The Demon We Know

by Gordon Cooper

From Broader View Weekly, June 24, 2010

When we see the heartbreaking images of oil-drenched beaches, suffering wildlife and lost jobs from the tragic oil well explosion and subsequent oil leak, we tend to react emotionally, as well we should. We are emotional creatures and carry an empathetic feature within our complex and wonderful design as human beings. We also carry an innate desire for justice – a sense that somewhere, somehow, justice must be meted out and equity should be established. That is why our governments were instituted and our laws were written. It is essential, therefore, that we determine root causes and establish who or what was to blame and eventually attempt to make corrections within the system and measure out sufficient punishment for those at fault. This is the proper and mandated response.

Another response, as illustrated by my fellow columnist, is to go from the particular to the general. In other words, when encountering specific acts of avarice, fraud, deception, reckless disregard for human life, profit-at-all-costs, short-cutting and shoddy business practices, we categorize the entire system as faulty and in need of radical transformation.

To argue from the specific to the general is to disregard the laws of logic and to demonize the capitalistic system because it has failed to fulfill the dreams of every American is to open the door for even more destructive demons.

Just as in Jesus’ story of the unclean spirit which, after being driven from a man, returns to find a clean, swept house, “Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other demons more wicked than himself; and they enter in and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” (Luke 11:26 KJV) If we were to drive out the “demon” of free market capitalism, we would only be cleaning up the house for a more repressive, unresponsive, unaccountable and cruel tribe of demons called socialism, statism, collectivism and eventually to the most cruel demon of all – atheistic Marxism.

My brother makes the argument that the rags to riches story is an exception and the majority of Americans live lives of unfulfilled dreams and he ends his essay with the conclusion that “Without real reform, the American dream is dead.” It is claims such as these that strike fear in my heart and questions in my mind.

Some questions I would ask of Keith and any others who share his beliefs are:

1. If Capitalism and the Free Market Economy is to be replaced, with which system would you replace it? Would you institute collectivism, such as that attempted by the collective agriculture system of the former U.S.S.R.? If so, please tell me how you would prevent the utter failures experienced by those under that system.

2. If corporations, taken as a whole, (which you have done in your essay) are inherently evil entities driven by profit above ethics and greed above safety, how would you replace the incentive that has brought us such remarkable innovations, luxuries and medical and military advances? Can you point to a state-controlled industry that has produced similar products and services as produced by the private sector for a lower price and at a higher quality? I am not about to become a disciple of Michael Douglas’ character, Gordon Gecko in Wall Street who smugly claimed that “Greed is good”, but I do believe that the drive for self-interest and the survival instinct we have been endowed with by our Creator can be powerful forces that compel us to produce a better product at a cheaper price. That force is in short supply within the governmental bureaucracy. We all know the stories of dealing with governmental agencies in which the employees have no compulsion to produce or competition from the marketplace.

3. If the increased number of government jobs – applauded by Obama as proof of the Stimulus’ effectiveness – is such a boon to the economy, why did the stock market react negatively to the news? Could it be because one average government job requires at least three to four full-time private sector jobs to pay for that person’s wages and benefits? The corporation is the best tool to pull us out of a recession – not governmental spending.

4. If “Obama and the government” were to eliminate tax cuts and assess penalties to corporations who outsource labor overseas, what would prevent those corporations from pulling out of the U.S. altogether? The present global economy makes it possible and profitable to choose the most business-friendly location for corporate headquarters, and if that location is out of reach of the IRS, no corporate taxes would be available, so I believe some is better than none.

In conclusion, I am not defending BP or any other corporation that was criminally negligent or knowingly put workers or the environment at risk by unsafe practices or profit-driven ideals. I am not saying Capitalism is the perfect system. I am not saying the market is always right and should be free of all governmental controls. I am saying that all human systems are destined to be imperfect and inequitable because humans are imperfect and inequitably created. I am saying that we need to be careful of removing one demon in favor of seven worse demons.