Jesse Ventura explains why there shouldn't be billionaires
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
He shared that the jobs that "were physically the most demanding and mentally the most difficult that I ever did, paid me the least amount of money."
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ByPriyanjali Narayan
April 20, 2023
Posted April 20, 2023
Former governor of Minnesota, Jesse Ventura, turned many heads when he said billionaires should not exist. In a video shared on social media , the former wrestling star—who served as the 38th governor of Minnesota between 1999 and 2003—says: "There should not be one billionaire in America. None. And I will tell you why. Because there is nobody that works hard enough to earn 1,000,000,000. And my argument is this, the two jobs that I did in my life that were physically the most demanding and mentally the most difficult that I ever did, paid me the least amount of money."
He continued, "And one was going through BUD/S. And I challenge any billionaire to put up with six weeks of that s**t at $62 per week. And the second was right before I went into the Navy. I had a job with Minnesota Highway Department. A couple of bucks above minimum wage. I worked for the bridge crew and you know, what my job was? I worked a four-day work week, 10 hours a day. So I could have Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the weekend. You are 18, of course, you are going to do that. But I worked 40 hours in four days on the bridge crew."
"And guess what I did? I ran the 80-pound jackhammer. I challenge any billionaire to run the jackhammer for 40 hours for one week and then tell me, he works harder than that. No, he doesn't. That's why I believe there should not be a billionaire in the world," Ventura added.
Social media users had a few opinions of their own in response to Ventura's statements.
"If America is a capitalist society, there should be no billionaires in America because billionaires have escaped capitalism. $1B will make ~$60M every year by virtue of its existence. Sure, it needs to be invested, but there are plenty of reliable, stable ways to invest money to ensure that kind of return. Even at 3%, you're looking at $30M. A billionaire could fall asleep for a year and make more money than most people will make in a dozen lifetimes. It's not about need. It's about being consistent with our values. Billionaires are capitalists who escaped capitalism into self-sufficient, disgusting wealth that, short of something cosmically catastrophic, will never be exhausted."
"The biggest problem is that those profits are unpaid wages to people actually doing the work. Because he's talking about meritocracy which is very appealing to most Americans. He's making the argument that it's physically impossible for someone to work hard enough to be a billionaire, and he's also implying that people in low-wage heavy labor jobs deserve more money."
"We've been trained to believe that if you work with your hands or your heart (social services), you should expect not to get compensated. You don't deserve a living wage because you didn't throw your money into the rat race and take risks. It's complete bulls**t."
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Stupidity - thinking that billionaires pay all the taxes.
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Yep, that's how the system is set up to work, John.
Should the very rich be paying more for the government to waste on sometimes frivolous follies like attempting to get a grip on so called climate change?
They should be paying whatever the elected government says they should pay.
This article isnt about taxes, it is about Jesse Ventura saying no one works hard enough to deserve a billion dollars. Of course he is correct.
This article isnt about taxes, it is about Jesse Ventura saying no one works hard enough to deserve a billion dollars. Of course he is correct.
Exactly, it shouldn’t even be called taxes but maybe undeserved income collection.
20-some years ago, liberals made fun of Jesse and the yokels that voted for him, now the quote him.
Does that include leftist lawmakers that many make millions a year on a Congressperson/Senator wage?
They take advantage of loopholes that they themselves enacted.
Isn't that willful ignorance - saying what someone KNOWS isn't true?
Nah....I'm sure we've heard it all before. Seemingly, only the billionaires in the US are not worthy of what they have achieved.
The politics of envy seems to never go away.
Jesse Ventura actually says that no one in the world should be a billionaire, but dont let the facts stop you.
Or maybe he's just jealous seeing how his net worth is only $7 million.
People are so desperate to uphold billionaires. Its very strange.
Always defending the indefensible, I know.
What's very strange is what you took from my comment. I'm still trying to figure out how you read that as I'm desperate to uphold billionaires. All I said was that maybe he's just jealous because he's not a billionaire. Maybe it's just your bias showing thru, maybe you are also jealous that you are not a billionaire.... just thoughts to ponder...
Hi Snuffy, I am going to come at this from a different perspective, but similar to Jesse's -mind it, it is not exactly the same, nevertheless.
There is an 'unspoken' consideration about how some people become billionaires (through unearned income - inheritance, or hook or crook, or hook and crook).
Jesse and Kyle (in the video) are having an open discussion about how the larger percentage of the world's people make (extreme) wealth for other people . . . and can not get from 'under' or out of their own way in terms of failures to making wealth.
That 'systems' and institutions we cherish by themselves keep putting up obstacles to the masses acquiring, maintaining, and sustaining wealth. Such that it is drudgery for the world's 'workabees' who can not barely make enough to do more than keep up with survival.
This is what Jesse and Kyle are getting at, in my opinion.
I get it. Many of us do "get it" too!
Our constitution, and its capitalist system, from their beginning were interested in 'raw' capitalism operating at its best. ("Everyman able to sit under his own "tree" of success), in theory. With increasing numbers of people going after the same resources, it did not take long to realize in practice millions of this nation's and by extension the world's citizens would come up 'short' in the success department potentially through no fault of themselves.
Our constitution aspirationally SCREAMS Capitalism or bust! That is, every man and woman for his/her self! It did not take long to realize that 'raw' capitalism is ruthless, nevertheless! Consequently, over the last two centuries plus - rules (more and more regs) have come into being to control those natural tendencies of persons achieving UTTER self-reliance and personal freedom from 'want' and necessity, to turn to controlling and suppressing their fellows masses.
Nowadays with world 'domination' possible through financial markets and access to production markets- wealthy people can pick where/when/how/who they make winners (and by default the losers or mediocre lanquish).
This is what Jesse and Kyle are having a sort of 'revelation' narrative building about; the wealthy among us are taken care of - it is time yet again to look to the masses who can't get from 'under' - because of systems keeping workers/laborers tied to a paycheck and nothing else.
Or some such things. Much could be said about this, but not in a discussion - not just one comment.
The worthless takers who pay zero in federal income taxes whining about the wealthy paying their share. And still demanding more while producing nothing. Same bullshit, different day.
This article isnt about taxes. I'm going to start deleting.
No it’s about being jealous of those who are more successful, hate and jealousy.
Actually, its about Jesse Ventura saying that no one works hard enough to earn a billion dollars. He didnt sound jealous to me.
That's their only defense, that we're jealous of billionaires and those paltry millionaires. Of course I wish I was a millionaire, who wouldn't?
That doesn't mean I hate them or am jealous though.
Just the only defense they have, quite juvenile also.
Of course he didn’t sound jealous to you.
This "comment" on so many levels misses the point: Which is it largely serves no GOOD purposes for one man or woman or child to have "billionaire class" income. That said, I would be remiss if I did not observe and throw in "lottery millionaire-billionaire-class"achievers. They need to go "under the bus" too!
Though in might miss the point of the lottery's mission statement: the winners being the one or ones with the chosen numbers; the highest lotteries are making millions/billionaries on the order or one or several at a time. When were it done 'better' with better odds, it could live a lot of people out poverty (make more "thousand-aires" or millionaires) in the course of every year! Not quite what Jesse Ventura and Kyle are getting at, but it goes to the point of one person having access to ridiculous superabundance while others 'slave' in the background of life.
The point Jesse missed is billionaire doesn’t “earn” billions, he acquires billions over years, Gates worked for years creating a product and negotiated deals that made him billions, he isn’t some stupid laborer who buys drugs and beer and sits in the bar whining about the rich.
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Nice personal attack,
Again, you stubbornly miss the point! Jesse and Kyle, both, are saying wage earners in many parts of the country need social programs to make 'ends' meet during and throughout the year.
Don't muddle their message with your "messaging" about people who don't want to work (at all)!
If they have no marketable skills that is on them. Learn one or accept the fact your life is going to be hard.
Of course work should never get in the way of getting high and doing drugs, and everyone knows the 500 thousand dollar debt to go get masters in 15 century lesbian poet’s was a great investment.
Or why the poor will suddenly start making good decisions.
There was a time when being on assistance carried a stigma, now it’s a career to many, and the only way to get a raise is to stigmatize the successful and steal more of their labor.
So you think the only two outcomes are you are rich or you steal from the rich.
All I want to know is - who brainwashed you?
Another personal attack, I’m beginning to think you can’t defend your position
I think you meant to say: "Learn one or accept the fact life is going to be hard."
But why is it hard? Or, put differently: Why is life harder than it has to be?
The wealthy (inherited/achieved/acquired) do not have it 'hard,' per se. Why should the masses grovel and eat 'roots and sprouts' while working in another's gold mine?
When does proportionality kick in?
You are having quite a separate set of issues/value discussion are'nt you?
A person is not entitled to the spoils of another’s labor simply because they exist. If they are too stupid or lazy, they can serve as an object lesson to others.
It amazing, I have to much integrity or honor to advocate for the stealing from others out of jealousy or envy. Some seem to advocate for it.
You haven't made a comment yet on this seed that is on topic.
Funny you chose to use the word, "spoils" as in after war or exploitation has been won. Yet again I remind you to focus on the topic of working people who can not the appropriate value for their work/success potential.
This article has not made any case for "stupid" or "lazy" people to get ahead. That is you vainly and intentionally laboring to lay a narrative on top of it. Why you need it to 'that' is beyond me.
I should have deleted all of your comments as off topic but I'm a softie.
They both have a say, to a degree, the person sets the value of their labor, if it is to high, nobody hires them and they whine about how unfair it is instead of being realistic or making themselves more valuable. The Owner sets the value of the job, if nobody takes it he has under valued it's worth. when 2 people come to an agreement then you have a success. The worker needs to know his worth, This part is for John.....If Jesse thinks nobody is woth a billion dollars than he has basically said he isn't worth it either, other people obviously set their worth higher than Jesse feels he's worth.
Jesse:
Every fat person says it's not their fault, that they have gland trouble. You know which gland? The saliva gland. They can't push away from the table.
Does Jesse have this one right?
If you're smart enough to go to college, you should be smart and creative enough to pay for it.
You agree with this one? right?
Translation: I don't know how to become extremely rich, so nobody should be allowed to.
It's basically the worn out beginning of every "tax the rich" moronic rant.