An Open Letter to Robert Kiyosaki
by johnbechtel on December 23, 2009
in Altruism, Business Opportunity, Capitalism, Economics, Financial Help, Greenville Cashflow Club, Philosophy, Politics, Power of Belief, Rugged individualism, Self Empowerment, Wealth, money
In case you don’t know, Robert Kiyosaki is the author of the Rich Dad series of books on financial literacy, and he and his beautiful wife Kim are the creators of the board game called Cash Flow, a marvelous financial learning tool for young and old alike. I am a fan of Robert Kiyosaki. I met him and his wife in a bar in Pittsburgh, PA. They are very genuine, down-to-earth, and friendly people. They are for-profit educators, and they clearly have a passion for their subject. And yes, I really believe Robert’s story about his rich dad and his poor dad. I don’t think Rich Dad is a figment of Kiyosaki’s imagination. So I am a believer. I don’t make statements like that very often. I have something to say to Mr. Kiyosaki, a disagreement I want to air with him.
Dear Mr. Kiyosaki:
If you are reading this, you already know we are kindred spirits and I admire what you do and share your commitment to financial education. In a recent article you wrote that some of your best financial advice is to not be average. That comment was the source of considerable outrage on the part of your readers, judging by their comments. Perhaps they wanted your message gift-wrapped in softer language, but I couldn’t agree with you more.
Very few people truly comprehend the mind-numbing reach and power of their government, and its insatiable appetite for their earnings and its religious zeal to dumb them down and control their lives. Therefore they do not understand how much the odds are stacked against them in their endeavor to break free from the rat race. They do not understand that to be average is to have no chance.
Did Capitalism Fail?
by johnbechtel on June 7, 2009
in Altruism, Capitalism, Declaration of Independence, Economics, Feudalism, Individual Rights, Mixed Economy, Philosophy, Politics, Property Rights, Rugged individualism, Socialism, U.S. Constitution, Wealth
The global economic crisis now in play is being universally touted as the failure and collapse of capitalism. The cover of the February 16, 2009 edition of Newsweek ecstatically proclaimed “WE ARE ALL SOCIALISTS NOW”. The documented collapse of Wall St. institutions and international banking is being gleefully interpreted as the failure of capitalism itself. In the furious debate that has ensued, the arguments for and against capitalism have focused entirely on the causes of various recent economic phenomena, such as Wall St. greed, the failure of regulators, the incompetence of one or another administration, and the complexity of derivatives that were both unheard of and technically impossible only twenty years ago. All of them have totally missed the point. Capitalism has not failed, because capitalism was not practiced to begin with. Pure capitalism has never been practiced because it is philosophically unacceptable in our culture. What is called capitalism today is a hybrid political philosophy so filled with contradictions, it is unable to defend itself. To answer the question in the title of this article, we have to begin at the beginning. Read more..
