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That’s ultimately the big problem with it.

Liberation Theology was ostensibly created to “liberate” oppressed Third World peasants from the plutocracies (usually the Church, the State and wealthy hereditary landowners) who kept them in defacto slavery.

Noble goal.

But it went to far. Rather than breakdown the “Iron Triangles” it simply validated two legs of them (Church and State) while kicking the third leg (landowners) out. With the State invariably controlled by Socialists/Communists.

From that limited perspective I can see what the Pope is trying to accomplish here. He’s just 1) writing the wrong prescription and 2) thinking that prescription needs to be applied everywhere.

The truth is that it doesn’t really apply to the US or Western Capitalism/market economies. Unless (and this is where it gets interesting) Francis’ comments can be interpreted as being firmly against the kind of Crony Capitalism we’re increasingly seeing here in the US.

Which WOULD support the notion that action needs to be taken by the government to “redistribute” the wealth accumulated by US\Western cronyism ... With the natural prescription being reduced regulation, lower taxation, aggressive use of RICO against various organs of the Liberal/Progressive crony capitalism cabal, etc.

So, actually, it’s possible to find (if one looks hard and creative enough) something really appealing in what the Pope is saying ..

THAT was a sober assessment. Thank you for it. I needed to be called off the ledge and that helped.

Have you read Michael Novak, on liberation theology? I read a link exerpt that I thought was excellent information. Novak wrote a book on this subject that I intend to get.

The "crony capitalism" is simply another feature of a Collectivist State that robs the people and gives to business to do government's bidding. In and of itself there's nothing wrong with business and profits - it's how wealth is created. The problem is when government interferes with the free market and corrupts the profit motive to government's own end. Far and away, the most corrupt entity in society is big government. As Reagan said, "Government isn't the solution, government is the problem." The Pope needs to get that.

In the free market, the volunteerism of capitalism serves the entrepreneur with opportunities for wealth creation, others with employment and income, and the consumer with supplying his demands by competing for the highest quality at the lowest cost. Freedom and free market capitalism are the greatest and most effective anti-poverty programs known to man.