Laudato Si
In under 4 minutes!:
I would add another dimension to the argument. The left’s argument against the free market is this. Suppose a rich man makes $100,000 a year. A poor man makes $20,000 a year. After a few years, the market doubles the wealth of both, as well as lowering the costs by which each may live. The men now have $200,000 and $40,000, respectively. What has happened to the gap? Where it was $80,000, it is now $160,000. It has increased significantly (by 2, even? ;). Meanwhile, both parties have a better life and can afford to live in better conditions, not to mention the fact that efficiency and specialization drive the cost of goods down over time. This is why the argument about gaps in the classes are misleading: they don’t show absolute increase in wealth for all…
This trend has been true world over for many years, thanks to free exchange and the marketplace of ideas. In Europe, it has all but stopped. It is slowing in America, significantly. One theory as to why is because of government regulation and increasing tax burden, as well as malfeasance by the central bank. That’s a damn good theory, kids…