自由所創造的—美國遺產概要16
在人類近六千年來的歷史記錄，財富的衡量是以房地產、牲畜、貴重金屬、寶石，以及後來由政府所發行的錢幣。到了中古世紀，銀行開始發行貨幣。不過才數百年前，一個神奇的新商品已經成為最有價值的，這商品便是點子。
今日，一個點子可能擁有無限價值。當點子變得如此珍貴，任何有主動精神的人都可能有獲得與累積財富的機會。不管你多窮，也無關你的種族、信念或宗教，你可能只要有一個點子就能創造出極大的財富。
當點子開始有如此價值，它為貨幣帶來重大改變。最大的財富不再以貴重金屬、房地產或是貨幣來衡量，而是以股票和債券衡量。這使那些沒有點子的人可以投資，進而分享有點子之人所帶來的昌盛。此釋放歷史上最大的財富轉移之一，財富從少數人到多數人手上。
如何保護點子的所有權也產生許多挑戰，專利權和著作權都可能有驚人的價值。註冊商標並保護智慧財產權迅速發展，現代小偷開始聚焦在偷竊有價值的點子。現代經濟系統也必須變得越來越精密；即便如此，無論是在經濟上或政治上，自由市場都比先前的任何制度更加民主化、更少歧視。
關於自由市場經濟有多民主化的一個最佳例子，反映在股份公司的成長。任何人都可以投資股份公司，公司所產生的財富則由所有投資者共同分享。
這真的是一個世界奇觀，看見如此非凡的經濟系統如何有機性地成長。它並不是透過精心設計，甚至沒什麼設計。最有才華的政治領袖和經濟學家有智慧的不去介入，只是偶爾推進一下，以使其步入正軌。偶爾才需要比較大的修正，例如控制壟斷或過度投機，有時發生重大問題是因為沒有準時被提出來。即便如此，太專橫或在經濟上太過壓制的政治領袖會造成經濟緩慢成長，甚至導致經濟衰退。自由市場的氧氣就是自由。
這並不代表自由市場沒有受到一些偉大、革命性思想家的幫助，但最強大、成功的自由市場擁有自由來成長和成熟，受到最少的干預。美國是近二世紀擁有全世界最自由、最好的商業環境，許多世界最棒、最聰明的人為此原因來到美國。
美國並沒有發明自由市場，也沒有產生先進的現代世界，但在這裡人們看重、獎勵主動和新創精神，並保護其成果。這些都是美國被建造在了解和保護私有財產權的穩定根基所帶來的結果。
美國開國父老相信並教導保護私有財產，因為這對耶穌在才幹比喻中教導管家職分是很重要的。在耶穌時期，才幹是貨幣的衡量方式。聖經說「因為全地都是我的」（參考出埃及記19:5），因此祂所託付我們的資源是出於一種神聖信任。根據才幹的比喻，好管家是將祂所託付給他們的增加和倍增。
在美國獨立戰爭之前，全世界都是被帝國式政府所統治。私有財產雖然被允許，但多數財產仍限制為皇家所持有，美國各州下面的行政單位─郡(counties)，其名字便來自伯爵這個字(Count)，這是貴族的其中一個階級。當時一個郡的大小反映出一位普通伯爵的地產，直到20世紀。
小耕農或更低階級者會在這些地產上耕種，分享一些收成，這即是何以有些人稱他們為「收益分成的佃農」。比較低下階層的人要擁有土地是非常罕見的，最終國王和他的皇家貴族擁有一切，所以任何發明都屬於他們。為此緣故，鮮少人願意花時間或注意力發明或創新。
北美的英國殖民地逐漸發展，有別於英國或其他歐洲文化。當詹姆斯鎮和普利茅斯的共有菜園劃分給殖民者來耕種，這就成為他們的產業，在其上工作者就是獲利者。這釋放了主動性給更多的人，很快對創新的投入也隨之而來。
當生產力因此暴增，許多最初給予個人和家庭的小塊土地成長為大片土地。為了確保額外所需的勞動力來經營土地，物主會付旅費給願意來為他們工作一段時期的人，以聖經雅各的版本為例，通常雇用期為七年。這些人被稱為「契約勞工」。當工作期滿之後，他們會得到私人土地耕種，輪到他們來建立個人資產。
這樣的自由與藉著主動性和努力工作就可以獲得產業的能力，吸引那些積極主動和勤奮的人來到殖民地。朝聖者和清教徒早已因勤奮和努力工作為人所知，因此他們所到之處都很昌盛，不過他們也因著信仰不斷受到逼迫。因此，能找到一個自由實踐信仰的地方對他們來說是很重要的。隨著「新世界」的發現，他們相信這是神對他們禱告的回應。當他們用信心帶著勤奮來到新世界，同時也帶來了豐盛。
美國革命運動不單是一場政治革命─同時也是宗教和經濟革命。正如所羅門寫著：「三股合成的繩子不容易折斷」(傳道書4:12)，美國革命運動結合這三股主要合成的繩子─宗教、經濟和政治─成為一股賜給美國的偉大力量。削弱任何其中一股繩子便是削弱全部。
在這些時候，這三股繩子都受到無情的攻擊，正如它們從起初所受到的一樣。直到今日，每一項挑戰最後都使它們更加強大。我們若不放棄，我們不會失敗的。
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～摘錄美國獨立宣言作者與第三任總統─湯馬斯·傑弗遜（Thomas Jefferson）～
如果我們從華盛頓首府指示何時播種，何時收割，我們應該很快有麵包。”
～摘錄美國開國元老─湯馬斯·潘恩（Thomas Paine）～
美國所努力爭取的，大抵即是全人類所爭取的權益 。
(摘自喬納word for the week, Week 16, 2020)
Freedom Creates—Heritage Brief 16
For the nearly six thousand years of recorded history, wealth was measured in such things as property, livestock, precious metals, precious stones, and later coins issued by governments. In the Middle Ages, bank notes started to be issued as currency. In just the last couple hundred years, an amazing new commodity has grown to become the most valuable of all. That commodity is ideas.
Today, an idea can have almost unlimited value. As ideas became so valuable, the opportunity to acquire and grow wealth became available to virtually anyone with initiative. It did not matter how poor you were, or what race, creed, or religion you were, you could have an idea that could create great wealth.
When ideas began to have such value, it brought about major changes to currency. The greatest wealth was no longer measured in such things as precious metals or property, or even currency, but in stocks and bonds. This enabled people who may not get ideas to be able to invest in them and thereby share in the prosperity they produced. This released one of the biggest transfers of wealth from the few to the many in history.
This also produced challenges such as how to protect the ownership of ideas. Patents and copyrights could have extraordinary value. Registering and protecting intellectual property had to evolve quickly as modern thieves started focusing on stealing valuable ideas. Modern economic systems also had to become increasingly sophisticated. Even so, the free market was more democratic and less discriminating than any previous system—economic or political.
A good example of how democratic the free market economy was is reflected in the growth of corporations as owners of businesses. Anyone could invest in a corporation, and the wealth created by the company was shared by all who did.
It is truly one of the wonders of the world to see how such a remarkable economic system grew so organically. It was not engineered as much as steered, and even very little of that was required. The most brilliant political leaders and economists had the wisdom to stay out of its way, just nudging it occasionally to keep it on the right track. Occasionally some bigger corrections were needed, such as reining in the monopolies, or excessive speculation. At times major problems occurred because they were not addressed on time. Even so, political leaders who were presumptuous or too heavy-handed with the economy would cause it to slow or even result in a recession. The oxygen of the free market is freedom.
This is not to imply that the free market was not helped along by some great and revolutionary thinkers, but the most powerful and successful free markets are those that were given the freedom to grow and mature with the least interference. For nearly two centuries, America was the freest and best place in the world for business, and many of the world’s best and brightest came to America for that reason.
America did not invent the free market or bring about the advancing modern world, but it was a place where initiative and innovation would be esteemed, rewarded, and the resulting fruit protected. All of this was the result of having built a strong foundation of understanding and protecting the power of private property.
The American Founding Fathers believed and taught that protecting private property was essential for the stewardship Jesus taught about in The Parable of the Talents. Talents were a measurement of currency in Jesus’ time. Scripture states that “the whole earth belongs to The Lord” (see Exodus 19:5), so the resources He entrusts to us is a sacred trust. According to this Parable, the good stewards are the ones that increase and multiply what He entrusts to them.
Until the American Revolution, virtually the whole world was ruled by imperial governments. Private property was allowed, but for the most part it was restricted to the noble class. The counties that American states are divided into got their name from the word “Count,” which was a rank of nobility. The size of the counties reflected the approximate size of an average Count’s estate until the 20th century.
The peasants, or lower classes, would work these estates for a share of the harvest, which is why some called them “share-croppers.” It was rare for anyone from the lower classes to own land. Ultimately, the king and his nobles owned everything, so any invention would belong to them. For this reason, those who gave time or attention to innovate or invent were rare.
The English colonies of North America evolved differently than English or other European cultures. When the common gardens in Jamestown and Plymouth were divided and given to the colonists to work, this became their property, and those who worked them were the ones who benefitted from them. This released initiative to many more people and a devotion to innovation soon followed.
As productivity soared because of this, many of these plots of ground given to individuals and families grew into large estates. To secure the extra labor needed to run them, the owners would pay the passage of those who would come to work for them a specified amount of time, usually seven years after the example of Jacob in The Bible. These were called “indentured servants.” After these had worked off the cost of their passage, they were given their own land to work, and so they in turn built their own estates.
This freedom, and the ability to acquire property by initiative and hard work, drew those with initiative and diligence to the colonies. This caused hard work and initiative to become the culture of the colonies. The Pilgrims and Puritans had already become known for their diligence and hard work. Because of this, every place they had settled prospered, but they were also constantly being persecuted because of their faith. So, to find a place where they were free to practice their faith was essential to them. With the discovery of “the new world,” they believed this was an answer to their prayers. As they brought their diligence along with their faith to the new world, they brought prosperity as well.
The American Revolution was more than a political revolution—it was a religious and economic revolution as well. As Solomon wrote that “a cord of three strands is not easily broken” (see Ecclesiastes 4:12), it was the combining of these three major strands—the religious, the economic, and the political—into one that gave America great strength. To weaken any one of them is to weaken the whole.
In these times, all three of these are under relentless assault, just as they have been from the beginning. To date, every challenge has ultimately ended up strengthening them. Will this continue in our time? We will decide, but we have an unfair advantage. We cannot lose if we do not quit.
Were we directed from Washington [city] when to sow, and when to reap, we should soon want bread. – Thomas Jefferson
The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind. – Thomas Paine