Make a buck or GTFO should be a business slogan
In today’s woke world you’re going to make enemies with the mantra of make a buck or GTFO (Get The F*ck Out). But business isn’t about making friends. One never makes anything noteworthy of her/himself, without making a few enemies along the way; even if those enemies are only fueled by their own self-pity and jealousies. On the surface, this sounds like justification for being ruthless and having blind ambition. But shrewd business is really about having clear objectives and being steadfast in one’s pursuits, because that tends to yield, long term, to much greater sustainable profitability.
It’s mind blowing to imagine that a company like Twitter can continue to operate without being profitable. There’s definitely a whole lot of things wrong with our market driven economy when any corporation can function for so long, with only it’s relative stock value increasing. Social media platforms are infamous for not turning a profit, and considering their impact on society, it makes makes one wonder, “if profit isn’t the investor’s objective, what the hell is?” One can speculate many things, but that only raises more questions, “like why does Elon Musk taking over scare them so much?” This is big tech, not some charity or other non-profit organization working to alleviate suffering in the world. Putting ideology over the ability to make a buck screws over other people just as much as barbarous profiteering does.
In the real world, no one gets to be both the sheriff and the criminal.
The free open market has done more for humanity than any other human construct. We’ve gone from a medieval feudal system that divided society into nobles and peasant servants to having almost everyone, including the poor, able to own a flat screen TV. It was only 1970, when many American households were complaining about the cost to buy a color television set. Today’s household, in contrast often has multiple TVs and computers. In fact, because of the smart phone, many people surf the Internet and watch Netflix while sitting on their toilets. One can humorously say that it’s been the pursuit of the dollar, our ability to make a buck, that has transformed our bathrooms into entertainment centers.
Not trying to make a buck deprives others of job security and society of growth. A commercial business that refuses to make a buck, will eventually die, putting a burden on either it’s employees or the community in which they reside, often both. Yes, there are social issues that need to be addressed, but there always will be. Humanity can never create a utopian society full of love, rainbows and lollipops, because we’re imperfect, and tribal. Any endeavor that wants to devote itself to combating such things as racism, unwanted pregnancies, drug addictions, etc. should first designate itself as non-profit and then place a hard limit on ALL the salaries of its employees, especially its executives. No one who works for them should have the ability to financially enrich themselves, at the expense of the less fortunate, whom they claim to be helping.
Charities and non-profit organizations have a vital place in society, as does everyone’s ability to make a buck. For the longest time, America was the land of opportunity, and a sharp contrast to oppressing communism or the rigid classism (think of a social class glass ceiling) dominant in the rest of the world. But our forefathers, right up until the WW11 generation, had to work for everything, and earn their place in society. That same generation would take one look at America today and think that it had lost the cold war, and have become communists. Government should never be the source of charity, because the elites who govern us have no concept of the struggles the less fortunate face, if they did, there would be much less waste and overspending.
When the elites want something, they ask for it or buy it; so they problem solve the same way. But just throwing money at a social problem is like putting a band-aid on an infection, it may hide it for a while, but eventually the infection will spread. Likewise aid without empowering the people receiving it with the skills and confidence to succeed for themselves, is the government ensuring continued dependence upon them. Also since the resources have to come from somewhere, it is subsequently weakening those who had been getting along by themselves. Don’t believe me? Look at how the inflation we are experiencing is dwindling your personal resources. The more the cost of living increases, the less businesses are able to make a buck as necessities become the only thing people are willing to purchase.
It can be difficult to like Elon Musk
Elon Musk is a member of the “elite” and probably should be paying more in taxes. There are even some that will say that his emphasis of electric vehicles over CNG cars is proof that he’s not truly concerned about climate change. One way or another those comments are true, but equally truthful is that Musk is a dedicated, old-school, businessman . After-all it was a sound business decision to develop electric cars when every politician’s vision of saving the planet involved eliminating gas guzzling automobiles. Government grants to replace the freedom of gasoline vehicles with electronic machines, meant he couldn’t fail, because the government was in essence guaranteeing his Tesla investments. From Paypal to Tesla to Space X, and perhaps soon, Twitter, he’s seizing every opportunity to make a buck. Despite his public claims about freedom of speech, he’s doing what any smart profit oriented individual would do, by trying to buy what appears to be a failed business.
It can be said that, in some sense, all social media platforms are failures. Moderators begin to impose their own ideologies and become self-righteous. Users of the platform eventually get bored and neglect or abandon their account, moving on to other areas of the Internet to occupy their time. Any business is doomed to fail when it doesn’t have an underlying environment that fosters a stable and moderate pursuit to make a buck. Businessmen are always on the look for companies that fail not because of a faulty product or service, but from mismanagement. Having had 15 plus years to become profitable, Twitter has demonstrated the moronic practice of putting politics before business is a surefire way to rob one’s investors of their capital.
New ownership/leadership often proves to be the cure for failure.
It remains to be seen in which direction Elon Musk will captain Twitter. Freedom of speech is without a doubt vital to the health of a free and open democratic nation. Equally important to a nation is its citizenry’s ability to enjoy a high quality of life and therefore all commercial pursuits need to be able to make a buck. What’s most exciting about Musk’s purchase is not his comments about protecting free speech, but the promise that he’s going to bring back centuries old Adam Smith wisdom. Ultimately true freedom can only be obtained in one of two ways…. At the end of a gun or by the amount of money in your wallet. Rest assured that we’ll all be more free if Elon Musk can make Twitter profitable.
