(Lev 25:10
KJV)
And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout
all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto
you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return
every man unto his family. [N.B. Context is important.]
Liberty Bell vs Federal Ogre
Liberty
Bell:
Proclaim
LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof Lev. XXV X
By Order of the ASSEMBLY of the Province of PENSYLVANIA for
the State House in Philada.
Pass and Stow [/] Philada [/] MDCCLIII
The
Liberty Bell [/] Tradition tells of a chime that changed the world on July
8, 1776, with the Liberty Bell ringing out from the tower of Independence Hall
summoning the citizens of Philadelphia to hear the first public reading of the
Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon.
The
Pennsylvania Assembly ordered the Bell in 1751 to commemorate the 50-year
anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges, Pennsylvania's
original Constitution. It speaks of the rights and freedoms valued by people
the world over. Particularly forward thinking were Penn's ideas on
religious freedom, his liberal stance on Native American rights, and his
inclusion of citizens in enacting laws.
[N.B.
The founders of Pennsylvania belonged to the Society of Friends (Quakers).
Their record as champions of political, religious and economic freedom was
exemplary. Their innovation of fixed price merchandizing was based on biblical
principles. But it helped produce the economic dynamism of the West, and made a
number of early friends very wealthy. The trial of William Penn for preaching
in the street established the freedom of juries to ignore the judge. Their
practice of passive resistance includes apologies to arresting officers for
giving them extra work.]
The
Liberty Bell gained iconic importance when abolitionists in their efforts to
put an end to slavery throughout America adopted it as a symbol.
As
the Bell was created to commemorate the golden anniversary of Penn's Charter,
the quotation "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the
inhabitants thereof," from Leviticus 25:10, was particularly apt. For
the line in the Bible immediately preceding "proclaim liberty" is,
"And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year." What better way to pay
homage to Penn and hallow the 50th year than with a bell proclaiming liberty?
[…]
[N.B.
The line immediately following "proclaim liberty": "It shall be
a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye
shall return every man unto his family."
[Debt
and condition of servitude come to an end every fifty years in the Law that God
gave to His chosen Nation.]
Federal
Ogre:
(N.B.
The initial letter of the second word above is not prima facie evidence of
racism. Some of my best friends are ogres.)
Terry Miller: America's
Dwindling Economic Freedom | http://on.wsj.com/1cjcaXz
World
economic freedom has reached record levels, according to the 2014 Index of
Economic Freedom, released Tuesday by the Heritage Foundation and The Wall
Street Journal. But after seven straight years of decline, the U.S. has
dropped out of the top 10 most economically free countries.
For
20 years, the index has measured a nation's commitment to free enterprise on a
scale of 0 to 100 by evaluating 10 categories, including fiscal soundness,
government size and property rights. These commitments have powerful effects: Countries
achieving higher levels of economic freedom consistently and measurably
outperform others in economic growth, long-term prosperity and social progress.
Botswana, for example, has made gains through low tax rates and political
stability.
Those
losing freedom, on the other hand, risk economic stagnation, high unemployment
and deteriorating social conditions. For instance, heavy-handed government
intervention in Brazil's economy continues to limit mobility and fuel a sense
of injustice.
It's
not hard to see why the U.S. is losing ground. Even marginal tax rates
exceeding 43% cannot finance runaway government spending, which has caused the
national debt to skyrocket. The Obama administration continues to shackle
entire sectors of the economy with regulation, including health care, finance
and energy. The intervention impedes both personal freedom and national
prosperity.
But
as the U.S. economy languishes, many countries are leaping ahead, thanks to
policies that enhance economic freedom—the same ones that made the U.S. economy
the most powerful in the world. Governments in 114 countries have taken
steps in the past year to increase the economic freedom of their citizens.
Forty-three countries, from every part of the world, have now reached their
highest economic freedom ranking in the index's history.
Hong
Kong continues to dominate the list, followed by Singapore, Australia,
Switzerland, New Zealand and Canada. These are the only countries to earn the
index's "economically free" designation. Mauritius earned top
honors among African countries and Chile excelled in Latin America. Despite the
turmoil in the Middle East, several Gulf states, led by Bahrain, earned designation
as "mostly free."
A
realignment is under way in Europe, according to the index's findings. Eighteen
European nations, including Germany, Sweden, Georgia and Poland, have reached
new highs in economic freedom. By contrast, five others—Greece, Italy, France,
Cyprus and the United Kingdom—registered scores lower than they received when
the index started two decades ago.
The
most improved players are in Eastern Europe, including Estonia, Lithuania and
the Czech Republic. These countries have gained the most economic freedom over
the past two decades. And it's no surprise: Those who have lived under
communism have no trouble recognizing the benefits of a free-market system. But
countries that have experimented with milder forms of socialism, such as Sweden,
Denmark and Canada, also have made impressive moves toward greater economic
freedom, with gains near 10 points or higher on the index scale. Sweden, for
instance, is now ranked 20th out of 178 countries, up from 34th out of 140
countries in 1996.
The
U.S. and the U.K, historically champions of free enterprise, have suffered the
most pronounced declines. Both countries now fall in the "mostly
free" category.
Some of the worst performers are in Latin America, particularly Venezuela,
Argentina, Ecuador and Bolivia. All are governed by crony-populist regimes
pushing policies that have made property rights less secure, spending
unsustainable and inflation evermore threatening.
Despite
financial crises and recessions, the global economy has expanded by nearly 70%
in 20 years, to $54 trillion in 2012 from $32 trillion in 1993. Hundreds of
millions of people have left grinding poverty behind as their economies have
become freer. But it is an appalling, avoidable human tragedy how many of the
world's peoples remain unfree—and poor.
The
record of increasing economic freedom elsewhere makes it inexcusable that a
country like the U.S. continues to pursue policies antithetical to its own
growth, while wielding its influence to encourage other countries to chart the
same disastrous course. The 2014 Index of Economic Freedom documents a world-wide
race to enhance economic opportunity through greater freedom—and this year's
index demonstrates that the U.S. needs a drastic change in direction.
Mr.
Miller is the director of the Center for International Trade and Economics at
the Heritage Foundation.
I2C
140115a Lev 25v10 Economic Freedom / I2C / 140115 1030 / Lev 25:10 Economic
Freedom / Liberty Bell vs Federal Ogre
