OPINION:
Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Facebook, has made his money — his billions of dollars in a short span of time — and now? Now, he wants yours.
He’s after a global tax to give every man, woman and child a certain amount of money — for the simple reason of being born.
In a message to Harvard graduates, Zuckerberg first acknowledged how the free market helped him. Then he turned and bit the free market hand that fed.
“Let’s face it,” he said, referencing the time he attended Harvard himself, Wired reported. “There is something wrong with our system when I can leave here and make billions of dollars in 10 years while millions of students can’t afford to pay off their loans, let alone start a business.”
No, actually, there’s not. That’s called success — that’s called an example of America’s great capitalistic system at work.
That could even be called realizing a God-given talent.
But now that Zuckerberg’s got his, he wants to take yours — under guise of helping. Liberals and their helping. Why does it always lead down the path of socialism?
Zuckerberg, in his gosh-darned earnest, gosh-darned wealthy way, now wants the rising generation to go forth and work for the global good — and as part of that higher purpose, to jump on base with what he called a “universal basic income” notion.
“We should have a society that measures progress not just by economic metrics like GDP, but by how many of us have a role we find meaningful,” Zuckerberg said, Boston.com reported. “We should explore ideas like universal basic income to give everyone a cushion to try new things.”
That means the government — by taxes — provides each and every citizen in the world a basic level of money, no work required. The money’s freely given — by taxes — to all those who are alive, just for the simple fact they’re alive.
Isn’t that great. One of the world’s wealthiest taking a little time-out to come down to the regular folk level and preach global taxation as a means of eradicating poverty. Does that seem a bit condescending to anyone else?
But liberals-slash-socialists, especially the uber-wealthy ones, like George Soros, are always trying to mask their controlling ways in a do-good cloak. They pretend to want to help the little guy — in the least painful way possible to themselves.
If Zuckerberg wants to end world poverty, if he wants to help some of the poorest in the world achieve the financial success he’s seen — or at least take a step or two in the direction of self-reliance and independence — he can certainly reach in his own pocket and start the disbursement line.
But for Zuckerberg, and people like him who want the kudos that goes with philanthropy but not the self-sacrifices that typically mark true charity — that mark the heart of a genuine helper — there’s always government. Zuckerberg calling for a universal basic income is a global tax and redistribution scheme. And that means control and power for the few at the expense and salaries of the many.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.