Criticism is prejudice made plausible.
HL Mencken
Tweet of the Day
@Pontifex needs to focus less on political matters like the economy and the environment, which are beyond his competence,more on repentence.
— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) September 21, 2015
@realDonaldTrump has excuses why he didn't rebuke an anti-Muslim. Remember McCain rebuking anti-Obama talk to boos?http://t.co/8rQeEtrV5d
— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) September 21, 2015
When Swiss bishops discuss coping with old-fashioned ideals of marriage and family, @Pontifex has higher priorities. https://t.co/S5hdFsEo17
— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) September 22, 2015
Image of the Day |
| Via Press for Truth |
Facebook Corner
(responding to anti-capitalist and environment trolls to my comment on yesterday's George Will post on Pope Francis)
I would expect that the economically illiterate anti-capitalist trolls like [troll 1] would deliberately ignore the fact that capitalism, not Catholicism or any other cause including economic fascism in the Western democracies, has been responsible for bringing hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and into the middle class. As to the other troll, [troll 2], no, regurgitating environmentalist propaganda does not make the pontiff right about anything, not to mention his ignorant anti-capitalist rhetoric, which all of us with a functioning brain knows is a manifestation of ignorance. Economics is the science of scarcity. Arguing that businesses are insensitive to ecological considerations is ideological claptrap; two of the biggest polluters on the planet have been the socialist paradises of the twentieth century, the USSR and China. Government is the problem, not the solution.
Capitalism and Imperialism work until people are taxed and worked to death for less pay while the rich get richer and while hypocrite phony Christians sit by and do nothing because they don't have the guts to speak out.
This goes beyond economic illiteracy into outight delusion. Listen, asshole, we don't live in a static zero-sum economy. The poor in America take for granted conveniences even the wealthiest could only dream of a century ago and unavailable at any price. Businesses succeed when they make goods and services available to as many consumers as possible--and this means low prices and greater varieties. Why the hell should you care, you morally corrupt bastard, if people get rich by raising the standard of living for ALL consumers?
(Catholic Libertarians). Pink-Haired Papist "Jesus was a liberal!" No, he was an early first century Nazarean Jew whose political views related to the political climate of his time are so foreign to our understanding of politics and our experiences as 21st century Americans it is impossible to put him in one of the very limited number of boxes our polarized political climate permits.
No, Jesus was not a political liberal (vs. an economic or classical liberal). He spoke of individual responsibility, not collective redistribution. He believed in free will. He specifically rebuked the envious brother who wanted him to redistribute his father's inheritance; He fled from those who would make him king; He rebuked the devil who promised Him worldly power and riches. Charity is a voluntary prayer to God by recognizing His likeness in others temporarily down on their luck. It's not a rationalization to covet your neighbor's goods (the Politics of Envy) and to steal them. Jesus would never tolerate morally hazardous policy which creates a government dependency class--reread the parables of the coins. What Jesus said is not that wealth is evil but if in the pursuit of wealth, whether you lose sight of your greater obligation to God.
(Libertarian Catholic). Judge Andrew Napolitano: "The essence of libertarianism is the primacy of the individual over the state and absolute freedom of the individual to make his or her own choices," Napolitano explains. "That's also the teachings of Jesus Christ: 'I have come to set you free.'"
Pope Francis is probably personally closer to free market anarchist than any -ism, save Catholicism. To suggest the Pope doesn't "understand" economics or capitalism is ridiculous (and I'm a fan of the good judge). The Pope speaks from an extremely unique perspective that isn't centered on the US, which most of us in the US assume.
LC is too kind to the OP. AnCap my ass! Pope Francis is a pedestrian "progressive" who, in his recent exhortation, actually praised the political whore profession and he repeated the historical social darwinism smear of Herbert Spencer. He's totally for using political means to control what he regards as the injustices of a free market run amok.
Political Cartoon
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| Courtesy of the original artist by IPI |
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| Courtesy of Jerry Holbert via Townhall |
Lionel Richie, "Love Will Conquer All"
