have to be rich, I don't have to hate on people who are, and I don't have to do much more than study and work. Y'know what?
I'm fine with OK.
