Monthly archive: May, 2011

Some Inspiring Quotes

May 28, 2011, by No comments yet

File this under “Honest Reflections.” I’m not always optimistic about liberty in our lifetime. Truth be told I’m rather pessimistic. Even when Ron Paul is considered “the man to beat in the GOP” my hope is tinged with cynicism. On the journey toward freedom we can often feel overwhelmed or outright despondent. My hunch is that I’m not the only one because nobody can maintain a constant state of optimism.

I collect quotes. Over the years I’ve collected many that resurrect hope and evoke enough passion so as to convince me that this journey is worth it. While not every libertarian or Christian is trained or interested in the economic way of thinking, I’d like to share a few that I have collected over the past few years.

Although an unlikely source for Austro-Libertarians, John Maynard Keynes has a visionary perspective on the economist’s calling:

“To the economists—who are the trustees, not of civilization, but of the possibility of civilization.”

F.A. Hayek, in many ways the antidote to Keynes’s destructive economic theory, is more grounded in explaining its purpose:

“The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.”

Art Carden provides a useful critique of planners who desire worthy ends but may be short-sighted in achieving them:

“The important question in social science is not really evaluating the moral quality of the outcome, but evaluating the institutions that produce the outcome.”

C.S. Lewis explains that the tyranny of man lording over man is the worst of all:

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive… [for] those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”

Jonah Goldberg is even more succinct:

“An unwanted embrace from which you cannot escape is just a nicer form of tyranny.”

And Samuel Adams believed that liberty is spread by

“…an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds.”

My hope is that quotes like these circulate in the minds of all who love liberty, because F.A. Harper observed that “the man who knows what freedom means will find a way to be free.”

Doug

Doug Stuart is a committed follower of Jesus and passionate about building for the Kingdom of God through education and mobilization. He is a regular writer at LibertarianChristians.com as well as the founder of Living Loud.

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Yes, Let’s Replace It

May 28, 2011, by 5 comments

My friend Mike Todd argues (mostly in the comments) that the capitalist economic system must be replaced. Says Mike,

Can the current system be redeemed, or does it need to be replaced? My bias is towards replacement. First, I think the primary characteristics of the system (profit motive + greed = trouble) render it ‘unredeemable’, if that’s a word. Second, as a follower of Jesus I believe that the world to come (which we as the Body of Christ have a critical role to play in bringing it into being) is wholly other-wise. It’s not a tweaking of any current system, but an imaginative alternative. I won’t be satisfied with anything less…

Ignoring what I think is a wrongful understanding of “profit motive,” and given that capitalism isn’t so much a “system” as it is a measurement of the freedoms of interacting human beings, let’s assume capitalism (as we know it) needs to be replaced. I agree with Mike that “the world to come” will indeed be a wholly other type of “economy,” if it can be called that (I believe it can, since an economy is shorthand for the exchanges among human beings).

Mike and I disagree on what word to call it, and while my attempt is to redeem (“buy back”) the word capitalism from what we experience as consumerism today, we do agree that the Kingdom of God that brings about the World to Come is definitely “not of this world,” though it is of course for this world. (We both affirm the salvation Jesus offered was not just about individuals, and the Kingdom he announced was for here and now, not just the future.)

Mike is aware that “Christianity” has a bad reputation and  bad name, and rightfully so. But that doesn’t mean “Christianity” unredeemable, it means it must be re-found. Brian McLaren explores this in his new book. I’m encouraging the same type of quest for an economic system. “Capitalism” isn’t a dirty word, and it must be redeemed!

Without writing a treatise (I’ll do that someday, I hope), here’s a set of actions we can do to replace today’s capitalism with:

  1. Abolish the Federal Reserve System (or any other central bank out there); if “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil,” how much more evil is the control of money in society?
  2. Return to sound money; at first this means allowing competing currencies (rather than the government having a monopoly), but eventually that means precious metals will evolve as money.
  3. Abolish government subsidies of all industries: agriculture, energy, and transportation, to name a few; nobody gets special favors at the expense of society.
  4. While if #1 was accomplished, this one would be a natural outcome: withdraw all non-combatant troops from the 150+ nations the United States operates a military; also withdraw from any wars the U.S. has started (I think that’s all of them).
  5. Abolish drug laws. All of them.
  6. Make it very easy to cross borders. Just as easy as I can move from Pennsylvania to Virginia without much effort.
  7. Abolish so-called “intellectual property.” If it isn’t a scarce resource you cannot “own” it. IP laws are unjust and benefit large corporations at the expense of innovators. It also is a waste of billions of dollars a year.

In reality I believe Kingdom people ought to work to make the state irrelevant and thus inoperative. But if we’re “designing a system” (as Mike seems to want to do), let’s start with the above action items.

Doug

Doug Stuart is a committed follower of Jesus and passionate about building for the Kingdom of God through education and mobilization. He is a regular writer at LibertarianChristians.com as well as the founder of Living Loud.

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Review: Liberty Defined

May 4, 2011, by No comments yet

The word liberty connotes various meanings. Many consider it an exciting idea that represents a force for good in the world, while others fear the ramifications of a proposed “free society.” Even libertarians debate the meaning and the source of freedom. But perhaps the most frustrating element in advocating freedom is the plethora of myths about the free market thanks to state indoctrination in public government schools. While some individuals are innocently ignorant, others simply haven’t spent the time thinking through the issues.

Like many libertarians I, too, was a Glenn Beck-listening pseudo-libertarian conservative. During the presidential primaries in 2007 every Republican candidate was boasting about the robust “Bush economy” (which was somehow supposed to boost their own eligibility!). Ron Paul was the lone dissenter and explained how the economy was falsely indicating prosperity while precipitating a massive failure. Sadly, most people wrote him off as a pessimistic crank or a wacko politician. Yet because Glenn Beck trusted Ron Paul on the issue of economic matters (despite his disagreements with Ron Paul on foreign policy, Beck also predicted the economic collapse years ahead of time), I decided to give Ron Paul a fair hearing. I bought Revolution: A Manifesto on audiobook.

That was a turning point in my quest for truth. Ron Paul was my gateway drug to Austrian economics. He has the ability to richly inform the average reader about topics that aren’t mainstream, and often sends them on a journey to understanding a whole new way of thinking. He is the perfect introduction to liberty for those intimidated by the works of Hayek or Menger, yet he is thorough enough to be convincing.

Because there are very few people who are able to clearly articulate a vision for a consistent political ethic, Ron Paul carries an unrivaled appeal wherever he goes. As an elder gentleman this is a notable feature. He has the experience, wisdom, and intellect to explain what liberty looks like in all areas of life. In Liberty Defined he shares his perspective on 50 issues ranging from Abortion to Zionism. Some chapters (such as Campaign Finance Reform and Marriage) are a few pages long, while others are lengthier essays on Paul’s favorite issues (like Empire and Medical Care). Each is a home run defining liberty in its respective area.

It’s doubtful that left-leaning liberals and progressives are pining to read this book. But it will likely attract the semi-libertarian reader (tea party, anyone?) who wants to learn more about political issues. Some will be easily persuaded on some issues (like gun control) while being challenged or frustrated on others (such as marriage or foreign policy). While not every argument is thoroughly convincing, Paul succeeds in demonstrating a consistent libertarian outlook on life. For those looking for more, Paul suggests reading materials at the end of many chapters.

A possible deterrent for those like me who have become Austrian Addicts is the simplicity of the book. Many (if not all) of the issues are more thoroughly discussed on websites and other books that Paul himself endorses. It is easy to read because sites like mises.org, fee.org, and lewrockwell.com contain more thorough essays on the same topics (some by Ron Paul himself). If you’re looking for thorough material to boost your understanding of the Austrian tradition, Liberty Defined will disappoint. But lest you remove this one from your Amazon.com cart, consider the value in reading over 300 pages of lucid writing that describe liberty in 50 areas of politics. His beautifully worded prose is language every defender of liberty must learn. His arguments are fresh and ought to be repeated.

Liberty Defined is a great asset for both the learner and the teacher. The learner will find a broad array of starting points from which he can delve into more thorough material suggested in the book (and from the sites mentioned above). The teacher will find it a useful resource from which to advocate liberty ever more boldly and clearly. Both will enjoy reading the fruits of one’s lifelong passion for liberty and its implications for everyday life.

(Cross-posted at libertarianchristians.com)

 

Doug

Doug Stuart is a committed follower of Jesus and passionate about building for the Kingdom of God through education and mobilization. He is a regular writer at LibertarianChristians.com as well as the founder of Living Loud.

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