Labor Laws

Labor is a commodity and the price of labor is somewhat controlled by the number of workers entering the workforce and further controlled by the number of workers willing to stay on the job. The cost of labor is based on the economic value of worker’s skills. Labor laws that interfere with this free market model are acts of economic sabotage in violation of the laws of economics.

During the Industrial Revolution in the US from 1850 to 1900, immigrants came from Europe in large numbers. The US was in the process of settling its land mass. There were also more workers coming from farms to cities. The result was a glut of workers companies could hire to work long hours at low wages. The supply of labor was higher than the demand for workers.

Commerce continued on waterways and railroads were being built in the 1820s. The transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869. The steam engine was powering factories and removing water from mines. Applied science took a leap and was resulting in innovation and invention in physics and chemistry and patents were being filed.

Machinery and materials were in a constant state of development. The race was on in capital formation, infrastructure formation, energy and steel production and factory automation.

The owners of all large companies were immersed in solving technical and operational problems and failed to treat employees with respect. The art of people management was at a low point. Large organizations became autocratic and ruled by force.

Work in factories, mines and construction sites was hard and dangerous and workers were generally unskilled. Those who were able learned crafts left the factories, mines and construction sites, but many remained.  Those employees who remained were ripe to become jealous, disenchanted and angry.

By the 1880s some of these employees were formed into labor unions inspired by Karl Marx and the “political struggle” began. 

They quietly organized, chose leaders and planned their tactics based on what they saw as their “rights”. The first “strikes” were triggered by workplace accidents resulting in employee fatalities. Employers fired the “strikers” and replaced them with new employees. Strikers rioted and Employers called in the Pinkerton Security force to fight the rioters. Property was destroyed and strikers were killed and wounded and riots were covered by the press and the “plight of the worker” was spotlighted to become the dominant theme.

Despite the fact that the inventors and owners of these companies accomplished miracles from 1850 to 1900, the owners and bankers responsible for these innovations were cast as villains ripe for punishment. They were branded as “Robber Barons”. Newspapers also engineered public opinion against “the rich”.

Politicians became interested in “solving” this dilemma. What followed were labor laws that allowed employees the “right” to form labor unions and a government bureaucracy to offer “mediation” of disputes. Politicians noticed a parade was happening and they placed themselves in front of it.

The Sherman Anti-Trust Act was passed in 1890 to attack mergers, while at the same time JP Morgan had arranged a merger of the separate railroads so they could pay off the debt assumed to construct their railroads. If he hadn’t done this, the loans would have defaulted sending the railroads into bankruptcy bringing commerce to a halt. But politicians were more interested in using the “plight of the poor” to expand the government. They chose to ignore their pledge to protect “property rights” for owners to pander to “the poor”. They also advanced Marxism in the US.

By 1913, government was ready to convert the US from a free market economy to a managed economy and they passed the unconstitutional Federal Reserve Act and the US Income Tax. The Federal Reserve would assure massive inflation from money printing and the Income Tax and Inheritance Tax would serve to further punish “the rich”.

US labor laws were written by the labor unions and resulted in union domination in major industries. The cost of labor in the US by the 1980s was unsustainable with union factory workers being paid $80,000 a year.

Foreign countries offered much lower labor costs, lower facility costs and little or no unnecessary environmental costs. In 1993 the US Congress passed NAFTA and US manufacturing left to set up plants in foreign countries. US Private sector union membership plummeted and public sector union membership soared. Now most union members work in government and utility jobs.

Immigration to the US doubled in 1989 and continued to double. We have added 60 million immigrants over the past few decades.  US immigration laws have been liberalized since the 1960s to include all classes of workers. Most immigrants in the US are in the minimum wage jobs that were previously given to students.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_the_United_States

Illegal immigration in the US has always existed in Border States for seasonal agricultural workers and domestic help. Migration from Mexico and other South and Central American countries increased with the need for cheap labor in the US. Illegal immigration surged in the 1980s with the construction boom.

The US illegal immigrant population has increased from 0.54 million in 1960 to 11 million in 2017.

https://immigration.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000844

I am amazed that the US government doubled immigration in the 1990s and then offshored US manufacturing in 1993. Congress also left the US Corporate Tax Rate at 35% and added unnecessary regulations. These suicidal acts of sabotage caused the best parts of the US economy to be offshored to other countries.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Libel and Slander

Slander is defined as verbally making false and damaging statements about another person. It is a civil offense often remedied through a lawsuit in civil court. Libel is defined as making a written statement that is false and damaging about another person. These lawsuits generally ascribe financial harm to the act.

It is based on the commandment “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor”. Slander is often used to attack candidates running for public office. I would ban attack ads and insist on full disclosure of positions on real issues.

I was aware of the damage libel and slander could do as I worked as a Personnel Director for decades and had to get references and give references. When I called for a reference, I would describe the job I was filling and share why I was interested in the applicant and ask if that made sense. The person giving the reference was put at ease, so a real conversation could take place. I also kept all of this confidential. When I gave a reference I would ask the caller about the job they were trying to fill so we could discuss relevant skills. Reference calls allow us to confirm the accuracy of resumes and observations. Employers are expected to be thorough in avoiding hiring errors and workforces expect this. Employers are also required to respect employee privacy and handle employee issues with discretion.

There are always disagreements about who should be allowed to hire employees and who they should hire or retain. I believed that hiring managers need to do the hiring and firing. Personnel’s role is to handle recruiting, interviewing, reference checking and assessment advice and training for hiring managers. I rarely had to veto hiring managers’ choices, but keeping out troublemakers, gossips and gamers is a Personnel responsibility.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Nicaragua Corruption Report

Rampant corruption within Nicaragua’s political circles impairs the functioning of state institutions and limits foreign investment. International companies report widespread favoritism and impunity among public officials.

The judicial system functions under heavy political pressure, and courts are susceptible to corruption and manipulation by politicians and criminal organizations. High-risk areas for bribery include Nicaragua’s tax and customs sectors, where the application of regulations and procedures is arbitrary and is plagued by extortion, facilitation payments, and kickbacks.

Nicaragua’s anti-corruption legislation is comprehensive and addresses all major forms of corruption including bribery, abuse of office, facilitation payments and gifts to public officials. Nevertheless, the law is not enforced effectively, allowing for pervasive corruption and creating a challenging business environment for foreign companies. Last updated: August 2017 GAN Integrity

Judicial System - Nicaragua’s legal system is burdensome and involves very high risks of corruption. Three out of five businesses perceive significant corruption in Nicaragua’s judiciary (Miller & Chevalier 2016). Bribes and irregular payments in return for favorable judicial decisions are commonplace (GCR 2015-2016). Corrupt practices are found at all levels of the judiciary and mechanisms to protect judges from political influence do not exist (BTI 2016).
Accordingly, companies have extremely low confidence in the independence of the courts and report that the legal framework is inefficient when it comes to settling disputes and challenging regulations (GCR 2016-2017). The quality of judicial services is very low (BTI 2016). Investors allege that authorities apply laws in an arbitrary, negligent, or slow manner in an apparent effort to favor one competitor over the other (ICS 2017). Foreign entities are often at a disadvantage in disputes against Nicaraguans with political or personal connections (ICS 2017). Uncertainty exists over whether local courts will enforce awards from local and international proceedings (ICS 2017). Enforcing a contract takes significantly less time and is slightly less costly compared to the regional average (DB 2017).

Police - There is a high risk of corruption when dealing with the Nicaraguan police. A third of companies report significant corruption in the police (Miller & Chevalier 2016). Over half of firms report paying for private security (ES 2014). A perception exists that police officers act with impunity because of corruption, inefficiency and a lack of transparency in the judicial system (HRR 2016). Companies cannot rely on Nicaragua’s police to protect them from crime, theft, and disorder (GCR 2016-2017). The Law of Organization, Functions, Career and Special Regimen of Security of the National Police entitles the president to be the ‘supreme commander’ of the Nicaraguan police force, centralizing power over all executive decisions – including recruitment of police officials – in the hands of the presidential administration (InSightCrime, July 2014). Such exceptional control over Nicaragua’s police decreases its independence and raises the levels of corruption and patronage through political ties (InSightCrime, Jan. 2014).

Public Services - There is a high prevalence of corruption in Nicaragua’s public services. Foreign companies encounter red tape and corruption when dealing with Nicaragua’s public services administration. Bribes and irregular payments when dealing with public utility companies are fairly rare (GCR 2015-2016). Inefficient government bureaucracy is ranked as the most problematic factor for doing business in Nicaragua (GCR 2016-2017). The public administration is intensely politicized and has limited capacity and lacks professionalism and effective monitoring (BTI 2016). There is an absence of a career-based civil service, meaning that people are not hired on the basis of merits (BTI 2016). Starting a business in Nicaragua takes fewer steps and requires less time than the regional average (DB 2017). Getting electricity is slightly less time-consuming than the regional average (DB 2017).

Land Administration - The land administration carries high corruption risks for foreign investors. Companies report that property rights are insufficiently protected (GCR 2016-2017). Due to poor record keeping, establishing a claim to a land title might be problematic (ICS 2017). Extensive due diligence and caution are advised before investing in a property (ICS 2017). President Ortega has declared that the government will not evict those who have taken illegal possession of property; the police similarly often refuse to assist in property eviction cases (ICS 2017). There have been reports of U.S. citizens subjected to false accusations in an effort to expropriate their properties; some have been threatened with incarceration if they do not voluntarily surrender their property (ICS 2017).

Tax Administration - There is a high risk of corruption in Nicaragua’s tax administration. Companies count tax regulations and tax rates among the most problematic factors for doing business in Nicaragua (GCR 2016-2017). Foreign investors have raised concerns about corrupt practices in the tax administration (ICS 2017). Irregular payments and bribes when dealing with annual tax payments are reported by businesses to be common (GCR 2015-2016). Companies face a much higher number of tax payments every year compared to the regional average, but the total time companies spend on paying taxes is far below the regional average (DB 2017).

Customs Administration - Nicaragua’s customs administration is plagued by a high prevalence of corruption. A third of companies perceive significant corruption in the customs sector (Miller & Chevalier 2016). Companies report that bribes and irregular payments are commonly exchanged when dealing with customs officials (GETR 2016). Companies rate the efficiency of the clearance process and the time predictability of import procedures as poor (GETR 2016). Burdensome import procedures and corruption at the border are among the most problematic factors for importing (GETR 2016). Bribery of officials, arbitrary assessments, and unlawful seizures by customs authorities are common (ICS 2017).

Public Procurement - Risks of corruption in Nicaragua’s public procurement sector are high. Companies report that irregular payments and bribes in the process of awarding government contracts are very common (GCR 2015-2016). Companies also report that public funds are often diverted due to corruption (GCR 2016-2017). Legislation is not adequately enforced in the public procurement sector (BTI 2016). There are insufficient mechanisms in Nicaragua to ensure the transparency and accountability of the state’s business decisions (ICS 2017); excessive exemptions are made to procedures and requirements in public procurement (BTI 2016).

Natural Resources - There is a moderately high risk of corruption in Nicaragua’s natural resources sector. It is estimated that thirteen percent of Nicaragua’s gold is produced illegally and laundered and exported to other countries with the help of corrupt government officials (Verité 2016). It is estimated that up to thirty percent of illegal logging in Central American, including in Nicaragua, is linked to illegal drug trafficking; weak government is identified as a major cause (Insight Crime, May 2017).

Legislation - The overall implementation and enforcement of Nicaragua’s anti-corruption legislation are weak, and the level of compliance with the law is poor among Nicaragua’s public officials. The Criminal Code of Nicaragua and the Law on Bribery and Crimes Against International Trade and Foreign investment (in Spanish) criminalize all major forms of corruption, including active and passive bribery, abuse of office, money laundering and extortion. The criminal penalty for offering or accepting a bribe is a minimum of three years in prison and a fine. The bribery of foreign public officials is forbidden and punishable by a minimum of five years’ imprisonment.  Companies may be held subsidiarily liable for civil damage resulting from corruption offenses (UNODC 2015). Likewise, individuals acting on behalf of a company may be held personally liable (UNODC 2015). Article 130 of the Constitution and the Civil Service Probity Law provide the legal framework for conflicts of interest and asset declarations by public officials. Some aspects of private sector bribery are criminalized under the Criminal Code; these provisions, however, do not refer specifically to promising, offering or providing, nor soliciting or accepting an undue advantage by any person working in the private sector (UNODC 2015). Private sector embezzlement is criminalized (UNODC 2015). Facilitation payments and gifts are addressed in the Decree No 124-99. The Government Procurement Law (in Spanish) and the Municipal Procurement Law (in Spanish) require open and competitive bidding, as well as fairness and transparency in procurement procedures. Limited whistleblower protection is contained in Law No 735. The Access to Information Law (in Spanish) requires institutions that receive or oversee state funds to make their documents publicly available; however, the Law preserves the government’s right to protect information related to state security. A lack of access to information is a serious problem (HRR 2016).

Civil Society - The Constitution of Nicaragua provides for freedom of the press, but the government has frequently used its administrative and judicial means to limit these rights (HRR 2016). Media freedom is restricted through arbitrary application of libel and defamation laws and judicial harassment (FotP 2016). Legal cases against the press have been decreasing, but this appears to largely be a consequence of an increase of self-censorship and a corresponding decrease in critical reporting (FotP 2016). Reporters increasingly face threats, harassment, and physical violence from both the government and other actors (FotP 2016). Favoritism is widespread, and journalists loyal to the ruling party receive favorable treatment; the government has denied critical outlets millions of dollars worth of official advertising (FotP 2016). Almost all television broadcasters are owned and controlled by allies of FSLN (FotP 2016). There are no restrictions on access to the Internet, but illegal government monitoring of email correspondence is reported by some civil society groups (CSOs) (FotP 2016). The media environment in Nicaragua is considered ‘partly free’ (FotP 2016).
https://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/nicaragua/

Courts are prone to corruption and manipulation by organized crime groups, drug cartels and a democratic socialist political party, the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), which allegedly accepts bribes from drug traffickers for campaign financing in return for judicial favors (InSightCrime, July 2014). Several of these cases involving illegal business deals have been resolved in secrecy (BTI 2016).

Nicaragua is a signatory to the 1958 New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, and it is a member state to the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

The Nicaraguan government has granted a Hong Kong-based company a 100-year concession to construct a canal through Nicaragua (ICS 2017). The concession includes a law that allows the Canal Authority to expropriate any land, with compensation paid at “cadastral value” needed for the purposes of constructing the canal, including land outside the proposed route of the canal (ICS 2017). Investors have expressed fears that expropriation compensation will be paid below fair market rates and in violation of the CAFTA-DRagreement (ICS 2017).

Registering a property takes nine steps, which is two more than the regional average, but the total time required is significantly shorter (DB 2017).

The time and costs required to comply with import requirements are generally significantly lower than regional averages (DB 2017).

The government has established the Sistema de Contrataciones Administrativas del Estado (SISCAE), a portal for public contracts where investors can register and obtain information and bid on public contracts. More information on procurement rules in Nicaragua may be found here. Companies are recommended to use a specialized public procurement due diligence tool to reduce corruption risks related to procurement in Nicaragua.

Nicaragua has ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption, which imposes direct obligations on the government of Nicaragua to adopt institutional and legal measures against corruption. Nicaragua is not a party to the OECD Convention on Combatting Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions.

Freedom of association is often undermined by Nicaragua’s National Assembly, whose accreditation is mandatory for NGOs to be able to receive donations (HRR 2016). Freedom of assembly is permitted under the law, but in practice, the police give preferential treatment to pro-government demonstrations and the police frequently fail to protect opposition protesters from harassment (HRR 2016). Civil society participation in decision-making processes radically diminished in recent years; the government now harasses CSOs critical of the regime (HRR 2016). The anti-corruption segment of civil society enjoys significant mobilizing capacity (BTI 2016). Opposition rallies and protests organized by CSOs are often suppressed by pro-government supporters to silence opponents of the government (HRR 2016).

·       

https://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/nicaragua/

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Nicaraguan Protests

Political upheaval is underway again in Nicaragua due to corruption, socialism economic decline and criminal cronyism under Daniel Ortega who was elected President again in 2006.

Nicaragua has a population of 6.2 million and a land area of 50,338 square miles, It spans the Central American isthmus on the drug road.

In 2017, nominal GDP was $14.3 billion, nominal per capita GDP was $2, 229, GDP sectors are services 59%, industry 24% and agriculture 17%, Inflation is 7.3%, unemployment is 7.3%, government debt to GDP is 31%

https://www.gfmag.com/global-data/country-data/nicaragua-gdp-country-report

In 2012 the labor force was 3 million and poverty was 45%.

Exports were $4 billion and included coffee, beef, shrimp, lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts, automobile wiring harnesses, textiles and apparel supplied to the US, Canada, Venezuela and El Salvador. Imports were $6.5 billion and included consumer goods, machinery, raw materials and petroleum products from the US, Venezuela, Mexico, Costa Rica, China, Guatemala, El Salvador and Egypt. Public debt was $5 billion. Government revenue was $2.62 billion and spending was $2.56 billion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Nicaragua

Nicaragua has not been politically stable since the 1960s. The Communist Party formed in 1967.  The Sandinistas took over in the 1970s. Literacy is 83%, All 5 current political parties are all Left-Wing.

Nicaragua was colonized by Spain in 1524. It became part of Mexico in 1821, then part of the Central America Union that included Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras in 1823 and became independent in 1838. The first military takeover came in 1893 when General Zelaya established a military dictatorship ended by the US in 1909. In 1937 General Samosa was elected and his family ruled until 1979. The Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) formed in 1961, fought the Contras in the 1970s. The FSLN Presidential candidate Daniel Ortega won the election in 1979 and returned to the Presidency in 2006.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19909695

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

 

Somali Park

Lewiston, ME: Somalis gone wild, by Ann Cocoran, 5/31/18

Gang of Somali Kids Attack Park Goers in Lewiston

Maine First Media has posted a video taken earlier this month in Kennedy Park in Lewiston, ME, the Somali capital of New England.

No time to do more than post the news, but here are some ‘highlights.’ Visit Maine First Media for the video.

(Go here for my huge archive on Lewiston.)

Thanks to all my readers who sent me this story.

It was an otherwise pleasant evening in Maine when two dozen Somali youth swarmed and attacked two local residents in Kennedy Park last Thursday evening.

The Somali mob attacked around 7:45 pm, just as the sun was setting on this historic city park in the heart of Maine’s second largest city.

A local mother recorded as a mob of teens and children, boys and girls as young as nine years old, brandishing wooden bats and other objects, along with fists, feet and sheer numbers to attack the two non-Somali defenders. At one point you can even here one of the hoodlums repeatedly daring the woman to, “stop me, b**ch.”

Lewiston Police tell Maine First Media one of the victims was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. However, no charges were filed.

Lewiston Mayor, Shane Bouchard says these types of incidents are common at Kennedy Park, but points to Lewiston’s low crime rate. Mayor Bouchard: We have this all the time, but our crime rate is really low! (Could that be because people are FEARFUL of pressing charges?)

“Kennedy Park is a large common space in the middle of some of the poorest census tracts in the Northeast,” Mayor Bouchard said. “When you have large, diverse groups of people in the same place you are bound to have incidents. Lewiston is no different in that respect than any other medium to large city, except that Lewiston’s violent crime rate is one of the lowest in Maine.”

While the Mayor brings up Lewiston’s violent crime statistics, it is important to note, in this case, the victim didn’t press charges, meaning, statistically there was no crime. Incidents like this often go unreported and are not reflected in the numbers — something even Mayor Bouchard has to admit.

This is far from the first incident of Somalian attacks at Kennedy Park. Recently, a 10-year-old girl was jumped and beaten by a Somali girl at the park. As such occurrences become more common in Lewiston, many lifelong residents are now afraid to bring their own children to play.

Some residents say police officers tell them the safest thing would be not to bring their kids to the park anymore. 

However, according to Lewiston Police Department Public Information Officer, Lieutenant David St. Pierre, that is not the department’s stance.

On any given day, dozens if not hundreds of Somali youth can be found occupying Kennedy Park and the violence is nothing new. Local residents bearing the brunt of these violent mobs are growing frustrated. Maine First Media was told it took police at least 7-8 minutes to arrive on the scene, despite the police station being right across the street from the park.

Go here for more from Maine First Media. By the way, the primary resettlement contractor in Maine is Catholic Charities.

https://refugeeresettlementwatch.wordpress.com/2018/05/31/lewiston-me-somalis-gone-wild/

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

US Founding Insights

The British were ripe for losing their colonies. The British Parliament was an ocean away and swimming in war debt.

The frontier nature of living in the colonies forced everybody to become marksmen to put food on the table.  Colonists had fought Indians for 200 years and learned gorilla war tactics. A large number of colonists actually served in the British Army in militias during the French Indian wars and many had command experience. They knew the reputation of the British Army was overstated and they knew how to beat them, because they knew the weaknesses in their tactics.

The colonies were stabile by the late 1700s and the founders saw an opportunity to form their own sovereign nation based on the needs of what would be their citizens.

America was all about freedom and opportunity and the British Parliament wanted to turn it into a cash cow. The British Empire was huge and was too large for them to be able to hang on to all of it.  France and Spain continued to compete for colonies across the globe and the British were strapped. We saw this when the Roman Empire began to contract in 300 BC.

By coincidence, the Founders had read the freedom oriented philosophers and were like-minded about how a government could be established to protect freedom and opportunity for its citizens. The 13 colonies were all governed by local land owners and professionals and that was working.

All that was left to do was to give the British a chance to be “reasonable.  The Founders listed their grievances and presented this list to the Parliament. They ignored it. But they had fair warning.

The Founders then embarked on a propaganda campaign aimed at the British Parliament and King George. The free press was born. Colonists knew that the accusations in this propaganda were true, because they witnessed abuses daily. The tax evasion colonists had engaged in easily went underground when the British Army tried to root it out, but it didn’t go away.

France and Spain were rivals of the British Empire and they were happy to support the British colonial rebellion and they did. The American Revolutionaries were cash strapped, but enough citizens came to support the revolution that its Armies held together.

After the French Indian War was won in 1763, the British Parliament issued a torrent of new taxes and impositions from 1763 through 1775. The Boston Massacre occurred in 1770. The Declaration of Independence was posted in July 1776.  The Revolutionary War lasted from the battle of Lexington and Concord in April 1775 to September 1883 when the peace treaty was signed. Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown in October 1881 and the evacuations of British soldiers continued through 1882 and 1883.

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/revwartimeline.html

The acquisition of land in the American Colonies created Indian Wars and known risks in exchange for the possibility of owning land. The prospect of owning land was in Europe was unlikely and farmers were attracted to the American Colonies. Immigrating to America in the 1600s was brutal, but by 1700 survival seemed feasible. America’s British Colonies were organized into States from the Northeast to the border of Spanish Florida. The British Colony of Georgia was established in 1732.

Britain was embroiled in wars in Europe during the 1700s and amassed a debt of 140 million pounds by 1763. The British Parliament thought the American Colonies should pay more taxes on goods to pay for the British Army expenses of the French Indian War and other Indian Wars. Colonists had long avoided paying British taxes and were being pressed to comply. The Brits decided to “oppress” the colonists to extract the taxes. This turned out to be a big mistake.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Church Decline

We’ve had periods of expansion and decline in the history of religion. It has been tied to rulers and governments for centuries. Egyptian Pharos, Roman Emperors and Rulers of Nations across the world have aligned themselves with the gods. Unfortunately, religion has been imposed by unwise rulers and woven into cultures.

Before 312 BC, Christianity was an obscure Jewish sect, but after the Emperor Constantine declared it the “state religion” it expanded exponentially. The Pope was suddenly a “royal” and was expected to function as a “peer” to the Kings of Europe and instead became a “pawn”. The merger of church and state led to the appointment of “prince-bishops” in the middle ages. The corruption of the Catholic Church was confronted by Martin Luther in 1517 and the Protestant Reformation began. The notion of a “personal relationship with God” resonated. .

Churches have always been fallible human organizations subject to the same foibles that afflict all humans. Greek and Roman gods possessed all imaginable human weaknesses.

As believers in human freedom, our Founders were critical of the fights Protestant denominations were having over church doctrine and resolved to give US citizens the freedom to choose a church or not.

Jews and Christians have introduced the belief that the world and the universe was created by God. Given the evidence we gather as we learn more about how nature works, It becomes harder to explain what we see in nature without the existence of an “intelligent designer”. We have failed to prove that the theory of evolution is true for anything but viruses. There is now more credible evidence of God’s existence than ever before, yet our churches are declining.

I can make a case for church decline based on brutal wars and catastrophic events when I note how God is thanked for blessings and rejected after disasters.

The Industrial Revolution from 1850 to 1900 gave hope to the world that our inventions would make life better. Church attendance was high and the pain of war and economic upheaval was unexpected. Developed Western countries were hard hit by World War I from 1914 to 1918, followed by the Great Depression from 1929 to 1939 and World War II from 1939 to 1945.

World War I caused 37.5 million total casualties. Over 100 million soldiers were mobilized on both sides. Military deaths totaled 8.5 million. Russia lost 1.7 million, Britain lost 908,375, France lost 1.4 million and US lost 116,500. On the losing side, Germany lost 1.8 million and Austro-Hungary lost 1.2 million.

https://www.facinghistory.org/weimar-republic-fragility-democracy/politics/casualties-world-war-i-country-politics-world-war-i

The financial costs for World War I totaled $125.7 billion from the US allies and $60.6 billion from Germany and Austro-Hungary.

http://spartacus-educational.com/FWWcosts.htm

The Great Depression hit in 1929 with the stock market crash that rippled across the world and contracted all economies. Europe had rebuilt after World War I and was just beginning to get normal.  In the US we also had the “dust bowl” drought in the 1930s.

World War II broke out in 1939 with Germany’s invasion of Poland. World War II caused 85 million casualties in over 40 countries including 15 million battle deaths, 25 million soldiers wounded and 45 million civilian deaths. The Soviet Union lost 24 million lives and China lost 20 million lives. Germany lost 8.8 million lives, Poland lost 5.6 million lives, Japan lost 3.1 million lives, India lost 2.5 million lives.

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/students-teachers/student-resources/research-starters/research-starters-worldwide-deaths-world-war

The financial cost of World War II was $1.075 trillion. The US cost was $341 billion, Germany spent $272 billion, Soviet Union spent $192 billion, Britton spent $120 billion,  Italy spent $94 billion and Japan spent $56 billion.

https://caseagainstbush.blogspot.com/2005/04/financial-cost-of-world-war-ii1u.html

Church attendance began to decline in Europe after World War I and continued to decline through the Great Depression and World War II and beyond.

Churches attendance in the US reached its peak in the 1950s. We had just won World War II and lost 420,000 in deaths. The UK lost 460,000, Yugoslavia lost 450,000 and the Soviet Union lost 24 million.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Church Crisis

European Christians no longer align with Christian faith, Pew Forum confirms they 'drifted away,' 'were alienated,' or just 'stopped believing' by Bob Unruh, 5/29/18, WND

A new poll by Pew Research Center indicates European Christians, once the driving force behind the faith’s expansion worldwide, no longer are.

Christian. Really. At least in terms of what they believe.

They may call themselves Christian, but Pew describes them as “non-practicing” and found that they “drifted away,” “were alienated” or just “stopped believing.” They only rarely walk in the doors of a church.

The survey found for example, that while 83 percent of Belgians say they were “raised Christian,” only 55 percent now identify as such.

Norway’s figures plunged from 79 percent “raised Christian” to only 51 percent now. In the Netherlands, from 67 percent to 41 percent, Spain, 92 percent to 66 percent, Sweden, 74 percent to 52 percent. In the United Kingdom, 79 percent to 73 percent.

The survey comes as millions of Muslims migrate from the Middle East and Africa to Europe.

“Western Europe, where Protestant Christianity originated and Catholicism has been based for most of its history, has become one of the world’s most secular regions,” the survey said. “Although the vast majority of adults say they were baptized, today many do not describe themselves as Christians.

“Some say they gradually drifted away from religion, stopped believing in religious teachings, or were alienated by scandals or church positions on social issues.”

Moreover, most of those who call themselves “Christian” don’t align with Christian faith or teaching. “While the religious, political and cultural views of non-practicing Christians in Western Europe are frequently distinct from those of church-attending Christians and religiously unaffiliated adults (‘nones’), on some issues non-practicing Christians resemble churchgoing Christians, and on others they largely align with ‘nones.’

“Religious beliefs and attitudes toward religious institutions are two areas of broad similarity between non-practicing Christians and church-attending Christians. Most non-practicing Christians say they believe in God or some higher power, and many think that churches and other religious organizations make positive contributions to society. In these respects, their perspective is similar to that of churchgoing Christians,” the survey said.

“On the other hand, abortion, gay marriage and the role of religion in government are three areas where the attitudes of non-practicing Christians broadly resemble those of religiously unaffiliated people (‘nones’). Solid majorities of both non-practicing Christians and ‘nones’ say they think that abortion should be legal in all or most cases and that gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry legally. In addition, most non-practicing Christians, along with the vast majority of ‘nones,’ say religion should be kept out of government policies.”

The report said: “Many in all three groups reject negative statements about immigrants and religious minorities. But non-practicing Christians and church-attending Christians are generally more likely than ‘nones’ to favor lower levels of immigration, to express negative views toward immigrants from the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa, and to agree with negative statements about Muslims and Jews such as, ‘In their hearts, Muslims want to impose their religious law on everyone else’ in their country or ‘Jews always pursue their own interests and not the interest of the country they live in.'”

Pew Research said: “Overall, the study shows a strong association between Christian identity and nationalist attitudes, as well as views of religious minorities and immigration, and a weaker association between religious commitment and these views. This finding holds regardless of whether religious commitment among Christians is measured through church attendance alone, or using a scale that combines attendance with three other measures: belief in God, frequency of prayer and importance of religion in a person’s life.”

The survey found 91 percent were baptized and 81 percent raised Christian. But only 71 percent even call themselves Christian, and only 22 percent, not even a third of those who call themselves Christian, attend services even monthly.

The “non-practicing” Christians are the largest faith block across the continent.

In Austria, 52 percent are “non-practicing” but call themselves Christian, and only 28 percent call themselves Christian and actually go to church monthly or more.

In Finland, it’s 68 percent who are “non-practicing” and 9 percent who actually attend church.

For Denmark, it’s 55 and 10, for Italy 40 and 40, for Portugal 48 and 35, for the U.K. 55 and 18.

“Non-practicing Christians also outnumber the religiously unaffiliated population (people who identify as atheist, agnostic or ‘nothing in particular,’ sometimes called the ‘nones’) in most of the countries surveyed. And, even after a recent surge in immigration from the Middle East and North Africa, there are many more non-practicing Christians in Western Europe than people of all other religions combined (Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, etc.),” the survey said.

“Many non-practicing Christians say they do not believe in God ‘as described in the Bible,'” the poll said. Instead, they believe “in some other higher power or spiritual force.”

Pew reported education levels also played a role in the differences, as “highly educated Europeans are generally more accepting of immigrants and religious minorities, and religiously unaffiliated adults tend to have more years of schooling than non-practicing Christians. But even after statistical techniques are used to control for differences in education, age, gender and political ideology, the survey shows that churchgoing Christians, non-practicing Christians and unaffiliated Europeans express different religious, cultural and social attitudes.”

The poll, conducted on mobile and landline telephones with 24,000 adults from April to August 2017 in 12 languages, looked at a wide range of perspectives on faith.

Across 15 nations surveyed, Pew said, 27 percent believe in God as the Bible describes Him, 38 percent just say there’s a “higher power,” and 26 refuse to believe at all. Even among “church-attending Christians,” only 64 percent say the Bible has described God. One in three is there’s that unknown “higher power.”

Large numbers, led by “nones” and assisted by the non-practicing Christians, suggest there are no spiritual forces in the universe at all.

“If the Christian identity of Europe has become an issue, it is precisely because Christianity as faith and practices faded away in favor of a cultural marker which is more and more turning into a neo-ethnic marker,” Pew quotes Olivier Roy, a French political scientist, commenting. In fact, across the continent, many contend science makes religion unnecessary.

The survey also takes a poke at America. “The vast majority of adults in the United States, like the majority of Western Europeans, continue to identify as Christian (71 percent). But on both sides of the Atlantic, growing numbers of people say they are religiously unaffiliated (i.e., atheist, agnostic or ‘nothing in particular’). About a quarter of Americans (23 percent, as of 2014) fit this description, comparable to the shares of ‘nones’ in the UK (23 percent) and Germany (24 percent),” Pew said.

“Yet Americans, overall, are considerably more religious than Western Europeans. Half of Americans (53 percent) say religion is ‘very important’ in their lives, compared with a median of just 11 percent of adults across Western Europe. Among Christians, the gap is even bigger – two-thirds of U.S. Christians (68 percent) say religion is very important to them, compared with a median of 14 percent of Christians in the 15 countries surveyed across Western Europe. But even American ‘nones’ are more religious than their European counterparts. While one-in-eight unaffiliated U.S. adults (13 percent) say religion is very important in their lives, hardly any Western European ‘nones’ (median of 1 percent) share that sentiment.” Pew reported, “Similar patterns are seen on belief in God, attendance at religious services and prayer.”

http://www.wnd.com/2018/05/european-christians-no-longer-align-with-christian-faith/

Comments

Churches have been infiltrated and compromised to become irrelevant and they wrecked themselves. It is one of the goals listed in the American Communist Party Goals republished in 1963. It is related to the victimization myth and the politics of division scam. The decline of Christianity in Europe is the result of World Wars and the embrace of socialism and globalism where the government has replaced the churches.

In the US we simply find church attendance less useful in helping us develop our personal relationship with God.

The churches have bought in to the Marxist UN narrative of globalism, anti-capitalism, attacks on private property and free speech, socialism, social justice, liberation theology, open borders, amnesty, crony trade, gay subculture acceptance, a bias for abortion and statism, with fake environmentalism and anti-discrimination as the dominant doctrines. This extreme liberalism has driven away most church-goers.

Churches are missing the boat by not reentering the education and healthcare businesses to lower costs and regain relevance.

Pew is a Liberal organization and that is why their analysis of this is so circular.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader