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ludeo-Christian Versus Atheistic
The American political and economic systems (i.e.,
our republic and private enterprise economy) were
designed to operate between these two extremes,
giving to each citizen the greatest practical degree of
freedom and protection of that freedom (and property).
What about those
''isms6?
I once asked an
audience,
"What's the difference between capitalism
andsocialism?"
The reply came back,
'Vndercapitalism
man exploits man.
. .
under socialism, it's just the
opposite."
Well, I suppose that if ignorance paid
dividends, most of us at one time or another could
make a fortune on what we didn't know about
economics.
Seriously, we could say that at one extreme is
statism, a system by which everybody shares equally in
getting the short end of the stick, spreading the misery
evenly. .
''Statism, and some religious factions,"
says
Michael Novak,
''seems more concerned with the just
distribution ofavailable goods than with the morality of
systems that produce new wealth andsustain economic
growth."
Capitalism, then, as statism's opposite, is the system
which makes the stick longer, and increases
everybody's slice of the pie in the process (to mix
metaphors). The capitalist sees the average.American
with his house, car, furniture, and,says,
''All the people
should have a chance to earn that."
The socialist
seeing the same reacts,
''No person should be allowed
to have that much, while others do not
"
A competitive environment does present possible
attitudinal changes. Envy toward private property is a
terribly rotten thing. Proverbs 14:30 describes envy as
"...
rottenness ofthe bones.
"
Envy is worse than mere
jealousy. Both operate today. How are they different?
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