Why Social Justice?

Why do people insist on understanding wealth and poverty in terms of “justice”? It is an unintelligible concept:

 

http://blog.mises.org/19290/justice-versus-social-justice-2/

Don’t Get Drunk, or They’ll Call a Meeting!

(My latest op-ed for the King’s Chronicle, published Nov. 7, 2011)

 

On Tuesday, October 25^th, all residence students were cordially required to attend a mandatory lecture (masquerading as a “forum”) on alcohol. The evening’s entertainment consisted of two main parts: a reiteration of King’s’ alcohol policy for the illiterate, followed by an explanation of the new “Party Safe” program for parties hosted by off-campus students.

 

Call me sensitive, but I found the whole exercise more than a little offensive.

 

As far as could be discerned from notices about the forum, it was prompted by “several alcohol-related incidents on campus.” Presumably some students were being drunk and obnoxious in residence.

 

Now, drunks are certainly annoying. They tend to be loud and obnoxious, and I have no problem with Student Life dealing harshly with disruptive and, frankly, stupid behavior.

 

Yet this forum represents the exact opposite of that.

 

First of all, if certain students are being disruptive or destructive on campus, what logical reason is there for assuming that the problem could be solved by telling every residence student what they already know? While the intricacies of the alcohol policy may escape most students, every student knows liquor is not allowed on campus. Neither are disruption or destruction (whether they are the result of drunkenness or not). Beyond that, there is nothing that requires explanation.

 

Had the forum given students any new information, it would at least have been useful. Had the forum stated, for instance, “these behaviours have occurred – do not engage in them,” or “if you are caught drinking, disturbing or destroying on campus, you will be disciplined in this way,” these would have been things worth hearing.

But telling students information they not only already know, but already agreed to by signing the residence agreement, is a waste of everyone’s time.

 

The real issue is enforcement, not information. If some students are defying the rules, they should be punished (or disciplined, for the politically correct). If the problem persists, they should be punished much more severely the next time. If the problem continues still, the students involved should be evicted. Either the offenders will cease breaking the rules, or they will be removed. In both cases, the problem will be solved. Best of all, this approach won’t punish the vast majority of students in residence, who are obeying the rules, by needlessly wasting their time.

 

Second of all, let us consider the utterly baffling Party Safe program: this program will either be totally impotent or else completely overbearing.

 

So far, all students have been told about Party Safe is that is an information program for those who host off-campus parties. For now, we will overlook that, once again, the problem is not information or the lack thereof. We will overlook further the absurdity of forcing residence students to learn about a program which meaningfully applies only to non-residence students. (“We’ve called this forum to tell you that we’re planning on telling some other people some stuff”).

 

Consider instead the practical application of such a program, especially as it relates to informing Student Life about off-campus parties. What incentive is there for any party host to comply with this? Or for any residence student who attends a party off-campus? Unless someone labours under the delusion that on-campus rules can be used to control off-campus behaviour, the correct answer is, approximately none.

 

And rightly so. As much as some may try to deny it, Student Life has neither the ability, nor the responsibility, nor the authority to control off-campus behaviour. As soon as any students leaves King’s’ property, King’s has no more authority over them than Colonel Sanders.

 

Now, some might say, “but once a student returns to King’s’ property, don’t they again fall again under King’s’ authority?” The answer is, yes and no. Yes, King’s once again has authority over certain aspects of their behaviour. But, those aspects are limited to what they do on-campus. Meaning off-campus drunkenness, underage drinking, hazing, or every other ugly behaviour imaginable cannot be legitimately punished by King’s. BUT if anyone causes any disturbance or destruction on campus, whether it came as a result of off-campus drinking or not, those actions can and should be punished, swiftly and harshly.

 

The problem is that King’s is asserting too little authority where they have it, and too much where they don’t. Campus policy should allow students maximal freedom to act as stupidly as they please off-campus. Yet if students decide to act stupidly on campus, Student Life should dust off the rod of iron and deliver a swift blow to the rear.

 

This will accomplish two things. First, it will affirm that the authority which King’s has over students is contractual, not paternal: King’s can only restrict certain unhealthy behaviours, it cannot force students into living a healthy lifestyle. Second, it will encourage students to take responsibility for regulating their own actions, rather than be told what is good and what is bad by their university. Part of being an adult is doing what is right on your own initiative, not simply because Mommy or Daddy or a nannying university tell you to.

 

Party Safe amounts to nothing more than evading the real problem by trying to solve a false one. Surely we can do better.

(Don't) Eat the Rich

Dr. John Hiemstra (Professor of Political Studies at The King's University-College) once commented to my intro politics class to the effect that “one of the most effective ways for government to stimulate the economy is to give money to the poor.” That is, since government stimulus is intended (among other things) to increase consumer spending, the poor are ideal candidates to receive the “stimulus dollars”, since their need for basic necessities forces them to spend whatever money they receive – 100% of every stimulus dollar therefore is put right back into the economy through spending. 

This article, however, is not about solutions to poverty. If I may be so bold as to amend the original quotation, this article will argue that the most effective for government to stimulate the economy is to stop taking money from the rich. 

Now, as that statement is liable to misunderstanding, let me state plainly what I am not saying:

First, I am not saying that the poor should be ignored. It is only proper that ordinary people be concerned about how to help the poor. While I am also firmly of the opinion that government social programs and wealth redistribution are terribly ineffective and unjust ways to deal with poverty, that is a topic for another article altogether. For now, suffice to say that “stop taking money from the rich” is not the same as “do not give any money to the poor.” 

Second, I am not saying that the rich should not be taxed at all. It behooves every citizen to pay taxes, and an above-average income does not form an exception to that rule (although an income significantly lower than the average might). I am not arguing for special privilege for the rich.

However, what I am saying is that there is deeply ingrained bias against the rich in today’s society. What is often cheerfully referred to as the rich “paying their fair share” is usually the rich being forced to pay more than anyone else – for no other reason that their income exceeds that of the average adult. The basic portrait of a rich person in North America generally resembles the mythological dragon, sitting on piles and piles of stolen treasure, which it hoards greedily, despite having no use for it. 

This, however, is a dual fallacy. In the first place, the wealth of the vast majority of the rich people in the world (particularly the Western world) is not “stolen” in any sense of the term – it is earned, through provision of goods and services which other people are willing to pay for. This means that the rich have no moral obligation to pay a great amount of their wealth in taxes. There is no social debt owing, since they have earned in exactly the same way as every other person.  The second part of the fallacy is that the wealth the rich earn is hoarded. Far from being withheld from the rest of the world, it is used, speaking broadly, in two ways: it is reinvested into the original good or service which earned it, or else into new goods or services; it is also spent on goods and services which the rich person purchases for themselves. 

At first glance, this second use for the rich person’s wealth is what causes the societal envy (the true motivation of progressive tax systems). For the rich person spends their money on extravagances and luxury beyond the reach of the ordinary worker. Yet this kind of spending functions exactly the same as a poor person spending money on the bare necessities, only to a much higher degree. While the rich person’s sole motivation may be their own gratification, the money they spent employs other people less wealthy than themselves. Behind every luxury car are those who design, manufacture and repair automobiles ; behind every private jet are mechanics, engineers and pilots; behind every giant mansion are interior designers, architects, framers, painters, stonemasons, landscapers, service staff, etc. 

This reevaluation of how a rich person gains and uses wealth is particularly important as the world economy tries to climb from a recession. With the United States unemployment rate at 9.1%[i] as of August, much of the talk in Washington D.C revolves around how the government can create more jobs. The most common words to hear from an American politician, from President Barack Obama to the Republican nominees vying to replace him, are “the private sector is the engine of our economy.”

And that’s true, as far as it goes. Washington is at least giving lip service to a fundamental truth about the economy: the engine for job creation is private industry. All of that talk will be for naught, however, if policy makers do not embrace the truth that follows closely on its heels: the engine of private industry is the rich.

What does it take to create a job? As American businessman Peter Schiff says, it takes two things: profit and capital[ii]. Obviously, an employee has to bring profit to an employer by creating value exceeding the cost of their employment. Capital, on the other hand, comes from, as Schiff says, “under-consumption”. That is, it comes from wealth that is not spent but reinvested into profitable industry, as noted above - wealth that would otherwise be idle and useless. If a business owner does not have this excess wealth, he or she must borrow it from one who does. That is why if you use the word “rich” and aren’t talking about an actor or an athlete, you are probably talking about a businessman or an investor. It is the rich – those with excess wealth – who finance production and create jobs. 

At least, that is the way it should work. Currently, though, under a progressive system of taxation, that segment of wealth that would otherwise be put to work creating jobs is plundered by the government in the form of taxes. 

This generally goes unnoticed, or at least without dissent, by the average worker earning an average salary during times of prosperity. Once a recession hits and unemployment numbers rise, however, many average workers are forced out of work. Suddenly the job-creating funds the government taxed away from the rich are needed to do the very thing the rich would have used them for in the first place.

The government then fills this void by trying to invest the money itself. But as Henry Hazlitt wrote in Economics in One Lesson, “it is not a simple question, as so often supposed, of taking something out of the nation’s right-hand pocket to put into its left-hand pocket.” When judging what industry would be best served by stimulus dollars, government uses the opposite criteria than the rich use: the criteria of need rather than of profit. This means that the more profitable an industry currently is (i.e. the more capable it is of creating jobs) the less likely it is to receive government aid (and the more it will be taxed). The less profitable, the more aid it will receive (and the less it will be taxed). Thus, the practical definition of government stimulus is money taken from businesses which are creating jobs and being used to fund businesses which are not creating jobs. Productive activity is used to subsidize unproductive activity. The net result can only be the loss, rather than the creation of jobs.

Here are two suggestions for any government which wants to create, and not destroy jobs:

First, switch to a flat personal income tax rate. This is a fancy way of saying that you will be taxed the same percentage, whether you earn $40,000 per year, or $1 Million. Whether or not there should be a basic personal exemption for low-income earners is open to debate.

Second, abolish corporate income taxes. If the corporate tax rate exceeds 0%, it is too high. Corporate taxes are a way for government to “double-dip” – to tax profits when they are first earned by a business, then tax a portion of them again when they are distributed to investors, owners and employees as personal income. All this does is further deplete the job-creating wealth in order to fund job-destroying government stimulus.

Of course, such deep tax cuts would be impossible without deep spending cuts, which is the other half of the job-creation equation. That’s for another time. Until then, here’s to the rich, who keep our economy strong and put money in our pockets.

---

[i] http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm, accessed Oct 2, 2011

[ii] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6DRXk9Ufv4, accessed Oct 2, 2011.

Why I Will No Longer Attend Student Worship

Upon arriving at university, I was eager to involve myself in the student-led worship events. I quickly joined a worship team as a bass player, a capacity I served in for my entire first year. The following year, I took my involvement a step further, acting as a worship team leader. By the end of that year, I was feeling burnt out and decided not to participate in my third year.

And now, in my fourth year, I have come to the realization that I can never again involve myself student worship again, whether as a leader, or as a participant. I will not attend Worship 937 or chapel services, nor help plan them, nor be involved in any study groups, nor any ministry groups within the student body.

The reason for my complete abstinence is quite simple: it is my heart-felt conviction that what is being called “worship” at all these events is not the worship of the One True God; what is being practiced does not honour God – in fact, it openly and blatantly dishonours Him, and hinders the cause of Christ.

In my two years in worship ministry, I have seen teaching ranging from the orthodox to the questionable to the outright heretical; and all of it has been accepted without question. The students here, by and large, lack the fundamental skill with the Word of God to discern what is true and what is false. There is no standard of truth, save what comes under the banner of “Christianity”.

The result is that any speaker, from one who preaches an emergent, social gospel such as Colin McCartney (not "Scott", as I erroneously wrote the first time), to one who denies hell and preaches a Socinian moralistic gospel such as Rob Bell, is welcomed as speaking from God. Worse, these types of false gospels are not only tolerated, but actively encouraged by the student leaders. From among the same student body which lacks any real Biblical discernment come the student leaders, who will ultimately aid in deceiving their fellow students. The deceived become the deceivers – the blind lead the blind (Matt 15:14).

And this is the heart of the matter. The problem is not simply one of leadership, because it is the students themselves who are the main culprits in their own self-deception. This makes it impossible to “reform from within”, for the prevailing spirit of the student ministry is one of willful self-deception – and anyone who dares preach the true gospel of Christ is considered an aberration. The message that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3) is considered foolishness.

What kind of people would call the gospel of Christ foolishness? Only those that are not saved: “For to those who are perishing the message of the cross is foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is God’s power” (1 Cor. 1:18). For me to attend such events is to participate in a “ministry” which is slowly but surely, step-by-step, inch-by-inch, leading my fellow students ever closer to hell. It calls itself Christian, yet opposes the gospel of Christ and considers it foolishness.

This does not honour God, nor does it edify the believer. It dishonours God and helps damn those who claim to believe. I cannot in good conscience help to support these efforts, whether through leadership or through willing participation. If I am to obey Christ, I must oppose student ministry.

May the Lord have mercy on all His own.

What Makes a "Distracted" Driver?

From the Alberta Government Website:

Distracted Driving Law in Effect                                                  September 1, 2011

Highlights:

• Restricts drivers from:
  

  • using hand-held cell phones
  • texting or e-mailing
  • using electronic devices like laptop computers, video games, cameras, video entertainment displays and programming portable audio players (e.g., MP3 players)
  • entering information on GPS units
  • reading printed materials in the vehicle
  • writing, printing or sketching, and
  • personal grooming
• Complements the current driving without due care and attention legislation
• Applies to all vehicles as defined by the Traffic Safety Act, including bicycles
• Applies to all roads in both urban and rural areas of the province
• The fine for this new offence is $172

Attention Albertans: the government is trying to break into your car!


Some questions to the PC government:

1. Are you aware that studies have shown that hands-free technology carries exactly the same risks as hand-held technology? It is the act of focusing on a cell-phone conversation that distracts from driving, not holding the cell phone itself. This legislation disallows hand-held phones (with some exceptions), but gives the rubber-stamp to hands-free technology. What are you trying to accomplish here?

2. Does "printed materials" include maps? Road signs? Billboard ads? Bumper stickers? License plates? Speedometers? Fuel gauges? Is a quick glance at one the same as "reading"? How long do I have to look at something before I'm reading it? Is there a limit on comprehension? If I look at something but the words don't make sense to me, have I truly "read" it?

3. What constitutes "personal grooming"? I sometimes brush the hair away from my eyes while driving - is this allowed? What if I take the further measure of brushing my hair with my fingers to keep it away from my face? How many strokes are allowed? Can I do it with my left hand, but not my right? What if my glasses are askew? Is adjusting them wrong? What level of lost depth perception is great enough to merit the perilous risk of pushing them back into place? 

4. How exactly is all of this going to be enforced? If I'm holding a small object which could be interpreted as a cell phone from a distance, am I going to be pulled over? How will police know if I'm reading? Or programming a GPS? Or pressing buttons on my MP3 player? Will I be ticketed for holding a comb?

The nanny-state strikes again...

Enough about "Playoff Demons"

A link to some very insightful (if a bit overly technical) comments on how the media's harping on "momentum" and "demons" in the Canucks-Blackhawks series got out of hand:
http://www.mc79hockey.com/?p=3630

Canucks' Fans, You May Now Exhale...

What a difference 2 weeks can make.

For example, just over 2 weeks ago, I posted this:

"C" is for Canucks: Where to begin? 40th season in the League. Winners of the President's Trophy, for the best regular season record. Luongo recorded his best season as a pro, and along with Cory Schneider won the Williams Jennings trophy for fewest goals allowed. Daniel Sedin won the Art Ross trophy, a year after Henrik did the same - he'll also have a chance to win the Hart trophy a year after his brother. Led by the Sedins, the Canucks have also scored the most goals of any team - the first time the same team has led in goals-for and goals-against. They lead in faceoff percentage and powerplay percentage. They have the third-best penalty-kill. It's been a great year to be a Canucks fan.

"C"  is for Cup (as in Stanley): See above.

Note the swagger, the confidence, nay, the arrogance! I, an ineffable Canucks' fan, sounded as if I cheered for a team that could not be beaten.

And for one week, I was right. The Canucks went 3 games to none in the series against the Blackhawks. Revenge was already tasting sweet. The Canucks were aggressive, confident; they were physical; Luongo was sensational when he needed to be (which was, frankly, not that often). Our team looked as if it had no weaknesses. We could roll four lines; we could trust all our defensemen; we weren't worried about our goaltending.

Game 4 looked like it was going to be much of the same. Tied 1-1 after the first period. Both teams had chances and were playing well. Another one-goal game. And then Chicago broke the game open in the second period, scoring 4. It ended as a 7-2 loss for Vancouver, and Luongo ended the game on the bench.

Still, I had not lost confidence. I had predicted Vancouver would lose one game. The Hawks had their backs to the wall, I thought; it was their last hurrah in front of their home crowd. Game 5 would be different.

As it turned out, Game 5 was even worse. At least the Canucks had shown up for the first period in the last game; this time they were the Canucks in name only. What they played was nothing like Vancouver Canucks' hockey. It was a gong show from start to finish. Chicago was again making them look foolish.

Game 4 I was able to shrug off, but Game 5 made be downright angry, and more than a little concerned. As I posted on Facebook after I turned off the Game 5 in disgust after 2 periods:

What the bloody hell happened to my Canucks?!?! Chicago isn't that good - any team will win 7-2 if you GIVE them the middle of the ice. Now they're up 5-0...why the hell aren't the Canucks mad about Game 4? They picked the Hawks apart in the first 3 games, now they've forgotten how to score and forgotten how to defend. What has Vigneault been doing the last two days? They've bloody well given up. Un. Be. Lievable

As one writer in the blogosphere wrote, the Blackhawks were now leading the series, two games to three.

In Game 6, there were encouraging signs. Vancouver was forechecking well again; they were standing up in the neutral zone and not letting Chicago walk through the middle; they were hitting. It was a closely-contested game, like the first 3 had been. Cory Schneider had been a last-minute replacement for Luongo - and he looked good in the net. Once he came out of the net to play the puck, different story. Two giveaways by Schneider, two goals. Then Chicago was awarded a penalty shot, on which they scored. Schneider was holding his leg in pain after the goal and had to be helped off the ice. Back to Luongo.

But Luongo looked fine. Perfect through the end of regulation. Then overtime came. The Canucks were all over the Hawks in overtime. But Chicago managed to hold them off, then score a goal, off of a bad rebound by Luongo. After being in complete control of the series for a week and 3 games, Vancouver was in a tied series. They had lost all momentum for 2 games. They got some back for Game 6 but fell short. Now what?

Game 7 pretty much reflected how the whole series had gone. Vancouver scored early, and then the goalies shut everything down the rest of the way. Just when it looked like Chicago was done, Jonathan Toews tied it up on what should have been an unimportant play, with the Canucks on the powerplay and only 2 minutes left in the game. Vancouver had a chance to put Chicago away quickly and quietly, and had failed yet again.

Now it was Game 7 overtime. It should have taken 4 straight wins to decide this series - now whoever scored the next goal would walk away the winner. Alexandre Burrows took a bad holding penalty in the Hawks' zone less than a minute in. I was dying as I watched, knowing how lethal Chicago's powerplay had been in the last 3 games.

But that penalty kill was a defining moment. My Canucks were aggressive, tight-checking and physical - all the things that spelled success. They needed only one more thing, and that was a brilliant save by Roberto Luongo on Patrick Sharp, on the only shot the Blackhawks managed on the powerplay.

A few minutes later, Blackhawk defenceman Nick Leddy attempted a routine high-backhand clearing attempt. No one was expecting Burrows to leap 2 feet in the air and catch the puck: Jim Hughson was busy talking about something unrelated; The CBC cameramen were moving the camera towards the Canucks' zone, anticipating a rush for Chicago. They all caught up with what was going on in time to see Burrows drop the puck onto the ice, walk in behind all the Chicago defenders, and shoot a knuckleball slapshot into the top corner of the Chicago net. After being forced to wait until the last possible moment, Vancouver Canucks fans finally could cheer about a series win for Vancouver.

Elation. Ecstasy. Celebration.....And a deep sigh of relief. Right now, it seems, Vancouver is back on track. Luongo is his normal stingy self. The depth players for Vancouver, like Burrows, are making the difference. The Canucks dictated the play and the pace of the game.

In a post-Game 7 interview, Canucks' captain Henrik Sedin summed up the series:

I would rather win in 4 [games], but I'll take it....It's different winning in Game 7 in overtime. The season is on the line. That makes it sweet.... For 5 games we played awesome; we made it tough on ourselves because we played 2 really s***ty games. That's our fault as players. We took our foot off the gas a little bit, and that's when they hurt us. It was really a strong effort for us to get the momentum back, I thought, in the last game. And then tonight, they had no business tying up the game. 

Truer words were never spoken.

Two weeks ago, Canucks' fans thought their team was unstoppable. One week ago, they realized that they were stoppable. Yesterday, they feared they might be beaten in the worst possible way: by a team that had done it before two years in a row, and after that team had been down 3-0 in the series. Today, the Canucks are, more or less, the team that started the series, capable of dissecting their opponent and shutting them down.

Perhaps being pushed to the brink is a blessing in disguise; it's a reminder of how important it is to never let up, even for a second. And it's a true test of the Canucks' character in the face of huge adversity. Resiliency is the stuff of which champions are made.

But all that aside, I would like to make one humble request to the Vancouver Canucks:

DON'T YOU EVER, EVER, EVER PUT ME THROUGH THAT AGAIN!!!!!

Hockey Night in Canada's 3-Star Goof-ups

I don't understand how the folks at Hockey Night in Canada pick the 3 Stars of the Game.

After Game 1 of the Canucks-Blackhawks series, in which Vancouver shut out the Hawks 2-0, they named the 3 Stars as:

1. Roberto Luongo
2. Jannik Hansen
3. .....Patrick Sharp?!?!

Luongo posted a shutout and Hansen scored a beautiful breakaway goal, so there's no problems there. But what's with Patrick Sharp? Is this the same Patrick Sharp who plays for the team that failed to score a goal in the game? Is this the same Patrick Sharp who was on the ice for both goals for Vancouver? 

If your team gets shut-out, you'd think that would make a fairly strong case for your team not to get any mention in the 3 stars. Even if a player on the losing team played well (which Patrick Sharp clearly did not), it doesn't mean he was one of the stars of the game. In this case, if anyone on Chicago merited the 3rd star, it would almost have to be Corey Crawford, who didn't allow a goal in the final 50 minutes of the game and gave his team a chance to win. Why is CBC honoring a forward from the losing team who was ineffective offensively and no better defensively? 

Then, after tonight's Game 3, a 3-2 win for the Canucks, there were again some goofy selections: 

1. Roberto Luongo
2. Ryan Kesler
3. Patrick Kane

OK, now this is weird. Luongo is once again a solid pick for Number 1. But there were 4 players who had multi-point nights, and Kesler and Kane were not among them. Daniel Sedin and Christian Ehrhoff both scored once and added an assist for Vancouver, while Henrik Sedin assisted on 2 of the goals. For Chicago, Jonathan Toews set up both Chicago goals and was easily the Hawks' best player. 

On the other hand, Ryan Kesler, despite having a game-leading 6 shots, had no points. He did play some significant penalty-killing minutes and block numerous shots, but he also screen Luongo on the first goal. In the end, he was good, but not really a star. 

And come on, Patrick Kane? Once again, he was held to one lone assist, was a -1, and was frustrated all night long by Luongo and the defense for Vancouver. Again, not star material. 

Interestingly, once the 3-Stars picks for this game had made it to the HNIC website they had been changed to:

1. Henrik Sedin
2. Jonathan Toews
3. Daniel Sedin

At least who ever writes the game summaries for cbc.ca knows a "star" when he sees one...