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.
Citation?
Hmmm I bet the Vatican is air-conditioned quite well as are all of his vehicles.
Getting rid of air conditioning is only going halfway. Let’s get rid of heat too.
The Pope is Amish!!!
I am self-censoring on the subject of this Pope because as I understand it criticism of Catholics is not welcome on FR.
While the idolatry of money is sin, wealth and money are not inherently evil. Great wealth makes great charity possible
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A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.
Ecclesiastes 10, verse 19.
This pope should be removed, he is an embarrassment.
It’s the Amish!
You must be joking? Hatred of Catholics is all over the place. Not dislike of this Pope, mind you, but all the old canards that have plagued Catholic citizens for 2 centuries. So, feel free!
“... let’s get rid of heat, too”.
And plumbing.. we should get rid of that. Think of all the precious water!
The idiot. The Mercedes he rides around will burn in hell.
He needs to sell the Vatican and give the money to all the victims of capitalism.
well, in the summer tour I took two years ago...the public areas weren’t...except for the Sistine Chapel. And boy was that a relief!
or Zombies,,,
That covers it,
A to Z.
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.”
That first sentence is a great line!
That second sentence could be added to...even though I sort of hate to. But it could be argued persuasively that capitalism came about b/c of the Reformation.
I have a friend who is from Argentina and he isn’t against air conditioning or capitalism. I am ready for the Pope to go home, enough already.
You don't think it had something to do with the work of Carnot, Rumford, Kelvin etc?
I suppose this means Africa can forget about air conditioning
Air conditioning is a VERY INTERESTING topic for a Socialist prelate. First consider that pretty much everyone in the US that wants air conditioning now has it...even prisons. So no effect on us. But second, go to Third World, go to India, Bangledesh, Egypt, Kenya, China (although China is far from Third World now) - go to a city there, what do you see - air conditioners, literally billions of them now. Virtually all are split systems, really nice too. 20 years ago we had air conditioning everywhere, but none of those places had it.
So what is the Socialist prelate proposing? Turn the clocks back - make the Third World go back to living in MISERY. Yes, some areas of the US will feel the pain if we got rid of air conditioning, and some areas would be hard to inhabit. But look up the climate of New Dehli (India) - basically similar to Houston’s with the same humidity but 15 degrees hotter in the summer (as in 110 degrees every day, and humid as hell) - and their summer is about 9 months of every year. Does El Papa want them to go back to the stone age? If so, why isn’t he THERE - the Third World is where all the growth in Global Warming gasses is taking place - it take POWER PLANTS to run those air conditioners, they are not there for decoration.
What a loser - I remember they considered a Nigerian for Pope and ended up with this clown. Too bad - the Nigerian probably could have gotten the Western World straightened out - but between Obama, the Dems, and this Pope-clown, things can only get worse now.
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