We are addressing the following questions:
1) What is happening?
2) What is not happening?
3) What can we do?
We have been focusing on the economy because this is the primary crisis in the world at this time. If the church is called to be “the light of the world” (see Matthew 5:14), then we should have answers for the world’s ultimate problems. The Bible teaches much about economics and stewardship. If we had followed the wisdom of the Bible, it is certain that we would not be in the crises we are in personally, as a nation, or in the world. All of the world’s problems are basically the result of man trying to run the world without God’s help. Even so, if we will follow His ways to get out of this crisis, we could be standing on much more solid ground economically than possibly ever before, both personally and as a nation.
Let’s go over the answers to the questions above: 1) What is happening? The whole economy is stalled and is becoming increasingly mired in a condition of which no one seems to know how to get us out. The government has thrown over one trillion dollars into the economy in order to stimulate it and very little is happening. This is the answer to question 2): What is not happening? Nothing—because the economy is not being stimulated. It is not being stimulated because of a basic misunderstanding about what is stalling it and what will get it going again. Pouring gas into the tank of a car that is stuck in the mud is not the answer to making it operate again. Someone needs to throw something under the tires to give it traction. Essentially, this has not even been considered by the government. Why?
Our government has lost touch with reality in some basic ways. Not only does it not seem to have anyone who really understands the economic issues or business in general, but it is also out of touch with the real world in a number of other basic ways. The reason for this is that it is run by lawyers. This is a generalization and not true of all, but a lawyer’s response to a problem is to make a law or a rule to correct it, when what we need is leadership and sound management. If our government was built on sound management principles, it would be a fraction of its present size and would be accomplishing many times more than it presently does.
Our government is drowning in so much needless paperwork and over-regulation that they cannot even begin to see real solutions, much less lead us out of problems. Many are contending that it was a lack of regulation in the markets, especially with the derivatives, that got us into this quagmire. It is true that the markets did need more regulation, but the over-reaction of having the government interfere with business in general, and pass more layers of more regulations where they are not needed, could not be coming at a worse time. To use the metaphor of a vehicle as the economy, it was running fine except in a couple of areas, so the answer is to correct those areas and leave the rest alone. Almost everything the government is doing to try to correct the economy is having the reverse effect and is getting us into an even deeper problem.
Tort reform and simplifying the tax code would give our economic engine more traction than it has probably ever had. It would correct the health care crisis, and not only allow us to balance the budget, but we could pay off the national debt. It would also make social security solvent, but greatly enhance what we can do for our elders, as well as our children. This could be done while fully protecting the environment. Just cutting out the needless paperwork caused by such inefficiency would save millions, if not billions, of trees a year, and greatly reduce the garbage, fossil fuels consumed, and so on. Of course, our government will not consider tort reform because most of them are lawyers. This one thing actually could correct just about everything that is melting down at this time and turn the economy around with a most powerful thrust.
With some basic good management, we could raise the level of our national security without costing us a cent more. Poor management, poor stewardship, and waste are sins. In the Parable of the Talents, the Lord said that we would be called a “wicked, lazy slave” (see Matthew 25:26) for these sins. Why is no one in government addressing these issues? Because they are lawyers, and they don’t really understand them.
In foreign policy, America could yet be the greatest blessing to the nations in history. First, some of our worst international problems are the result of making alliances in the past with people because we thought “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” The Scripture is very direct in condemning such alliances and has an abundance of examples to warn us about what will happen if we pursue this naïve type of foreign policy. These alliances always come back to haunt us as worse problems. We should be the closest friends with those who share our values—reward those who do good for their people and penalize those who do evil.
As far as foreign aid, exporting leadership and sound management principles, along with the aid, would do far more for the developing nations than charity. It’s the old proverb, “Give a man a fish and he has one meal. Teach him how to fish, and he can feed himself for the rest of his life.”
In short, we long ago departed from basic wisdom and common sense in how we run the government and who we elect to run it. This cannot be blamed on any one party—there is ample guilt on both sides. Not being in power and being so humbled actually gives the Republican Party an opportunity to find and build on core values. The Democratic Party has turned so far to the left that it is likely to find itself in the same place very soon. An eagle needs both a right and a left wing to fly, but trying to fly with just the left wing, as we are doing now, is putting the nation in a death spiral. We are in that kind of jeopardy as a nation.
Now for a glimpse at the answer to question 3: What can we do? Our problems are already beyond human remedy—we must turn to the Lord. As we read in the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah, a primary curse that comes on a nation that turns from the Lord is evil, immature, or foolish leadership. We need to pray to the Lord to send leadership that is after His heart, who seek the favor of the Lord, so that He might save us. There is no other answer.
