Saturday, October 11, 2008

Economics, Socialism, and the Demise of Constitutional America

Obviously there is an economic crisis. The world is unable to borrow money. As a result countries have stopped trading money. People have stopped spending money. Within weeks businesses will stop paying money to employees. Unless something changes.

The government of the United States has already acted. They passed a $700 billion bill that, along with unnecessary tax cuts to special interests, relieves stupid and irresponsible bankers and investment agencies of their risk. Initially confidence was back up, and the stock market regained some of its points. I don’t know what else to call it, because there isn’t inherent value in the stock market, or money.

Now the economy has regained its sense. The people of the United States, those whose money fuels the investments and liquidity, told the government not to pass this imaginary money bill (a huge loan taken out by the US Congress in the name of the US people). Now they are still not confident, still right that the bailout bill was the wrong thing to do. The Congress went ahead and stole our free market. So the stock market crashed more than it ever has before.

The world is in turmoil, because most of the world owns stock in our financial stupidity. Of course looking out your window no one seems to be in turmoil.

I have been in tears. Yesterday morning, watching news of voter fraud and financial collapse, an eerie thought crossed my mind. Much like the compulsion to watch the news all day on September 11, 2001 and remember every event and emotion, I thought I should remember these days and their news, as though recording the last days of an era, an ideology, or a country.

I’m generously predicting complete socialism in America in 3 months. My dad says it could be sooner. So, as a matter of fact, does President Bush. The government has acted and will continue to act, he says with regards to the economy and the failing markets. Our country may soon be socialist.

That is, if country still means anything.
Today the G7 world leaders are meeting to compose a unified plan for a unified global solution to the economic crisis affecting people internationally. "In an interconnected world, no nation will gain by driving down the fortunes of another. We are in this together. We will come through it together," Bush said. "There have been moments of crisis in the past when powerful nations turned their energies against each other or sought to wall themselves off from the world. This time is different."
My friends don’t know who to vote for in the presidential election. They’re discouraged with the options offered by major political parties. We all know that neither candidate will accomplish much of anything toward fixing the massive problems in our government and economy (financial markets and health care), nor will they actually do much of anything for the social interests of people (education, immigration, abortion, and marriage). The best answer I have is that it won’t matter what we vote. Our government is rapidly running away from republican principles, the Constitution, and even its national existence.
Have a good day.

(My personal philosophy is that whatever is out of my control is in God’s. He has the future thoroughly planned, and has revealed the end of the world in His word in several places. What’s more, my personal welfare and provision is securely in his good hands, not ultimately in the government’s. Whatever happens, however discouraged I may be by world events, I can trust His sovereignty, goodness, and grace.)

To God be all glory.

4 comments:

Kirk Jordan said...

I too, feel that something monumental has take place, on the order of a silent revolution, so that the government we work under today is not the same government we had the other day.

On the other hand, your statement that in three months we will be a socialist nation just doesn't resonate with me. Perhaps we will be more socialist. (We certainly are more socialist today than we were a month ago.) But ever since the original revolution, America has functioned with various admixtures of free market economics and government involvement. Today we live with much higher levels of government involvement than we did a century ago, or even a month ago. In as much as our state or nation supports government schooling, a post office, as standing "peace time" army, city, state, and national police, prisons, legislatures, social security, Medicaid and Medicare, and a wide range of social programs in which wealth in some form is redistributed, we already live under a modified form of socialism.

My question for you -- at what point would you say that we are "socialist" nation, and what do you expect will be different in three months.

Finally, (and this is an odd thought) Do you see anything in the biblical concept of the Year of Jubilee, that might apply to our current situation. It appears that every forty years, God required a retooling of the Hebrew economic system, so that those in debt were absolved of debt, and those who had accumulated certain wealth were forced to redistribute it along clan or family lines. Could there be something in that model for our nation today as certain persons are reeling under debt that may have been caused by markets gone bad, or even their poor business decisions.

Anonymous said...

hmmm...

I was talking to someone today, and he mentioned that he thought he had waited too long already, and he was going to be taking all his money out of the bank.

I asked him why he thought that would help.

He thought about it, and I added that if the economy crumbles... then the worth of his dollar bill isn't going to be any better than the numbers in the stock market.

So he revised his plan.

He said...

I'll take all my money out of the bank...

...

...

and buy machine gun turrets, kevlar... etc. etc. etc.

*shrug*

Am I allowed to say that on here?

Anyway... that's what he said.

I think it's relevant.

-MAC <>< =)

Lisa of Longbourn said...

We are, of course, not advising that any sort of illegal purchases be made, or that people should illegally use weapons against each other or their government.

So I think it is ok to report what you heard.

To God be all glory,
Lisa of Longbourn

Lisa of Longbourn said...

Doc Op,
I suppose after some thought (taking me several days), that I must retract.

Full socialism would be where no matter what work anyone does, how well he does it or whether he does it, he would receive the same wages, and the same government services.

American socialism would have to be considered heavy, almost complete regulation of business and employers; massive taxation on workers, spenders, and investors; and redistribution of wealth (you make too much, so we will tax you in such a way as to make your net income the same as the average man - on the other hand, we will as a government literally send a check to anyone below the average income bracket). This is more what I mean.

Socialism, I believe, usually involves strong central authority similar to a dictatorship. Votes may happen, but become increasingly irrelevant. Laws designed to restrict government are abolished, rewritten, or ignored.

These things are what I see happening in America. Maybe what I mean is that in three months the trend will be irreversible without a complete overhaul of our government system.

Thank you for your comment.
To God be all glory,
Lisa of Longbourn