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Can A Whole In The Ground Be Productive?
Our Threatened Freedom
Can A Whole In The Ground Be Productive? (03:20)
R.J. Rushdoony
Listen to Episode
Transcript:
R.J. Rushdoony: 00:00 Can a hole in the ground to be productive? This is R.J. Rushdoony, with a report on Our Threatened Freedom.
R.J. Rushdoony: 00:08 Throughout American history, we have had an element in the population, very much opposed the puritan work ethic. Instead of holding to useful work as the key to productivity and prosperity, many have had a variety of gimmicks to suggest as an easy way to national wealth. More than a few have insisted that printing more money would create more wealth. Instead, of course, it creates more inflation.
R.J. Rushdoony: 00:35 Others have believed that prosperity would come and poverty disappear, by means of the passing of laws. If this works, why not pass laws to abolish sin and death? In 1874, Richard Shell, a Wall Street stock speculator, became a member of Congress. Shell had a solution for the economic problems of his day. He wanted the federal government to dig a canal from New York to San Francisco.
R.J. Rushdoony: 01:05 This would have been quite a task, considering that in 1874 only horse drawn earth moving equipment existed to tunnel through the Rockies. Shell wanted greenbacks to be printed to finance the project. More recently, in 1936, in the general theory of employment, interest and money, Keynes wrote, and I quote, “To dig holes in the ground, paid for out of savings will increase not only our employment, but the real national dividend of useful goods and services.”
R.J. Rushdoony: 01:45 Remember, since at least 1932. Keynes theories have governed the Western world and the United States, and also other nations as well. As a result, we have had all kinds of nonproductive federal spending. The idea being that any such spending will automatically bring about prosperity no matter how useless the cause. Because Keynes’ idea of prosperity through useless holes in the ground projects, we have hundreds of federal agencies, which exists merely to spend money. If Keynes was right, then our farmers are foolish, wasting time and money, planting crops which bad weather can destroy.
R.J. Rushdoony: 02:37 Instead, it would be much safer, simply to plow the ground and ask for a subsidy to do so. As a matter of fact, under the influence of Keynes, this is exactly what the federal government began to do some years ago. Farmers were paid for not planting anything. Remember, Keynes believed that digging useless holes in the ground would in his own words, “Increase, not only employment, but the real national dividend of useful goods and services.” Our politicians believed him. No wonder we are in trouble. This has been RJ Rushdoony with a report on Our Threatened Freedom.
Rev. R.J. Rushdoony (1916–2001), was a leading theologian, church/state expert, and author of numerous works on the application of Biblical law to society. He started the Chalcedon Foundation in 1965. His Institutes of Biblical Law (1973) began the contemporary theonomy movement which posits the validity of Biblical law as God’s standard of obedience for all. He therefore saw God’s law as the basis of the modern Christian response to the cultural decline, one he attributed to the church’s false view of God’s law being opposed to His grace. This broad Christian response he described as “Christian Reconstruction.” He is credited with igniting the modern Christian school and homeschooling movements in the mid to late 20th century. He also traveled extensively lecturing and serving as an expert witness in numerous court cases regarding religious liberty. Many ministry and educational efforts that continue today, took their philosophical and Biblical roots from his lectures and books.
Learn more about R.J. Rushdoony by visiting: https://chalcedon.edu/founder
The post Can A Whole In The Ground Be Productive? appeared first on Rushdoony Radio.
View all episodes
By Rousas John RushdoonyOur Threatened Freedom
Can A Whole In The Ground Be Productive? (03:20)
R.J. Rushdoony
Listen to Episode
Transcript:
R.J. Rushdoony: 00:00 Can a hole in the ground to be productive? This is R.J. Rushdoony, with a report on Our Threatened Freedom.
R.J. Rushdoony: 00:08 Throughout American history, we have had an element in the population, very much opposed the puritan work ethic. Instead of holding to useful work as the key to productivity and prosperity, many have had a variety of gimmicks to suggest as an easy way to national wealth. More than a few have insisted that printing more money would create more wealth. Instead, of course, it creates more inflation.
R.J. Rushdoony: 00:35 Others have believed that prosperity would come and poverty disappear, by means of the passing of laws. If this works, why not pass laws to abolish sin and death? In 1874, Richard Shell, a Wall Street stock speculator, became a member of Congress. Shell had a solution for the economic problems of his day. He wanted the federal government to dig a canal from New York to San Francisco.
R.J. Rushdoony: 01:05 This would have been quite a task, considering that in 1874 only horse drawn earth moving equipment existed to tunnel through the Rockies. Shell wanted greenbacks to be printed to finance the project. More recently, in 1936, in the general theory of employment, interest and money, Keynes wrote, and I quote, “To dig holes in the ground, paid for out of savings will increase not only our employment, but the real national dividend of useful goods and services.”
R.J. Rushdoony: 01:45 Remember, since at least 1932. Keynes theories have governed the Western world and the United States, and also other nations as well. As a result, we have had all kinds of nonproductive federal spending. The idea being that any such spending will automatically bring about prosperity no matter how useless the cause. Because Keynes’ idea of prosperity through useless holes in the ground projects, we have hundreds of federal agencies, which exists merely to spend money. If Keynes was right, then our farmers are foolish, wasting time and money, planting crops which bad weather can destroy.
R.J. Rushdoony: 02:37 Instead, it would be much safer, simply to plow the ground and ask for a subsidy to do so. As a matter of fact, under the influence of Keynes, this is exactly what the federal government began to do some years ago. Farmers were paid for not planting anything. Remember, Keynes believed that digging useless holes in the ground would in his own words, “Increase, not only employment, but the real national dividend of useful goods and services.” Our politicians believed him. No wonder we are in trouble. This has been RJ Rushdoony with a report on Our Threatened Freedom.
Rev. R.J. Rushdoony (1916–2001), was a leading theologian, church/state expert, and author of numerous works on the application of Biblical law to society. He started the Chalcedon Foundation in 1965. His Institutes of Biblical Law (1973) began the contemporary theonomy movement which posits the validity of Biblical law as God’s standard of obedience for all. He therefore saw God’s law as the basis of the modern Christian response to the cultural decline, one he attributed to the church’s false view of God’s law being opposed to His grace. This broad Christian response he described as “Christian Reconstruction.” He is credited with igniting the modern Christian school and homeschooling movements in the mid to late 20th century. He also traveled extensively lecturing and serving as an expert witness in numerous court cases regarding religious liberty. Many ministry and educational efforts that continue today, took their philosophical and Biblical roots from his lectures and books.
Learn more about R.J. Rushdoony by visiting: https://chalcedon.edu/founder
The post Can A Whole In The Ground Be Productive? appeared first on Rushdoony Radio.