Posted on 09/26/2015 5:39:52 AM PDT by Entrepreneur
ED. NOTE: As this article is posted, Pope Francis begins his visit to the United States. In his encyclical released in June of this year, the pope singled out air conditioning as being a "harmful habit" that is a symbol of rampant capitalism that is blind to the plight of the poor and disadvantaged. These comments by Matt Michel, CEO of Service Roundtable, serve as a timely response.
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Since becoming pontiff, Pope Francis has repeatedly made the news for his criticism and condemnation of capitalism and free markets. Worse, in his encyclical, he singled out air conditioning as particularly pernicious:
“People may well have a growing ecological sensitivity but it has not succeeded in changing their harmful habits of consumption which, rather than decreasing, appear to be growing all the more. A simple example is the increasing use and power of air-conditioning. The markets, which immediately benefit from sales, stimulate ever greater demand. An outsider looking at our world would be amazed at such behavior, which at times appears self-destructive.”
The disdain for capitalism may reflect where the Pope spent his formative years, in the leftist economic basket case of Argentina. Conversely, I’m from Texas, where we are fond of capitalism, free markets, and especially, air conditioning.
Here’s what I think the Pope should say:
In the last decades, more than a billion people emerged from poverty. Never in human history have so many risen from destitution so rapidly. This is a true blessing. The source of the blessing is capitalism.
In 1980, fully 84% of mainland China’s population lived in extreme poverty. Today, that number is less than 10% thanks to China’s embrace of capitalism. After India’s market oriented reforms threw off the bondage of socialism in 1991, hunger fell by 90%.
Now, some criticize capitalism over unequal distribution of wealth. As Christians, we can turn to the Word for guidance. In the Parable of the Talents, Christ did not condemn the accumulation of greater wealth by those with more talents. Instead, He heaped scorn on the servant who did nothing with the talent he had. It is capitalism, more than any other economic system that allows individuals to use their God-given talent to the fullest. It is government control of markets and totalitarian overlords who restrict and limit individual choice, opportunity, and freedom.
God gave us free will because He did not want us to be happy slaves, but a people who would freely love and worship Him by choice. Free will and the freedom of choice is consistent with capitalism. It is not consistent with any other economic system, like socialism.
Capitalism is voluntary. Socialism is coercive. Capitalism supports freedom and opportunity. Socialism restricts or limits both. Capitalism’s vice is inequality. Its virtue is the reduction of suffering and elevation of all, albeit at differing degrees. Contrast capitalism with totalitarian socialism. Socialism’s equality of misery is hardly virtue.
While the idolatry of money is sin, wealth and money are not inherently evil. Great wealth makes great charity possible. Consider the air conditioning system that preserves the Sistine Chapel. It has been called a masterpiece of technology, comparable to the masterpiece it protects. Moreover, this custom designed system costing millions was donated by the Carrier Corporation, a profit-oriented capitalistic enterprise. If Carrier gains public relations value from the project, it does not lessen the value received by the Church or the millions who visit the Sistine Chapel each year. Without the air conditioning system, the Sistine Chapel would be closed to the public or limit viewing to reduce the damage from the carbon dioxide, sweat, and dust generated by masses of people.
Capitalism advances the human condition. Air conditioning is a great example. Without air conditioning, entire regions would be virtually uninhabitable. Without air conditioning, people suffer and die during heat waves. Without air conditioning, productivity would plummet when it is hot. Without air conditioning, many basic medicines would be undiscovered and unproduceable. Without air conditioning, hospitals would be less sanitary. Without air conditioning clean rooms, the computer age would not have occurred.
Neither I, nor any other soul on this earth knows if the planet is warming or cooling, or whether man can significantly affect the climate. We know that despite all predictions and computer modeling, warming has inexplicably been paused since before the turn of the century. Nevertheless, if warming resumes, it will be air conditioning that will save humanity and ease the suffering from a warmer planet.
The blessings of air conditioning came about because of capitalism. Entrepreneurs sought to improve their lot and wound up improving the lot of all mankind, guided, as the economist Adam Smith described, by an invisible hand. Is it possible that this invisible hand that leads entrepreneurs to create businesses is the same hand that led Michelangelo to paint masterpieces? Is it possible that this invisible hand is in fact, the very real hand of the Holy Spirit? I think so.
Yes! Thousands have died in US cities and Europe during heat waves. Sorry Pope, air conditioning is not a luxury.
Me, too. I'm all poped out.
Leni
The other day, though, Pope-bashing (which I generally support with this guy) devolved into the usual ugliness - let’s sell of The Pieta! Better yet, let’s destroy the Pieta! They say the Rosary! They have billions of dollars hidden behind the altar! They decorate skeletons! On and on infinitum. Really upsetting to me.
I do understand you.
That’s like saying you hate America because Obama is president.
I’m talking about site policy, not what some posters do
I agree, I grew up in Texas without a/c and I never want to be without it again! ....There was an article that shocked me within the last year. I had never thought of it before. It was entitled something like “Sam Colt did not tame the West,it was the Carriers” or something like that. It showed the size of cities pre A/c and twenty years later. Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Santa Fe, Houston, etc. From pueblos to vibrant cities in twenty years. Plain amazing all from American ingenuity.
Pictured here is one of the halls of the Vatican - no doubt climate controlled for everybody's comfort and paid for out of the tax-free weekly collections that millions of poor and working class Catholics toss in the collection plates at church every Sunday.
I say he should shut his mouth about politics and Capitalism - the same Capitalist system that fills his coffers every Sunday - and go back to enjoying his riches and being the mostly useless religious figurehead that he is supposed to be.
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:)
of course the intellectual foundations go way back.
but that is the beauty of capitalism is that it lines up technology, science, demand, capital, production, distribution, etc.
We don’t get iPhones without all of the above. And when all of the above are present, that’s ...capitalism....
But yeah, you are so right. We can’t move forward without pure math, scientific research, etc. Incredibly important.
Lol
Mr. Pope seems not to understand how many lives have been saved because of air conditioning. People used to die in their apartments in the summer in New York (and everywhere else) from heat stroke. Now he thinks there’s an impending global warming coming and he want’s to stop people from using Air Conditioning.
Either this is the stupidest Pope in history or the most evil. Maybe both.
We should start by turning off the air conditioning in prisons. That would be a start to "help climate change".
Then make it illegal to use Air Conditioning in an Abortion clinic. That could make people think twice about getting an abortion in the summer.
Then we turn off the air conditioning in Congress. They would probably recess for the whole summer. That should shorten the amount of time these tyrants have to rob us of our liberty.
Progress...
Does anyone else remember, I think it was in the mid 1990s, that hundreds of people in Chicago died during a heat wave?
If I recall correctly, deaths were occurring due to:
1. lack of air conditioning in many old apartment buildings in Chicago
2. temperatures over 100 degrees
3. People in the south and west side ghettos were afraid to open windows to cool off, due to fear of the crime which is so common in the ghetto.
See chapter 2: http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html
There were more than a couple of deadly summers in Chicago.
103 degrees here in Chatsworth, CA today. I have the a/c on as I do on all hot days! Plus in the winter I turn the heat on.
In the summer, I believe in God and Air Conditioning, and not necessarily in that order.
“Rails against air conditioning, doesn’t even mention abortion.”
Huh. Seems like our priorities are somewhat skewed.
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