Music Night, Field Trip, Capitalism

Thankful for about 1/2 inch of scattered showers this week. And the rainbow that followed. 

A class from Emory & Henry came out to the farm for a field trip on Monday. With Amy finishing filling coolers for her delivery to Chilhowie and Abingdon that afternoon, I was guiding most of the field trip. A humbling reminder of how not-so-good at talking I am. Ha. Hopefully it was a good experience for the students. 

Hasten and I caught and crated three shelters worth of chickens from the field on Tuesday for Wednesday’s harvest. 176 more chickens in the freezer. We cut up 100 of them. A lighter crew this week, but a diligent crew consisting of my mom, aunt, uncle, Bella Jane, Amy, and our four kids. It was a fine day. Thankful to be able to work together. 

The day got even better than evening as my cousin Ray brought over his grandsons to do some bluegrass picking and singing. With daylight hours get shorter, we’ve been trying to get together once a week if our schedules allow. Right now I’d say our music nights are somewhere in between making a joyful noise and making a racket, but the kids are sounding a little better each week. Even if they never get any better, I can’t think of a better way to spend a fall evening. 

There’s always work to do. Sometimes we seem to live in this constant state of being overwhelmed and running behind. I’m sure this is not just a farming problem, it’s a life problem. Living in a rush and never catching up. This month I’ve intentionally tried to slow down by taking a walk everyday. It’s not a productive walk. It doesn’t help me get caught up on the farm or in life. But it is peaceful. I think more than anything to remind myself to appreciate the days. Because these days will pass. Like a blur. I know it’s a season of hustle, but I want to slow down enough to soak up the season. 

More from Time for a Turning Point by Charlie Kirk with Brent Hamachek. Much of his book is spent defending and advocating for capitalism. He starts by recognizing the arguments against free enterprise, such as corporate greed, noting that greed is present no matter what the economic system. Because free market transactions are mutually voluntary, capitalism keeps greed in check; whereas socializing the economy gives greed a position of power to exploit the marketplace. 

“Greed is a word associated with evil or even sin. Is it possible to believe that we will ever eliminate evil or sin in all people? Again, rhetorical. What is the best way to put evil in check? It is by creating a system where an evil person cannot gain an advantage over a descent person. Free enterprise is that system. With the government now controlling a larger and larger share of the economy, does anybody believe that none of the people working for the government is evil? Are none of them greedy? When people with bad intentions have the power of the law behind them, they can take advantage of others. When people with bad intentions are forced to operate in a free enterprise system, they cannot gain advantage over anyone without producing something that somebody wants.”

The more government interferes with free markets, the more creativity and incentive to work are removed from the economy. “Think about it. Would you study hard in your college classes to earn an A, even if you knew that once you earned it, that the grade would be dropped to a C so that another student could receive a C instead of an F? Income equality can never and should never be a goal.”

Are there problems in our economic system today? Yes. But those are not problems with capitalism. Those are problems produced by government interference with capitalism. 

“I do have to give the social justice opponents of capitalism some credit. They have managed to interfere with the fairest and most productive method for organizing economic activity, disrupt and damage it with their interference, and then repeatedly and successfully argue that in order to fix it, they need to interfere with it.”

“Turning to government to solve this problem ignorantly disregards the fact that government caused this problem.”

What does this have to do with farming? Everything. When selling raw milk is illegal but growing genetically modified corn is subsidized, the government interjects itself into both the farming and food industry. And not for the better. I’m an not opposed to farmer’s freedom to grow corn, but I don’t think the government should incentivize it. It the marketplace demands corn, farmers will grow it. For those who don’t want to drink raw milk, free markets do not force you to drink it. It simply gives you the option and the freedom to decide for yourself. 

I believe in the idea of freedom. Freedom comes with both risk and responsibility. I’d rather have the risk and responsibility that comes with freedom than to have the government making those decisions for me, even down to what I can or can’t eat.

What about those in need?

“Free enterprise alone provides the resources for a compassionate society to help those who are truly needy… Only capitalism can provide the abundance of surplus to properly care for those who cannot care for themselves. Charity directed by people in power, forcibly taking from the citizens to address social justice and help who they decide to help and how they decide to help them, is not charity; it is theft. It erodes the intensity of individuals called to help and can turn the virtue of charity in the giver into the curse of entitlement in the recipient. When someone in need benefits from an act of charity, they usually feel gratitude and want to somehow pay it forward when they become able… In a capitalistic system, we believe in helping others, not because we owe them, but because we love them as fellow individuals. Free enterprise is the the only cure for helping lift the truly needy to a place of safety and comfort.”

To sum up. To oppose capitalism is to oppose freedom. Period. 

“The free enterprise system is at the very core of what it means to be a free people. There is no human freedom without economic freedom… The alternative to capitalism is a government controlled economy where they tell you everything you can and cannot do.”

“A victimized populace becomes an entitled populace. An entitled populace becomes a dependent populace. A dependent populace votes people into office forever who will promise them free stuff. At Turning Point, we teach young people that it is better to have freedom than it is to have free stuff.”

Have a good week.

Will