Economics

Pastors and Bible scholars love to bloviate about economics, but we're only posers. We're like young mothers who have dallied in alternative medicine and lecture other young mothers, and even the dieticians, physicians, pharmacists, and nurses of our congregation, on the dangers of pasteurized milk and the benefits of organic toilet paper. Sure, theft is wrong, even and especially when done by a government, but having said that, we've said almost nothing.

So I am fearful of being a fool in saying something about Greece, but I can't restrain myself. There are two headlines about Greece on Google's News Page just now. One is the BBC's "Greek debt crisis: Emergency EU summit due on Monday" and the other is this from Reuters: "Greece may offer more in debt talks as clock ticks."

Do they take us for fools? Speaking of a "crisis" and telling us the "clock ticks" can only be understood as communicating that time has run out and something dire is about to happen. But of course we've been around this rathole with Greece now for years, and long ago President Merkel made it clear she would protect Greece from bankruptcy. She plays her part well. The rest of the EU utters "World War II" sotto voce and what heart President Merkel has goes all a-flutter with the implications. And really, that's all there is to this whole debacle...

For Biblical reasons, I am neither a Democrat nor a Libertarian. Not a Democrat because Democrats run every campaign on envy, sexual perversion, and bloodlust. Thus a vote for the Democratic ticket is the open denial of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And not a Libertarian because I've noticed their commitment to freedom causes them to cower before the druggie, sexual pervert, and bloodlust lobby. Liberty trumps God's Moral Law, turning upside down what the Holy Spirit reveals concerning the purpose of all civil authority (what we call "government"):

...it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. (Romans 13:4-6)

God ordains governors and the taxes we pay to the end that...

Conversation between teacher-mother and her student-son:

Son: Mom, did you know India has the most starvation in the world? But they also have the most cattle. Because they think cows are sacred....It's like Africa where so many people die because of malaria but they love the birds too much to kill the mosquitos.
Mother: Hmm, yeah. Except it's not the Africans that love the birds, it's the Americans.
Son: What? You mean the Africans would?
Mother: Probably.
Son: How could we have so much influence?
Mother: Cause we're the most powerful country in the world, and the richest.
Son: The richest?! I thought we were in debt for like a hundred kazillion dollars!!
Mother: Yeah, well there is that.

Bob Patterson has a piece in Philly's Inquirer on President Taft's creation of the U.S. Children's Bureau. Headed by Julia C. Lathrop, the Bureau was a "Progressive initiative that sought to protect both motherhood and childhood from the emerging industrialized order":

(Lathrop was a) social conservative (who) believed that maternity - by generating new life for society - trumped the demands of industry and commerce. Considering motherhood "the most important calling in the world," she worked tirelessly to give the at-home mother "the status of a profession".... Lathrop's successor, Florence Kelley, shared the same goals, safeguarding the "fundamental rights of children," including a "normal home life" and childhood that presumed married parents and maternal care and nurture through the early teen years.

"Childhood that presumed married parents and maternal care and nurture through the early teen years." A century ago our civil magistrates created economic policies that honored fatherhood and motherhood. Today they create economic policies that honor sodomy.

Patterson continues...

From Bob Patterson, helpful thoughts on nationalized health care. Sadly, I think he's right in his fatalism and his dismissal of doctrinaire rear-guard actions.

So many people have forwarded links to this article that I stop my work to post it here for those who haven't yet read it. As one young student at Clearnote Pastors College notes, although the article is on the population decline in these United States, it touches a number of other important subjects including, "children not caring for their parents because of Social Security, outsourcing our fertility to Hispanics, and college being detrimental to fertility."