The Free Market is the Answer, Not the Enemy

11:19 AM Marcellino DAmbrosio 1 Comments



In a recent statement to the world's diplomats, Pope Francis called for an end to the free market. He said that  free-market capitalism had created a “tyranny,” and that countries should impose more control over their economies and not allow “absolute autonomy”, in order to provide “for the common good.”In his opinion economic inequality is caused by "ideologies which uphold the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation, and thus deny the right of control to states, which are themselves charged with providing for the common good."
Pope Francis is one of my favorite Popes of all time. He knows how to love and lead the Church well, but his infallibility extends only to matters of “faith and morals,” as does the rest of the magisterium. No one would argue that Pope Francis and the rest of the bishops’ infallible teaching power extends into the realms of biology, so why do we accept that the Church’s teaching power extends to political philosophy and the economy? 

 Yes, the current financial system is terribly screwed up. Yes, we are dominated by the tyranny of money. However, we are not living in a free-market economy. What we have are centrally planned economies that pretend to be free markets. Pope Francis’ diagnosis is wrong, and therefore his prescription must be called into question. Should countries impose more control over their economies than they already do? Well, what is the common good? I would say general prosperity (the leisurely kind) is a good. Poverty, though a spiritual virtue, is not something that we want people to live in. God’s heart for his people is that the poor be cared for, which means that he doesn’t enjoy watching his kids live in poverty. A high standard of living across the board is the best scenario for the common good, economically speaking. I’ll prove that by asking the following question: “would you rather be poor in Richmond, America or poor in Bangalore, India?” No one would pick Bangalore. Why? The standard of living is higher in Richmond. 

 So what sort of factors cause growth in an economy, which then leads to a raise in the standard of living? Does more government control lead to the general welfare, or does more free market capitalism lead to the general welfare? First, let’s talk about the difference between a free market economy and a centrally planned economy. In a free market economy, banks set their own interest rates according to supply and demand of money. The currency has inherent value (Gold/silver) and is therefore stable and not easily manipulated. When an institution fails, its capital is redistributed to new entrepreneurs at cheap prices. This creates opportunity for the little guy. On the other hand, in a centrally planned economy, interest rates are set arbitrarily by a central bank. The currency is a fiat currency (paper, printed money) that is manipulated for the states benefit. Big business is bailed out when it fails and generally propped up by the state. 

 Clearly, our economy is centrally planned. But let’s just take this one at a time, shall we? 

 Interest rates: 
In a free market society, interest rates work the following way. A bank opens up. They don’t have money to lend out, so they raise their interest rates. That makes you want to save your money in a bank as opposed to take out loans. Once the bank has enough resources to lend out to entrepreneurs, they lower the interest rates. This makes you want to save less and borrow more. This sort of system rewards you, the small guy, for SAVING YOUR MONEY. 
In an economy with a central bank, however, ( 90% of the developed nations in the world), the interest rates are set arbitrarily, and they are generally set LOW. (The Federal Reserve has them fluctuating between 0 and 2 through 2014). This does not encourage you to save, but rather to take out loans. Here’s a thought, one of the greatest struggles of our economic lives is getting out of debt. Not enough people save right? According to people like Dave Ramsey, we are all just being stupid consumers, not saving our money or thinking long term. It’s not because we’re stupid. It’s because our current financial system doesn’t reward us for saving. There are so many repercussions to this practice that it would take hundreds of pages and lots of big economics terms. The point is that centrally planned interest rates make us much more debt laden. This true of us as individuals, and of the country as a whole. The debt crisis in the west is not caused by the free market running unhampered. It is caused by central banks. 

 Currency:
The second thing that central banks do is they inflate the currency. The Fed calls it “quantitative easing.” They basically print money. In a free market, a currency has inherent value and cannot be inflated. Gold and silver have inherent value. It’s scarce, it’s shiny, and it’s easily divisible. A government cannot simply print more gold to finance its bloated welfare system and adventurist foreign policy. When the fed prints money to finance these things, it makes our money worth less. It is a hidden form of taxation. This removes money from the middle class and puts it in the pockets of defense budget lobbyists, insurance company lobbyists, and all the rest of the wall street big wigs. 

 Big Business
Moreover, when these institutions fail, like in the 2008 crisis, the Fed bails them out with printed money. This sucks value from the middle class’s dollar, and gives it the wealthy. That is called wealth redistribution. It is NOT good for the poor, it is NOT good for the middle class. It LOWERS our standard of living. The state also likes to prop big business up by hurting their competitors. Big companies love to lobby to government for more and more regulation. They don’t care about regulation. They have armies of lawyers and accountant divisions specifically for the purpose of handling government regulation. They eat the cost. On the other hand, small business gets slaughtered. If you want an example of how this works, watch Senator Ted Cruiz talk about the new internet sales tax. Big business lobbied for it. Small business doesn’t lobby. Big business crush’s small business. 


In conclusion, central planning makes for a hostile environment for growth and innovation. Pope Francis’s attempts to correct what is clearly a terrible issue, tyranny, but he does it by encouraging more of the same. The Church, indeed the entire world, needs to start taking the economic sciences seriously. We cannot afford, as a church, to be encouraging practices that entrench poverty and keep the worlds resources clutched in the hands of the 1%. The free market is the answer, not the enemy.

1 comments:

A Letter to Authors Concerning Roller Coasters

7:44 PM Marcellino DAmbrosio 4 Comments

    
    It's funny how when you're sick, all you need is sleep, but your body just wont give you any because it decides that (now that you are in the zenith of your mental abilities) your highest priority is resolving the mysteries of the universe. Really, I've been up for two hours now just letting my fever pilot my mind like an aviator with a blood alcohol content of 5. Thoughts, memories, weird dream-like imaginings are flying by like clouds, and really have no idea which direction is up. My little plane keeps flying through one cloud (metaphor key: cloud=thought... ) over and over. It's the memory of David Corbett's solemn voice asking us all “What is your most profound moment of guilt? What is your most profound moment of shame? What your most profound moment of terror?” These words crash over my mind like waves on a beach; they boom like a gong from some ancient Chinese ritual. “What is your most profound moment of anger? What is your most profound moment of confusion?” That talk has been hatching like an egg, my brains membrane birthing through my skull.

BLAHHHH!

 So melodramatic I know, give me a break. I'm running a 100 fever, for godsakes. In any case, here it is: My hatched egg, a letter to all you beautiful authors.

          In an interview with Elizabeth Carlton, Corbett told the journalist: “In the black recesses of your mind, there is plenty that’s wild and grand and terrifying. I’m always amazed at how students respond when I make them dig up moments of profound guilt, or shame, or terror. The writerly writing fades away, and the truth comes out.” That, my friends, is the whole shabang, the goose that lays the golden egg, its the entire purpose of literature. To let the truth come out.


HARRRGGG!!! This one *huff* better be *huff* made of pure gdamned Gold!

         When I went to school and chose a major, at one time, I selected philosophy. I did that because I saw myself as a truth seeker, and I was under the false impression that philosophy is the place where the big questions are asked. What I discovered beneath the looming philosophy blackboard covered in powdery white chalk was an entire science that is completely devoid of human experience. Using phrases like “epistemology” and “logical positivism,” the students would argue about the big questions like “what is the purpose of life?” “is there meaning?” and “are we just brains in a vat?”



When the conversation ended, both sides carried on with their lives without another thought. Does morality exist? one man would ask, “or is it simply a biological, socio economic construct?” He would posit that no, morality does not exist. He would then promptly rush out the door to attend a LGBT meeting because discrimination is wrong. Similarly, a student would make the grandest argument for the existence of a creator, and destroy his opponent in the most condescending and humiliating way possible. It was what philosophers call “Leisure.”

I spend my leisure time reading ontological proofs of Gods existence!

          Instead of asking “is morality God given or a biological construct?” the author asks something far more profound and far more moving. The author asks: “what does it look like in a person's life when he or she violates the moral code? How does that person cope? How do they change?” When this question is asked in the depths of an engaging plot, inside a dynamic character's life, the most peculiar thing happens: the reader changes too. We've all turned the final page of that old torn up paperback, held the book carefully, pinning the binding together so that those precious pages remain locked as stones in the book's mosaic. We've all lifted that book till made contact with our cheeks, inhaled that wondrous, old library smell, put it down on our bed, and said: I will never see love through the same eyes ever again.

Cause now I'm on team JACOB!

 Story has the power to change us. Story reveals the truth in a way that no theologian, scientist, or philosopher could ever reveal it.


         My friends, it's an undeniable fact that your audience is growing duller every day. No longer can you capture an audience with a powerful first page. Instead, you've got to capture your readers with a two sentence pitch and a helluva book cover. I worked in the writing center in college, and its a fact. The general public is barely literate. Western culture has declined and as has our attention span.

Squirrel!?! 

 This is where the story gets very, very sad. literature is not just some vehicle for entertainment- it is not “the layman's philosophy,” as my ethics professor said and it is not at all like a roller coaster. If you have ever been to an amusement park; if you've ever fearfully accepted the challenge of a mile long steel track that dips you, twirls you about, causes your heart to pound adrenaline through you like a pump, if you've ever partaken in such a life altering experience, you might have noticed an unfortunate truth. The cars hum right back into the same covered tent from whence they came. It goes nowhere.
It's good to recognize that people want a ride that takes their breath away. But why on earth don't we recognize that a roller coaster does not necessarily need to end up in the same place? Who wouldn't ride a roller coaster to work if they had the opportunity? I would be much more excited to go to work in the morning.


Who are we kidding? I would wingsuit base jump to work if that was an option.

 Excitement does not need to exclude meaning. Actually, I would posit that the two are mutually exclusive to a good story.

            David Corbett's central point in his speech that evening was that the human being is redefined in moments of deep and profound confusion. When a man is confronted with deep humiliation or guilt, his insipid “I'm a normal put together person” facade crashes to the ground. Behind this facade is a white sheet in splattered red letters that reads “I'm fucked up.” That man now, must face the fact that he is deeply broken. This is when those big questions that the philosophers ask matter. Not only that, but also in these moments, a written character ought to ask those questions because that's what human beings do. Thus, killing off a character's parent's is not a plot device. We don't go there because it “makes the character face something of a conundrum,” or because “we need more drama.” We do it because deep down, human beings are all seekers of truth. We love to see the facade fall down and grapple with meaning or the lack there of.
Alright my friends, here we go. It's example time.

          The Game of Thrones. The books were amazing and gripping, yes, but the TV show nailed it last Sunday. If you follow the show, all I need to say is this: Petyr Baelish.


This guy is my new favorite villain. For those of you who don't know his back story here it is: After his parents die they leave him with a noble title, but without any wealth or land, thus leaving him at the absolute bottom of the nobility hierarchy. Despite this fact, he falls in love with a noble woman. She is betrothed to another, and though he is a small man, he challenges her fiance to a duel. The stronger man soundly defeats him, but instead of killing him, he leaves him with a scar to remember his place. Most profound moment of shame—CHECK. We're still on a roller coaster, my friends, so far this is pretty dramatic stuff. Petyr, after this unhinging incident, broken down, shamed, wearing the mark of a “beta male,” makes an off page decision: “The only meaning in life is to “climb the ladder.”

See how that worked?
If you missed it, here's the formula:
Terrible event of profound shame and hurt – decision concerning life's meaning—character drama.
So how does this make for the most superb, terrifying, unhinging character drama that people watch the show for? This conversation right here:
Lord Varys:
“I did what I did for the good of the realm.”
Petyr Baelish:
“The realm? Do you know what the realm is? It's the thousand blades of Agon's enemies; a story we agree to tell each other, over and over and over till we forget that it's a lie.”
Lord Varys:
“And what do we have left when we abandon the lie? Chaos. A gaping pit waiting to swallow us all.”
cue scary music.
Petyr Baelish:
“Chaos isn't a pit. Chaos is a ladder.”
slow pan over his prostitute who informed on him, she is tied to a bed and shot full of arrows.
“Many who try to climb it fail and never get to try again. The fall breaks them. Some have a chance to climb, but they refuse, they cling to the realm, or the gods, or love. ILLUSIONS. Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is.”


           BOOM. That my beautiful authors is a terrifying villain. He's terrifying not because he kills prostitutes, but because he makes us ask the question “is he right?” He makes us ask an unhinging, life changing question: “Is that really all there is? Am I just clinging to illusions?” The roller coaster that is the Game of Thrones just took all its viewers to a new place.

           Thus, my friends, Entertainment and depth cannot be believably separated. I as a reader, am unbelievably tired of reading novels that don't take me anywhere. I know, however, many of you are thinking, “well if that's what you love, then go read literary stuff. Go read the classics, I'm writing a mid grade fantasy for the masses.” Pause for me while I go wrench my guts out... literally and metaphorically at the same time. So here's the deal. To accept that some people just don't enjoy depth is like saying some dogs don't like to lick themselves. Are we human beings or are we beasts? If you want to sell a shit ton of books, let your readers get off the ride in a different place than where they got on. Yes, in order to do this, you might have to get a little crazy. As David Corbet says: “You may need to tell yourself: Okay, I’m going to risk being wild and insane and black and grand. I’m going to write from where my fear is. Make sure your own heart is beating fast. Make sure you really, truly care.” Write us something powerful. Please.

4 comments:

DFW Con

10:02 PM Marcellino DAmbrosio 1 Comments


Dfw writers conference this weekend was awesome. Here are the bullet points:


  • Wear bowties more often. Nuff said.


Nothing says "read my book" like a frikkin studdly bowtie
  • From a class on detail, I just strait up do too much of that. I need to stop trying to amaze everyone with my epic turn of phrase and poetics and actually say tell you guys whats happening. No one cares how deep a crimson the sunset is or how it blends with the fiery hue's of a forest in autumn unless some dude just took a sword to his gut.
    And/or is consumed by a gigantic spongebob inflatable

  • I naively attended the session labled how to write a good love scene. What it actually should have been called was: “how to write a steamy sex scene.” Needless to say, it was quite... ehem... informational. In fact, so much so that I'm going to need sub bullet points for this guy.

    - When writing a sex scene, one writes until the change in the character occurs. The classic “fade to a random sunset after they kiss” bit only works if the drama of the occasion has already taken place. So. A really good example of this is Daenerys and Khal Drogo's wedding night in the game of thrones. You really get to see the tender side of Khal Drogo when he touches her. In that scene, things start to change for Daenerys, the scared girl starts to accept her crown here. You could never have seen the drama if it had faded to horses on the Dothraki plains right after the wedding.

    "No... no, Dave! Not that o..... shit."


    - There were two whole power point pages on how to get over “My mother is going to read this” syndrome. The central counter to this particular issue seemed to be the following argument: Your mother has had sex. Probably with your dad. The end.

    - Loves scenes must have lots and lots of tension or else they aren't compelling. There must be at least one serious obstacle—you're a vampire and could possibly eat me if we get it on—or else it sucks. Apparently its the same as in real life. Who knew?


  • The unexamined life is worthless to a writer. David Corbett, the keynote speaker, spoke at the evening cocktail party on the importance of self examination. The writer's entire purpose is the peal back the veil on the human condition. We write to reveal the truth. “What does it mean to be human?” every writer eats, sleeps, and breaths this question. The key, he said, to real, solid characters is to know that the cheerleaders greatest moment of shame was when she threw up all over her shoes. That her greatest moment of guilt was when she almost had the abortion. That the time she was the most free and alive was when she saw her little sister win the dance contest. The moments where one is most helpless or unable to understand are the moments that define us as people. The journey to good authorship, then, is to first accept and understand your own. This insight was so profound. As a youth minister, I'm constantly trying to get kids to open up and “share their shit.” I do this, because when you go there, when you return to those times of deep hurt or extreme joy, two things happen. Firstly, the question “what does it mean to be human?” cannot help but be asked. Secondly, two people who would have otherwise been completely indifferent towards one another, suddenly share a deep bond as a result. The discovery “you are human too,” comes like an echo.
    I wrote a whole post about this here if you're interested.

  • I really want to finish Guardians. The story just demands to be written. It's coming my friends. It's coming.   

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