The Economic Crisis: Making Enemies Where There Are None
When we create an enemy out of someone, we usually become their enemy as well. Some would say this applies to the war on terror, which it does: The terrorists made an enemy out of us, so we made an enemy out of them. But this is not the point of this article. I've been thinking lately about our current economic crisis, and the causes thereof. I've been listening to several pundits, and to the candidates (yes, I watch the debates, even though they tend to put either make me really mad, or really sleepy), and I've been trying to put my finger on the problem at hand. Someone on YouTube posted a great video about the history of this problem. The video is very well done, and tends to blame the Democrats for this problem. However, I do not think the Democrats are the real enemy in this problem: their ideology is.
Their ideology is that rich people are the enemy. This has been the foundation of their party and many of their pieces of legislation ever since wall street crashed in 1929, and is even more evident in the rhetoric associated with this crash. The Forgotten Man is a fantastic book that describes why the great depression was so long. The basic point of the book is that with Hoover and FDR, government policies scared the people on Wall-Street, and so they tended to hold onto their money instead of investing it in places where it can grow. Thinking about it from the perspective of "enemies", congress made wall-street the enemy, and their legislation is aimed at punishing these enemies: higher taxes, close loopholes, increase income tax, fine them for not providing health coverage, etc. Consequently, wall-street became the enemy of the rest of the US by holding onto their money: less willing to invest, less willing to extend credit, etc. In direct relation to the causes of this crisis, congress made banks the enemy, forced them to engage in risky business practices under the banner of "affordable housing", otherwise they would get sued.
I believe that the best way to successfully get out of this crisis is to actually make rich people our friends and neighbors again. I know that it is fashionable to demonize rich people, and that Jesus is quite explicit about how difficult it can be for rich people to get into heaven. However, he also tells all of us to love our neighbor: and aren't rich people our neighbors too? Or are they exempt from being our neighbors?
Of course, I believe that rich people are our neighbors. These are people with a lot of wealth, but also many problems, some of which are attendant with that wealth. I find it strange that so many people want to be wealthy themselves, while still demonizing people who are already wealthy. Even more peculiar are rich people who demonize themselves all in the act of trying to sound saintly (e.g. Warren Buffet and his call to get congress to tax him more). In many ways they are very heroic: America's wealthy are the most generous people on earth, and through their inventions, corporations, and foundations, they have blessed millions of people, and are on their way to blessing billions.
The strangest thing about America's wealthy is that they are often self-made Millionaires. This is something I learned from The Millionaire Next Door. As a result, these people really are our neighbors who have moved up through the ranks, and helped enough people to become independently wealthy. In many cases within the U.S., the third generation of wealthy families are poor again, while in Europe, "old money" families have been around for centuries.
So, how will being neighborly to rich people help you? I believe that being neighborly can have a tremendous impact on both us and our neighbor. When it comes to the rich people we know, it is usually our boss who is rich. We come and try and work for the company, but we are often backhanded by calling our company or boss "The Man". This is not helpful. "The Man" is still human, has a lot of problems to deal with, most of which are centered around their business. By understanding their business, we can help the business grow and succeed. When it does succeed, if you have a good relationship with your boss, he will notice your contributions and where they actually help. If he doesn't really know you, how can he notice your help?
However, succeeding because your boss succeeds is not guaranteed. If he does not notice you despite you being a necessary part of their life, then they may not ever be as neighborly as they ought. In which case, being too helpful would be fruitless, and being mean would just create new enemies. Just move on from that job to one that you can enjoy, which has a boss you can get to know, ant who will appreciate your efforts. For this reason, I greatly support 401 K's over pensions, and personal health-care plans over company-supplied ones: they allow workers to have much greater mobility.
In relation to this, I am often brought to think about scriptures in the Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants. I especially like these scriptures over those in the Old and New Testaments because they are more likely to list out caveats and reasons for eternal punishments. One of my favorite is D&C 56:16-17:
16 Wo unto you rich men, that will not give your substance to the poor, for your riches will canker your souls; and this shall be your lamentation in the day of visitation, and of judgment, and of indignation: The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved!
17 Wo unto you poor men, whose hearts are not broken, whose spirits are not contrite, and whose bellies are not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other men’s goods, whose eyes are full of greediness, and who will not labor with your own hands!
Although verse 16 condemns the rich, it is only those rich that will not give their substance to the poor. I believe that foundations are one way that our rich give to the poor. Another is "micro loans" which are so helpful in poor countries around the world. I really like verse 17 because it condemns the poor, and clearly spells out why the poor are condemned: they must be willing to work, for most are certainly able. Within the U.S. many of our poor are those who match verse 17. Outside the U.S., the poor are poor because of people who match vs 16.
Being neighborly to the rich will make them more apt to help make us all rich. But treating them like the enemy will only widen the gap between the rich and the poor, and in the end will embitter us all and make us all poor.