“Capitalism, Socialism, Communism and the Economics of Opportunity”

1. Capitalism is an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market.

2. Socialism is any one of various economic theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.

3. Communism is an economic system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed.

In my opinion, throughout the years of American existence, we’ve all been capitalists in our public lives and communists in our private lives. Please, before you roll your eyes, hear me out….

Our society was one founded on morality, perseverance, generosity, risk and reward. We’ve always risked much, whether it is life and limb in war, money and livelihood in business, or reputation and time in charity. We have always been a nation of risk takers because our ideology suggests that if you risk, if you take a step of faith, you can succeed. Furthermore, if you fail and continue to persevere, you will succeed, sometime, somehow, despite the odds. Capitalism rewards the risk takers, capitalism rewards the perseverant and capitalism rewards the lucky. Capitalism also rewards the greedy, the dishonest, and the criminal because at its soul, capitalism does not discriminate. It does not have compassion for the weak, the poor, or the downtrodden, it’s a system that does not favor the high caste, the low caste, the politician, the black, or the white. The greater the risk in capitalism, the greater the reward and in it’s purist, most free sense, the greater the risk, the greater the failure. We have been, the vast majority of the time, capitalists and that’s why on every block, in every town, in every city and in every state there is always a success story, a rags to riches through hard work and luck, yet conversely there are also stories of riches to riches through dishonesty or criminality. Freedom and liberty married to capitalism has given rise to the greatest world power in history, yet unlike so many world powers before and after, ours has not sought conquest or domination because, at heart, in private, most Americans are communist.

I know, years ago, I’d have probably been arrested for espousing such an idea, but I don’t mean communist like the former Soviet Union, I mean communist like the definition above. We never thought of the government as a means to redistribute wealth, we did that privately through our churches, our non-profits, our community centers and our neighborhoods. If there was a family at church who needed, we provided. If a neighbor was sick, we brought food, medicine, or took them to the doctor. When our parents became too old to live alone, we prepared a room. If a child was abandoned, we adopted. If an ally was invaded, our sons, brothers, and fathers bled and died to defeat a common foe. We have always tried to be a nation of brothers, neighbors who share, communities who rally to the common good, and people who for the most part did their best to ensure that even the weakest among us were protected. We were privately communist, interested in pursuing the common good and at the same time publicly capitalist, making and taking our opportunities. These two ideologies worked hand in hand, a separation of powers, a check and a balance that promoted personal prosperity while drawing us all toward a common good. The private morality restrained, to some extent, the indiscriminate excess of capitalism.

Unfortunately, as the decades of prosperity have passed, we’ve forgotten the morality, we’ve forgotten to take personal responsibility for our actions and we’ve forgotten our duty to our neighbors, to the weak, and to the poor. Some of us have become capitalists with no regard for others or socialists who work to ensure that the government takes responsibility for our neighbors, rather than giving or reaching out ourselves. We’ve espoused a doctrine that there is no absolute right or absolute wrong, that each is correct in his or her own eyes. We can look at history and see the penalty for divorcing morality from society or look abroad and see the fruit of capitalism without compassion or socialism that begets a plurality of oppressed peasants. The new Russian autocracy has used capitalism without morality to enrich a few and their governmental enablers. The Chinese government uses an oppressed working class to enrich the chosen few, the communist party elite. A Venezuelan socialist president is taking from the rich, lining his and those in his government’s pockets, and then giving a small percentage to the poor. In all cases, the chosen few in power get rich while the majority of the population suffer, and in all cases the only way to go from rags to riches is to be chosen by those in power. We have always been different and that’s why millions of immigrants from around the world have flocked to our shores. In America, hard work, education, opportunity and luck have provided a pathway to wealth for the politically unconnected, ethnically or racially different, or the new immigrant.

What worries me is that our nation’s leaders are considering disconnecting the reward from the risk. By attaching an upward limit on success and selectively taxing the successful in order to return the fruit of their labor to those not quite as successful, we’re saying that there’s a limit to aspiration. We’re saying that there’s now going to be a reward for being average, that those who’ve chosen not to risk or those who’ve risked and failed will be rewarded for being in the middle. The middle class is the heartbeat of our nation and through upward mobility and success they also become the engine for economic growth. New ideas, new small businesses, new services and smart concepts all flow from innovation, aspiration for financial success and the knowledge that risk may bring unlimited reward. If we cap the reward by instituting a tax policy that penalizes the achievers, if we determine that some businesses deserve “windfall” profits taxes but not others, and if we then pass the extra tax revenue to the least productive in society rather than using it for deficit reduction or infrastructure rehabilitation, we will stifle economic growth. My fear is that we will further segment into a society of jealous ‘Have-Nots’ whom rely upon the government for everything and cynical ‘Haves’ who innovate, risk, and succeed. If our leaders continue to suggest that somehow the American system of freedom to succeed is broken and that our citizenry needs the government to ensure its success, then we’ll end up with a citizenry addicted to government handouts, a government stifling growth by an ever increasing tax burden on a shrinking tax base, and a cycle of stagnation and economic decay unseen in post industrial revolution western society. Our economic system is the best in the world because of the freedom to succeed and the freedom to fail. If success is capped by tax policy or stifled by government intervention, then we’ll cease to be the envy of the world and maybe, just maybe, that’s what the rest of the world desires. We are a free society, we are a capitalist society, and we are a moral society. If we remove any one of these three ideals, we’ll cease to be a successful society and a beacon of hope for millions here and around the world.

"Defender of the Weak"

I was listening to NPR last week and was struck by a profile on a specific humanitarian author. He's written a book about helping the impoverished of the world, the role of the UN, and a critique of worldwide efforts to fight poverty, hunger and violence. I have a heartfelt desire to help those in need and from my college years of travel I have a perspective on poverty unmatched by most Americans. There is no doubt that we should be and could be doing much more to help those in need both here and abroad, but the how overwhelms even the most committed of us.

My heart has broken over the last few weeks as I've watched the HBO miniseries Generation Kill (HBO's take on the Iraq invasion). I disagree with the political message of some of the episodes, but see the humanitarian impact of war on normal people and can't help but envision a world where my family and I are the ones running for cover as our town is bombed or as gunfire rips through the walls of our home. I was struck by the scene of a father who didn't stop at an American roadblock and who's car was subsequently shot up. The only casualty was his 5 year old daughter and his crime, trying to flee the violence. The scene ended with the father asking the American soldiers through an interpreter if he could have his dead daughter's body and he picked her up and carried her back to town. I can't even imagine the horror.

I saw a picture, just this evening, of a refugee child from the fighting in Georgia (a former Soviet state) lying on a table in a school house. Conservative estimates are that 100,000 people have been uprooted from their homes and lives more or less because a former imperial power needs to reassert control over its' weaker neighbors. Thousands dead, more wounded and no one came to their aid.

The aforementioned author would have us believe that the answer to the world's problems with hunger, poverty, and violence is more aid from NGOs, the UN, and sovereign states. He went so far as to insinuate that if organizations such as the UN sent aid workers and money instead of peacekeepers to global hot spots, our world would be a safer and better place. His hypothesis is that well fed people with jobs would not resort to violence to feed their families, etc. I think that he's failed to consider the fact that gangs with guns, dictators with guns, and evil people with guns subjugate the innocent, steal their food, and rape and kill their families. These people derive their power through intimidation and fear. These people thrive on lawlessness and are the same people who steal humanitarian aid to hoard it for themselves and their friends. These are the same people who keep entire populations poor, uneducated, and hungry in order to stay in power. These are the same people who kill their neighbors because of their ethnicity and no amount of money or food will tame their hatred and evil. These people will not stop until forced to, much like a serial killer won't stop until caught and caged. If food, opportunity, and money solved all of our problems there would be no need for police in the US because there is plenty of food, opportunity, and money to go around.

Unfortunately there is evil and there is good and some choose evil despite the opportunity to choose good. There will always be the need to use force to defend the weak until there is no more evil in the world. I know that sounds simplistic and I know the use of force has tragic consequences for those caught in between and we see the horror every time we watch the news about Iraq, but the alternative is worse. Doing nothing over the past 60 years led to 6,000,000 dead Jews, 20,000,000+ dead Russians in Stalin's Russia, hundreds of thousands dead in Serbia and Croatia, hundreds of thousands dead Rwanda, thousands dead in the Sudan, and countless millions others dead who suffer under the heal of tyrants. There is good and there is evil and there is no middle ground. There is one moral law, whether we choose to believe it or not. In the end there will be punishment for those who do evil because there is one Defender of the Weak and mark my words, He weeps for this world and what we've done to it.

"IMPACT"

I was reading the news this morning, as I do most mornings, and I ran across this Time Magazine article, Making Capitalism More Creative. It's really less of an article and more of a vision shared by Bill Gates with the readers of Time. I have to say, coming from a man who was all geek back when computers weren't cool, it's amazing the vision he has for the poor of our world. Unlike most government programs, Bill is not advocating the "send me your money and I'll do good with it" point of view, he's advocating actually using our gifts, talents, time and money to make a difference ourselves. What an amazing concept! What if most Christians actually shared this point of view? Our world would look so different.

I wish that I thought about the gifts, talent, time and money that I could share more often. How would my neighbors react if I walked over and helped wash a car or mow the grass? How would my community react if I showed up to help build a Habitat home? How would a coworker react if I invited him home to have dinner with my family? There are so many little things that I could do to help make someone else's life better, but so often I sit at home and watch TV or surf the web. My normal excuse is that my fatigue or work schedule prevents me from being proactive in my community.

Can you imagine the impact on our children if we actually modeled generous living? Despite socioeconomics or cultural barriers, our children would grow to be men and women of action who serve instead of demanding service. I think we are at a crossroad in American culture and life, we're seeing the fruit of our Grandparent's labor; wealth, prestige, longevity as well as a greater divide between those who have and those who have not. We have more opportunity than ever before to ride the coattails and wealth of those who came before us or to leverage what we've been given for the good of our communities and world. What a vision for a better world, yet given our current attitudes and actions, what a shame.

"Tolerance"

You know, a lot of people throw around the word tolerance. Be tolerant of other people's beliefs, be tolerant of other people's actions, pets, or habits, be tolerant of "crazy uncle Eddie", etc. Tolerance seems to be the buzzword of the politically correct establishment, but what does tolerance truly mean? I don't disagree with the concept of tolerance as defined by Merriam-Webster, "sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own", but I think some people don't view tolerance in this way. Some people view tolerant behavior as seeing practices or hearing beliefs that differ from yours and keeping your mouth shut if you disagree. Some people go even farther by holding the viewpoint that tolerant behavior is accepting other people's beliefs and actions as equally acceptable as yours.

My world view allows me to separate people from their beliefs or actions so that I can tolerate and even like the person, yet utterly and completely disagree with their behavior or belief structure. I believe in a moral right and a moral wrong, therefore I believe that some actions and beliefs are wrong and some actions and beliefs are right. I also think that you can share with a person that you disagree with their actions and beliefs and choose to do one of two things, accept the person as-is, occasionally arguing points of view or choose not to associate with the person with whom you disagree. Thinking they are less of a human being or somehow stupid for not sharing your beliefs is intolerant, disagreeing verbally or choosing not to associate with those people does not make you intolerant.

I live in the Bay Area, a mixing pot of culture, race, and nationality. Tolerance, as defined, is and should be practiced on a daily basis. Yet, there are those here who take the extreme view of tolerance and levy charges of intolerance at anyone who speaks of another's personal behavior or beliefs as wrong. These individuals, in many cases, are the same people who cannot tolerate our president. These individuals have proposed to name a utility plant after him, specifically, a sewage treatment plant. I think this type of behavior is rude, disrespectful, hypocritical, and given the personal nature of the attack very intolerant, but thankfully tolerated by our bill or rights, the same bill of rights that gives us the opportunity to voice our opinions however unpopular they may be.

"29"

I enjoy the fact that I'm a husband to a beautiful and wonderful wife. I enjoy the fact that I'm a father to three beautiful and wonderful children. I enjoy the fact that I've been blessed with a career, a salary to support my family, and all the associated benefits that a career and salary provide. Life is not always perfect and most certainly our road of life is not without its share of bumps, but we are truly and wonderfully blessed despite our unique challenges.

Most mornings as I reflect on the blessings of the past day, the challenges of the current day and pray for my loved ones, I'm reminded of God's provision for my family and my responsibility to use that provision wisely. I'm also reminded of my inclination to be discontent with what's been given to me and my current season of life. I have a mind that delights in planning and strategy and as God continues to direct my path, sometimes with my submission and sometimes in spite of my lack of submission, I'm reminded that I'm not exactly where I thought I'd be. It's not a bad thing, yet as I consider my plans and the reality of where I've been and where I am, I still can't see the big picture. I can see the thread of my life to date but I have no clue what the future holds.

Despite not knowing what's to come, I do have hope for the future and I know with certainty that I have a future. My prayer is that I use God's provision, this season, and the thread of life provided to weave what God directs. My prayer is that as I move into the fourth decade of my life, my desires and will for my life begin to more closely match God's desires and will for my life. Fortunately, the possibilities continue to grow as I do.

Luke 12:16-23

16And He told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man was very productive. 17"And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?' 18"Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, ^(R)you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."' 20"But God said to him, '^(S)You fool! This very night ^(T)your soul is required of you; and ^(U)now who will own what you have prepared?' 21"So is the man who ^(V)stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." 22And He said to His disciples, "^(W)For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. 23"For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.

"Leadership and the Anti-Me"

"The conventional definition of management is getting work done through people, but real management is developing people through work." - Agha Hasan Abedi (He doesn't really seem like a great guy, but I really like the quote)

It's been an interesting week or two around here. I won't bore you with the details, but I can say that I've seen my problem and he is me. I want to share a few lessons that I've been learning lately about being a manager, or for those of you who don't manage in the corporate sense of the word, being a leader:

1. Being a leader does not mean making sure that everyone does everything your way. There are many ways to build a box, facilitate and moderate the construction.
2. Being a leader requires communication and learning the language of everyone on the team. Few people communicate in exactly the same way, but the team must move in the same direction, therefore it's your responsibility to communicate that direction to everyone.
3. All success is contributory, but failure rests on the shoulders of the leader.
4. A good leader may not always be well liked, but he/she is always respected.
   
5. People will die for a great leader.
6. Leadership is doing what's right, even when the competition isn't.
7. Leadership is pouring into people so that they can pour into the project.

There's so much more and thankfully I'm still learning.

"Legacy"

"You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body" -C.S. Lewis

It's father's day and as I look at my children, I can't help but wonder what the future holds. I wish that I had a score card or some visible, daily reminder of how I'm doing as a father. I know that sometimes I'm self-absorbed and their little voices and questions go unheard. I know that sometimes I react with frustration when they cry or seek my attention. I know that sometimes I'm too busy to really listen to what's on their little minds and to really spend the time to touch their little hearts. In reality, most times I am only "I" and not "WE", I am only "ME" and not "THEY". I was reminded today that they are my only legacy. When I am no more than a picture and some words in the back of a newspaper, they will still be here leaving their mark on this world. In the light of eternity, their souls and our own are all that matters. All the work I've done will crumble, all the wealth I've accumulated will be spent, and all the days spent chasing "stuff" will be lost.

It's hard for me to comprehend what it means to view my life in the light of eternity. With regard to my children, I think it means that I have to demonstrate that people, no matter who they are, are more important than "stuff". It means that I have to live what I believe every day, whether they see me or not. It struck me today when I heard that it means to have the same passion and drive for my family that I have for my career. It's not an easy task, but for my children and for my legacy, it's the most important task I have.

"Ninjas And The 10% Rule"

I tithe. Don't get me wrong, I definitely don't give as much as I should, nor have I been a consistent tither, but I've been working to spend less and give more. As I think about my giving patterns and my relative income, I've come to understand that I gave much more when I made considerably less. I've also come to understand that I seem to have a predisposition to spend more than I make. Given the bleak financial outlook for "most" Americans that's broadcast on the nightly network news, it seems that we have an epidemic of spending more or exactly what we all receive in income. If I think about it, as a nation, we have more "cash flow" than we've ever had and yet we're all drowning in debt. We are addicted to spending, and furthermore we're addicted to spending more than we have, both as individuals and as a society (see our Federal Budget and the mounting national debt). Eventually it all catches up with us, our personal circumstances change, we lose a job, we have another child, our mortgage adjusts and then we can no longer make the payments on our excessive debt as well as meet our monthly living expenses. Or in the case of the Federal Government, tax receipts go down due to the economy and/or any number of factors or the yearly budget grows more than projected tax receipts. As a nation we're facing both of these challenges, right now. Our economy is faltering, our ATMs [Houses] are empty, unemployment is up, mortgages are adjusting, tax receipts are projected to be down for the Feds, what a mess and what in the world does this have to do with tithing or ninjas?

The situation that I laid out has everything to do with tithing or personal giving in general and a tenuous connection to ninjas. You see, when our personal circumstances change and our spending is out of balance with our income we do one or a combination of three things, get a better job, cut spending, or declare bankruptcy. When our Federal Government's spending gets out of control they do one or a combination of three things, raise taxes, cut spending, or borrow (whether it be from other countries, lock boxes, etc.). Unfortunately for a lot of Americans and our government, cutting spending does not seem to be an option. Instead, heavy borrowing, bankruptcy (Vallejo, CA), or in the government's case, taxation, seem to be the options of choice. Personal borrowing or bankruptcy does not equate to raising or maintaining a healthy level of charitable giving. Furthermore, increased taxation has been shown to directly correlate to decreased charitable giving1. We Americans are some of the most generous people on the face of the planet, for a number of reasons, but our Federal Government is not. It gives limited amounts of our tax dollars to many causes, some we know and agree with, many we do not. Those in positions of power in this country want us to believe, because we tend to be a merciful culture, that extra taxation is required to help those in need (Social Security, Medicaid, Welfare Programs, etc.) I agree with the premise that we should help those in need, but I completely disagree with the methodology. I equate trusting our government with more of our money to trusting a ninja. Ninjas are powerful, organized, committed to pursuing their agenda, deadly to their enemies, but would you trust them to take care of your grandmother? I think that the person best able to decide how much to give of your money is YOU. We all believe in different things, but maybe we can all agree that helping our fellow man is a priority and there are thousands of good charities that do just that. I read recently that if the mainline denominational Christians were all to give a 10% tithe, it would equate to 164 Billion dollars per year2. Our 2007 federally budgeted amount for Social Security, Medicaid, Welfare, and other health related programs was 964.9 Billion dollars3. If Christians gave as expected, they alone could take care of 17% of that need without the Federal Government's involvement. I propose that the 164 Billion would go a lot farther privately, if the government wasn't involved, giving rise to a greater impact than just 17% of the budgeted need.

I think it's inherently dangerous to let our government be the entity tasked with taking care of our family, friends, and loved ones. That should be our personal responsibility. Statistics show that heavier taxation equates to less per capita charitable giving and I for one do not trust that the government can efficiently handle the welfare of our entire population (Google the Soviet Union for example). Accepting higher taxes in the name of the welfare of our population and turning a blind eye toward personal responsibility to the needy is not the answer. I'll end with something I heard the other day: It's not charity if it's not your money. Think about it!

1 http://www.cafonline.org/pdf/International%20%20Giving%20highlights.pdf
2 http://www.generousgiving.org/page.asp?sec=48&page=161
3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_budget,_2007

"I Am Defined"

I've been doing some reflection this week, given the birth of our third child. He's a perfectly formed baby boy and a blessing from God to us. As I consider the years of pewee football, family vacations, school, and youth in general for him, I can't help but look back on my life. I am a product of my experiences, whether they be how my parents raised me, or my early relationships with my friends, or even the books I chose to read. I am defined by those relationships, those choices, for good or bad that's who I am, and that's how my son will be defined when he reaches adulthood. I'm not saying that we're all just products, with no control over our definitions, but what I am saying is that our environment and our choices form us and develop our character. As parents we have a responsibility to shape a healthy environment for our kids and ensure that they are shepherded toward adulthood. Given the gravity of that responsibility I am so very thankful that my faith allows me to trust that my children will also be the product of a relationship with a loving God, whose providence gave them to us, and whose character will define their character.

If we are all defined by our experiences, be they good or bad, I can't help but consider how these thoughts relate to our current race for the presidency. There are many choices a parent can make that truly affect the lifestyle and development of their children, where to live, where to go to church, where to send them to school, and the list goes on. Every four years we also have the right and responsibility to evaluate and choose a president, the leader who sets the direction for our society and thus has an impact on our children's environment. I believe that when choosing we should consider all aspects of the candidates character, where they grew up, where they went to school, who their parents were, where they chose to live, who they chose to befriend, where they go or went to church, and consider truly if their words match their actions. Let's face it, when the chips are down, we all act according to our definitions, as our character dictates. Prudence dictates that there is no better gauge of the future choices a person will make than those they made in the past, but compassion and hope compel us to believe that people can change if they truly choose to do so. As for me, my choice will be prudently and hopefully made, with consideration of all aspects of each candidates' character. My choice will be made with consideration given to the environment in which I hope to raise my son. And once my choice is made, irregardless of the outcome, I will always have hope for my son's future.

"A New Age"

I've officially opened pandora's box, found my voice and my place on the web. I can't really promise that I'll have a lot to say or that I'll be witty and smart, but I can promise to write what I'm thinking and sometimes think about what I'm writing.