That might seem like kind of a dumb title to some people, but it’s true. I have all kinds of good will toward money and people. Hating on anyone is just sending energy the wrong direction from my experience. And I’m no millionaire, yet.
I grew up during the 1980’s. Reaganomics. Yeah. There was a “good” plan. Okay, it would have been if people had actually done what it was designed to do. Let me pretend for a minute that I’m super duper wealthy and someone just handed me even more money.
Super millionaire mode is GO! First, make sure my family is taken care-of. That’s not greedy, that’s just responsible. Check. Second, make sure I’m still going to be taken care-of. Check. Third, start building a better world. That’s going to take some time, but there’s a plan. It just needed funding.
Homeless shelter, food bank, free medical clinic and job service that includes training/education for the local community. There goes about $5 Million? Maybe a little more by 2020 standards. Plus daily, weekly and monthly upkeep and hiring a staff for all the above. Let’s figure another $Million/year?
But I want to put people to work. Notice I mentioned the job service. We’re going to start planting trees- fruit orchards and tree nut farms. And then, regular farm land. Think about how much more food we can produce to feed people just in the homeless shelter alone. Hope they like vegetable soup. But hey, it’s a meal. Land procurement will probably run another huge bill. BUT, in the next twenty or thirty years? Profits start trickling in.
Teaching people to read and a few basic job skills such as math, writing, driving, and living skills is worth its weight in gold. Our public education system in the US is falling apart. Why not tack that onto a homeless shelter? Maybe it helps some folks out of the seeming darkness they’re experiencing.
And the mental health topic is hot on the list this year because it’s an election year. That goes wayyy beyond the scope of my discussion here. We’ll put that in with the free medical clinic, but I think that will require more staff. A LOT more staff if I had to guess. Remember back in the 1980’s when the government cut funding and turned people out of various mental health facilities? Do you think that has gotten any better?
How big was this government bail-out I mentioned in the beginning? And they wondered why Reaganomics pretty much flopped. It was so much easier for people to pocket the money and run. It’s always easier for people to pocket the money. Look at former Soviet Russia. Look at China. Serve the party, get profits. (Fight for democracy, get run over by a tank and die penniless.) In the US, it just meant very rich people got a tax break and did little or nothing for the people under them. Again, good for them.
But this is why I held a very dim view of rich folks, money in general, and large corporations for so many years. Large corporations are still a sore subject around me, but we’ll save that one for later. Now, I know a few wealthy-ish folks. I mean, your tribe is your vibe and all. It took me a long time to get over all my money hang-ups. I still have a few, but it gets easier all the time.
I didn’t figure in collaborations with other companies and other non-profit organizations above either. That might shave a million or so off the bill. And there is some profit to be make from a job service if we’re providing quality labor for those who want to work. We could go around all day on profit vs loss in the non-profit industry. But here’s my final thought on this whole thing- I wouldn’t want to make a dime for myself from it!
It’s not just a politically or spiritually correct thing to say. Helping people get back on their feet and provide for themselves is God’s work. That’s why we’re here. That’s love and light. That’s what some of us should be doing. Now, if I could just figure out how to get that initial funding to come together. More later.
Jeff's Game Box 