It's a Entrepreneurial Life

Is it unpresidential to help people? Opinions vary!

People are judging Tim Walz on his net worth—but they don’t all come to the same conclusion.

The governor of Minnesota and Kamala Harris’s Democratic running mate doesn’t report having any major investments aside from his pensions. He keeps his finances relatively simple compared with the varied holdings of multimillionaire opponent JD Vance, based on each candidate’s disclosures to date.

…[Some] see Walz’s lack of fortune and investment portfolio as a weakness for someone who needs to wrangle with chief executives and central bankers and help manage the broader economy.

-- Wall Street Journal, “Tim Walz Isn’t Very Rich. Americans Disagree on Whether That’s a Good Thing.”

Night sequence. Series of shots of various streets and buildings in the town of Bedford Falls. The streets are deserted, and snow is falling. It is Christmas Eve. Over the above scenes we hear voices praying for George Bailey (e.g. “George is a good guy. Give him a break, God.”) CAMERA PULLS UP from the Bailey home and travels up through the sky until it is above the falling snow and moving slowly toward a firmament full of stars. As the camera stops we hear the following heavenly voices talking, and as each voice is heard, one of the stars twinkles brightly.

FRANKLIN: Trouble, Joseph?

JOSEPH: Looks like we’ll have to send someone down — a lot of people are asking for help for a man named George Bailey.

FRANKLIN: Yes, I’ve seen the file on him. He got in trouble covering up for his Uncle Billy, didn’t he?

JOSEPH: Well, when you put it like that, sir, it sounds nefarious. His Uncle foolishly gave a lot of the Building and Loan’s cash to Mr. Potter, and the old –

FRANKLIN: Gave him cash? It does sound nefarious.

JOSEPH: But these are simple, decent people, sir. You know that — you’re omniscient!

FRANKLIN: Most people aren’t omniscient, Joseph. You have to admit the optics are bad. Also it’s extremely unbusinesslike.

JOSEPH: Sir, perhaps if you’ll refer to the flashback part of the file —

FRANKLIN: I have, Joseph, and speaking of unbusinesslike! This man never seized an opportunity in his life. He could have dissolved that Building and Loan anytime and gone into a more lucrative type of banking, which would have been any other kind of banking!  In fact, that bank run would have been a perfect opportunity. And what does he do? Protects the Building and Loan with his own personal savings — a violation of the first rule of business! I’m surprised the bank examiners didn’t get him then.

JOSEPH: But George’s life mission is to help people out.

FRANKLIN: Joseph, you don’t help people with direct aid — that’s socialism! You help them out with incentives, by enriching yourself and thus giving a good example to which others can aspire. If you just loan out money to anybody who’s got a good sob story like this Bailey fellow does, you wind up with — wait a minute, someone puts it very nicely in the notes — ah, here: you get a “discontented, lazy rabble instead of a thrifty working class.”

JOSEPH: But that’s Henry Potter talking! He’s the meanest man in town!

FRANKLIN: The richest man in town, you mean! Joseph, listen, people kill themselves all the time — maybe Bedford Falls is better off with Bailey out of the way. Then this clever Potter fellow can really make a killing!

JOSEPH: That would be awful! Didn’t you see the alternate reality part of the story?

FRANKLIN: I did, and let me tell you, Joseph, I’ve also seen a great deal farther forward than that, into the next century; I know what the values of this civilization will turn into once everyone who remembers this New Deal propaganda is dead and buried, and I’ll tell you something else: If you want to rise in this organization I suggest you get with the program or you’ll wind up making clocks like that dumbass Clarence!

JOSEPH: Oh my word! People! THIS is the Bad Place!