Muddling Toward Maturity Blog

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

**  Leo Hohmann's substack article -"New migrant wave heading to U.S. includes many Chinese, South Americans, Middle Easterners"   concludes:  " These globalists are stoking World War III on the one hand, while preparing to lose it on the other.  If we lived in a real country, that would be a crime.  It’s called treason."  I found his arguments persuasive.

 

**   Robert F. Kennedy, Jr's sister, Kerry Kennedy, is ferociously furious  that her brother is supporting Donald J. Trump for President -  6 minute YouTube video.  

 

**  On developing a moral imagination  -- I learned (from the NY C.S. Lewis Society, May-June Bulletin) that Russell Kirk, a noted conservative author of a previous generation, recommended that his four daughters "always read four specific works to sustain the moral imagination:"   Hans Christian Anderson's tale 'Little Fur Tree,'  Tolkien's short story Leaf by Niggle,  C.S. Lewis'  Pilgrim's Regress, and George MacDonald's fairy tale, The Golden Key." 

 

Shorts:

**   Javier Milei on the evils of socialism - 2 minute video on X

**   What Gaza could have been without Hamas - 40 second video

CURRENT AFFAIRS

**  Is Attorney William Barr President Trump's lap dog?  No.   The accusation stems from the incessant anti-Trump propaganda campaign.   See:  "AG Barr does hand-to-hand combat with NPR"

**  Good News: AG Barr is investigating the domestic terrorists.

**  Bad news from China:   China Trying to "Rewrite the Biblc, Force Churches to Sing Communist Anthems.

** Hypocrisy!   Minneapolis city council members who voted to defund police are getting taxpayer-funded private security.

** Black Lives Matter leader:  "If America doesn't give us what we want we will burn down this system."

** "Teen Vogue Magazine Pushes Marxism on Its Young Readers"

**  Horrible News for Democrats:  After a Month of Leftist Rioting, Looting and Arson Trump's Approval with Black voters Remains at 28%

**  Black Lives Matter Rally with no black people.   A black Republican couple look on from a distance and laugh.  

VENEZUELA - SOCIALISM'S FAILURE ON DISPLAY

As Venezuela descends further and further into chaos, Ed Morrisey writes:

As the Washington Post reports today, their patience has run out. Venezuelans have started sacking grocery stores rather than groceries, and have attacked supply trucks before they arrive at the store. . .

Bread lines recall the glory days of the Soviet empire, in which “socialism” reduced people to beggar status, in a country with a surfeit of natural resources. Shortages and rationing always occur when socialism is adopted, especially the nationalization-of-producers variety favored by the Chavistas and the Castros.

Morrissey offers the simple explanation that socialists can never get through their heads:  [my bolding]

The economic pattern is simple, predictable, and brutal. Socialists demand that producers lower prices for “the people” to a level that ensures losses for the producers. Producers either close their doors, or the government seizes the businesses from them. The leaders put people in place who have little expertise but tons of socialist credibility, and their incompetence leads to massive failures in production. Widespread shortages result, and either the leaders have to enact increasingly brutal methods of repression or the people end up revolting and putting said leaders up against the proverbial wall. And the latter scenario incentivizes the leaders to make damn sure they employ Option One for all it’s worth.

F. A. Hayek described the inevitable downward spiral eloquently in his seminal book "The Road to Serfdom."  Socialist systems never fail because they don’t have “the right people in charge,” as old socialists like to claim. They fail and turn into repressive tyrannies because all of the incentives for power reward the brutal when the economy fails, as it will always do with central planning and control of production.

Consequently, Morrissey writes:

As one Venezuelan told the Post’s reporters, “This can’t continue.” That’s practically the primary axiom of socialism — it’s totally unsustainable, and only exists as a path to tyranny. One way or the other, the status quo won’t continue. It’s now a question of what replaces it — a free Venezuela, or an outright dictatorship.

SOCIALISM KILLS

 

  ** Ed Morrissey on the Venezuelan situation

  ** Poll:  One Third of millennials view socialism favorably.

  ** Click here for previous blog posts on socialism,

 

JONAH GOLDBERG - "WHAT IS SOCIAL JUSTICE?"

Jonah has produced a fabulous short video below.  It's part of PragerU, an initiative of Dennis Prager.  Goldberg says: "For a much lengthier discussion of the subject, including its history, you could always buy my last book."

 

Other recommended talks at PragerU:

  -  "Are People Born Good?" by Dennis Prager

  - Dennis Prager Interviews historian Paul Johnson

  -  More videos . . .

JAY RICHARDS - "MONEY, GREED AND GOD" VIDEO

These days it's not often that one hears a robust and convincing case for the superiority of capitalism over all competing economic systems.  Discovery Institute's Jay Richards, who speaks below, is an amazing scholar.   I first became acquainted with him through his work on "The Privileged Planet" book and video. I thought his expertise was limited to science.  How wrong I was.   I regard his economics talk as simply brilliant.  It serves as an introduction to his book, Money, Greed and God:  Why Capitalism is the Solution and Not the Problem. 

 

Wintery Knight, whose recent blog post alerted me to this video, in an earlier post suggested listening to a  series of 4 sermons by Wayne Grudem (a notable theologian) on the relationship between Christianity and economics? (a PDF outline is here). 

 Related previous "Muddling" posts - 

   --  TWO DISTINCT WORLDVIEWS: THE COMPETING WORLDVIEWS OF THE TEA PARTY AND OCCUPY WALL STREET

    --  INCOME INEQUALITY UNDER THE MICROSCOPE (VIDEO)

   -- C-SPAN VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH KEVIN WILLIAMSON, AUTHOR OF "THE POLITICALLY INCORRECT GUIDE TO SOCIALISM"

   -- JONAH GOLDBERG - THE MARVEL OF FREE ENTERPRISE (OR, PUT DIFFERENTLY, WHY CENTRAL PLANNING NEVER WORKS)

   -- WORLD MAGAZINE'S BOOK OF THE YEAR

  -- JONAH GOLDBERG - CAPITALISM'S BAD RAP

   -- CAPITALISM AND THE BIBLE

   -- Ayn Rand's Novel "Atlas Shrugged" Published 50 Years Ago  [critiques]

   -- Capitalism - The "Way Up" for the Poor

Posts by Wintery Knight  related to Jay Richards:

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO LIVE IN A SOCIALIST STATE?

The following will be eye opening to many.  A British friend now living in America, Maureen Fuller, describes her experience living in England:

What is it like to live in a socialist state? As a British immigrant to the USA and having just recently lived and worked again in the UK for seven years, here are some views I would like you to ponder.

Health care

The national health care system is 'free'. You can always see a primary care doctor,  but if you need a specialist you may be referred and wait many months.  If over 65, you may not see a specialist, or even be able to have some operations. End of life care is without proper caring and dignity in a hospital, unlike the caring we expect here. If you are admitted to a hospital, you will be  in a ward together with 6 or more patients who may be mixed gender. If you need an X-ray you will have to wait, as doctors do not have X-ray machines or scanners in their offices, so you are sent to a hospital.  Hospitals are not clean and have a high infection rate. Because of the lack of specialists you will not likely be referred to one easily. If you do get an appointment, you may see his assistant instead. Doctors will not talk to you in hospitals. Amazing as this may seem, I found you can be standing next to a specialist and his nurse but you have to talk to the nurse, who in turn relays it to the doctor, as if translating for you, but you are all speaking English. You are not expected to ask the doctor about your condition;  you are just the patient.  It is all very impersonal. Doctors were very surprised when I asked questions. Many doctors are from other countries and lack good training. Very high taxes pay for this inadequate system. There are few malpractice law suits, as you are taking on the government, which would be a huge expense. Remember, all medical personnel are employed by the government. 

If you buy expensive private health insurance, you will see a specialist fairly quickly.  These are the same specialists you would have seen on the National Health Service (NHS)  however, now if needed, they can order tests and medicines not available on the NHS.  Diagnostic testing is a low priority on the NHS. Ordering tests is very limited and people are not offered preventative care, such as a yearly check up.  Mammograms are offered up to age 65. I would like everyone in this country to have health care but please, not under an invasive system such as Obama care, which is based on the UK system.

Running a business

It is hard to run a small business, as Health and Safety can shut it down anytime. They are a government force that have absolute authority.  Our family business closed because of a new ruling that required  construction of scaffolding, for anything  previously done with a ladder, therefore, costing too much to do business.  Why would the government do this and who would take over? Large Government contractors.

Housing

A new home developer has to provide over 25 to 80 percent of their homes as government (social) housing. The percentage is decided by each town housing authority, so differs by area. Housing is therefore very expensive.  Social housing is ultimately paid for by the home buyer. I was in new home sales and can attest to the fact, that much anger is directed to this sad state of affairs. Google;  'percentage of social housing on new developments' to read more. I am sure most of us would be happy with the aged, infirm and disabled being helped in this way.  I am talking about the healthy people who want a government hand out.  Local housing authorities can also take over older houses and apartments. Suppose you are living in a nice house and the Housing Authority takes over an apartment next door. A young girl with a baby and her boy friend move in and create noise and mess. Your house is then burglarized twice by her unsavory boy friend.  You have no recourse. This true story is my own experience and goes on all the time. Teenaged girls who have a baby, have to be given free housing and support.  They are not required to work. If they deny knowledge of who the father is, they can claim  more benefits. Their boy friends are not supposed to live with them, but naturally they do.

There is a tax on buying a new or resale home. It is a percentage of the purchase price. Taking a sale price of 300,000 GBP  ( approximately 460,000 USD) the tax would be 13,800 USD (3 per cent). This tax is on a sliding scale starting at 1 percent for a home over 180,000 USD to 7 percent for over 3,000,000 USD. Paying 300,000 GBP  (460,000 USD) is not much for a small 3 bed house in the UK.  Google;  'Stamp duty Land Tax Rates' for more information and to see what is likely to happen here in due course, especially to pay for our massive debt.

Secularism - salvation through government

God is rarely mentioned in the media or socially. The state has taken over, so why do you need Him? I believe one of the reasons that a socialist government works at minimizing God, is to make the people look to them as benefactor instead. As things begin to crumble under such an unsustainable system, there is again an interest in God in the UK .

Privacy

Video cameras are everywhere in public.  It is estimated that you are photographed 300 times every day, while going about your business. The police don't need to pull you over on the roads, as the cameras pick up your bad driving. Cameras are on most main roads, bridges, traffic lights and many buildings.  You get used to it, but I always felt I was being watched, and noticed I had a feeling of freedom when I returned to the USA. The only upside is that it can help, if a crime has been committed.

Concluding comments

Prices of goods and gas are high, due to the taxes needed to support this system. When our  president talks about spreading the wealth this is what will happen. Government takes the wealth and distributes it how they see fit.  Our freedoms will be compromised and business will be stuck with what is unimaginable to American business and public. Am I for programs  to help all people to lead a better life? Of course, but surely we Americans can find a better way, than to let the government micro organize our lives. This is not freedom.  A socialist government wants people to think it is a good benefactor, so they give a few gifts here and there. Every winter you receive a small check to help you pay for heating. Ever get that warm  fuzzy feeling? At Christmas you get something like 15 USD from the government.  Merry Christmas!  When you reach 60 years of age you can apply for a free bus pass.  People think this is really great.  It is like a rite of passage into old age.  I wonder how much that free pass really cost the taxpayer?

America

From a foreign perspective, America  is looked upon as a nation with Christian principles, despite our President declaring otherwise. People look to Americans for help in troubled times and to help them to be free. America is there for all disasters and gives billions in support, even to our enemies.  I am thankful that America helped to save Europe in World War II. Yes, mistakes are made, but we must remain strong for ourselves and others.  Consider the alternative. I know which country and system of government I prefer to live in.

Please vote.  Many have given their lives to give us this precious freedom.

VIDEO: THE REAL LEGACY OF MARGARET THATCHER, BRITAIN'S "IRON LADY"

I agree with Tina Korbe's sentiments:

“The Iron Lady” — the new movie about Margaret Thatcher starring Meryl Streep that comes out today — might not look half bad, but it can’t hurt to counter whatever Hollywood spin worked its way into the final product with a fitting tribute to the real Lady Thatcher. Thankfully, my friend Brandon Stewart has produced this three-minute reminder of Thatcher’s real legacy. As a Heritage Foundation tweet puts it, “Margaret Thatcher was greater in person than Meryl Streep could EVER portray.” 

 

Tina Korbe said she felt more goosebumps during this short video than over the movie trailers.  Again: agreed.

INCOME INEQUALITY UNDER THE MICROSCOPE (VIDEO)

Check out Ed Morrissey's post.

ROBERT KNIGHT - LIBERAL GOSPEL EXALTS GOVERNMENT

Robert Knight rightly observes:

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend has done us a wonderful service with her Aug. 15 article in the Atlantic, “Is Rick Perry as Christian as He Thinks He Is?”

It’s a masterpiece of liberal misuse of the Bible, which will become more frequent as the campaign heats up.

Knight clarifies what Townsend is advocating:

[...] Mrs. Townsend starkly makes the case that being Christian means using other people’s tax dollars to help the poor.

  Criticizing Gov. Perry, Mrs. Townsend reveals her view of Christian charity:

“I see a fundamental inconsistency between Perry's concerted opposition to government social programs and his promotion of himself as a Christian politician,” she writes “….Christ teaches us to feed the hungry and care for the sick, not to abandon them. Perhaps Gov. Perry hasn't read that part of the Bible where Christ admonishes us to care for ‘the least among us.’”

To which Robert Knight appropriately responds:

Perhaps Mr. Perry has, which might be why he opposes welfare programs that have trapped millions in poverty, dependency, crime and destroyed families and communities. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, the Bible admonishes us to care for widows, orphans and the poor – not create more of them.

(Brillliant response, that).   More from Mrs. Townsend:

“I don't see any place in the Bible that says we shouldn't use all the tools we have at hand to help the poor, the sick, and the hungry.”

Knight's response:

No, but please note that robbing Peter to pay Paul is not recommended. In Jesus’s parable of the Good Samaritan, the man who helps the mugging victim pays out of his own pocket. He does not demand that the government recompense the owner of the inn where he arranges for the man to stay.

Knight wins this debate hands down.  Read the entire article for more.

WAS JESUS PRO-SOCIALIST?

David French and Jordan Sekulow respond to a Washington Post article that argues stridently that Jesus was pro-socialist.  French and Sekulow offer their response:  "The Impossibility of a Socialist Jesus"-

Jesus was “pro-socialist,” American Christians are in thrall to Ayn Rand, and the early Apostles concocted a system of “egalitarian socialism backed by fear of death.” Such are the wild claims Gregory S. Paul made Friday on this site.

Socialism is a relatively modern construct, a governmental system invented roughly 1,800 years after Christ’s death, not a biblical mandate. The question, then, is whether socialism is compatible with Christianity, not whether the Bible mandates socialism.

How can Mr. Paul claim Jesus was “pro-socialist?” Jesus, after all, despite many demands from His followers, pointedly refused to establish an earthly government. Undeterred, Mr. Paul interprets Jesus’s “substantial encouragement for the poor” and warnings against the moral pitfalls of wealth as support for socialism. Yet one has to travel quite the intellectual and theological distance to equate admonitions towards charity and warnings against greed with divine sanction for the destruction of private property rights and the forcible redistribution of wealth.

But this isn’t Mr. Paul’s main argument. He claims the Jerusalem church’s famous voluntary sharing of goods and property wasn’t voluntary at all but instead represents a “form of terror-enforced-communism imposed by a God who thinks that Christians who fail to join the collective are worthy of death.” This theological assertion -- a reading of Scripture that has completely escaped theologians for two millennia -- rests on the story of Ananias and Saphhira, who were struck dead after they “lied to the Holy Spirit.” They had sold land, given part to the Apostles but claimed that they had given all. Here are the Apostle Peter’s words to Ananias:

C-SPAN VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH KEVIN WILLIAMSON, AUTHOR OF "THE POLITICALLY INCORRECT GUIDE TO SOCIALISM"

If you are like me, and haven't read Williamson's The Politically Incorrect Guide to S0cialism," this hour interview will prove of interest.  Williamson is interviewed by John Podhoretz of Commentary magazine.

**

The other day someone sent me an intriguing email:

I recently asked my friend's little girl what she wanted to be when she grows up.  She said she wanted to be President someday.  Both of her parents, liberal Democrats, were standing there, so I asked her, 'If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?'

She replied, 'I'd give food and houses to all the homeless people.'  Her parents beamed.  'Wow...what a worthy goal.'  I told her, 'But you don't have to wait until you're President to do that.  You can come over to my house and mow the lawn, pull weeds, and sweep my yard, and I'll pay you $50.  Then I'll take you over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out, and you can give him the $50 to use toward food and a new house."

She thought that over for a few seconds, then she looked me straight in the eye and asked, 'Why doesn't the homeless guy come over and do the work, and you can just pay him the $50?'  I said, 'Welcome to the Republican party.'

Her parents still aren't speaking to me.

http://www.amazon.com/Politically-Incorrect-Guide-Socialism-Guides/dp/1596986492/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303081934&sr=8-1

Kevin D. Williamson Offers A Major Contemporary Explanation and Analysis of Socialism

Click here.

JONAH GOLDBERG - THE MARVEL OF FREE ENTERPRISE (OR, PUT DIFFERENTLY, WHY CENTRAL PLANNING NEVER WORKS)

Jonah Goldberg's article, "I, Market Economy," provides a succinct and devastatingly brilliant reminder of why central planning always spells disaster (yes, always!), and why a market economy, which at first glance looks so inefficent, actually functions marvelously.  I love Goldberg's retelling the story of the lowly pencil, and also his emphasizing that a market economy is "the greatest communal enterprise ever undertaken in the history of humanity."  Goldberg writes:

. . . In 1958, Leonard Read wrote one of the most famous essays in the history of libertarianism, “I, Pencil.” It begins, “I am a lead pencil — the ordinary wooden pencil familiar to all boys and girls and adults who can read and write.” It is one of the most simple objects in human civilization. And yet, “not a single person on the face of this earth knows how to make me.”

The pencil tells the story of its own creation. The wood comes from Oregon, or perhaps California. The lead, which is really graphite, is mined in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). The eraser, which is not rubber but something called “factice,” is “made by reacting rape-seed oil from the Dutch East Indies with sulfur chloride.”

To make a long story short, the simple act of collecting and combining the ingredients of a pencil involves the cooperation of thousands of experts in dozens of fields, from engineering and mining to chemistry and commodity trading. I suppose it’s possible for

WORLD MAGAZINE'S BOOK OF THE YEAR

Marvin Olasky:  (HT: Justin Taylor)

WORLD’s book of the year is The Battle: How the Fight Between Free Enterprise and Big Government Will Shape America’s Future (May 2010, Basic Books). This succinct work by Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, is the right book at this moment in U.S. history.

Honoring a book on current political and economic questions is unusual for WORLD. Our books of the year in 2008 and 2009 were The Reason for God and The ESV Study Bible. We generally rate timeless higher than timely—but sometimes we have to pay attention to the immediate. Samuel Johnson said, “Depend upon it, sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.” As the United States careens toward a crucial fall election, The Battle is concentrating minds.

WORLD’s 2010 Book of the Year makes a ­compelling case that the clash ­between free ­enterprise and socialism is a moral battle.  Read the whole review here.

Update: 6/23/10 - Kathryn Jean Lopez conducts a major interview with Arthur C. Brooks here.  Lopez interview with Brooks, part 2.

MARK STEYN - THE U.S. IS IN THE EXPRESS LANE TO DECLINISTAN

I consider Steyn's sustained meditation on America's future extraordinarily important and persuasive.  Steyn writes:

What happens when the policies that brought ruin to Detroit and sclerosis to California become the basis for the nation at large? Strictly on the numbers, the United States is in the express lane to Declinistan: unsustainable entitlements, the remorseless governmentalization of the economy and individual liberty, and a centralization of power that will cripple a nation of this size. Decline is the way to bet. . .

Steyn says Europeans were not always the Euro-weenies they have become:

Hayek’s greatest insight in The Road to Serfdom is psychological: “There is one aspect of the change in moral values brought about by the advance of collectivism which at the present time provides special food for thought,” he wrote with an immigrant’s eye on the Britain of 1944. “It is that the virtues which are held less and less in esteem and which consequently become rarer are precisely those on which the British people justly prided themselves and in which they were generally agreed to excel. The virtues possessed by Anglo-Saxons in a higher degree than most other people, 

WHICH DOES THE BIBLE SUPPORT: PROPERTY RIGHTS OR REDISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH?

Wintery Knight offers a fine excerpt from an article by David Puller, "Is Scripture Statist?"

Wintery Knight also links to a short First Things review of  Jay W.  Richards' Money, Greed And God: Why Capitalism Is the Solution and Not the Problem  of which George Gilder wrote:

"In Money, Greed, and God, Jay Richards has written the definitive case for capitalism, a crisply written and incisive discourse on wealth and poverty, money and morality for the 21st Century."

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON - "IS GREECE OUR FUTURE?"

If your eyes glaze over when following abstract, academic arguments concerning socialism (which Democrats favor, by the way), the following anecdote puts things in vivid perspective.  VDH says:

I lived in Greece for more than two years, and one of my best memories is of a small hotelier at a seaside resort. He checked you in; he cooked; he did the landscaping at night; he did all the maintenance during the day. I asked him why he didn't hire more help, since his hotel wasn't all that small and he seemed to be going 24/7. What followed was a harangue about the cost of hiring a permanent worker in Greece, the difficulty of ever firing him if he proved worthless, and why he preferred to do everything himself rather than fill out all sorts of forms and hire unmotivated but tenured employees. Besides, he said, almost everyone was on some sort of pension, disability, or government benefit, and was unwilling to work, so his choices were either illegal immigrants or broke foreign students. Then he launched into a blast against socialism, and explained how he was forced to become an expert tax dodger, how he would barter for all the transactions he could, and why he hated the government. He finished by sighing that in Greece, the people spend their time either devising ways to get government money or scheming to avoid the tax collectors — or, preferably, both.

ARE THE DEMOCRATS THINKING STRATEGICALLY, AND THE REPUBLICANS ONLY TACTICALLY?

Mark Steyn thinks so and Andy McCarthy agrees.  McCarthy writes:

Democrats have their eyes on a different end-game than our guys do: namely, the establishment of permanent, European-style socialism in the U.S. Our guys are focused on converting Obama radicalism into big-time electoral success in the next election cycle. The Dems have already factored in that likelihood and are betting — over the long haul — that even if the GOP cuts deeply into Dem majorities or takes over Congress (and even takes over the White House in 2012), Republicans will lack the commitment (and perhaps the numbers) to roll back what the Left is accomplishing now.  [more . . .]

KRAUTHAMMER - The "NEW SOCIALISM" USES THE "RELIGION OF ENVIRONMENTALISM" AS ITS PRETEXT

Charles Krauthammer's article lays out the goals and technique of the "New Socialism" now raising its hydraheaded spectre once again.  It's  must reading for anyone interested in what's really going on, and for understanding the enormous threat the new socialism poses.

DOCTOR ZERO: "THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF ACORN"

Doctor Zero does a superb job explaining the inevitability of organizations like ACORN that form circles of corruption in a society that has moved from humility to entitlement.  I despair of extracting quotes since the whole article needs to be read to understand the cancer that ACORN represents.

Well, I've changed my mind.  I will extract some quotes.

When charity is replaced by entitlement, the voluntary flow of donations to small, local organizations transforms into the accumulation of stupendous amounts of money in Washington. Not only is there a huge pile of taxpayer loot to be divided, but the power of government is fantastically valuable. ACORN made a huge amount of money - and helped crash the entire financial system - by using government

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Earlier today I was going through an old computer file and came across the following quote.  I don't know where I picked it up.  If anyone knows the source, I will be glad to give proper credit. [Update: A reader informs me that this was spoken by the late Dr. Adrian Rogers of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, TN.]

Here's the quote:

The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. 

When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for,

 that my dear friend,

 is about the end of any nation.

THE RELIGIOUS LEFT EXUBERANT OVER OBAMA

Mark D. Tooley, president of The Institute on Religion and Democracy, wrote an article today, "Al-Quedo Terrorists=The Prophet Jeremiah?" which describes the ebullience of the Rev. Jim Wallis and the Sojourner's crowd over Obama's left-wing takeover of the United States. As Tooley describes it,

More than 1,100 Religious Left activists gathered in Washington, D.C., for Jim Wallis's annual "Mobilization to End Poverty," which convened in late April.

And an extremist agenda it is. Speakers at the rally equated themselves with the Biblical prophets, al-Qaeda terrorists to the Prophet Jeremiah, capitalist "greed" with the Soviet gulags, and conservative Christians with the Antichrist.     [more . .]

Me:  Wallis has been a hard-left guy since the 60s.  Socialism and anti-Americanism have continually dominated his thinking.   His accusations against the "Christian Right" ring partisan and hollow given his hard left ideological commitments.   Don't ever think he is some sort of "Christian uniter."  He is anything but.

Update 6/1/09 - Peter Wehner offers a "must-read evaluation" of Jim Wallis and his rhetoric for anyone wishing to get their bearings on Jim Wallis. 

CAPITALISM AND THE BIBLE

Philosopher Dr. Douglas Groothuis, at his blog, "The Constructive Curmudgeon," suggests:

"In light of the trashing of capitalism of late, and the sad, bad, and mad move toward socialism, I suggest you read this speech by the late Christian philosopher, Ronald Nash on "Socialism, Capitalism, and the Bible."

"BIG GOVERNMENT IS WHERE ONCE SUCCESSFUL NATIONS GO TO DIE." - MARK STEYN

From Mark Steyn:

If you're wondering where the "stimulus" will lead in the long run, consider this story from The Times of London:

PARTS of the United Kingdom have become so heavily dependent on government spending that the private sector is generating less than a third of the regional economy, a new analysis has found.

The study of “Soviet Britain” has found the government’s share of output and expenditure has now surged to more than 60% in some areas of England and over 70% elsewhere.

Across the UK as a whole, government spending now accounts for 49% of the economy. And look at these regional variations:

Southern England: a mere 36% of the economy is government spending;
Northeast England: 66.4%;
Wales: 71.6%;
Northern Ireland: 77.6%.

As The Times notes:

The state now looms far larger in many parts of Britain than it did in former Soviet satellite states such as Hungary and Slovakia as they emerged from communism in the 1990s, when state spending accounted for about 60% of their economies.

Big government is where once successful nations go to die.

Me: Sad, oh so sad...

Dick Morris - "The Obama Presidency: Here Comes Socialism"

Morris articulates the probable future well.  (HT: Drudge)  He writes:

2009-2010 will rank with 1913-14, 1933-36, 1964-65 and 1981-82 as years that will permanently change our government, politics and lives. Just as the stars were aligned for Wilson, Roosevelt, Johnson and Reagan, they are aligned for Obama. Simply put, we enter his administration as free-enterprise, market-dominated, laissez-faire America. We will shortly become like Germany, France, the United Kingdom, or Sweden — a socialist democracy in which the government dominates the economy, determines private-sector priorities and offers a vastly expanded range of services to many more people at much higher taxes.

Obama will accomplish his agenda of “reform” under the rubric of “recovery.” Using the electoral mandate bestowed on a Democratic Congress by restless voters and the economic power given his administration by terrified Americans, he will change our country fundamentally in the name of lifting the depression. His stimulus packages won’t do much to shorten the downturn — although they will make it less painful — but they will do a great deal to change our nation.  [my emphases]

Read the whole thing . . .

Obama's Views on "Economic Justice" Examined

Andy McCarthy wrote today the following:

In this pre-election article, I took my best shot at explaining why Obama's "economic justice," which sometimes travels under the heading "Second Bill of Rights" was so flawed ... and monstrous.  Here, fwiw, are the relevant passages:

As Obama sees it, the Warren Court failed to “break free from the essential constraints that  were placed by the founding fathers in the Constitution.” The judges instead clung to the hoary construction of the Constitution as “a charter of negative liberties” — one that says only what government “can’t do to you.” For Obama, economic justice demands the positive case: what government “must do on your behalf” (emphasis added).

True to form, Obama has twisted the most elementary points. First, the Framers viewed government as a necessary evil: required for a free people’s collective security but, if insufficiently checked, guaranteed to devour liberty. The purpose of the Constitution was not to make the positive case for government but for freedom. Freedom cannot exist without order, and thus implies some measure of government. But it is a limited government, vested with only the powers expressly enumerated. As the framers knew, a government that strays beyond those powers is necessarily treading on freedom’s territory. It is certain to erode the very “Blessings of Liberty” the Constitution was designed to secure.