Universal Welfare: Is Zuck Actually Evil?
Universal Welfare? Say It Ain't So!
My knee-jerk reaction to Zuckerburg's speech was shock at the naivete on display. Sure, he made a lot of money when he was too young for the responsibility. But by now you would think he'd matured at least a little. But a talking head on FOX Business turned me on to another possibility. This one actually makes more sense. It also makes Zuck’s suggestions far more cynical. Part of his justification was “so people can innovate”. WTF? People can and are innovating right now. Is he superman because he has made innovations and others need to government to pay the “proles” money so Zuckerburg’s lessers can innovate? And what is that money for. Does Zuckerburg envision a future where one class innovates and makes multiple billions while the rest live on their government stipend (which we already know is actually worthless)? What are they to do now that they are getting money to live on from the Almighty Governing Class? Are they to spend all day on Facebook? Don’t answer that!
Epic Elitist
This marks Mark as the epic elitist. The fact is, with innovation moving at the breath-taking speed it is right now we have no need of government to do anything for innovators. In fact we don’t want the government’s fingers in the bowl at all. As soon as the “federales” touch Internet businesses, they WILL do what they always do. They will prop up political friends and drive out competition. This will be all in the name of making it better. The price will be that the political friends will have to run an Internet that is favorable to the political whores and their political interests. And, inevitably, the system will be made inexcusably inefficient. If we prevent such an occurrence, I envision a future where what you presently pay for on the Internet will become more and more specialized. The present formula will give way to people who do and supply certain things in a unique way. The little guy will be able to compete with the giants. And all the technology, and automation will provide more jobs not less. In addition to the automation becoming cheaper and more accessible over time (such things ALWAYS do), we will still have the need for fresh food, plumbing, electrical repair, cosmetics, and everything else we need today. An automated wait staff won’t change that. So to the market needs we fill already, we will add an incredible amount of jobs in the ever-growing high-tech industry.
Think!
We are already swimming in a sea of unfunded liabilities with our present entitlement programs. The I-am-better-than-everyone approach to the problem, as Zuckerburg suggests, would not only bankrupt the country, it would have only negative consequences here in the real world. Zuck, go back to your algorithms and post boosting. You are very good at it. Leave American citizens to address their own problems. That is what we are very good at, when left alone to do it. I opened this series discussing apathy. Stupid ideas like the one we reviewed here are becoming very trendy among the political class. If we don’t wake up, as a whole, people like Zukerburg WILL define your future. Get involved. I said in part 1 of this series, that we work. We raise kids. We have lives. Yes! Exactly! By being engaged citizens (a duty as critical as the others) we make living our lives, raising our kids and paying our bills that much easier and more worthwhile. Talk to your representatives. Let them know that you are now on the case. If they don’t start cutting away the government cancer we have growing on us, tell them they are committing political suicide. Matt Jordan is the author of Street Politics: It Ain't Your Daddy's GOP Anymore! Grab your copy here.
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