Socialism in the Classroom

Socialism in the Classroom
Any economist worth his or her salt can explain why Socialism does not work.  Historians can cite example after example, all the way back to the Pilgrims, of failed Socialist experiments.  But, because people love power and seek to be like little gods, they simply ignore the facts.

When I visited my doctor the other day, he related an experiment conducted by a college professor to explain why Socialism will never work.  I don’t know who this college professor was or is, but bless him!

The experiment went like this.  A professor kept hearing from his students about the glories and wonders of Socialism and why it was the best way to run an economy.  Finally he said, “OK, I’ll implement Socialism right here in the classroom.”  The students were initially delighted.

The next time he gave a test he announced that individual students would not receive grades, but that he would average all the grades out and give the same grade to all students.  When the test results came in, he averaged out the grades and everyone got a “B.”  Well, the “A” students were not very happy with this, but the less talented and less hard working students thought it was great. 
A few weeks later the professor gave another test and again averaged the grades out.  But this time the average score was a “C.”  The brighter and harder working students realized that there was no reason to work hard if everyone was going to get the same grade, and the lower half of the class saw no reason to work hard as long as their poor performance would be improved by those blessed with more gifts.

Eventually, the professor gave a third test and this time the average score was barely a “D,” which made everyone angry.  The smarter students were now receiving horrible grades and even the poorer students were getting grades below their normal level.  Everyone was mad at everyone.  Performance had dropped across the board.

Now, I don’t know if this story is factual or apocryphal, but it certainly contains more than a grain of truth.  Socialism doesn’t work because it takes away the incentive to perform at your highest possible level.  Why work long hours and why work hard if you are to be rewarded just the same as the laggard or the less intelligent?  Maybe that’s not the way it should be, but it’s the way life really is.

Socialism doesn’t work for high performers or for those at the bottom rung of the economic scale either.  When the economy is pushed down to a low level by the implementation of Socialism, those at the bottom suffer the most.

Consider who has been damaged the most by the current Socialist schemes.  More than 200,000 people have been laid off in the hospitality industry since the last election.  Who do you think those folks are?  They are the folks that make the beds, vacuum the rooms, handle the luggage, work in the kitchen, etc.  It must have felt good to tell businesses that they should not spend money on entertainment and conferences outside the office, but the net result was to put people out of work.  Socialism pulls down the standard of living of all who are forced to live under it, but it always hurts those at the bottom of the economic ladder the most.

Socialism doesn’t work in the classroom.  It doesn’t work in sports.  And it certainly doesn’t work in society.
Freedom works.  Socialism, in all of its varieties, is a proven failure.

Freedom vs. Ideology

 Freedom vs. Ideology
The real difference that separates conservatives from liberals is that liberals believe in a system of regulating what citizens do and how they act (for the “good of society,” of course).  In short, liberals believe they know how to run your life better than you do.  Conservatives, on the other hand, simply believe that freedom, tempered by virtue, is the best, albeit imperfect, way for a society to operate.  Conservatives don’t believe in systems, they believe in freedom.  They don’t believe in an ideology, they believe in freedom.

For example, statists, i.e. liberals, believe in systems like Socialism.  My Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of Socialism is, “any of various social systems based on shared or government ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.”  The Soviets and the Nazis are the two most well-known forms of believers in the socialist system in the past century.  In fact, the word “Nazi” literally means “National Socialist” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).  Stalin and Hitler were just two peas from the same pod.  And both are the extreme antithesis of today’s modern conservative who believes first and foremost in limited government.  Of course, dictators like Stalin and Hitler were more than willing to fight each other for power—the ultimate goal of all statists.

Liberalism is an elitist philosophy that puts the intelligent man on a very high pedestal, far above the throng, perhaps equal to God.  Ignored is the fact that every form of Socialism that has ever been tried is a miserable, abject failure.  Life is simply too complex for a few individuals to make all the correct economic decisions the marketplace demands in order for people to prosper. 

Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, successful entrepreneurs in the West were given the opportunity to buy or invest in businesses in the former East Germany.  They were appalled by what they found in the “economic powerhouse” of the Eastern Soviet Bloc.  Nothing had changed since 1939.  Not by the Nazis.  Not by the Communists.  The sewage system had not been maintained.  The water system was a wreck.  The roads were in shambles.  The electrical system was antiquated.  The telephone system barely worked. All equipment was circa 1939.  That’s socialism. 

Liberals will say that it was poorly run socialism, but they are just running away from reality.  Socialism is socialism.  Top down, government owned and controlled economies mean a permanent depression.  There are no examples of successful socialist economies.  For instance, when the USA was booming economically in the 1980s, most of Europe was still economically stagnant because its socialist systems held them back. 

The bottom line is that freedom works.  Freedom works best in the economic marketplace.  Millions of citizens making their own decisions provide the best possible economic opportunity for all individuals.  Government intervention only distorts the marketplace, substituting erroneous government decisions by bureaucrats for free and independent decisions by millions of free citizens. 

In a socialist state, innovation comes to a screeching halt, just as it did in Nazi and Communist Germany.  Government can only regulate scarcity, it cannot create or innovate.  Free, independent, hard working citizens living in a society with an absolute minimum of regulation, guarantees the highest standard of living for all.  The promises of a socialist utopia are a lie.

Recent problems with the U.S. economy can all be traced back to government intervention and regulations that forced otherwise free companies and banks to make bad marketplace decisions.  Those bad decisions have now been compounded by an unwillingness to let businesses, including banks and automobile companies, fail. 

Freedom cannot exist in a society that uses government to bail out failure.  Freedom means the opportunity to succeed or fail.  Without a free market, there is no freedom anywhere in society.  When government limits the freedom of the market, it limits the power of the ordinary citizen.  It concentrates power in the hands of a few and power is the ever enduring goal of all political leaders.  Control over your life and mine.

Free markets deny politicians power over your life.  Capitalism simply means a free market.  It means freedom and freedom is not a
system or an ideology.  Unfortunately, our current political leadership is driven not by reality, but by ideology.  It was said that after Ronald Reagan, only the Soviets and U.S. college professors believed in socialism.  Apparently the nuts are now in charge of the insane asylum.

Ignoring reality is key to believing in socialism and big government.  Protectionism, government controls, government ownership, and the devaluation of the dollar led the U.S. into a terrible depression in the 1930s.  It will lead to the same thing in our lives if not soon reversed. 
You and I must do everything in our power to end the current misadventure into the morass of socialism so that our children and our grandchildren can enjoy the freedom that was passed along to us by our forefathers.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!
Let me take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Easter, a really Happy Easter.  That is why God the Father sent His Son, Jesus, so you and I can have a Happy Easter and a happy hereafter.  You can almost feel the incredible love of God.
Imagine God.  But of course, you and I can’t imagine God.  We understand human things and must live within limitations.  We continue to study physics, astronomy, history, chemistry and biology, in order to better understand our world – the world that God created just because He loved us.  Some would presume to understand God – they would equate themselves with God, but if there is a God, how can a frail human being, no matter how smart, understand God?  By definition, God is above all and beyond all our understanding. 
What we know about God is only what He chooses for us to know.  What He has revealed about Himself in the Bible is everything He wants us to know while we are still on this earth.  “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.” – 1 Corinthians 13:12a.

Yet, when you believe, you do feel the incredible love of God – A love so great that He sent His perfect and only Son to this sin cursed world to save us from our sins.

Sins?  What sins?  So you think you are perfect?  When we take a good look at our thoughts, our words, and our deeds, who can say, “I’m without sin”?  I’m a sinner, and I haven’t met a perfect man or woman, but the Bible tells us that Jesus was without sin – “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.” – 1 Peter 2:22.

I can’t imagine that.  Can you?  Perfect in every way, that was Jesus.  Imperfect in every way, that’s you and me.

Such love the Father had that He sent His own Son to live a perfect life, give His life on the cross for our sins and then, the really great part, to show His power, even over death, by rising back to life in total triumph over the grave.  Victory – that’s what Easter is all about.  It was a victory that Jesus claimed for Himself and He claimed it for you and me.

That’s the thrill of Easter.  That’s why all the other days of the existence of the earth would be totally and utterly meaningless without Easter.  So have a Happy Easter, a really Happy Easter – make it more than just intellectual knowledge – acknowledge your shortcomings, your imperfection, yes, your sins, and ask for God’s forgiveness.  Pray for faith in Jesus who is happiness personified. 
He said, “I am the way the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.” – John 14:6.  And in John 6:47, “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.”

This is the real meaning of Easter.  Jesus is the real path to happiness.  He is the path to real freedom – “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:32.
Have a wonderful, joyous Easter Celebration!

The International School of Fundraising

The International School of Fundraising

My wife, Kathi, and I just returned from our first visit to the United Kingdom.  I was invited to speak at the International School of Fundraising, held at Wellington College and sponsored by The Leadership Institute. 

About 70 individuals attended from the US, Europe (UK, Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland and Yugoslavia), Africa (Nigeria), Mexico, and South America (Guatemala, Chile, Brazil).  Some were in their 20s and others were in their 50s.  Some had extensive experience in raising funds in their country and others were just beginning the learning process.  There was one thing they all had in common, though, and that was enthusiasm for the organizations with which they worked.

Before I went to the conference, I wondered how a presentation would be valuable from someone like me who was unfamiliar with their postal regulations, their culture, and their language.

Fortunately, most of the participants spoke English, but for those who did not, a Spanish translator was present to translate the presentations concurrently with the speakers.  As far as the culture and postage regulations were concerned, the participants seemed to be able to apply what was presented to their own particular circumstances.  For instance, in Poland there is no discounted bulk rate for nonprofits to use and the postal system is somewhat unreliable and politicized.  They simply adapted to the situation by handing out millions of flyers door to door that provided an opportunity for the person to donate to their cause.  This particular organization had more than 200,000 donors in a nation of under 40 million.

In Italy there was an absence of donor lists for prospecting purposes so they basically used the telephone book and selected areas that they thought were likely to donate to their cause.  Because asking for money is so new to Italy and because there is little or no competition, their donation rates are above 5% using this process!  They, too, have a donor file of more than 200,000.

In Chile, one of the participants had run against and defeated a long-time incumbent Communist Party Congressman using direct mail techniques he had learned from attending another Leadership Institute School.

While the presentations from the U.S. “faculty” members were very good, I thought that these personal examples from individuals who had pioneered direct mail fundraising in their home countries were the most inspiring.

Of course, the lessons of writing good copy, making a strong case, and closing the sale apply regardless of the medium used.

The most important thing I gained from this experience was the inspiration I received from people around the globe who were champions for freedom in their home country.  It was encouraging to know that all across the world there are advocates for faith, freedom, and virtue who are tireless in their efforts to push forward the boundaries of freedom.  They understand the power of free markets and the power of ideas.  It encouraged me to believe that freedom can triumph in spite of setbacks from those who believe that a small elite should govern the lives of men and women rather than let them govern their own lives.

While you and I may be dismayed at our fellow Americans who have no understanding of the foundations of a free society and who seem willing to trade their freedom for the false security of a big government nanny, clearly there are those who face a much worse and much more immediate loss of their freedoms in South America, in Africa, and in Europe.

Yet they fight on, as you and I must also, so that our children and our grandchildren will live in freedom.

Kemp’s Law

Kemp’s Law
Several years back, Jack Kemp made a very wise observation.  I call it Kemp’s Law.  What Jack said was this, “When you subsidize something, you get more of it.  When you tax something, you get less of it.”  You’ll find that this law is universal and immutable.  There are no exceptions.

The more you subsidize something, like non-farming, the more non-farming you get.  The more you tax something, like business success, the less success you have.

I understand that the new Obama tax plan not only calls for higher taxes on those who make more than $250,000 per year, but also plans to limit tax-deductibility on mortgages for anyone who makes $250,000 or more per year.  This plan guarantees that there will be less people making today’s equivalent of $250,000 per year.  Some may say that’s great.  Ah, but there’s a big catch.

When a government engages in massive deficit spending—think bail outs and all sorts of crazy pork projects—it means that we have increased the number of dollars in circulation, chasing the same number of goods and services.  The net result is Carter style inflation.  But Jimmy Carter was a piker.  The kind of deficit spending being engaged in by the Obama Administration will certainly create inflation that puts the Carter years in the shade.

A devalued currency means you and I will be paid more dollars that are worth less.  Soon that $250,000 threshold will be closer to everyone.

Of course, higher taxes do not necessarily mean higher tax revenues.  Taxes have a direct impact on the health of our nation’s economy.  Higher taxes rob entrepreneurs of the capital they need to start new businesses and expand current businesses.  The net result is fewer jobs, higher unemployment, and less tax dollars.  Unemployed people don’t pay taxes.  This follows another law—the law of unintended consequences. 

Higher taxes, especially on businesses and those who invest in businesses, actually drive down tax revenues because they directly hurt corporations who employ people.  Accordingly, both the corporations and the employees pay less or no taxes.

The record shows that the Reagan tax rate reductions actually increased tax revenues by growing the economy.  That’s right.  The positive impact of tax cuts on economic growth actually created more tax revenues.

The Obama plan is the right recipe for turning a modest recession into a massive depression.  Will this President be remembered as the Herbert Hoover or Jimmy Carter of his era? 

Fortunately, this is not 1932.  If the current economy is in a downward death spiral due to out-of-control spending and tax increases heaped upon tax increases, by the time the 2010 midterm elections roll around, the misjudgments, miscalculations and misunderstandings of the Obama Administration will be stopped in favor of common sense.
The outcome of the 2009 off-year elections will send a clear signal as to whether the American people are buying into the redistributionist policies of the Obama Administration.  Meanwhile, hang on!

Bait & Switch

Bait & Switch
Why is the Obama administration stumbling so badly after just a few weeks in office?  Some are even saying that the administration is imploding, but I think that’s a rush to judgment.  All new administrations have their challenges.  Several of President Bush’s appointees had to step aside when conflicts were uncovered.  Clinton’s immediate plunge into the troubled waters of homosexuals in the military turned out to be a bonehead decision that damaged his credibility.  All new administrations have to get their “sea legs” and this administration is no exception.
There is, however, one huge problem that may prove to be insurmountable for our new President.  As I write this, only 37% of the American people support the massive, pork laden bill that is euphemistically labeled a “stimulus package.”  On the other hand, Obama’s personal popularity remains relatively high, about that of any new president at this stage of the game.  The American people are good natured and generous.  They want their president to succeed, but that does not mean they embrace policies that they see destructive to the economic well-being of the nation.
The President’s problem is not just the ill-conceived trillion dollar “stimulus” package.  It’s a far greater problem.  Democrats have learned that they cannot run for office as Mondale did, promising to raise taxes.  That’s not something that will ever be popular with the vast majority of the American people.  They also know they cannot successfully run for President as soft on terrorism.  And they did an about face, and now proclaim themselves as supporters of the Second Amendment.  Obama even publicly opposed another third rail of politics, gay marriage. 
In short, Barack Obama ran on a platform that called for tax cuts, eliminating wasteful spending, against gay marriage, support for Israel, against re-imposition of the so-called “Fairness Doctrine,” against gun control, for secure borders, for defeat of the terrorists, and support for American servicemen and women.  That’s a platform that Ronald Reagan could have run on.

And therein lies the rub.   While Obama genuflected to the far-left on pet issues like water boarding, closing Guantanamo, and their other anti-Bush rants, he was careful to steer a course that was, with few exceptions, pretty much down the middle.  He ran for the cover the mainstream media provided on his far-left affiliations with domestic terrorists Bernadine Dorn and hubby, Bill Ayres, as well as his 22 year plus affiliation with the far-left preacher from South Side Chicago, Jeremiah Wright.

Obama’s campaign message was as non-specific as possible—he was for hope, change and the future.  It’s hard to disagree with those things, especially when we don’t know what kind of hope, change, or future he plans to work toward.

But now, the rubber hits the road.  It’s one thing to run as a mainstream, middle-of-the road candidate, but it is something entirely else to govern from a clearly leftwing position.

What a pickle!  Obama did a wonderful job (with great help from the mainstream media) selling himself to the American people as a mainstream candidate, but now the bill comes due from radical groups like moveon.org and ACORN who supplied the ground forces in his campaign.

It’s a bait and switch operation that will most surely fail.  If he tries to govern from the center, his leftwing allies will drop him like a fish that’s been dead for a week.  The head of the NAACP is already threatening that they will oppose him if he does toe their line.  If he moves to the left, he’ll quickly lose the support of the American people.  The current opposition to the massive spending bill is just the tip of the iceberg.

The self-delusion of a mandate, coupled with a far-left philosophy, is a recipe for a political shipwreck.  And he’s not getting any help from his Democratic leadership in Congress.  Ron Dellums wants to hold kangaroo court on George Bush as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee.  The far-left Congressman from Oakland has already subpoenaed Karl Rove and that’s just the beginning.  Another Congressman has already introduced a bill to re-impose the Fairness Doctrine.

The American people are indeed kind-hearted and generous, but, their good-will and support will dissipate quickly if the new President starts down the path to socialism.  No amount of mainstream media cover will protect him from himself.  Bait and switch always fails, whether in advertising or in politics.  The public is quickly turned off by false advertising.  They not only refuse to buy the product, they become angry that they were deceived in the first place. 

Much was made of the low popularity rating of President Bush (although the rating of the Democratic Congress was substantially lower), but this is indeed a honeymoon for President Obama.  Right now he is squandering opportunities to show the American people that they made the right decision.

If he continues on the current course, his presidency is going to
look a lot more like Jimmy Carter’s, than FDR’s.  No wonder the tiny Republican minority is already reinvigorated and licking its chops.  No wonder the Conservative Movement is expanding rapidly.  No wonder the audience of talk radio is exploding. 
No matter what happens, it’s certainly going to be a wild ride.  We’d better buckle up!

Chewing Gum & Mary Jane

Chewing Gum & Mary Jane
You’ve all read the story about how the greatest problem teachers had with high school students in the 1950’s was chewing gum during class.  There were, of course, other problems.  I began high school in 1958 and there were stories in the local newspaper about gangs at the high school I attended—the Crew Cuts and the Duck Tails.  I think the “gangs” were more imagined than real in the minds of both the newspaper reporters and the so-called “gang” members. 

I’ve also been told by one of my employees that she and her 13-year-old friends frequently took the ferry from Long Island to spend a day un-chaperoned in Manhattan shopping.  My wife, Kathi, talks about being dropped off by her mother when she was very young at the local roller rink in Alexandria for an afternoon of skating with her friends. 

This does not, of course, happen today.  My daughter and her husband would never consider letting their children out of their sight in their local neighborhood.  What has happened to our society?

Drugs are rampant.  Sex outside of marriage is common and accepted.  The number of children born outside of marriage is nearly equal to the number born in marriage.  Abortion and even infanticide are “rights.”  Foul, filthy language in public abounds.  Affairs outside of marriage are public knowledge, even when it involves the President of the United States.  Heinous violent acts against children are common.  Shame is a word that has passed from our society.  Nothing, absolutely nothing, is shameful today.

What has happened?  America has undergone a spiritual meltdown.  God’s standards of morality have been replaced with human standards of morality.  Absolute standards of virtue have been replaced by “if it feels good, do it.” 

Ted Turner has put in writing what most won’t say—his own Ten Commandments.  The means justifies the ends, whatever floats your boat, it’s none of my business, are today’s accepted public standards.

Commentators write about a divided America in terms of politics, but the real division in our nation is not politics, it’s our world view.  Is there a God?  Half say yes, half say no.  Is it OK to live with someone outside of marriage?  Half say yes, half say no.  Is it OK to use illegal drugs?  Half say yes, half say no.  Is homosexuality OK?  Half say yes, half say no.  Is vile language in public OK?  Half say yes, half say no. 

The United States is a nation divided, but it’s not just a political division, it’s a moral division.  As the ancient nation of Israel had to learn over and over, it is only submission to God and His will that will solve our problems.  The other direction leads to chaos and eventually to destruction.
The good news is that there are signs of spiritual renewal in our land.  People are turning back to God and to His standards of morality.  It’s happening on college campuses and in many quarters across our land.  It may be a trickle today, but with God’s blessings it can turn into a flood that sweeps our nation in the years ahead.  It’s my prayer that spiritual renewal will once again make our nation not just the land of the prosperous, but the land of the virtuous.