Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Richard Branson have all recently supported Universal Basic Income — which amounts to giving away free money to everyone. Many people think that with automation coming in the next few decades, so many jobs will be lost that government will have to do something drastic. The truth is, paying every American $12,000 per year — the U.S. poverty line for an individual — would cost the government trillions. Pumping more dollars every year into the economy is a solution?
Over 35 years ago I stood in an unemployment line. I was just out of college and I owed the government over $40,000 and I couldn’t get a job. I looked around at the other people in that place and I told myself I had to get out of there. It was a risk I had to take.
Why?
If someone is a taker rather than a maker, dependent on the government for his or her unemployment checks, it creates a victim mentality. I decided right then and there that I didn’t want someone to give me a fish; I needed to be taught how to fish.
Those who take the fish are being sold on the concept that they are broken, that they can’t produce, and that they are unable to get the fish on their own.
It’s a Sell or Be Sold world out there.
Are you sold on your own ability to pull yourself up no matter how bad your circumstances? I decided years ago that if it would be up to anyone, it would be up to me. I’m not here to make a political stance on welfare or any other federally funded programs out there. I am here to claim that the principle of government assistance makes people weaker and ultimately slaves.
The pursuit of happiness requires you to pursue. Nothing is free, except maybe oxygen. What does freedom mean? The dictionary defines it as follows:
Freedom: the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action; liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another; independence; the quality or state of being exempt or released from something onerous.
Are you really free if you’re dependent upon government assistance? We live in an eat-what-you-kill economy. If you can’t kill it, you won’t eat. Even if you take from the government, it won’t be enough.
What does “basic income” get you?
A basic life. Is that what you want?
If anyone wants to give you free cash, no questions asked, get suspicious. Universal basic income is a step to becoming a slave to the federal government.
The Constitution of the US talks about “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.
I want my freedom. Do you want yours?
Be great,
GC
Grant Cardone is a New York Times bestselling author, the #1 sales trainer in the world, and an internationally renowned speaker on leadership, real estate investing, entrepreneurship, social media, and finance. His 5 privately held companies have annual revenues exceeding $100 million. Forbes named Mr. Cardone #1 of the “25 Marketing Influencers to Watch in 2017”. Grant’s straight-shooting viewpoints on the economy, the middle class, and business have made him a valuable resource for media seeking commentary and insights on real topics that matter. He regularly appears on Fox News, Fox Business, CNBC, and MSNBC, and writes for Forbes, Success Magazine, Business Insider, Entrepreneur.com, and the Huffington Post. He urges his followers and clients to make success their duty, responsibility, and obligation. He currently resides in South Florida with his wife and two daughters.