Richard Branson has an idea. America should give out free cash to the poor to fix income inequality. So then what? What happens when people blow all that free cash on crap? We give them more free cash? Just pay people big money to produce nothing? If that is the rule, why would anybody bother to learn a valuable trade? And who gets the money? Is anyone who is able to sneak into the U.S. owed money by the U.S. taxpayer? And is it only America who owes people money? What about the poor of other countries? How come they don’t get free money from their rich? Are they second class? And what about you sir Richard? Why the hell are you hoarding money? You are swimming in an ocean of cash that you could be using to solve income inequality. How about leading by example?
He can start with his bank account.
why do you assume they would blow the money on crap?
I don’t assume anything. There will be some who over spend. Money loses it’s value when you don’t do anything to earn it. There is a certain sector who have done absolutely nothing to prepare themselves for life. Dropped out of school, made no attempt to learn a trade, got involved with drugs and have spent time in jail. Now they are suddenly suppose to become responsible? Why would you assume that nobody would blow their free money?
I think Richard should do his part. Hows about you share Kate Winslet with the rest of us.
Next time your Island compound is attacked by pirates hows about you arm yourself with feather dusters.
Yes. That’s the basic idea of a Universal Basic Income. It’s worth having that discussion now. Because we may need it within the next 50-100 years. The way automation and artificial intelligence is coming along, millions and millions of people will be out of a job.
Right. I might not be as good an artist as Leo (Jack), but I’m certainly willing to try. Practice! Practice! Practice!
And we all know what millions of unemployed people tend to do.
Russia 1917.
How about this? How about starting with congress? Their bloated benefit package, royal health care plan, high salary and absurd retirement plan. How about every time they delay our retirement, they delay their own as well? If we are not eligible until 67, then neither should they be. How about giving us the exact health care plan that they demand that we give them? When government decides not to put themselves first, then I will trust government to distribute my money to themselves and others. In other words. NEVER.
Sure those are all issues that can be addressed. But what are you going to do when jobs slowly start disappearing, and you get more and more people unemployed?
We are not too far away feon a reality where many current jobs no longer need a live person.
People sure are trying to figure out what to make of the world today. Trump, Brexit, AMLO, Xi In China, Italy, Austria, Turkey, etc… Maybe he thinks this could calm people down, so they’re not at the wealthy people’s doors with pitchforks.
Agreed. That is why we need to be very careful. Importing millions of low skilled people who we will have to take care of could be a disaster.
Is that the guy who had a “tickle fight” with obama when he left the White House??
Peas in a pod.
Oh Gawd. Thanks for that visual. 
You can’t buy a Lamborghini with a standard transmission anymore, since the computer is so much more efficient at shifting. The day you speak of is coming sooner than you think.
there is even a push to get rid of the 2 pilot cargo Ops in congress right now
A very American argument
Get rid of something that would benefit everyone because a certain percentage might be getting one over on all of us.
Actually, it may have been a game of “what’s my safeword?”
But at least it wasn’t a game of “who’s your mummy??”
That we know of.
I am completely receptive to the idea of wealthy people who are looking to feel better about themselves handing me a stack of their own cash. Hell, I’ll even take a personal check for the cause.
