"What's wrong with Socialism? Isn't Socialism better than Capitalism's privatising profits, by Nationalising Risks and Costs?"
Greetings in the precious Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Thank you very much for your critical feedback on the Christian Action Biblical Issues Voter's Guide.
You clearly seem to support state intervention in the economy, rather than the free market.
With the catastrophic collapse of Zimbabwe, one would have thought that the dangers of state intervention in the economy were all too obvious. I have traveled widely, including in many socialist countries, behind the Iron Curtain in the 1980s. The contrast between the incredibly productive prosperity of West Germany and the stagnant and backward East Germany was all too acute. Similarly, anyone wanting to see the contrast between the productivity of the free market and the counter productive strangling of initiative in Socialist economies need only compare South Korea with North Korea.
As Margaret Thatcher declared, "Freedom has its problems, but we've never had to build walls to keep our people in."
The collapse of the Soviet Union, and its Eastern Europe satellite states, with the coming down of the Berlin Wall was just one dramatic example of the failure of Socialism.
Socialists might extol the kind of policies, which have been implemented in countries such as Cuba, but it doesn't seem to convince its people not to flee by the millions in the direction of free market countries.
A huge amount of the social upheavals in recent history has been caused by people voting with their feet to escape from the oppression of Socialist governments.
We are convinced that there can be no true political freedom without genuine economical freedom. Freedom of choice is good when it comes to politics, education and economics.
It is a stubborn fact of history that great scientific and medical advances have not been made in Socialist environments, but in free countries enjoying a free enterprise system.
It is no accident that the most prosperous and free countries in the world have a Biblical Reformation heritage, a Christian work ethic. All of these things are inter-related.
The Christian Action Network is, as our name implies, Christian, and our Biblical Issue Voters Guides are just that. Seeking to look at the chosen issues from a Biblical point of view.
Yes, we do believe in a wider form of education, a one-page summary of the issues is of necessity superficial. For a more detailed treatment of the issues please see our Biblical Principles for Africa book, and other articles on the SAvotersguide website. You will also see that the christianaction.org.za website has many further articles and links tackling these issues.
Your point concerning the system, which favourably privatises profits and nationalises risks and costs, as in the case of the American bailouts, is well put. That is not a true free market system. That is a mixture of free market and state Socialism. In fact, it might be more accurate to name it by its historical term: Fascism.
Biblically it is theft to utilise other people's money to bail out our own foolish choices and greed.
Please feel free to communicate with us further on these matters.
May God continue to lead and guide you into all Truth.
Yours for faith and freedom
Dr. Peter Hammond
Africa Christian Action
PO Box 23632
Claremont
7735 Cape Town
South Africa
Tel: 021-689 4481
E-mail:
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Web: http://www.christianaction.org.za/
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