I like to watch documentaries. A few evenings ago, my wife and I sat down to watch a documentary entitled, “The One Percent”. (It’s available on instant play on Netflix.) The documentary is produced by Jamie Johnson, one of the wealthy heirs of the Johnson and Johnson family dynasty. The film examines the growing disparity between the “haves” and the “have-nots” in American society.
While the film had several interviews with many of the top names in the business world, I found myself in disagreement with the film’s conclusions. In essence, the film conveyed the idea that becoming financially free in America has become impossible for most people, especially for those born into a lower-class family.
I take great issue with this idea.
What do the phrases “haves” and “have-nots” really mean anyway? Is it referring to the ability to consume? Or to overconsume?
Does it to refer to financial freedom? Or the freedom to spend your time the way that you want to?
What exactly do the “haves” possess that the “have-nots” do not have access to? Is it strictly money?
To be honest, I am not really sure. However, it seems like a strange argument and one that is designed to induce contention.
Instead of seeing a world full of “haves” and “have-nots,” I tend to see a world that is full of “producers” and “consumers.”
Obviously, everyone is a consumer on some level. We all must outsource some of our basic needs. Who today, for example, actually grows all of their own food, pumps their own drinking water, generates their own utility needs, and makes all of their own clothes? Perhaps some of our readers do. (And if so, I would love to hear from you.)
But the point is, all of us, in some way and on some level, choose to outsource many of our basic necessities to those who choose to “produce.”
Over the next several days, I am going to confront this issue of the “consumer” mindset vs. the “producer” mindset.
Friends, I believe that contained within this discussion is the key to breaking free from the “rat race” that been sold to Americans as the only way to survive financially.
We will also discuss the importance of value creation. Are you creating value?
This is one of the most powerful questions that we should ask ourselves on a consistent basis. This is because “value creation” precedes success in many areas of our lives.
Finally…
Another example of government’s wasteful spending of your tax dollars…
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30-year-old Stanley Thornton Jr. wants to be a baby. He and his roommate, Sandra Dias, who acts as his “mother,” collect Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits instead of working. Stanley drives himself to complete errands, has designed and custom-made his own baby furniture to support his 350-pound adult body, and also runs an Internet support group. Now, Oklahoma Senator, Tom Coburn, is questioning whether this situation warrants taxpayer support. Read the entire absurd story here…
Source: FTMDaily.com
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