Category: Uncategorized

Economic Theory Explains the “Contradiction”

It’s finally reached the news. Many super-rich are Democrats! According to the news, that’s an issue! The Dems want to finance their spending spree by taxing the rich. Oops, that’s their supporters!

But that’s not the anomaly the media claims it is – even if the Democrats can actually limit the tax increase to the super rich. It’s just another example where the media is trying to sell voodoo economics. The fact is, the super-rich support Democratic economic policy because it is good to them.

There are two ways to get money – earn it or steal it. Getting money by using the power of government to your advantage – regulations that weigh more heavily on others than you, non-neutral taxation, government subsidies, socialization of the expenses and losses of a business, government grants and/or subsidized loans – are all examples of stealing to gain wealth. To earn wealth implies a private exchange of a good or service in a win-win exchange.

The vast boondoggles of stimulation money are, simply, corporate welfare. The money undergirds and strengthens the corporate assets that comprise the wealth of the upper class while regulations and taxation hamstring the competitors. In short, our government-dominated economic system is simply an institutional mechanism to move wealth from the lower and middle classes to the upper elite – and to keep it there.

So it’s no wonder the Amazon CEO and founder, Jeff Bezos, added more than $70bn to his net worth during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Or that billionaires in the US have increased their net worth by more than $1tn during the coronavirus pandemic. Nor is it any wonder that many of the moneyed elite support Democratic policy. It is good to them.

(Cf. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/15/billionaires-net-worth-coronavirus-pandemic-jeff-bezos-elon-musk)

Suicide Prevention Day Mockery

Today was National Suicide Prevention Day.

I read a statistic today (attributed to a story in Scientific American), “for every 1 percent jump in unemployment, there is a 0.8 to 1 percent jump in suicides.” I don’t remember any stats about the increase, but various news articles have also pointed out the direct correlation between the lock down and child abuse.

How long will it be before we have estimates of the increased number of suicides caused by the government lock-down? Or the increase in abuse?

Economists call it “unintended consequences.” The military calls it “collateral damage.” Whatever the name, people die because a politician wants to play God.

On Being on the Board

I couldn’t help but think last evening of the difference between being “hard headed” and “hard hearted.” I am on the Board of a local non-profit. A Board member had resigned, and the Board was discussing the acceptance of the resignation.

Probable the most important characteristic this lady brought to the Board was a compassionate heart. She kept the “human cost” of all decisions before the Board at all times.

Now there’s no denying the fact that the Board must be hard-headed in many of its decisions. Money is tight, the rules are many, everyone has their own idea regarding the best means to our end, and we have a fiduciary responsibility to the donors. We need a ‘forehead of flint.’

But we need to keep in mind at all times that all decisions affect people – each with their own hopes, need, and desires. A soft heart that listens to them, and chooses the best outcome (for everyone) in human terms is, ultimately, the reason we are on the Board. Love for our “neighbor” is as important here as everywhere else.

May I ever keep that in mind.

Brief Intro

AskanceEyeMiniblog is dedicated to two passions. The first is the pursuit of justice, the second is a Christian worldview. Both spring from and are based on the philosophical premises found in the Bible.

The pursuit of justice has ramifications in many areas of life. Philosophically and historically, a just society has tended toward political and economic freedom with a minimal involvement from the forces of government. The result has been the most free, the most creative, the richest and most benevolent society in history. The shift away from justice as defined by the Bible – a shift which really picked up steam around the turn of the last century – has led to a society increasingly beset by “soft” tyranny, poverty, and despair/ennui.

The obvious way forward is a return to Biblical principles. Many voices are calling for this return, but almost all fall short in one area – interpersonal relationships between groups of people, i.e. justice. Voices are calling for righteous living, but few call for just living. For many Christians for many years, answers to political or economic issues were not informed by Biblical principles. Hopefully, that is starting to change; I’d like to add my voice, however insignificant, to that conversation.

Some might think I exhibit an eclectic view – some Libertarian, some conservative, some liberal. Each of these world views have some truths that it proclaims, and some more than others. However, truth is a consistent whole, and I trust each of my posts can be, ultimately, grounded in a Christian world view.

Of course, the application of the principles of justice, and of a Christian worldview, allows a broad latitude of topics. I trust you will find most of them interesting. I welcome comments that are thoughtful and respectful. (I reserve the right to remove comments that do not meet that criteria.)

Oh yes, about the name. I’m not a “long-winded preacher,” hence the “miniblog.” Many posts will probably be a paragraph or two long. Askance can mean either “oblique” or “skeptical;” I’m sure my posts will exhibit elements of both when commenting about today’s world. Come, share, and enjoy!