Posted on 08/08/2006 7:11:51 AM PDT by stainlessbanner
Allow me to be politically incorrect: The No. 1 reason people aren't rich is because they're lazy. This is purely my opinion and no one else's, and I have no scientific proof to back it up.
Why the sudden honesty? I'll tell you.
The Best Policy?
One of the things I loved most about the Marine Corps was that I never had to worry about what anyone was thinking. When I was preparing to be an officer, there was no sensitivity training. When superior officers spoke to you, they didn't have to wrap their words in ribbons and bows, and didn't worry about hurting anyone's feelings.
In fact, we often went out of our way to hurt others' feelings just to test their core toughness. (I'd repeat some of the more choice comments I've treasured over the years, but I'm not writing for a military audience.)
When I returned from the war and entered the civilized world of business, I was shocked by the phoniness, the covert hostility (disguised as caring), and the fake smiles that are rampant to this day. It's been over 30 years since I was discharged from the Marines, and I still haven't adjusted.
Today, I'm still hesitant to let my employees know exactly what I'm not satisfied with for fear of being sued, or to compliment a pretty woman for fear of being accused of sexual harassment.
But I'm happy to say that things are changing. We now have reality TV instead of Father Knows Best, a phony show about fake family harmony from my era. Today, commentators like Bill Maher and Jon Stewart rip into politicians under the guise of humor.
We also have Donald Trump, who has millions of people from all over the world tuning in just to hear him say the magic words "you're fired" to an apprentice wannabe. And of course there's Simon Cowell of American Idol, the critic of all critics, whose book of brutally honest dismissals I was recently tempted to buy.
An Honest Assessment
All of this overt honesty, while sometimes contrived, encourages me to be more honest about my favorite subject -- getting rich, and who's most likely to do so.
Most of you who follow my books and this column know how I make my money. First of all, I'm an entrepreneur. I've been starting companies since I was a kid. I never wanted to be an employee -- I always wanted to be in control. I didn't want someone like me telling me what to do. Consequently, I now have companies, agencies, or strategic partners all over the world.
Second, I love real estate. Not only do I think it's the best investment in the world, I can prove it. What other investment is there that has bankers lining up to lend you money? They won't lend you millions of dollars for years at a time to buy stocks, bonds, or mutual funds. And what other investment will your insurance company insure against losses? Surely not mutual funds or a 401(k).
Third, I love commodities like oil and gas. Why do I love them? Because they're in short supply and in great demand. Wars have been fought over oil and gas for years. What do you think the war in Iraq is about?
Finally, I've loved gold and silver for years. Why? Because I don't trust the U.S. government to be good stewards of money. As you may know, the Bush administration has printed more funny money -- over a trillion dollars' worth -- in six years than all past U.S. presidents combined.
Wars have been fought over gold and silver, too. Why do you think the Incas lost their empire to the Spaniards, or the American Indians lost their land to the European settlers? The conquerors may have said that they were acting in the name of God, but remember -- there's only a single letter's difference between "God" and "gold."
No More Political Correctness
The recent outbreak of honesty also inspires me to be more forthcoming in general, and less politically correct. This is the web, after all, where honesty is respected, not suppressed, censored, or forced to be "sensitive" like our old, more traditional forms of media.
You wouldn't be reading Yahoo! Finance if you weren't serious about being rich or becoming rich. So I owe it to you to be more truthful. And I'm not worried about offending the financial losers of the world, because financial losers don't read this column.
So, rather than tell you week after week about real estate, entrepreneurship, gold, silver, oil, and gas, I've decided to occasionally run a less-than-politically-correct column and tell you exactly what I think about the subject of getting rich.
The L Words
It's in this spirit that I opened by saying that lazy people don't get rich. I also said that the difference between "God" and "gold" is a simple "L" -- as in "lazy," or "looting." The conquistadors who looted the Inca Empire in the name of God weren't lazy. They were thugs with guns, but they had ambition.
Another word that begins with "L" is "loser." Over the years, I've met many losers who pray to God to give them gold. They'll never get it that way because, as the Sunday school I went to taught me, God helps those who help themselves. Again, the conquistadors may have been killers and thieves, but at least they knew how to help themselves.
I do, too. As some of you may be aware, I wasn't born rich. And I've written openly about my failures as an entrepreneur and my losses as an investor. I haven't hidden my horror stories. The reason I don't keep them secret is because my failures are the best learning experiences of my life. We learn by making mistakes -- except in school, where we're punished for making mistakes. This may be why most schoolteachers aren't rich.
I'm not recommending that you become an ambitious looter, as Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling were convicted of being. I only want to point out that if you're not a lazy loser, you may find yourself with more gold in your life without having to resort to looting.
He succeeds breathtakingly at tapping into legitimate disgust with laziness, secularism, and contempt for the military, and quick as a flash he's got his red, white and blue palm in your back-pocket, fishing around for your wallet.
Multi-level marketing? A really smart SNAKE...!
And thousands of lefties are just hanging on your every word, just waiting for you to say something that they can lie and twist into racistsexisthomofobeislamofobe and sue your xxx off.
They won't have to work. They can be lazy. They can covet your money.
Doesn't seem like very many people read the article or got past some minor criticism of Bush.
Otherwise we'd see them cheering for a proponent of a hard work ethic who despises phoniness.
Instead we have whiners harping about Sunday School lessons and taste in TV programs.
Some days it is just embarrassing to see what 'freepers' write in replies!
"It's not fair. I think the government should confiscate money from ambitious, hard-working rich people and give it over to lazy poor people." - - typical Democrat
Where is that in the article? I missed it.
I did see this however:
"Another word that begins with "L" is "loser." Over the years, I've met many losers who pray to God to give them gold. They'll never get it that way because, as the Sunday school I went to taught me, God helps those who help themselves. Again, the conquistadors may have been killers and thieves, but at least they knew how to help themselves."
True. It won't work without a certain type of extroverted (and IMO, unpleasant) personality.
I don't know if levering up to the gills and getting lucky in a bull market is what I would consider to be "hard work."
I'd also say that, if in fact this gentleman is heavily invested in residential property today, and has borrowed extensively to do so, as he implies, I bet he's getting a little nervous. Maybe that's why he wrote this nasty venal little screed.
Dittos with your observations on the utter stupidity of most of the posters on this thread.
Nothing irks me more than some moose twit making blanket statements without any authority of proof. As if this wonton is anybody who knows anything about anyone or anything.
The author says that laziness is not the road to prosperity and you wish to disagree with him?
Ok.......
That wasn't me, it was the person who posted the picture of Moore-on.
"Kiyosaki makes much of his Marine background—at least when he’s not claiming to be an anti-war protestor. The Marine Corps, to their discredit, bragged about him on their official Web site, apparently without checking out what he told them."
"How do you get to be a Marine? On cable TV, I learned that you have to go through Marine Corps boot camp culminating in a multi-day test called “The Crucible.” If you successfully complete it, you are awarded the right to wear the coveted “eagle, globe, and anchor” badge of the Marine Corps."
"Did Kiyosaki go through Marine boot camp? Nope."
"He did go through the U.S, Merchant Marine Academy plebe year which is arguably harder and longer. But that makes you a Merchant Marine Academy cadet, not a Marine."
"Marine officers generally do not go through boot camp. That’s for enlisted men. Officers typically graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy—the one that rejected Kiyosaki for not being smart enough. Or they graduate from a college ROTC program. The Merchant Marine Academy probably had that. But even then, I believe you have to go through something called Marine Platoon Leader Class after college. I would expect that they may not wear the “eagle, globe, and anchor” badge until they successfully complete that Marine training."
"Did Kiyosaki go through Marine Platoon Leader School? Nope."
"So how did he get to be a Marine?"
"He was a Navy officer in helicopter school. The Vietnam war was winding down, so the Navy decided they had too many pilots and decided to stop training Kiyosaki and his fight-school classmates to save money. The Marines, on the other hand, still wanted more helicopter pilots. By letting Kiyosaki and his helicopter classmates make a lateral transfer to the Marine Corps, the Marines could save the amount of money the Navy had already spent training them. In other words, to the Marine Corps, Kiyosaki was a pilot trainee who was “on sale” for half price or “overstock.”
"In World War II, officers who graduated from Officer Candidate School were called “90-day wonders.” By that standard, Kiyosaki is a “zero-day wonder” in terms of Marine training—an instant Marine. He passed no “crucible” or its predecessor tests. He just filled out some paperwork and made a wardrobe change."
"Did he serve in the Marine Corps? Yes."
"I have no problem with him claiming he served in the Marine Corps. But in his interview on the Marine Corps Web site and elsewhere, he has laid on the “Marine Corps made me what I am today” stuff pretty thick for a guy who came through the Marine Corps’ “back door,” skipping the notoriously difficult training that virtually all other Marines had to complete successfully before they could “claim the title of United States Marines.” (a line from the U.S. Corps Marine Corps Hymn)"
"If any military training made Kiyosaki what he is today, it is the Merchant Marine Academy, not the Marine Corps. The U.S. Marine Corps has a magnificent reputation. Unlike a relatively unknown institution like the Merchant Marine Academy, they do not need the likes of Kiyosaki to add to their name recognition. The Marine Corps should be eager to make sure that the Merchant Marine Academy gets all the “credit” for making Kiyosaki what he is today." - link
Got it, sorry.
Actually my argument was with the idea that anyone could be rich, if they weren't lazy. Which was the real jist of post 1.
First of all, I'm an entrepreneur. I've been starting companies since I was a kid. I never wanted to be an employee -- I always wanted to be in control.Anyone have a list of the companies he has started?
When you've got God as a friend, you're never alone.
I have no problem with money making after an honest fashion. I agree that a lot of immigrants come here and make a bundle while many native Americans do not. It is simply that the pursuit of happiness is not necessarily the same as the pursuit of money.
I completely agree. Lazy people do not get rich (unless they inherit or win the Lotto). That said, there are conservatives who subordinate All Things to a Free Market Ideal which is a product of Classical Liberalism and Conservatives who subordinate All Things to their Faith. This can play out quite differently in the end...
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