God Is In Control! So?

I was sitting in my chair, looking out the window at the squirrels running up and down the tree, when I “got to thinking”. There are all kinds of people who, on the “Bell Curve”, ranging from unbelievers on one end to devout believers in Christianity on the other, who sincerely believe in life after death, when they will live forever with Almighty God in Heaven. They believe God is in control, don’t worry, everything will “come out all right”. I share that too. I am told there are those who have given up everything, gone up onto a hill and are waiting the second coming. Now, I’m not so sure about that. My question is, “when is ‘everything coming out all right’ going to happen—before I die or afterwards?”

Moving right along, assuming “everything is going to come out all right”—God is in control; am I to sit and continue to watch the squirrels run up and down the tree or “get off my duff”, go to work, and “earn my bread by the sweat of my brow” as instructed by God in the Book of Genesis? The additional commands of Jesus for me to “go into the world and spread His Word” notwithstanding, am I to improve my position in life and that of my family through hard work, education, and participation in society as a responsible citizen, caring about the affairs of my country and the world; or, again, do I just leave it to God—He’s in control?

I know God is going to take care of me in the life to come, but what about this life? Do I not have to worry “in the now”? I never hear a preacher preach about this. In meetings where we discuss various problems in the church, our homes, our lives, country, etc., I not infrequently hear somebody say, “God’s in charge. Don’t worry. He’ll take care of it”. You know what? That scares me to death (sometimes). Let me remind you. Nero soaked Christians in oil and burned them at the stake, and it’s hard to find anyone more loyal to Christ than them. So why should we feel carefree and fearless in this life just because “God is in charge”? Do we not have to be concerned and responsible citizens in this life while we are still here, or do we just turn our back on our worldly responsibilities leaving them to God?

What do you think?

Respectfully,

 

Ronald Miller

www.sageobserver.blogspot.com

 

Cutting Payroll Taxes

President Trump has announced that he is going to pursue a stimulus to our economy in order to cope with its present decline resulting from the Corona Virus and the oil war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. As part of his stimulus, he proposes a cut in payroll taxes—an extremely shortsighted and unwise decision, to say the least. Just listening to this recalls to my mind the words of the great French economist, Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850) in his discussion of “That Which is Seen, and That Which is Not Seen”:

“In the department of economy, an act, a habit, an institution, a law, gives birth not only to an effect, but to a series of effects. Of these effects, the first only is immediate: it manifests itself simultaneously with its cause — it is seen. The others unfold in succession — they are not seen: it is well for us, if they are foreseen. Between a good and a bad economist this constitutes the whole difference — the one takes account of the visible effect; the other takes account both of the effects which are seen, and also of those which it is necessary to foresee. Now this difference is enormous, for it almost always happens that when the immediate consequence is favourable, the ultimate consequences are fatal, and the converse. Hence it follows that the bad economist pursues a small present good, which will be followed by a great evil to come, while the true economist pursues a great good to come, — at the risk of a small present evil.”

Reducing payroll taxes to stimulate the economy is easy. It is popular and readily acceptable to those on the receiving end; but, from whence does the money come to pay our Social Security and Medicare? Does it come out of the air? I don’t think so, and I suspect neither do you. How about when the time comes to reinstate these tax cuts? How popular and readily acceptable will that be then? How much harder will it be for our Representatives and Senators in the Congress to sell to the people?

Let us pursue this a little further. It is common knowledge that present payments into the fund are insufficient, and tax collections must be increased in order for the fund to remain solvent. How acceptable will that be? Now, when you add this increase to the reinstatement above, how much more difficult will that be to achieve? Are we just going to let our Social Security fund go broke?

But we are not only talking about Social Security. Also included in those payroll deductions are payments for Medicare. Although not frequently discussed, it too is common knowledge, i.e. everybody knows it or should, that Medicare is insufficiently funded. In fact, it is a major contributor to our annual government deficit and, therefore, national debt.

If our long range intent is to keep and improve these benefits for the good of our people, it would seem to me that cutting these payroll deductions to stimulate an already over-stimulated economy (One should note that the preponderance of spending by our country and our people is supported by borrowing, i.e. national debt, credit cards, mortgages, student loans, auto financing, payday loans at 100% interest plus, etc.) is, to say the least, very unwise and short-sighted.

On the other hand, if our plan is to eliminate Social Security and Medicare, this is the way to go. It’s a sure winner.

Hmm… This brings to mind the sayings of Forrest Gump. “You never know what you’re going to get when you open a box of chocolates” I think he also said, “Stupid is as stupid does”.

Also, I am compelled to quote the famous words of William Shakespeare in his play Julius Caesar, when Caesar is warned by the soothsayer to “beware the Ides of March”.

Respectfully,

Ronald Miller