Why I'm Done with the Republican Party and Only Want True Liberals in Office

If you know me, I'm sure that got your attention, but I'm serious. The time is right to see true liberals in Washington, DC. I don't mean the kind of liberals (i.e., progressives, socialists, and, in some cases, Marxists) that are there now. I mean liberals in the classic sense, like our founding fathers, the kind of liberals who were defined by a belief in liberty. These were men who built a republic, and who wrote a Constitution that was meant to protect liberty. They recognized the dangers of a large and powerful government, believed strongly in private property, and believed in a free market.

Unfortunately, the Republican party, with few exceptions, has strayed from much of this. They have, for the most part, supported larger government, with a slightly different favor of pork. They're campaign materials brag about federal monies they got for local causes. Some of them fight against progressive causes but on the wrong grounds. Take the healthcare issue. Most of the Republicans in Congress are trying to make the healthcare bill somehow more "conservative" rather than fighting the premise that the constitution doesn't give the federal government the authority to even be in healthcare.

I want candidates who believe in the Constitution, who believe that the federal government has only the authority that is enumerated in the Constitution, and who would only support justices that uphold the Constitution. Do you sense a common theme here? Don't get me wrong; I would support a Republican like this. But I'm no longer voting straight Republican just because they are "more like" what I believe in. I want true liberals.

I'm encouraged because I'm not alone. I think you see a shift that is evident in the Tea Party movement, in the 9/12 Project, etc. Who is with me?

The "Evils" of Capitalism and Why Christians Should Support It

It has been a long time since my last post. This post is somewhat a continuation of my last post, There Are No Greedy Corporations, in that it follows some of the same themes. This post, however, addresses how I believe the church should approach capitalism.

There has been much said in the media, and even in discussions I've heard or been a part of, about the "evils of capitalism". First let me say that there is much evil that is done in the name of capitalism. It wasn't that long ago that Enron and, locally, HealthSouth, were both involved in accounting scandals that hurt thousands.

Before we address these "evils", let's look at what capitalism is. According to Merriam-Webster, capitalism is defined as "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".

Given that definition, does this economic system bring out the best in man, or the worst? Does it make man selfish and greedy? Let's address that.

No system can make man selfish and greedy because that is actually natural. We start out that way. Selfish ambition characterizes our lives. We are filled with greed. No one is good. (Only through Jesus Christ, can we be delivered from this.)

If this is what man indeed is like, then what economic system is good? There is no economic system without the corrupted men who drive it. There are sinful, greedy, selfish men at the head of socialist governments just as there are sinful, greedy, selfish men at the head of corporations. The major overlooked thing that differentiates economic systems is incentive.

On the issue of incentive, the question is: Can evil, selfish men be incentivized to do good things? In any system where the power is centralized among the few, there is no incentive for good. There is simply incentive for more power.

In a capitalist system, there is competition. (See the above definition.) Where there is competition there are choices rather than a centralization of power. For the most part, the owners of a business must provide goods or services at fair prices that benefit others to get monetary reward in return for them. If they don't, customers will seek goods and services from others whom do a better job or ask a better price. Workers who don't own the companies they work for are incentivized to do good also. Workers that don't work or are dishonest are often fired.

Adam Smith, in the Wealth of Nations, acknowledges this:

Every individual...generally, indeed, neither intends to promote the public interest, nor knows how much he is promoting it. By preferring the support of domestic to that of foreign industry he intends only his own security; and by directing that industry in such a manner as its produce may be of the greatest value, he intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention. (The Wealth of Nations, Book IV Chapter II)

There are exceptions to these things (e.g., Enron and HealthSouth) but those who don't do good (even for selfish reasons) for those they serve typically have justice catch up with them eventually.

The problems with other economic systems such as socialism or communism is that there is no accountability and, therefore, no incentive for good. What incentive is there for good? I'm not making the arguement that capitalism is a great system, just that it is the best we have or will have until the return of Christ.

So what should Christians do with capitalism? Given that it is the best system we have, we should support it. But should it's rewards be our incentives? Not at all.

God equates greed with idolatry. He desires that we be generous rather than selfish. What does this all mean in a capitalistic system? If we either own a business or simply work for one, we should work diligently to provide something good, not to gain but demonstrate what God is like. With what we earn in the process, we should be generous, helping those in need, not for how it makes us feel or the praise of men, but to demonstrate what God is like. That is what we should do with capitalism.

There Are No Greedy Corporations

In the wake of the AIG bonus controversy, there has been much talk about greedy corporations. In fact, I did a Google search on "greedy corporations" (in quotes, so as to find only those two words together as a phrase). There were 58,100 results when I looked but there are sure to be more tomorrow. The other day at lunch, one of my coworkers used the phrase "greedy corporations".

Let me say something that is contrary to common thinking: There are no greedy corporations. In fact, no institution can be greedy. Only people are capable of greed. Why is this important? I think we too often want to depersonalize greed, selfishness, or any other form of evil, attributing it to institutions rather than people. It is popular to assume that people are basically good and are corrupted by the institutions that facilitate evil behavior when, in fact, amoral institutions are simply populated with immoral people. I have to confess that I've been guilty of thinking this way sometimes, thinking that politicians are somehow corrupted by Washington, as if the environment in the city were somehow making good people bad.

Do you agree or disagree? I'd like to hear.

As Good Friday approaches, it is a reminder to us that we are all greedy, all selfish, and yes, even all evil. But it is also a reminder of something greater. The necessary punishment for that evil by a God who is holy and cannot stand evil, was lovingly taken on by His Son so that we wouldn't have to receive that punishment. My pastor just gave a excellent sermon called Why Did Jesus Have Die? Check it out if you get a chance.

Hmmmm, Pizza!

As you probably already know, today is my birthday. Typically, as a tradition, we go out to eat on our birthdays in our family. The birthday boy or girl gets to pick the restaurant. I picked my favorite pizza place: Jim Davenport's Pizza Palace. Because Laura didn't feel well and it is a school night, we chose to go somewhere closer: Area 41 Pizza at Mount Laurel. It was really good and had that authentic pizzaria taste. I still think Davenport's is the best but this was really good. Birmingham has some good pizza places:
1. Jim Davenport's Pizza Palace
2. Area 41
3. New York Pizza (in Homewood)
4. Tortuga's (I've been to the one in Pelham and Meadowbrook. I haven't been to the one in Hoover. I like the thin crust.)
5. Salvatore's

You may notice a bias toward thin crust. What's your favorite pizza place? Thick, thin, or hand-tossed?

BlogPress

I found an iPhone app called BlogPress on sale the other day. It allows me to post to my blog from my iPhone. This post is done with this new app. It even allows me to include pictures in my post.

An Excellent Civics Lesson

I'm not sure who did this but it is excellent:

Not Really AWOL

I haven't blogged in a while, mainly because of time. A lot has happened since Christmas: I broke my left hand and wrist (still in a cast so typing is slower), I got put on an intense but somewhat short-term project at work (still ongoing and involving some travel), and we are in the middle of planning our missions conference at church. So blogging has been on hold some. Here are some things I want to write about in 2009:

1. Why healthcare is so expensive - I have some opinions on this being in the software for healthcare insurance business for 18 years.
2. What kind of e-mail provider you should use
3. How to subscribe to a blog so you know when a blogger has a new post - You may already know this.
4. The death of proper English?
   

I promise that there will be variety. Stay tuned...

The iPhone: iLike It

Laura and I both got iPhones the day after Christmas. Mine will replace my Palm PDA, my phone, and my iPod so I won't have to carry three devices anymore. Right now its still new so it still has that "new toy" feel to it. However, it has already become a very nice productivity tool for me. Part of making it a productivity tool has been acquiring useful applications--some free, some at a small cost--from the iTunes App Store. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Todo - a nice task manager with repeats, due dates, multiple categories, etc. It also syncs with either Toodledo or Remember the Milk, two web-based task managers. I use Toodledo because it is free.
   
2. SplashID - a very good manager for passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers, lock combinations, and any other secret information. It stores it behind a single password and is 256-bit encrypted. It also syncs with a desktop version of the application since you generally don't want to keep this kind of information on the web.
   
3. My Lists - a simple list manager that has nice aesthetics. I don't use this for tasks but for other kinds of lists, such as what I need to pack for a business trip. This app is only $0.99 and is well worth it.
4. Lose It! - this is a food and exercise log with quite a large database of foods and exercises. It is the nicest free app I've seen and very well designed.
   
5. Mach Dice - a free dice throwing utility. OK, this one is mostly for fun, but it is useful if playing a game where dice are required but throwing dice is not convenient (e.g., in a car). It's just a really good use of the iPhone's accelerometer. Just shake the iPhone slightly and the dice roll around very realistically.
6. SnapTell - a very useful utility when shopping for DVDs, CDs, video games, or books. Snap a picture of a DVD, CD, video game, or book with this app and it will show you online prices and local prices at a number of different stores, as well as eBay results, reviews, and more. This app is free, also.
   
7. Byline - an offline RSS reader that syncs with Google Reader. I use it to read news, blogs, etc. that I'm subscribed to. Since I use Google Reader, having it sync with Google Reader was something I was looking for. I could use Google Reader via the browser on the iPhone but I am going to be on a trip soon where I will have to use my iPhone totally offline on the plane.