100 Countries!

It seems that this blog managed to get visitors from 100 different nations! How about that! I think that nation 100 was Gibraltar. So welcome, visitor from Gibraltar!

Now on to other business. It seems that while some people did read the post from yesterday, nobody on CNN did. Or maybe they did read it, but they did not understand it. So I will elaborate.

I said that NEITHER PARTY supports Christian Values - I was not just typing to hear a clicking noise. It is a fact.

When I say stuff like this, people either get mad or just assume I do not know what I am talking about. Or both. People that identify themselves as Christian do not like hearing this. They tend to take it as an attack on their religion.

Now we are all adults here. Or at least close enough to adults. So just hear me out.

It is no secret that economics is king. Money is the power behind politics. Both parties claim they do not accept special interest money - but who are they fooling? If one person takes it, EVERYONE has to take it. Otherwise the guy who takes the money has an advantage. So while nobody will admit to taking gobs of money from some guy with a suitcase stuffed with cash and a list of "suggestions" - the fact that such a guy exists means SOMEONE is taking his suitcases.

The USA, and most of the rest of the world, operates under the economic principle of Capitalism. Capitalism allows for a lot of things. Vast piles of wealth. Industrialism on a massive scale. Prosperity. Tons of crap to buy. And so on.

Success in a capitalist nation is based on what you own, and how much you are worth. Success means having a 60 inch HDTV. It means having new leather furniture that gets replaced every 5 years to keep up with the latest fashion. It means a large home, and fancy new cars in the garage. It means designer clothing. It means $400 purses, with $100 matching wallets. It means gold watches. And so on.

Capitalism requires growth to work. If there is no growth, then investments do not work out so well. Imagine if the stock market flatlined for a few months. Imagine if every stock index did not gain or loose ANY value - at all. A total flat line, no matter how small the time scale was.

The result would be a total economic collapse. Well maybe not a total collapse, but it would spark a major panic.

So what is wrong with growth? Well nothing. Except for this!

Growth causes inflation. This means it takes progressively more and more money to maintain the same standard of living. In the 1960s, $5000 would get you one ass kicking sports car. Today $5000 gets you a riding lawn mower.

Yes, wages have gone up since then. But the problem is that wages have not gone up at the same rate as inflation. Slowly, over time, the standard of living possible on a single income slipped. In the 1960s a teacher could afford a Corvette. Today a teacher can barely afford ANY new car - let alone a sports car.

Not to be left behind, families started to rely on dual incomes. This way people could still afford all the things that say "success". Dual income families could buy new cars, and fill their home with nice new things. Dual income families can afford that large screen TV.

But not all dual income families can. And if both parties of a married couple work full time - who raises the kids?

So a generation or two of kids were raised as latch-key kids. They understood that mommy and daddy had to both work, so that they could have cool new shoes. When they were sick and did not feel like going to school, they were sent anyway - because mommy or daddy could not use their sick leave to take the day off.

The lesson was clear. Money and things were more important than day to day family life.

THIS IS THE REASON WHY EVERYTHING IS GOING TO HELL TODAY! The violence, gangs, and drugs are NOT CAUSED BY violent TV or video games! It is not caused by a "lack of morality", and putting up copies of the 10 Commandments everywhere WILL NOT HELP AT ALL!

The violence is caused by our economic system. If you are poor, you can not afford ANYTHING that says "success". This makes you a looser. Nobody wants to be with a looser.

So go out and get a job! Right? Well it is not that easy anymore. People used to be able to get a factory job or something with a High School only education, and earn a decent wage. There was a possibility of advancement.

But what about today? Vast numbers of factory jobs are not overseas. So what do kids growing up in poor areas see as the "successful"? Drug dealers, pimps, gangsters, thugs, and other criminals. These are the people with the cool cars. These are the people with the gold watches. These are the people with the designer clothing. These are the people who have money. So these are the people kids identify as someone to be like.

And kids in middle and upper class areas - what do they see? They already live to a high standard. They do not want to regress. Yes, they have a better chance of going to college. But they get out of college, and find that they will not be making the money their parents are making. To many, this is a major shock. No house on the golf course and new BMW! They can barely afford a ratty little apartment and a used Buick.

Some wait to move up the ladder of success, and some supplement their incomes with "stuff". Or they go into horrible debt. All in the name of the appearance of success.

So what does this have to do with Christian Values? Why NOTHING AT ALL! This is my point. Our economic system and Christian Values are NOT COMPATIBLE! You can not be rich and Christian. At least not in my view. You have to pick one or the other.

Really. When Jesus was fasting in the desert, he was tempted by Satan a number of times. This story is in the Bible - and therefore a part of the religion. One of the things Satan tempted Christ with was wealth and power. Jesus refused.

Jesus was not a rich man. He COULD have been rich. He COULD have used his powers to raise an army and overthrow the Roman Empire. He COULD have really been King over all other Kings. But he was not. He was poor. He did not raise any armies. He shunned wealth and power. And by doing so, he did become "King of Kings", according to Christian doctrine.

Christians try to live as Jesus would live. Therefore, a Christian should also reject wealth and power. But capitalism would pick the wealth and power in an instant! It is a no brainer!

The system that drives the world economy is Anti-Christian. If you have faith, think about it for a second. What about our chosen system of economics jives with Christian Values? The wealth? The greed? The "I got mine, let everyone else find their own" attitude?

Nothing about it is Christian.

But we all live under Capitalism. Nothing in the short term is going to change that. I think that one day our system of economics will collapse, as it has collapsed before. The system Adam Smith wrote about was killed by the Industrial Revolution, but it was reborn as something else - which was in turn killed by the Great Depression, giving birth to the system we have today. So yes, the system of today will one day fall apart. But it will come back as some other system. Count on that. Money is at stake.

And in our system, money is more important than anything else. Money is power, and power is where it is at. So when money is at stake, things happen.

Economics is the root of our political system. Both parties know this, and both parties obey this fundamental truth. So therefore, one can conclude that IF economics of the root of our political system and IF our system of economics is not compatible with Christian Values - the political system is not compatible with Christian Values.

So should Christians continue to vote Republican or switch to Democrats? Really - it does not matter. Neither party will truly represent Christian Values - as both parties are owned by the economic system. This is why I laugh when Republican talking heads on TV claim to represent Christian Values while pulling in millions of dollars a year in take home pay. What they are actually doing is USING religion to further their own means.

Taking the Lord's name in vein. All in the name of wealth and power.

And the Democrats? Not a whole lot of difference. They have used religion for votes too - just not on the same scale as Republicans.

So what should a Christian who wants to vote do? I would say vote for people who live up to Christian Values, but such a person would shun running for office - for that would be seeking power. That contradiction in philosophies thing will get in the way there! Can't live based on the teachings of Jesus and be a money grubbing power seeker at the same time!

This kind of creates a problem! And there is really not a good solution to the problem. Except for the obvious - which would be to overthrow the system and install one that agrees to your values. But Christians can not do that either, because of the whole "Prince of Peace" thing. So no bloody revolutions.

The only thing that can be done is to ignore the contradiction, and vote based on secular matters. If one candidate is professing to have "great faith" they are a liar. A person of "great faith" would not be running in the first place. So vote for the other guy. Ignore party affiliation, for the D or R label does not really matter. If you are going to vote based on a single issue - remember there ARE other issues. for example, should you vote for the candidate who is anti-abortion but also wants to slash services to the poor in order to give more money back in tax cuts? I can not answer that for you. Nobody can. You have to work that out on your own. Yes, Jesus would be against abortions but he would also be against cutting services to the poor.

And you can pray that the next economic system will be more in line with Christian Values. Of course, this will mean giving up your Mercedes Benz. A small price to pay - right?

So how do I get around all this stuff? How do I justify my need of a new boat and a more powerful vehicle to tow it? How can I justify going to Las Vegas to play a few games in a feeble attempt to win a jackpot when I could give that money to feed the poor? I do not claim to follow Christian Values. I do the best I can given the system I live under. And in doing so, I think I am doing as well as can be expected. I am not out to screw anyone over.