BASTIAT VS. COVID – BE HAPPY, NOT BLIND

The French economist, Frederic Bastiat, penned a brilliant, scathing essay titled, “That Which We See and That Which We do Not See,” often referred to as the parable of the broken window.  In this parable, a vandal throws a brick through the window of a bakery, and the people gather around, speculating on what good might come from the destruction.  It will mean money for the glazier, and work for the person who will clean up the mess, and more trade for the miller from whom the baker will have to purchase replacement flour.  These things are “That Which We See.”

“That Which We do Not See” includes the suit the baker would have bought with his profit from the ruined bread, the higher prices his customers must pay to make up for the waste, and the things his customers might have bought with that extra bread money.  On a more abstract level we do not see – not immediately, at any rate – the effects of excusing or even validating such vandalism, and the corrosion of civilization that comes with violence.  This virus is the brick through the window of civilization’s bakery, and while one may assert, “It is an ill wind that blows no one some good,” no cognizant person can ignore the frightfully disproportionate cost.

As many of us strive to find the silver lining around this black-hearted cloud we call COVID-19, there have been some wonderfully insightful, profound things written.  And there have been some that may be considered ill-conceived, or even foolhardy, and, as is always the case, whether an utterance is considered profound or otherwise depends upon the reader.  It also depends upon the greater context in which a statement is considered.

Certainly there is nothing wrong with seeing the positive or uplifting themes, nor is there anything wrong with seeing the stark realism that lurks behind or within those themes.  A dear friend, an extremely intelligent and well-read woman – a woman of kind and charitable impulses – shared the following aphorisms, and my mind spun up like an ungoverned big block V8.

“Traffic is gone, gas is affordable, bills are extended.  Money doesn’t seem to make the world go round anymore.  The air seems cleaner, the world quieter”

“Kids are at home with their families.  Parents are home taking care of their children.”

“Fast food is replaced by home cooked meals, hectic schedules replaced by naps, and we now have time, finally, to stop and smell the roses.”

“People are conscious of hygiene and health again.  We finally listen to authorities and head home when they say so.”

“And lastly, we become closer to God and more evidently praising Him every day of our lives.”

Every one of those points is true, and evokes uplifting and positive aspects of the COVID context.  Every one of them also evokes effects of a much more grim nature.  I do not mean to repudiate the former, but hope, by bringing a measure of focus to the latter, we might more fully appreciate both.  One cannot exist without the other, for as the Scriptures teach, “There must needs be opposition in all things.”  Indeed, we can only become conscious of anything by noting its difference from other things.  So, point by point, here we go.

1:         “Traffic is gone, gas is affordable, bills are extended.  Money doesn’t seem to                      make the  world go round anymore.  The air seems cleaner, the world                           quieter”

That traffic carried the goods – food, medicine, clothing, books, computers, and uncountable other things – that enable us to survive this crisis.  It also carried children to schools, families to visit grandparents, men and women to jobs that provide, not only their means of supporting their families, but all those things the traffic carries to us.  Yes, the gas is affordable, but that has wreaked ruin upon the energy industry – the drillers, chemists, supervisors, roughnecks, and again, truckers who provide the fuel.  Yes, bills are extended, and that is an immeasurable boon to those of us who incur those bills, but what of those to whom we owe remittance?  Are their bills also extended?  If one follows the career of a dollar we pay for rent, we will eventually find the one person who cannot endure the delay.  My dad was fond of telling his clients, “It’s not that I need the money.  It’s the people I owe who need it.”  Debt exists on the z-axis of our lives – it goes up and down from us.

If money doesn’t make the world go round,  pray tell what does?   There are only three ways of getting the things we need to survive:  produce it ourselves out of raw materials, produce from raw materials something we can trade to those who have produced what we need, or get it from someone without trading, whether by their generosity or by force.  In short, we are producers, beggars, or thieves.  There are no other alternatives, and getting the government to do our begging or stealing for us doesn’t change a thing.  Money makes all that possible.  Can a physician produce something he can trade for an MRI machine?   For that matter, can the genius who invented the MRI produce anything to trade for the materials with which to build one?  Does anyone seriously put MRI machines in the category of all that dirty, noisy, ugly industrialization?  Money is the only thing that makes such things possible.  Of course money makes the world go round, and the fact that a lot of us have so much less of it changes not one jot or tittle of that hard fact!  Unlike the other points, which do have some merit in a limited context, this one is just plain bloody stupid.

Yes, the air is cleaner over our large cities, and like the reduction in traffic, this comes at a steep price.  Of course it’s nice that our air is cleaner, but there was also less pollution in the pre-industrial age (if one discounts the wood smoke) but industry gives us things like running water, porcelain toilets, electricity, cell phones, paved streets, well-stocked hospitals, steel tools for the gardens we now have time to till, packaged seeds to plant in those gardens….  The list is endless.  In fact, one might ponder the message of Proverbs, 14:4 – “Where no oxen are, the crib is clean, but much increase is by the strength of the ox.”  Industrialization is a very strong ox.

 

2:         “Kids are at home with their families.  Parents are home taking care of their                       children.”

The opportunities this offers for quality time together are indeed wonderful.  Memories will be made that will endure for lifetimes, but not all of them will be good.  Children who have been able to escape, even temporarily, from abusive homes are now captive.  (This is also true of abused spouses, and what of the abuse caused by the stress, depression, and desperation of being out of work and a virtual prisoner in the home?)  Although some school districts have had the resources to continue providing at least one meal a day, many children are still doing without.  School teachers are unemployed, and some in my acquaintance have expressed depression from missing their children.  Bus drivers, cafeteria workers, janitors, HVAC techs, and the generally unnoticed host of people whose labor keeps the schools open are out of work.  Parents are expected to take up the slack in schooling their children with no regard for their ability to do so.  We joke about helping kids with math or science, but for a caring, loving parent who finds him- or herself hopelessly lost in those subjects it isn’t a joking matter.  Indeed, if it were possible to do things such as travel, sporting events, outdoor activities, etc., this situation would be a priceless opportunity to enjoy each other, but it isn’t possible, and that can make the opportunity more like a sentence.

 

3:         “Fast food replaced by home cooked meals, hectic schedules replaced by                           naps.  We now have time, finally to stop and smell the roses.” 

For the families, this depends on the availability of food, refrigeration, and fuel for cooking (have the utility bills been paid?)  For those parents declared essential, cooking three squares a day can easily become a severe burden.  Speaking of parents who are still working, what about childcare?  Many centers have been closed, and restrictions on occupancy placed on others.  In some cities, babysitters are held captive by harsh restrictions on leaving home.  As for the naps, I have enjoyed catching up on my naps, but when my mind is a constant whirl of worry over the bills and the welfare of friends and family, it can be a mighty unrestful sleep.  In fact, one might make this very point about being in jail.  Those “hectic schedules” keep our families fed and our communities functioning.

On the other side of this “benefit” are those employed in food service.  In fact, sit-down restaurants have been hit much harder than fast food places because so few of the former have the capacity for drive-up or curb service.  Even those that have been able to adapt have had to lay off or fire most of their staff.  People have patronized restaurants of all types because it’s easier, and often cheaper, to eat out, and the kids generally love it and consider it a treat or a reward.

As for smelling the roses, I submit there is virtue in doing that of one’s own choice, but when that’s all there is to do – assuming there is water to grow the roses (Has the water bill be paid?)  and the roses are in our own yard (Has the mortgage or rent been paid?)  and the roses aren’t on the coffins of loved ones who have died because of the collapse of our economy closed the hospitals – it’s likely a damned cold comfort.

 

4:         “People are conscious about hygiene and health again.”

I submit there is a difference between being conscious of such things and being frightened for one’s very life.  To take reasonable care of cleanliness is certainly a good thing, but the frantic, fearful washing and sanitizing we see can hardly be healthy in the long run.  Fearing to hug a loved one or shake hands with a stranger or even a friend doesn’t seem a desirable state to me.  Does anyone seriously believe we should have been living like this all along?   I certainly don’t.

 

5:         “We finally listen to authorities and head home when they say so.”

Obedience to “authorities” is very different from obeying the law, at least in a constitutional republic like the United States.   To be manipulated and even cowed by fear can never be good or healthy.  In fact, one of the central tenets of the fascism that led to World War II was to harp on the immediate threat of invasion so the people would be frightened into surrendering their freedom for the protection of their governments.  (This is the source of the myth that fascist governments love the military.  In reality, they love the fear of invasion that leads their populations to support a very powerful military which is then used by the fascists to cow and control the populations.  Fascists love power and loot.  Nothing else.)

Can anyone really believe that willing obedience to a popular government is the equivalent of fearful submission to whatever cockamamie tools the power-seekers shove in our faces?  I pray those who think so are a very small minority.

 

6:         “And lastly, we become closer to God and more evidently praising him every                     day of our lives.”

This one I can’t argue with.  It may be better to draw unto Him out of gratitude than desperation and anguish, but drawing unto Him for any reason is a good thing.

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In conclusion, I believe we should be grateful for any good or positive thing we can find in this insane situation.  I also believe we should be cognizant of the price we may be called upon to pay for these things, and the opportunity cost, i.e. the things we have lost in paying that price.

For myself, I am profoundly grateful to live in a time and in a nation that offers me the means of not only taking care of myself, but of helping others in small ways.  The strength and vitality inherent in the United States of America, which I believe to be a gift from My Father in Heaven, will see us through, and that, right there, boys and girls, is a blessing we ignore at our peril.

 

REFERENCES

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6S5c6xhXTY – A very good, plain language exposition of Bastiat’s parable.

Jonah Goldberg – Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Change –  An in-depth exposition of the subject, including the reliance of early fascists on the threat of war, and of modern fascists on “The moral equivalent of war.”

Wessley Rodgers (Rebsarge) – https://rebsarge.wordpress.com/2015/12/16/the-continuum-pt-1/ – on this blog.

Wessley Rodgers (Rebsarge) – https://rebsarge.wordpress.com/2015/12/16/the-continuum-pt-2/ – on this blog

Wessley Rodgers (Rebsarge) – https://rebsarge.wordpress.com/2020/02/29/tanstaafl-aaaaa-gin/ – the fallacy of the “free lunch.”

Wessley Rodgers (Rebsarge) – https://rebsarge.wordpress.com/2018/07/17/fascism-and-the-moral-equivalent-of-war/ – sort of a Cliff’s Notes reference to Goldberg’s masterwork, mentioned above

Wessley Rodgers (Rebsarge) – https://rebsarge.wordpress.com/2016/09/27/trickle-down-economics-exposed/ – on this blog

Wessley Rodgers (Rebsarge)  – https://rebsarge.wordpress.com/2015/06/17/money-the-root-of-freedom/ – on this blog

 

Wess Rodgers -rebsarge.wordpress.com – Albuquerque

RATIONALIZATION AND BAD LAWS

Recalled from April 20, 2014 ·

I picked up an interesting quote in church today. “Rationalization brings ideals down to the level of your [bad] behavior. Repentance brings your behavior up to the level of your ideals.”

This is not quite as straightforward as it may seem. For example, a really bad law (can we all agree that laws are one standard, or ideal?) should certainly be changed. For example, in my opinion Bloomberg’s law against big sodas is idiotic, and ignoring it might be understandable, or even legitimate. Some laws are so dangerous that to obey them, at all, defeats any possibility that they will be repealed. For example, a law banning private ownership of firearms, once obeyed, will do damage that will be virtually impossible to ever undo.

On the other hand, I believe “…in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.” (This was written for a world-wide organization, some members of which live under kings and diverse rulers. Chelsea Clinton notwithstanding, I will not be subject to royalty in the United States of America.)

So how do we know the difference between bad laws we have moral authority to ignore or resist and bad laws we should obey until they can be changed – and where do we draw the line?

I can only tell you my personal process, which involves The Scriptures. but I believe the principles will stand, no matter what one uses as a standard of moral value.  (Atheists are perfectly capable of making good, moral decisions, provided they adhere to a proper standard of moral value.)

I will study The Scriptures. I will pray for enlightenment and guidance. I will observe closely those who are more versed in The Scriptures than I, and, if it seems right, follow their lead.  I refer specifically, but not solely, to Thomas S. Monson, [as of 14 Jan., 2018, Russel M. Nelson] President, Prophet, and Seer of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I believe with all my heart that he will know when we have reached the Line of Departure, and he will tell us.

We should each do our best to live by the highest standards, to work together, to treat each other with respect, courtesy, dignity, integrity, and honor. Until then, sit light in the saddle and stay off the skyline.

 

Wess Rodgers – rebsarge.wordpress.com – Albuquerque

FACEBOOK’S HOUSE AND THEIR RULES

Facebook is liberal as hell, and their ethics are really corrupt, but it is a private business. As such, they have the right and authority to limit or dictate to what use they will allow their property to be put.

It’s like if someone wanted to come into your house and do something of which you disapprove – smoking crack, for example – and you ran them off. You haven’t said, “You can’t do that.” You’ve said, “You can’t do that in my house.” Facebook has the authority to control their house, and as guests in their house we have every right to call them names and take our business elsewhere.

A citizen or a company cannot violate anyone’s rights. By definition, “Constitutional rights” are those guaranteed by the constitution, and which the government – THE GOVERNMENT – may not abridge or limit.  The Constitution does not limit the actions of individual citizens; it limits the government.

The only way a citizen or company can prevent you from exercising your 1st Amendment rights is by force, and if they do that, their crime is assault or extorion. Those are very serious crimes, and the guilty parties should be punished for committing them. But it is NOT correct to charge them with “civil rights violations.”

So, what if the government enacted laws making it difficult or impossible for anyone else to establish an online social networking site? Then *THAT* would be a violation of our rights.  Or if FaceBook is getting any subsidies from the government, that’s a different matter, altogether, as well.  However, the government would very likely share culpability in that case.

(FROM “RIGHTS AS FREEDOM FROM RESTRAINT – on this blog, 8 May, 2016)

 

There can be no such thing as right TO something, because that would mean the creator or owner of that thing would NOT have a right to his own property. A right must consist only of a freedom from restraint.

The right to free speech doesn’t mean you have a right to a newspaper or air time on someone else’s radio station. It means no one can stop you from getting your own. The right to own property doesn’t mean you have a right expect or demand that someone give you property. It means that no one can prevent your buying property for yourself. The right to bear arms doesn’t mean someone must give you a gun. It means no one can keep you from getting and keeping one, yourself, though it’s interesting that the left has never applied their twisted definition of “rights” to guns.

The right to health care doesn’t mean the doctors and nurses are your chattel slaves. The right to an education doesn’t mean you own the teachers, publishers, and all the other people involved in a school. Neither do either of these rights mean you have a legitimate expectation that the government will enslave the doctors or teachers on your behalf, and force them, under threat of violence, to serve you.

The notion of “rights” as a title TO something denies the “rights” of the person from whom you would get whatever it is – Liberal fascist ethics at its most obvious.

 

Wess Rodgers – rebsarge.wordpress.com – Albuquerque

WILL AMERICA EVER BE NORMAL AGAIN?

I’m certainly not in favor of totally reinventing the US. We were doing a lot of things right, and the poorest among us were doing okay.  Compared to most of the world, most of us were doing fabulously well.

However, what we were doing set us up for this mess, and one of the great truths of life is that if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve already got.  If we go back to the old normal, we’ll be setting the stage for another Mongolian cluster conjugal activity like this one.

We allowed people with questionable or nonexistent loyalty, and far sketchier ethics, into positions of authority.

We’ve allowed our foreign policy to be dictated by people who didn’t have the best interests of the nation at heart.  Some of them were traitorous blackguards, worthy of a noose made of crappy Chinese rope.

We’ve not only tolerated, we have repeatedly elected vipers, and allowed them to build empires of wealth and influence.

Americans, clear back to our great-grandparents, have allowed, and even encouraged, the cancer of collectivism to eat the living entrails out of our educational system.  For 100 years, we have sat there with our thumbs up our butts and our minds in Arkansas while five generations of American children were brainwashed with that intellectual sewage.  The American educational system cannot be saved in less time than it took to screw it up, and we don’t have a hundred years to fool around with it.  If a return to normalcy means leaving the fascist professors in positions from which they can continue their work of intellectual putrefaction, the nation is doomed.

The complement of a corrupt educational system the nest of scorpions we call the establishment news media.  Imagine wearing eyeglasses that reversed the image of everything you see.  How could you possibly make correct, or even rational decisions?  Our senses allow us to perceive the world, and they are altered or sabotaged, that perception is a lie. Our minds fall prey to the GIGO principle – Garbage In, Garbage Out.  As with the educational system, if a return to normalcy means leaving those feces-sucking cockroaches in their newsrooms, ejaculating their collectivist lies and hate, the nation is doomed.

I am not against education or a free press!  I am, however, rabidly against the political and moral indoctrination that is sold as education.  I am just as rabidly against the collectivist propaganda machine that has gouged out our eyes and rewired our brains to make us think we see.

Unless we burn to the ground the existing news media and educational establishments and replace them with ones that are more honest, more professional, and not corrupted by the fascism and collectivism that fester in the collective crotch of our nation, nothing will change.  Our children and their children will grow up to be the slaves of a statist dictatorship.

And they won’t even know it.

 

Wess Rodgers – rebsarge.wordpress.com – Albuquerque