How the love of stuff destroyed America

A friend of mine at the church sent this article over on the economy and particularly how we got to where we are.  It traces the roots of the generations through the 60's, 70's, 80's and into the present to show how one bad decision after another has snowballed because greed and the love of money, or as Augustine translated in his City of God, the love of acquisitiveness is the root of all evil.  I hope you enjoy.

Teaching Kids about money

Here's a post from the Wall Street Journal about teaching children about finances.

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgetingk/article/109200/the-15-money-rules-kids-should-learn?mod=bb-budgeting

Hayek versus Keynes - Financial Theory Rap

For those wanting to learn or understand the two opposing economic theories.  Here is a great 7 min video from you tube.  you can see it here.

The Grunch of Giants by Buckminster Fuller

GRoss Universal Cash Heist = GRUNCH.  Fuller believed that corporations exist in order to slowly or quickly, it matters not the speed, although fastest is best, transfer wealth from workers to the corporate owners.  Although, this is not the shareholder, they benefit a little, but it is the owners of the corporation who hide behind swiss bank accounts and who manage to control one another's boards and steal our money through inflation and price hikes.

His thesis continues with the belief that money always follows military, it is the military that is constantly innovating new technology on tax payer backs and then the GRUNCH comes along and convinces government to hand over all the rights to the technology in order for them to sell it to the public as well, effectively placing all R&D costs on the backs of the public who cannot enjoy the break throughs without paying for it a second time.  (Velcro, Satellites, cell phones...)  All of this limits the risk to the corporation by infintely extending their production capacity.  Their only cost is making the article now that we, the people, have paid for its research.

Furthermore, Fuller believed that there were two kinds of people: those out to make money and those out to help humanity.  He firmly believed the two couldn't go hand in hand for making money requires paying attention to certain social conditions and mores, but helping humanity steps beyond that and does what it can to help without concern for profit.

After thinking on his book for a few days, I am impressed with his insight.  Particularly with this thoughts about R&D, Military, Government and profitability.  They seem to me to be right on.  One other point of interest he raised was related to the last round of bailouts the US government performed in the 80's for Lockhead Martin (missile trigger maker) and Chrylser (Tank manufacturer).  Looking at our current bailouts, we have GM (Hummers), AIG (Insurer of Military Contractors and Subcontractors) and I would guess that the deeper we look, some of the other banking institutions have tight military connections and are therefore unloseable for national security purposes.

These are a few of my thoughts so far, more may come, then again, they might not.  I recommend the book highly.

40 Stewardship Questions

I just finished reading Randy Alcorn's book - Money, Possessions and Eternity. This is bar none, the best book on Christian stewardship which I have read for the practical, down to earth, rubber meets the road questions we have about handling our money and possessions. Filled with grace and offering no easy answers, Randy Alcorn provides wonderful exegetical insight into passages. He refuses to ignore the texts that don't fit into our nice theologies of give it all away or keep it as a blessing. Rather he asks plenty of questions calling us to evaluate our motives and our practical positions on a number of things like retirement, insurance, inheritance...

Here is an example of some of this insightful questions:

If my children would resent my giving money to your kingdom instead of leaving it for them, does that indicate they're not qualified to receive it? If so, why would I give them your money? If my investment manager died, what would I think if he left my money to his children? Does the fact that you entrusted your money to me, not others, indicate that you want me, during my lifetime, to invest it in eternity? Will you, in turn, provide my children with the money you expect them to manage?

His full list of FORTY QUESTIONS TO ASK GOD ABOUT YOUR GIVING follows: