The American Spectator

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No Questions Asked

10.3.08 @ 12:01AM

(Page 4 of 5)

Recently a neighbor was accusing local government of Communism because four days after Hurricane Ike, authorities would not let the media converge on Galveston Island. He claimed that "they" were trying to hide the fact that there were numerous bodies, and the public had the right to see the death and devastation. This angered me beyond comprehension. After a heated exchange, I simply left, hoping I would not have to even see the man any time soon. My wife later came to the back yard bearing my neighbor's apology. He said that he was stressed out, and was not in the mood to "get into a political discussion." At this moment, I was literally struck with a realization. Conservatism is not a matter of politics; it is a matter of morality. The authors of the Constitution were guided by it, our laws are supposed to enforce it, and our elected officials are bound to uphold it. I (along with others who know me) had never understood why I am so intense regarding my conservative beliefs until that moment. This is the first article that I have ever read that linked the two, and I could not agree with the premise more.
-- John Hornsby
Houston, Texas

If one looks at the history of the world, any "re-ordering" of government -- from the Nazis to this attempt to socialize America -- has required one vital component: scaring the citizenry to death in order to make them as pliable as possible.

Question: what's the difference between a "bailout" and a "coup d'etat"? Answer: the former isn't as bloody as the latter -- period.
-- Arnold Ahlert
Boca Raton, Florida

Thank you for "The Bible vs. the Bailout" by Robert Stacy McCain. He is right that the commandment "Thou shalt not steal" applies to the government as well as individuals. The Protestant Dutch Republic of the 16th century gave birth to capitalism when the founders decided to take seriously the commandments as well as all of the many other verses on property. They created secure property rights unseen in Europe before, as well as the necessary courts and police to enforce them. As a result, the Dutch Republic became the wealthiest, most powerful nation in Europe for almost 200 years.

Today, hardly any Protestants defend property as the Dutch did. Most have swallowed socialism without tasting it. The Acton Institute (acton.org) offers the lone Christian defense of property and free market capitalism as far as I know.

In addition to violating the Biblical prohibition of theft, socialism denies the Biblical description of the nature of man and the origin of evil -- a rebellious mankind. Socialism teaches that all people are born innocent and commit evil acts because of the oppression of the wealthy. If properly were eliminated, or at least distributed evenly, all evil would disappear.

Many Christians will respond that the Bible also commands that we give to the poor. But they should remember that the Bible commands that individuals give to the poor, not that the state take wealth by force and give it to whomever it deems fit. State redistribution of wealth does not satisfy the Biblical command and does not absolve individuals of their personal responsibility to give. The Biblical command assumes that individuals have property that they will freely give to the poor out of love. Socialism takes by force and redistributes.

Also, socialism assumes that the wealthy have gained their wealth by dishonest means. If they had, then forced redistribution would be a moral thing to do. A few rich have gone to prison for their crimes, but the vast majority (Dr. Tom Stanley estimates 85%) have earned their wealth by growing a business honestly. Judging all wealthy by a dishonest standard is immoral.

Christian scholars had debated the morality of the marketplace, especially the question of a just price, for over a thousand years before the founding of the Dutch Republic. By the 16th century these scholars and theologians had settled on the price determined in the free market as the only possible just price. Free markets are nothing but the instantiation of property rights. The Protestant Dutch Republic built a nation on that principle. Adam Smith frequently cited the Dutch Republic as the one nation that had come closest to his ideal of natural freedom in his book "Wealth of Nations." The Dutch passed on their heritage to Great Britain and the US.

However, for the past century we have gone whoring after other gods. We have abandoned God's plan for a limited state and have replaced God with the government. Today, we practice what Ludwig von Mises called "statolatry." We attribute to the state attributes that belong only to God, such as omnipotence and omniscience.
-- Roger D. McKinney
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

Robert Stacy McCain replies:
Mr. McKinney's historical perspective is much appreciated. Indeed, acceptance of the so-called "social gospel" as a counterfeit substitute for the original Gospel illustrates that Gresham's law is applicable to theology as well as to economics. One might recall the Apostle Paul's prophecy of a time when men would "not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears" (2 Timothy 4:3 KJV).

Our touchy-feely clergy could use a healthy dose of Calvinism, just as our feel-your-pain politicians could use a healthy dose of Calvin Coolidge-ism. This latest financial "crisis" reminds me very much of the occasion when England and France sought relief from their World War I debt payments. Coolidge replied in his inimitably terse manner: "They hired the money, didn't they?" A thesis in political economy, in just six words!

BLOG PATROL
Re: Commentary on AmSpecBlog:

I occasionally check in on the AmSpecBlog and generally leave as soon as I come across some snotty comment about how weak Sarah Palin is. Reminds of Little Green Footballs and the fixation on "creationists" that displays the personality disorder of whoever runs that site.

Anyway, if you have complaints about the ticket, why don't you focus them on the top of the ticket, where the rubber meets the road. Your whining endlessly about a VP nominee is way more indicative of intellectual shortcomings than anything Palin has said. John McCain considered running as John Kerry's VP last time. There -- have fun with that one for a while. And lay off Sarah. At least she is a real person, and, unlike you, has actually accomplished some good for her town and her state during her career. Oh yeah, you write. That's got to be tough.
-- Kent Ramsay
Aurora, Ohio

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Taxes, Foreign Policy, Education, John McCain, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, Hank Paulson, Bill Clinton, Mainstream Media, Television, Economics, Business, Religion, Constitution, Law, Military, Russia, NATO, Africa, Socialism, Communism, Conservatism, Energy, Alaska, Oil