Economics and western messianics

By Johnny D. Symon

When French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, first entered office on a large mandate, many French voters saw him as their new hope, the savior of their day. Though soon into his term he proved that his heart and mind were situated elsewhere in the world, and while he did make a few inroads into France's multifaceted ailment, they were secondary to his primary aim of playing god abroad. With all that's said and done, and in spite of his mandate, France today enters into a general strike.

England's Tony Blair entered 10 Downing Street as England's savior on a strong voters mandate too, yet on leaving office, what most expected to see as his legacy became nothing more than residue, the so-called United Kingdom became a Uniting point for radical Islam, and the dregs of foreign humanity. The economic miracle most hoped for under Blair was short lived, lacking genuine and concrete substance.

And G W Bush failed to break that mold. That much hoped for "economic miracle" failed to transpire, then down G W went into the darkest recesses of Western political history.

You see the truth is that Western politics is in the grip of the spirit of failure. En masse Western leaders of the late 20th through early 21st Century not only fail miserably in the eyes of those who trusted them, they tend to fail quickly and decisively, and the people drop one failed messiah for another, and round it goes.

Spain's default terrorists-choice President, Zapatero, entered the fray simply because the terrorists dictated so three days before the election of March 14, 2004. Yet for all the high hopes of Spain's deluded and tricked electorate, that he would reverse the trend of perceived foreign interference, and set about taking care of the economy, he did the exact opposite. He stationed more Spanish troops in more foreign countries than ever before in the history of so-named "Spanish democracy." And the economy is in the gravest position in history too.

Spanish unemployment is the dead weight of Europe, which prompted Zapatero recently to offer the only answer that Western political leaders of this "howdy dowdy age" can muster, which is to throw taxpayers money at everything that moves. Zappo's pledged to give 8 billion dollars to Spain's autonomous regions in order to provide work projects.

Now 8 billion dollars might seem like a whole load of dough, but if you cut it 3.2 million ways the said figure, being in fact Spain's unemployed, at least according to government figures, this money is far less than a drop in the ocean. It's not even a drop in the pond, for it equates as 2,500 bucks per non-working dude. But not before local government take their share, and share his take with local building supply groups, and similar entities on their "bought" list. I reckon that the final sum laid out to give each idle worker a piece of the action, will be around 800 bucks, meaning that his happy foray into the world of work will prove to be no longer than three days at most.

8 billion dollars to provide Spain's unemployed with three days of work is hardly the way to go, especially since I've heard from those in the know that the work involved involves the building of fountains and footpaths, and little playgrounds for kids.

Now here's a point. I was brought up with a tried and tested principle, and it always bears fruit, and here it is ... You only spend money to make money. But if you spend money to make only three days of sweat, it's wasted money. How can a new fountain entice more tourists into a region? What's it's profit value compared to building a small beach restaurant to employ some local folks during the tourist season, or a small workshop employing local unemployed craftsmen and their apprentices. Or a local market center selling the produce of local farmers at affordable prices for the community.

That's where 8 billion dollars could become 12 to 15 in five years, by aiming it at productive minded people. It's called generating wealth. Spending money to make money.

Last Monday night on Spain's TVE1 Channel, Zapatero had his second try at the live peoples forum entitled "Tengo una pregunta para usted." I wrote about his first attempt two years back, in the ed "Ignorance is blitz," highlighting the fact that out of 42 questions presented he failed to answer any of them properly. For those new to the Spanish language, both "Tengo una pregunta para usted" that Zappo attended can be translated, "Boy do I have some questions for you, you lowdown stupid and crazy communist moron!"

This time round Zappo really excelled at being himself. A young catholic priest asked him if he believed that an unborn child was "un ser humano, un individuo," in his mind. But Zappo failed to answer, instead he went on about how he felt it was unfair to penalize women in the courts for having abortions. The fact that he refused to answer the question correctly was habit forming. One and a half hours and 40 questions later, the peoples forum were still in the dark, and the program drew to an end.

Then yesterday morning on Antena 3 "Espejo Publico," presentadora Susana Griso offered her own version of "Tengo una pregunta para usted." She invited on a 75-year old Spanish blogger named Leopoldo Abadía. Leopoldo spent his whole working life as an engineer, then things took a turn when he began blogging because his style and presentation on politics and economics were firmly in the "common horse sense" mode. He found that en masse the people loved his style, for he presents complex problems with simple terms and even simpler solutions, such as deriding Zappo's throw money at everything philosophy through stating that it was like a family deeply in debt, and heavily in depression, saying, "I know what. Let's paint the house pink, then we'll all feel happier." This, he said, is not the way to solve financial problems.

Very quickly old Leopoldo is becoming a Spanish hero, a voice of the people, and boy don't he have a sense of humor. Humor is also sorely lacking in highbrow politics and politicians. One person asked him yesterday if he believed there was any system that did not leave the average family still in the red, and he said there wasn't. Forget about looking to government for help in this crisis, just deal with it by trusting yourself ... whatever it takes, just work, how about building a "chiringuito" (snack bar) on the local beach, even if it's "submerged" (illegal,) and do some business.

On that point, a point I support, I have some recent news, for in Andalusia the other day, an unemployed family man who was caught by the Civil Guard using net snares to catch rabbits in order to feed his family, found himself fined 24,000 dollars for catching 4 rabbits. And that's a fact! Wild rabbits are varmints, as I'm sure we all know, however, wild lawmakers are the biggest varmints of all.

"The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be
taken in the devices that they have imagined.
For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth
the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth."
— Psalms 10:2,3

For me the above verses say it all, about our failed Western political leadership, for during the present crisis they've performed both items outlined in Psalms. As they lay down billions of dollars in handouts to bankers and institutions, they penalize the poor for trying to make ends meet.

A deep crisis should be tackled with novel measures, such as abolishing personal income tax, and lowering business taxes. Instead, tax dollars are given to the wrong people, and money continues to flutter off to foreign parts as a "god abroad" benevolence program. None of it makes sense on a national scale, for its spending money that's not their's in the first place, with no hope of making money with it on behalf of its rightful owners.

I choose to regard and view Western leaders of the present day as "Olivers-round -the-Twist" ... they've got to pick a pocket or two in order to feel right; it's the political "feel right factor" of the 21stCentury, defying the nose on logic's face, that especially during a deep crisis national needs should overtake everything international, and people must be permitted a chance to take more care of themselves and their family. Personal tax should go, and bureaucracy that makes life costly and difficult for those trying to start a new business, should go too. None of it costs money, but all of it would result one way or another in profit.

Again and again, over the past few years, I've cited and promoted Deuteronomy 15 as the only way to build and preserve a nation. Recent events have simply reinforced my view, that until a nation turns around and chooses Deuteronomy 15 as its economic program, we'll all continually be plagued by the ins and the outs of Western messianic failures.

© Johnny D. Symon