Monday, December 21, 2015
Reaganomics
Brother Onesimus recently posted an interesting graphic comparing tax-rates during Presidential administrations of the last 40 years.
https://onesimusfiles.wordpress.com/cost to the poor for rewarding the rich?
I'm woefully ignorant about economics. All I can say is that, subjectively, the U.S. economy seems neither as stable nor as equitable as I remember it being before Reaganomics.
I do know that Reagan appointee Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Federal Reserve and disciple of Ayn Rand, testified to Congress after the economic crash of 2008 that the theory he'd pursued the past 20 years was "partially" wrong, and that, "The whole intellectual edifice...collapsed in the summer of last year.” Greenspan doubtless knows infinitely more about the subject than I do; but his mea culpa does seem to coincide with many of my subjective impressions.
http://http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/business/economy/24panel.html?_r=0
The signature policy of Reagan's governing philosophy was what he called "de-regulation." Government itself being (as he famously proclaimed in his first Inaugural Address) "the problem," it followed that citizens would be best served by government ceasing to "interfere" in their lives. In economics, the premise was that "the market" would sort everything out, and produce a more stable prosperity than government regulation ever could.
(It's worth noting that the Reagan administration instituted "de-regulation" in many other areas previously under federal oversight: environmental actions, air-traffic control, broadcasting, education, housing, food-safety, civil rights law, etc. Again subjectively, it seems we've seen dire consequences in those areas as well.)
What I have to come back to, as the "intellectual edifice" of Reaganism in toto, is its counter-scriptural foundation. Reagan's conviction that "government IS the problem" seems to flatly contradict the teaching that governing authority "...is a minister of God to you for good." (Romans 13:4). His policy of "de-regulation" flowing from that anti-government stance seems the opposite of God's mandate that rulers "...bring wrath upon the one who practices evil." (ibid)
Subjectively, those anti-scriptural teachings have done the U.S. and its citizens a great deal of harm over the last 40 years. That harm continues today in the beliefs of Reagan's followers.
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5 comments:
Reagan's changes favoured the rich, especially the ultra rich, reducing their tax rates by a massive amount, and then "paying" for the shortfall through cuts to welfare assistance for the very poor.
Those policies are still at the heart of the kind of right-wing US politics that so many Christians avidly defend / promote (anyone for a Tea Party?)
Maybe those Christians should pay special attention to what scripture says about the rich.
"Is it not the rich who are exploiting you?"
context:
My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, ‘Here’s a good seat for you,’ but say to the poor man, ‘You stand there’ or ‘Sit on the floor by my feet,’ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have dishonoured the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?
(James 2)
Hi Steve,
I've been giving more thought to what you said about Reagan's assertion that "government is the problem" and the logical continuation of that idea.
I understand that it's the kind of belief at the heart of the Tea Party and it's the philosophy motivating the Koch brothers, who are reportedly pouring around a billion dollars into swaying political influence (leading up to this year's election) towards their own world view.
You rightly point out God's purpose for earthly Governments and how that Reagan "government is the problem" dogma contradicts biblical revelation about the God given role of governing authorities.
What I've now realised is how closely related that Reagan doctrine is to the promotion of lawlessness*.
Taking that into account I find it even MORE disturbing that the Reagan/ tea party/ Koch brothers kind of politics is the political agenda seducing so many Americans who profess to be Christians.
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* the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Tim, thanks for this, and for your other recent comments. I'm not used to getting responses on this blog, so I'm grateful you took the time to comment.
Doubly grateful, as I think your "logical continuation" of Reaganite doctrine spotlights its exact spiritual nature: lawlessness.
It's a particularly HEAVY realization, since Jesus says He will reject those who "practice lawlessness" (Matthew 7:23), and will "gather out of His Kingdom all...who commit lawlessness" (Matthew 13:41).
HEAVY that anti-Christ himself is characterized in the scripture you cite from II Thessalonians 2 as "the lawless one."
HEAVY that John gives us the simple definition that "sin is lawlessness" (I John 3:4, my emphasis).
Not coincidentally, lawlessness seems to be a characteristic of Reagan's political spawn. I've been musing on their usual argument rejecting any kind of gun-legislation: "gun laws don't work, because criminals will get guns anyway." That formula's implicit argument is clearly that laws are useless, and making laws is stupid... because they will only be broken anyway. It's a formula by which any law, and all laws, can be rejected.
There's a few more things I note in Reagan's political principle.
First, that the formulation "government is the problem" is essentially anarchism. I spent a few years as a convinced anarchist, and couldn't help recognize it. I can also testify that anarchism, like atheism, is a dead-end philosophy, and can't in any way be made to work in the real world. And making the anti-government principle your philosophy of government probably says a great deal about the logic-skills, and intellectual honesty, of Reagan and his followers.
Second, that "government is the problem," posits government as menacing outside force. This comes from, and engenders, a concept of government wholly at odds with the root concept that American government is something citizens do, and are part of: Lincoln's "government of the people, by the people, and for the people."
Third, that Reagan's formulation also comes from, and engenders a spirit closely intertwined with its spirit of lawlessness: rebellion. Rebellion is especially revered in American culture. We owe our nationhood to rebellion, and have semi-deified our founding rebels. The quintessential American hero is a rebel, in our history and our popular culture. If nothing else, Reagan knew how to play to his audience.
But as with lawlessness, rebellion is satan's own character. As with lawlessness, God promises destruction to rebels and rebelliousness.
I could give multiple examples of each of those evil currents playing out in the political legacy, and political heirs, of Reagan: but I'm sure you're aware of many.
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