Abstract In the United States, the economy is subject to a number of rules and regulations on the part of the Federal government. In principle, such governmental interference in the economic affairs of the people was unintended by the Founding Fathers, who clearly wanted the nation to have a pure laissez faire economy. However, when the drafters of the Constitution established these principles, they could not have possibly foreseen the explosive economic growth that was facilitated by the Industrial Revolution which occurred just a century later, as well as the massive increase in population that came about as a result of immigration. Thus, a certain level of governmental intervention in such a massive economy is not only necessary, but also somewhat desirable. However, when politics become extremely polarized, as they have in the last two decades, the national economy becomes battleground in which the political parties engage in warfare with one another. This paper will examine how the party platforms of both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party violate Biblical principles in their overreach into the economic affairs of the people.
Economic Analysis Essay
In the United States, the economy is subject to a number of rules and regulations on the part of the Federal government. In principle, such governmental interference in the economic affairs of the people was unintended by the Founding Fathers, who clearly wanted the nation to have a pure laissez faire economy. However, when the drafters of the Constitution established these principles, they could not have possibly foreseen the explosive economic growth that was facilitated by the Industrial Revolution which occurred just a century later, as well as the massive increase in population that came about as a result of immigration. Thus, a certain level of governmental intervention in such a massive economy is not only necessary, but also somewhat desirable. However, when politics become extremely polarized, as they have in the last two decades, the national economy becomes battleground in which the political parties engage in warfare with one another. This paper will examine how the party platforms of both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party violate Biblical principles in their overreach into the economic affairs of the people.
The Economic Violations of the Republican Party
With regards to the national economy, the Republican Party, in many regards seems to be the one that is best suited to oversee the financial affairs of the country. After all, the Republican Party has always been favorable to private enterprise, and has done whatever it can to keep governmental interference in the economy to a minimum. However, there is one major area of concern when it comes to the Republican Party platform and its incompatibility with Biblical principles, and that would be its position on taxation. In its zeal to encourage business ownership, and to ensure that hardworking individuals retain the rightful fruits of their labor, the Republican Party has worked to reduce income and investment gains tax rates wherever possible. However, the Republicans have been overly zealous in this endeavor, and the result has been that many of the wealthier members of our society pay an exceedingly small share of their annual income in taxes, and sometimes pay no taxes at all.
While many of us find paying taxes to be quite irksome, the Bible is very clear that all people have a duty to pay taxes for the upkeep of their government. For instance, in Matthew 22:15-22, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ makes it quite clear that we are expected to “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (NIV). Thus, all citizens of any state have a Biblical duty to provide funds for the support of the government, and the Republican Party disregards this truth, and does whatever they can to ensure that not all Americans are required to pay taxes.
The Economic Violations of the Democratic Party
In regards to governmental overreach in the national economy, the Democratic Party has often been regarded as the worse of the two parties when it comes to this Biblical violation. After all, the Democratic Party has been nicknamed the “tax and spend” party for good reason; often, the Democrats believe that they are doing social good with the excessive tax monies that they have collected over history (or would like to collect). However, the Democrats often pour these monies into politicized social programs that have questionable benefits for the moral fiber of the larger society (Klein & Stern, 2007). For instance, many in the Democratic Party would like to use Federal taxpayer dollars to fund reproductive services for Americans who wish to engage in sexually immoral practices.
However, in regards to direct violations of Biblical principles, the area in which the Democratic Party engages in the most egregious overreach is that of the provision of welfare to individuals who are perfectly able to work (Cohen, 2000). When it comes to this practice, the Bible is very clear that this action is not spiritually correct, and it can only lead to social decay. For instance, in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, Paul exhorts Christians that those who are unwilling to work should go without material support, and that idleness tends to produce people who have too much time on their hands, and go about creating trouble for others (NIV). Further, there are other passages in the Bible which make it quite clear that welfare should be restricted to individuals who are widows and orphans, and that all other members of a society should be expected to earn their keep. Thus, this aspect of the party platform of the Democratic Party is in blatant violation of Biblical principles.
Conclusion
With regards to governmental overreach in the national economy, the two major parties in the United States are not equal violators. Indeed, the Republican Party works to keep governmental interference in the economy to a minimum, whereas the Democratic Party would enforce a centralized, “planned economy,” if they could. However, when it comes to the violation of Biblical principles, both of the political parties engage in multiple offenses. In the instance of the Republican Party, its representatives are ignoring the mandate to ensure that citizens all pay their fair share of taxes, and that everyone renders unto Caesar, what is Caesar’s. On the other hand, the Democratic Party tries to engage in overly aggressive taxation, so that it can provide certain members of society with the means they require to live lives of sinful idleness.
- Cohen, S. D. (2000). The making of United States international economic policy: principles, problems, and proposals for reform. Boston: Greenwood Publishing Group.
- Fuller, D. A., Alston, R. M., & Vaughan, M. B. (1995). The split between political parties on economic issues: A survey of Republicans, Democrats, and economists. Eastern Economic Journal, 21(2), 227-238.
- Grossmann, M., & Hopkins, D. A. (2016). Asymmetric politics: Ideological Republicans and group interest Democrats. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Klein, D. B., & Stern, C. (2007). Is There a Free‐Market Economist in the House? The Policy Views of American Economic Association Members. American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 66(2), 309-334.
- Lind, N. S., Rankin, E. T., & Harris, G. (2016). Today’s Economic Issues: Democrats and Republicans: Democrats and Republicans. New York: ABC-CLIO.
