It's the Economy

Occupy Wall Street, unemployment, federal deficits, tax the rich, Obamacare, conservatives, liberals, Republican, Democrat, spending cuts, tax cuts, capitalism, socialism, big bad banks, golden parachutes, entitlements...

Socialists want to take money away from an executive making obscene amounts. Conservatives defend that income because, well, the executive earned it. Of course he earned it by making bad loans then selling them to other people who lost their money when the market crashed. Now we're back to punishing this fictional executive. Yet we know that socialism is wrong. But the free market failed. Around and around our argument goes - one big, giant circle.

Sadly, I find myself arguing in circles a lot at work. It's a sure sign that I'm solving the wrong problem. Could that be happening here too?

Socialism is wrong. Theft by the government is still theft. Socialism takes by force money or labor that does not belong to the taker. In theory, the taker gives the spoils to someone less fortunate. Look at socialist countries in the real world. You see that the spoils stay with the taker. I consider that pure and simple theft.

On the other hand, the book of Acts describes the early church practicing socialist policies. There must be something good about sharing wealth.

Capitalism too is wrong. It encourages greed and rewards the dishonest. Absolutely free markets collapse on themselves. Then again, capitalism built airplanes and skyscrapers. There must be something good about rewarding success.

The same dichotomy holds true if you compare democracy and feudalism. Each has shining examples of success. Each also has glaring examples of utter failure. Economic structure does not guarantee success or failure. Political structure does not guarantee success or failure. There must be some underlying factor that brought about the successes.

Root Causes

Proverbs sheds light on the subject...

No one can be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted. -- Proverbs 12:3

The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous stands firm. -- Proverbs 12:7

Corporations are not the problem. The economic system is not the problem. The political climate is not the problem. Our problem comes from wicked people doing wicked things. People possess a will. We impose that will on the world around us - molding the world in our image. Now imagine that image is distorted, bent. What happens to the world?

The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. -- Proverbs 12:10

When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding; but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive. -- Proverbs 28:28

Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death. -- Proverbs 7:27

Well, it destroys the world around the wicked. Everything a wicked person does destroys those around them. Even when trying to help, a wicked person only hurts. Microsoft brought personal computers into millions of homes. They also put thousands of people out of work with illegal business practices. They set back the state of the art by decades. They hurt the very people they were helping.

Is it wrong to extend unemployment benefits? It doesn't matter. When wicked people enact policy, they hurt the recipients. Extending those benefits will end badly.

Solutions

The opposite also holds true. Put enough righteous people in power and the world takes a different shape. Righteous leaders surround themselves with wise counselors. They create an environment where righteousness thrives. And it too spreads outward.

In First Break All the Rules, Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman discuss the role of talent in our work. Talents represent who we are. As we grow, we learn skills that complement our talents. Righteousness is like talent - it describes who we are, not what we do.

What happened to the discussion of character in political campaigns? I don't mean mud slinging throw around insults and lies. I mean real debate about character. Is a candidate honest? Are they self serving? Who's looking at their record, their actions, their speeches for integrity?

Wait, don't issues matter? Well, no. Remember Proverbs 12:10 - but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. So even if a candidate does everything you want, enacts every policy you want, in some way it destroys the world around them.

Consider that next November - how will your vote change the world?