Move over big government! One Big Tech leader is the latest mover and shaker of liberalism now.
Twitter and Square head Jack Dorsey pledged a whopping 28 percent of his wealth to help fund coronavirus relief, and promised the rest to girl’s health and education and Universal Basic Income (UBI).
Failed Democratic presidential primary candidate Andrew Yang, whom Dorsey mourned over when he left the race, proposed the "Freedom Dividend," or UBI, as one of his main issues. CBS News summarized Yang’s plan as one that would “provide what's called a universal basic income (UBI) of $1,000 a month to every American after they turn 18.”
Dorsey announced the $1 billion pledge via Twitter on April 7: “I’m moving $1B of my Square equity (~28% of my wealth) to #startsmall LLC to fund global COVID-19 relief.”
Dorsey claims the rest will go toward at least one large pet liberal cause after the pandemic is over: “After we disarm this pandemic, the focus will shift to girl’s health and education, and UBI.”
Dorsey explained his rationale: “Why UBI and girl’s health and education? I believe they represent the best long-term solutions to the existential problems facing the world. UBI is a great idea needing experimentation. Girl’s health and education is critical to balance:”
He later concluded his tweet thread by suggesting that increasingly urgent needs require action now: “Why now? The needs are increasingly urgent, and I want to see the impact in my lifetime. I hope this inspires others to do something similar. Life is too short, so let’s do everything we can today to help people now.”
Yang praised the pledge via tweet, saying: “Thank you Jack! This is a spectacular commitment.”
Hollywood liberal Alyssa Milano simply said about the pledge: “Thank you, @Jack.”
AEI Resident Scholar Christina Sommers tweeted that while she approved of the pledge, she lamented how he chose to merely pledge money to young women while overlooking the suffering of young men in the third world: “Wonderful news. Just one suggestion: International philanthropy has focused on girls’ education for decades—and that needs to continue. But a recent UNESCO report suggests poor boys in developing world have been all but forgotten. They need help too.”
Dorsey has proven himself to be an unabashed supporter of far-left ideas in the past. He distanced himself from a previous statement that Twitter was the “free speech wing of the free speech party” by later claiming “it was a joke.” Dorsey also proclaimed about the Twitter platform: “I don’t believe that we can afford to take a neutral stance anymore,” when it comes to enforcing far-left ideas in the public arena.
