Rejecting Economic Wisdom

I know, I know, the barter system was not really efficient. Sure. There are days, however, when I think it might be worth a try. All the price gouging that is occurring (often in the name of inflation and recession) makes me long for something better. I am not an economist so I cannot possibly tell what the way is to recover our economic stability (though the Catholic teaching of distributism sure would seem to be workable!).

How often today are we forced to "look for deals" and be worried about cheap products? Is it almost daily? I was comparing the property I live on with another property for sale nearby just this morning. I realized how hard it would be to purchase property now that the market has had a steep price increase. Is the land really worth that much? I do not know, but I do know that the people who are in charge of our economy clearly do not have much care for the average citizen.

I believe it was Oscar Wilde who once said: “A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” Prices and actual value (not merely perceived value to the consumer) are not the same thing, and they are not interchangeable. Think about the salary of a big time football player, and compare that with how much a teacher makes; it is clear which our society "values" more!

Quite often, when society turns its back on God, the economic situation takes a turn for the worse; and that is what we are seeing today. Those running for the office of President of these USA all think that they have the best fix for our economy. The problem, once again, is that they are trying to fix a broken system with broken tools. The clear Catholic principles of distributism, subsidiarity, and solidarity are not being considered even as options.

In the meantime, the American citizens are suffering through this. Let us pray that our Lord grants our politicians repentance, and that He give us all wisdom to see a better way to do this. Let us ask God to pour out His mercy on us (even though we know we do not deserve it).