Text 22130, 128 rader
Skriven 2006-08-27 09:31:00 av Jeff Binkley (1:226/600)
Ärende: Wealth
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http://finance.yahoo.com/columnist/article/richricher/8813

Go Forth and Multiply -- Your Money
by Robert Kiyosaki
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If the No. 1 reason people aren't rich is because they're lazy, the No. 
2 reason may be that they're also wicked. Not that being wicked ever 
stopped anyone from getting rich. 


Given all that, should we save taxes by stopping government entitlement 
programs? Does giving money to poor and greedy people reduce their 
numbers, or does it just ensure more poor and greedy people?


Great Spirit, Great Wealth


As you can tell, I'm in the same politically incorrect frame of mind as 
in my last column, "Lazy People Don't Get Rich." Many of you had a lot 
to say about that article, and I'll comment on that in an upcoming 
column.


For now, this week I derive much of its inspiration from the Bible. 
Since money and religion are controversial subjects, I should clarify my 
religious position: I prefer the Native American Indian term "Great 
Spirit" as a more approachable reference to God.

I also don't like religious fanatics, regardless of what religion they 
belong to, but I support freedom of religion. For that matter, I also 
support the freedom to not believe in a god at all.

As for my position on wealth, if you're reading this column you know it 
pretty well by now.


A Talent for Abundance


While I'm no Bible scholar, I'm going to use a passage from the New 
Testament book of Mathew to illustrate my point about wickedness and the 
lack of wealth. If I misinterpret its message or don't follow your 
interpretation I mean no harm, nor do I claim to speak for God. 


I draw my politically incorrect message from the parable of a master 
who, before leaving to travel, gave one of his servants five talents (a 
valuable unit of currency), another servant two talents, and a third 
servant one talent. When the master returned, the first servant had 
doubled his money and gave his master 10 talents.


The second servant had also doubled his master's money and turned over 
four talents. To each of these servants the master said, "Well done, 
good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will 
set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master."


The third servant was frightened of his master, so instead of 
multiplying the money he buried his single talent. To this servant the 
master said, "You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap 
where I have not sowed and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you 
ought to have invested my money with bankers, and at my coming I should 
have received what was my own with interest."


The master then took the servant's one talent and gave it to the servant 
who had turned 5 talents into 10. The parable ends with these words: 
"For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an 
abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken 
away."



Evil Is as Evil Does


My politically incorrect interpretation of this parable is that the poor 
are wicked and slothful -- in other words, evil and lazy. My favorite 
line from it is "Enter into the joy of your master." If your master is 
God, then God's joy is the abundance derived from making money, which in 
turn creates more abundance. If that means God doesn't like poor people, 
then so be it.


This is contrary to the ideas I often hear from socialists, religious 
leaders, and the poor themselves. I meet many people who believe that 
it's the rich who are evil, and that money is the root of all evil and 
rich people won't go to heaven. But this isn't what the Parable of the 
Talents says; I interpret it to say that the poor are evil and lazy. 
Your interpretation may be different.


For me, it brings up the problem of entitlements and government safety-
net programs. My interpretation of the parable indicates that the 
government's social programs are evil because they support people who 
are wicked and slothful, and even create more of them.


That doesn't mean just more poor people, either. As we all know, some of 
the most corrupt practices in government are derived from the rich 
wanting more government handouts for their corporations, special 
interest groups, or political action committees.


Most of us are mature enough to know that it's only the less intelligent 
politicians who get caught. Some of our most wicked (and most famous) 
politicians are in important positions of power. Many of them are the 
ones we see posing for photo-ops in churches or at prayer breakfasts.


Money-Happy


One of the more financially dysfunctional notions I hear from poor 
people is that "money doesn't make you happy." I don't know about you, 
but I'm much happier when I have an abundance of money.


So does God feel the same way -- is He happier when you're rich, or when 
you're poor? That's a question you'll have to answer for yourself. I 
think you know how I feel.

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