"In God We Trust" is the official motto of our Country, The United States of America. This powerful phrase reflects of the influence of God in the building and functioning of USA. All the way from the War of 1812, when morning light showed that the American flag still flew above Fort McHenry, Francis Scott Key said, "And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust!'" And on July 30, 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the law which established this phrase as our motto.What does America stands for? Freedom! Opportunity! (your thoughts). Thinking about the growth of the nation is a powerful witness to me of the influence God has on the USA.
I want to take this idea and run some short ideas by you about how this relates to capitalism and communism. I'm not trying to impose ideas or offend anybody, just provide some food for thought :)
Let's begin with a brief comparison between capitalism and communism. Traditionally, capitalism means the ownership and control of the means of production by a class of "capitalists". A capitalist is one who owns capital or some means of production used by workers. On the other hand, communism means the ownership and control of the means of production by the workers themselves, whether as individuals, cooperatives, collectives, communal groups, or state. Capitalism is the private (non-government) ownership of the means of production. This means that the state does not participate in planning or in individual's capital. Communism, on the other hand, means the ownership and control of the means of production by the people as a whole, by means of the state, or some sort of local government. For a brief overview of the two systems or for further understanding, click on theses sources that outline Adam Smith's capitalism or Karl Marx's communism.
Capitalism cannot exist without God. I say this because for me, knowing that God is real helps me understand the importance of keeping morals and ethics. God teaches principles of kindness, charity, and honesty from scriptures like the Bible, Book of Mormon, and Prophets. Capitalism is based on the idea of 'self-interest' and requires morals to function effectively. "I work hard because of self interest. I put fair prices on my products, and use excess to invest in my business, resulting in better products and lowering prices." However, when these interest's turn into 'selfishness', the system begins to suffer.
Communism is the control of capital by a head party. Although communism attempts to lessen the gap and competition between rich and poor, it places a lot of power in just one group, that is in charge of distribution. The motives of this system are good, but the set-up is not quite parallel with principles of agency, self-governance, and growth.
I am grateful to God for so many things, and this offers another perspective into the economic world.
I think any economic structure works out when people keep principles of righteousness, if they believe in God, or if they have good interests at heart. As for right now, I feel boggled down by the great magnitude of intense debate on the subjects of government and economics, and how the two ought to be run. I am to the point where I think it doesn't matter. The success of our country really depends upon the education and the morality of us, the people. This is why I do not try to philosophize about politics any more, because I know that true success will come via the increase of democracy and the promoting of righteous ideals.
ReplyDeleteThe way to do this is through the internet and digital media (aka all of the tools we learn in this class). While politicians are busy arguing over control issues, democracy is expanding in the form of social networking. I think that hope for the future of our government will be found through the use of new digital media, where the social interactions of millions of normal people online becomes a powerhouse of influence and the makings of a more valid democracy.