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A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.
The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
- From bondage to spiritual faith;
- From spiritual faith to great courage;
- From courage to liberty;
- From liberty to abundance;
- From abundance to complacency;
- From complacency to apathy;
- From apathy to dependence;
- From dependence back into bondage.
—Attributed to Alexander Fraser Tytler, ~1770
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A few months ago, I joked with a friend of mine who is a pastor whether I can count the gas I use to go to church (we drive 40 minutes to Church) as part of my tithe. (He said no) But alleviating the pressures of high gas prices is not lost on some clever (to say the least) christian leaders who aim to lure more folks to their churches.
I have been in ministry and done enough outreaches to know that churches (and ministries) have to be relevant to their context and culture, and address the needs of their community. But this is ridiculous!
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My buddy Tyler published a post with his reflections on capitalism. In his post, he links to a Speaking of Faith interview with Jonathan Greenblatt, co-founder of Ethos Water. (It’s an excellent interview and I recommend you download the podcast) I appreciate Greenblatt’s motivation to eradicate poverty and how to use some of the good of capitalism to do that. One of the creative ideas that Greenblatt mentioned in the interview is the development of an X PRIZE Foundation prize that addresses poverty issues. The idea is that you can focus the spirit of competition toward eradicating a social ill. I’d be interested to see how this prize is put forward.
Bill Gates has also written (and spoken) about using capitalism in a way that would address poverty in the world. He calls it “Creative Capitalism.” The idea is simply that you can fight AIDS and increase your bottom line at the same time. Gates writes, “Creative capitalism is a way to answer a vital question: How can we most effectively spread the benefits of capitalism and the huge improvements in quality of life it can provide to peopel who have been left out?”
Of course, Gates did not think too much of creative capitalism when he was building Microsoft. It is easier to modify a business plan when you have exhausted a previous plan and are ready to look for a new market for your product. My critique is similar to that of developing nations of the developed world when it comes to better environmental standards: “You can afford to ask for stricter emissions after you have already industrialized.” It is easier for Microsoft to modify its business model now that they are a successful company. I doubt Gates would have thought too much about creative capitalism when he was crushing the competition in the 1980s and 90s. Creative capitalism may be a step forward, but as Tyler muses in his post,
How is the Christian to look at the data before us? In Philippians 2.4, Paul writes, “Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.” Friedman likely describes our natural instinct, that is, it does not take training to be selfish. Paul, on the other hand, gives us a vision of the world how God wants it and that vision demands character formation. Are Christianity and capitalism diametrically opposed to each other? I do not think so, but I may not say the same of Christianity and Friedmanism. Capitalism, if rightly focused on God and God’s purposes, can likely be a force of community, or social capital.
The jury is still out on creative capitalism and whether it is the force that is focused on God and God’s purposes.
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In today’s Wall Street Journal, writer Christina Binkley explores the psychology behind over-priced luxuries in her article titled, “The Psychology of the $14,000 Handbag.” You’ve probably walked by the high-end boutiques and wondered about the kind of person who may frequent these shops and pick up a $14,000 suit. Binkley points out that there is an overall (positive) economic benefit in selling the expensive suit (when you can get one for a couple hundred dollars).
It’s rare that someone would walk in to buy an expensive suit, but the high-end items create “anchors” that allow retailers and manufacturers to sell other products that comparatively seem “cheap”. The psychology behind the price of the item will speak to the consumer telling her that she is getting a deal on a lower priced item. Of course, the lower priced item may still be expensive, but it is cheap compared to the higher end item.
Many companies use such marketing scheme. Whether it is high-end refrigerators, computers or luxury sofas, the expensive product helps a company create a consumer line that may be more friendly to the budget of the consumer, yet allow the company to manipulate the price in its’ favor. This is basic economics (capitalism-style).
The article goes on talk about how many companies are irritated by the Walmarts and Targets that compress the ceiling and the consumer line, which forces other retailers and manufacturers to lower their prices. This is basic economics as well.
As a consumer, we live in an age where we have greater choices, where we can quiet the psychology of “the deal.”
- Shop around. We have access to the internet. This is a great avenue to find budget-friendly items.
- We need to be released from “the deal” mentality. I know I am always excited to find the best deal. But there are a couple things that I remind myself that helps me be a bit more careful before branding something as a “deal”. First, I assume that expert marketers, advertisers, and companies have a leg up on me. The system gets a deal off of me more often than I may get a deal off the system. In other words, what I think of as a deal is probably not really a deal. Second, the deal mentality can easily play into my consumerism. The perception of a deal could push us to purchase items that we may not need or are out of our budget.
- Compare down, not up. Rather than compare with the high-end product, we need to practice comparing with the lower-end product. By comparing with the lower-end products, we may find ourselves more honest with what we really need.
Market and economic forces are not necessarily in our favor. It is especially important for Christians to recognize how to engage our economy and consumerism. The Kingdom of God has much to say on how to steward our choices and finances.
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Here are some highlights from the annual World Wealth Report by Merrill Lynch and Capgemini:
- 9.5 million people worldwide were millionaires in 2006 (an increase of 8.3% over 2005).
- The world’s millionaires are worth a combined $37.2 trillion (that’s almost $4 million per person).
- Their total charitable giving was $258 billion, which is a 0.69% “tithe”.
- Latin America and Africa have the largest percentage of the super-rich (those who are worth more than $30 million). In other words, the gap between the rich and the super-rich is the widest in those regions.
- But these folks also spent 1.8% of their net worth last year to “investments of passion” (i.e. material things that make them happy).
(HT: “Time Magazine”, July 16, 2007, page 14-15)
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I picked up this story in the blog world (thanks to Boston Gal’s Open Wallet). Oregon’s governor, [tag]Ted Kulongoski[/tag], has taken on the challenge of living on a food budget of $21 for a week (which is the typical amount someone on a [tag]food stamp[/tag] has to spend). Connecting and understanding the lives of those who are limited on such a strict budget would presumably give the governor more data to make decisions that would alleviate the lives of the poor.
Rhoda, Layla and I aim to keep our [tag]grocery budget[/tag] at $100/week (which we have been successful at doing for the past 9 weeks). Our budget does include toiletries and miscellaneous household expenses. I am wondering what it would look like for us to limit our food budget to $21 a week (or $3 a day). Anyone up for taking the challenge together?
On further reflection, I appreciate what the governor is doing, but I hope that this is not just about identification. Experiences that identify us with the poor and/or that give us opportunities for empathy are not meant to be one-time events. I pray that the governor would allow this experience to translate not just into his life, but into his budget and policies for the state of Oregon.
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I don’t like financing anything (except my house). In fact, I feel guilty; like I am mismanaging my money. For the past 4 1/2 years, I have wondered about the decision to have bought one of our cars. I have learned a lot through that process (about myself and money management). There are few things that find closure in my life, so it was a day of celebration when I clicked the “pay” button for the last time and paid off my car. And I just got the deed by mail.
When we bought this car on credit, Rhoda and I began saving for the day when we would need to replace it (which we recognize will be years away). For all of you who read my blog and will one day find yourself in the world of “Should I finance my car?” If you are able, don’t do it! If you must, then make sure to cap it at a 60 month term. Anything longer might make your payments outlive the usefulness of your car!
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This post does not aim to answer the question: “What is the purpose of blogging?” It seems to me that question has become as trite as “What is the purpose of life?” But having been reading blogs for three or four years now, I have noticed that for some people [tag]blogging[/tag] is just a hobby (something they do for fun or to exercise their creative edge), for some people it is a way to articulate their thoughts and reflections or life’s circumstances (like a journal), and for some people it is a way to make money. Continue reading ‘When blogging is more than just a hobby’
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[tag]Money[/tag] doesn’t make you [tag]happy[/tag]. I now have $50 million, but I was just as happy when I had $48 million.
– Governor [tag]Arnold Schwarzenegger[/tag], Money Magazine, March 2007, Page 88.
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We’re in the process of refinancing, and our broker wanted us to fax back the signed “disclosures”. These are 50 pages of legal mumbo-jumbo. (For example, I had to sign a statement that says that these records are technically public and through the PATRIOT Act, they can be available to government agencies). We have an old-school fax machine, which I know would have taken me well over an hour to send it over. So I just went to a local shipping store that offers fax services. I thought it would cost me something like $10. It turns out, they charge $1/page. I didn’t figure this out (I didn’t think of asking) until about half-way through (it would have been cheaper to send it overnight). I honestly did not think it would be that much. Now I know! Of course, I could not pay $55 for all that, so with a little charm, he gave me a 25% discount.
Lesson #1: Just because it’s not worth a $1/page to you, doesn’t mean it’s not $1/page.
Lesson #2: How much is my time really worth? I would have enjoyed saving that $37 for Starbucks!
Lesson #3: A little charm goes a long way–saved me almost $20!
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