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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";
color:black'>Not Going to Run Out</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'><br>
<b>Topic: </b>Obama Nation Building<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p>Now I have outlined in a previous post the fact that incentives are
inescapable. It is not whether finite creatures will have them, but which incentives
they will have. They will respond to various incentives according to their
nature, according to the moral condition of their heart and head. You cannot
lure a hungry horse over to the fence with bacon. Those who are interested in
pursuing the theology of this (as you ought to be) should check out John
Piper's work in <i>Desiring God</i>, and C.S. Lewis' great argument in <i>Reflections
on the Psalms</i>. <u>This really is a fundamental issue in all human ethics.
Grasping this theological point is foundational to a right understanding of
economics.<o:p></o:p></u></p>
<p>My point is a step beyond this, however. I am arguing that because we have
not learned what true human desire should look like (in its pursuit of God), we
do not and cannot know what human desire should look like anywhere else. If we
do not understand love for God, then how can we understand love for our
neighbor? <i>The two go together</i>, the Scriptures remind us. We are all
screwed up when it comes to questions of desire, hunger, want, ambition <i>and
tax incentives </i>because of our apostasy. We don't know how to want anything
righteously anymore.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>And the nation doesn't know what to do in these matters because the Church
has led the way in this folly -- acting as though righteousness consisted of
taking good things away, instead of really wanting the really good things,
passionately, devotedly, more than anything else. Lewis says, rightly, that our
problem is that our desire is simply far too anemic. We are far too easily
pleased.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>And this is why, at the end of the day, people (grown-ups, with drivers' licenses
and everything) can seriously propose policies with glaring disincentives
printed in block letters on the first page of the bill, and then be surprised
when people act in accordance with those disincentives. The problem is not
"math stupidity" -- the problem is moral, theological, and personal.
It is not an IQ problem; it is the result of believing lies about God. And the
world <i>believes </i>lies about God because the Church (too often) <i>preaches
</i>lies about God. But if we turn back to Scripture, we should discover that
this was not our assigned task.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>In the meantime, politicians will continue to jack up the taxes on
corporations, and be surprised when those corporations relocate to another
state without those taxes. The federal government will require them to cap
carbon emissions, and will lecture them sternly when they move their factories
to those nations which the federal government expressly exempted from those
caps. They will levy a hefty fine (excuse me, I meant to say <i>tax</i>) on
those who earn over "enter amount here," and then be astonished when
people refuse to go over that line (or refuse to report that they have done
so). They will create an enormous industry dedicated to the eradication of
poverty, not realizing that they have created an industry the existence of
which depends upon the continuation of poverty. And so on.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>They do not understand incentives. They do not understand incentives because
they do not understand blessings and curses. They do not understand blessings
and curses because they do not know that God is triune, and that at the
Father's right hand is a torrent of pleasure forevermore. They do not
understand that we are not going to run out. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";
color:black'>Posted by Douglas Wilson </span></i><i><span style='font-size:
7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>- 4/14/2009 9:33:57 AM</span></i><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> | <a
href="http://www.dougwils.com/Print.asp?Action=Anchor&CategoryID=1&BlogID=6480"><span
style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Print this post</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><a name=posts40333></a><a name=posts></a><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:black'>Eric G. Brown<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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