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Point of Reference
by Fred Price
I usually try to avoid commenting on politics, but have and will undoubtedly continue to address issues that entail moral as well as public policy with the capacity to impact believers and non-believers alike. The effects of the world-wide recession is one such topic, the fallout from the financial crisis being so widespread and pervasive that I felt the need to revisit it once more; especially after having recently read some observations of men eminently more qualified than I who warned years ago of the very type of situation we experienced in the recent past and may be stumbling into again.
I must say that I hope the preset administration’s plans to stabilize and reform our industrial, health-care and financial institutions succeeds. But, I can’t help but worry how we’re going to pay for it all. I was raised to work hard and pay my own way whenever possible or do without; not that I was never offered help or failed to gratefully accept it. Yet at times, it seems as if we’re trying to impose fiscal responsibility on the one hand while ignoring its principles on the other.
I’m a fan of Star Trek – not a Trekkie – but a fan none-the-less, and have noticed a number of times throughout this series where various characters have commented that people of the future will no longer work for money but for the betterment of themselves and mankind as a whole. That’s a cool thought, but I can’t help but notice the splendor of their crafts and the luxury of their homes and must wonder – Who’s providing all that? The government – whether national, global or intergalactic. But what happens then if I become unproductive or uncooperative by the standards of those institutions? Would I be completely cut off, left to my own imagination, with no real way of interacting in society outside the proscribed parameters set by the “powers that be?” (Sounds a bit like the situation described in Revelation where those not cooperating by refusing to be “marked” for identification by an all-pervasive government are denied the ability to buy, sell or otherwise function in society.) That’s a little scary. If that is indeed the “ideal” we’re stumbling toward.
Having said that, I want to share the wisdom of two men who hoped for the best but saw the worst repeated throughout history, warning against the tendency of people everywhere to depend on the largesse of big government to the exclusion of developing self-reliance wherever possible and dependence on God for real and abundant life. (Defining the legitimate duties of government and developing realistic expectations of its citizens being a difficult process full of possibilities and pitfalls.) One, Alexis De Tocqueville, was a contemporary of some of America’s founders who studied our fledgling country and reported on its numerous successes as well as its shortcomings. The other, History Professor Alexander Tyler, noting (200 years ago) the already established pattern of the rise and fall of nations.
De Tocqueville traveled extensively throughout America, seeking the reasons for its phenomenal success; in part found in the abundant natural resources and the advantageous “lay of the land.” He concluded, however, that “Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power… America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.” Which mirrors the proclamation of Psalm 33:12, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,…” And yet, he saw the potential for people growing accustomed to a too-powerful government, what he called “an immense tutelary power” determined to take “sole charge of assuring their enjoyment and watching over their fate.” He warned of a power that would be “…absolute, attentive to detail, regular, provident, and gentle.” Aiming for our happiness yet effectively setting itself up “to be the only agent and sole arbiter of that happiness.”; providing security, anticipating needs, directing industry and regulating the economy. It would therefore envelop society in “a network of petty regulations – complicated, minute and uniform.” But softly. (At least in the beginning) “It does not break wills; it softens them, bends them, and directs them” until people resemble “a herd of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd.”
Professor Tyler concurred, warning that “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasury. (Citing his study of Rome and Athens in particular.) From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose financial policy, always followed by dictatorship.”
“The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through the following sequences: From bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency and from dependency (back) to bondage.”
What a sobering and timely message for us all. Let’s resolve to be ever vigilant of the possibilities and pitfalls before us and commit ourselves to living as free Americans dependent on God.
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Fred Price - married (50 years), father of two grown children, grandfather of six.
Fred retired earlier this year after 42 years as a factory worker. He has always had a heart for young people and the challenges they face today. Over the years Fred has taught Discipleship Groups for High School and college students.
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